The Chief has Retired

This young man joined United States Navy 20 years ago. His grand idea was to serve one term or enlistment and get out and attend college. That was twenty years ago. His incredibly smart brain got him sucked in the nuclear power program and it just took off from there. What an adventure this sailor has had over the span of those twenty years. He got to see the world and prove all those cool commercials you see on television to be true. He started in 1989 weighing not much more than a buck fifty and a head full of dark hair. He has slowed down a little bit since then as the knees have taken a beating working on metal floors in submarines for so long.

I met this sailor in 2001. We were both in our 30's and had some baggage we were toting around with us. Yet, we got past that baggage to discover that we were meant to be together from that moment on. What an adventure I've had in the past eight years. When I met my husband, I was a small town girl content and satisfied to live in that small town forever and ever amen. He showed me our great country by introducing traveling to my life. With him, I flew in an airplane for the first time, went to visit the West, drove across TEXAS (everyone should have to do this at least one time in their lives), and so many other fun things I never even thought about.

Because of this man and his patience and love for life, I found a side of myself that I never knew existed. The side that would leave that small town to see what else was out there. I will never be able to thank him enough.

You and I will never know exactly what he has seen, experienced, and done. He alone will have those memories to visit when he's older and sitting at the end of the day looking over his life. I admit to being somewhat jealous of those memories because I do know they will be amazing.

I am so honored to be a part of this Chief's life. The future is unfolding in front of us and, even though I wasn't there the entire twenty years of his Naval adventure.....I'm right beside him for the next adventure happening now.

Thank you, Chief The Man. Thank you for serving our country for twenty years and for crying when you said good bye. You are the type of person we need defending our freedom for always.

I appreciate

I suppose I should be fair and do an "I appreciate the US Navy because...." post. I haven't always been too positive when it comes to the military, but that comes with living the life, I suppose.

I appreciate the US Navy because my dryer wasn't working and now it is.

Imagine my surprise when I went to do laundry the other day and it wasn't working! *Gasp* Oh, how that upset me because if there's one thing a family of five needs? It's the washer and dryer.

I got to thinking about that dryer. Dryers have motors. My husband works on motors- of a sort.

I told him he needed to go check that dryer out because I just didn't want to blow our budget for the month on a service call. It was running and air was blowing, but there was no heat. Heat is necessary to dry thick towels that we use on a daily basis. Not to mention underwear and things such as that.

Then The Man got sick. Some gastro-intestinal viral deal that put him down. To be honest, he's still sick and going to go back to medical today to see what the deal is.

Last night, even though I hated to, I asked him to see what he could do about that dryer because the laundry was threatening to take over.

He took his woozy headed self in the laundry room and started working. I went around the corner a little while later to find my dryer pretty much dismantled. I admit, I was a tad nervous seeing that, but I had faith in my husband.

Lo and behold, there was a paper hidden underneath the panel with diagrams and such. Pictures that made my husband go "Aha!" and mutter to himself.

He requested the vacuum cleaner with hose attachment in order to clean the interior of that blessed machine. I stood to the side as I have been trained to do since I was a little girl. My Daddy trained me to be a helper and go and fetch for him when he was working. I know how to do my job.

Next thing I know? My dryer is working!!!

Oh, the joy of having a good working dryer in my home again. I immediately started laundry secure in the knowledge that what I needed to put in the dryer would be nice and dried at the end of the cycle.

Granted, my dryer isn't a nuclear reactor and it's not located on a submarine. But, I am appreciative to the Navy for teaching my husband the past twenty years how to work under pressure (I feel I might be a tad worse than the Captain at times!) and maybe fix a small motor. Hear that prospective employers?!?! My man is GOOD.

Thanks to my husband for understanding my angst and need for a working dryer in our home. Thanks to him for being sick as a dog and still getting the job done right. THAT's a Chief for ya.

Now, if you'll excuse me? I have some laundry to do.

Go on and enjoy a wonderful Spring weekend, would you?