And Greg is Off!!

Off to sea that is...

I can't believe it's been almost a year since Greg has gone underway. I feel like we just moved out of Cape May! I know we were just separated for 3 months, but it's a different feeling when you watch that boat push off that pier. Some people wonder why I watch the boat leave. For one, I have always enjoyed watching the boat leave. I love taking pictures and seeing the look on Noah's face. To him, boats are one of the coolest things ever, especially Daddy's! It also give me a sense of, for lack of a better word, "closure". Which is not necessarily a good thing, but it hits me that he is gone and it's going to be a while. Rip the band-aid off and get back to being mom and keeping our kids happy. Informing my kids (well, Noah) that Daddy is keeping us safe by doing what he is doing and that we will see him again when his boat is back on that pier.
Noah took everything very well which makes me think he still doesn't quite understand when I tell him that Greg is going to be gone for "this" long. I am guessing after a few days he will start asking questions. We will see!

We waited on the pier for an hour until the boat left. Talk about the longest hour ever! Especially because Greg's job requires him to be inside, whereas in Cape May he was a deckhand and was outside. Also we could stand right next to the boat, where in Cape May we had to stand pretty far back.  I was jealous of the wives who were able to talk to their husbands from the pier! ;)

 As the boat was backing out, Greg came out real quick to wave goodbye. 

The only moment I couldn't hold back the tears. 

Love you babe!

We had a very good day today. As the boat pulled off the pier, Noah and I were standing at the edge and saw a dolphin. I've never been that close to a dolphin before! It was amazing! After that we drove home along the beach to see if we could see the boat from a distance and we did! It's always nice to see that one last look before it disappears into the horizon. We came home and played with Noah's new toys from his birthday party (new post coming soon, I hope!). We made a "Kisses From Daddy" jar today to countdown the days until he comes home using Hershey Kisses.  After that went to dinner with some friends. I am feeling pretty positive about this patrol. So I hope it sticks. I have experienced only a couple of super long patrols (to me) and to know that this one is not as bad as the others, makes me feel better. All in all, I am excited for Greg. He finally gets to do his job. He finally gets to do what he has been trained to do for the last 10 months! He finally gets to get qualified for being underway.  It's a good feeling knowing that your husband is good at his job, works hard, and is now able to show what he can do. I miss him already, and have already sent him an email and some pictures. I'm sure I will keep sending emails and, of course, let the constant "email checking" begin!

Last night with Daddy <3