I'm so excited! In Patrick's handbook (that I copied/scanned some things out of before he left, thank goodness!), I found some websites for Family Support. There is a great Navy website for families of sailors and one of them was JUST FOR MOMS of Navy recruits! WOW, I felt like I just stumbled onto a gold mine! I was sooooooooo excited and the MINUTE I signed up, I started getting questions like: "welcome!!!! where is your sailor? Tell us about yourself and your son", etc. It felt so good! What was even better, was that so many had signed up yesterday b/c lots are right where Pat is (maybe all of them?) in Chicago. It was so wonderful to read about other moms who feel EXACTLY like I do---they talk about SOBBING and feeling so sad, only feelings that other Navy Moms can understand. One of my favorites said that when her sons civilian clothes came ,(what he left in), she opened the package; burst into tears and just SMELLED her son on his clothes. GOSH, I can relate! I slept on Pat's pillow the first night and did the same thing! OH and get this! I was the 1001'th mom to join! I MISSED BEING # 1000 by ONE number!!!!!!! HAHA! (Katie said, "Would you have gotten anything?" haha). Katie and I sat outside yesterday and wrote Pat. Her letters are soooooooo cute , he will LOVE them. She is such a good writer, wrote about funny memories/telling him "day to day" stuff (American Idol, etc!).Mine were typical MOM ones, probably he will skim mine and go straight to the letters from his siblings!!! ...Natalie mentioned that yesterday morning she went downstairs to get online and was being very quiet b/c usually Pat was asleep after having worked late at Up the Creek and she said she tiptoed around and suddenly it hit her, HE WAS GONE. I think she had another melt down moment then, too. She said, "it's WAY TOO QUIET" around here. Kemp asked during his bedtime prayers, "when is patpat coming back? In a little while?" (Brad told me that last night). So sweet, God love that little fella, he just doesn't understand! I can't wait to let Kemp "write" his PatPat a letter........OH! And we got THE "big" phone call last night around 11:45 P.M. I SWEAR he only talked 15 seconds. It's supposed to be a 2 minute phone call, but it wasNOT. He just said he was there and o.k. I did manage to ask him if he could keep the addressed envelopes and stamps ( *Frances, he can! Thank you so much!). I was so glad he said he got to keep the stamps/stationary, that means at least we'll hear from him to get his address. Actually, his recruiter said if I hadn't gotten his address by Friday to call or come by and he would give it to me. I'm so glad his recruiter is just around the corner! (he might wish he wasn't!!!). Anyway, I feel much better now and this great website is just the balm I needed for my soul and such a great place to have other moms feeling JUST LIKE I DO. Some of these moms have 2 or 3 sons in the Navy! UNREAL!!!! And some, girls! (katie and Natalie have laughed for 2 days thinking about my girly girls going to BOOT CAMP! HAHA). Katie loves the Navy mom's site too (there are SISTERS on there, too!) and stayed up last night reading and she was telling me some of those she read and what all they said. It's quite fascinating. Also get lots of info from other moms about what it's like the first few days, etc. I'm just PUMPED about this great website! (can you tell?). ANyway, yes, I am feeling better. Still sad but feeling better. Today is a day all for myself---the first one since he left! I plan on visiting the NAVY MOMS website a lot and also get back to life---get into my scrapbook room and CREATE--that's a perfect outlet for me. I also am going to start walking, another great way to have time to pray and just be with nature and God , too. So, I'm slowly coming back from the dead. Thank you all that have called; left messages; text messages; E-MAILS; and cards! you are all so precious to me. Words can't explain. (Bobbie, what would I do without you?). Jack, my precious minister, has left me text messages and phone messages. So so sweet and I plan on calling him back today . I know the next 8-10 weeks will be intense and uncertain at times, but I also know it will go fast , too (for us, not Pat! HA). I am already marking the calendar till he finishes BOOT CAMP. Kind of like last year when the babies were coming, I wrote what week the girls were in , in their pregnancies, now I am writing weeks till I see Pat. Then, I'll be writing weeks till our WEDDING for Katie, which will be soooooooo exciting and happy time>! So, I am looking UP (towards the heavens) and THANKING GOD for all the good and joyful things He provides to me, even in my darkest times!
P.S. the pictures today were made on Monday when he got to spend some time with his little sweetheart, Daisy. oh my how he loves that baby girl!
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