How am I going to get to Chicago?

My son graduates soon from Navy boot camp, how do I get there? With not enough savings to speak of I thought I would borrow from my 401k. Well that was a bust. Then recently I remembered a friend was leaving the state to drive back to her state and I was to go with her, but she had to leave sooner than I could leave. So I thought I will drive to Chicago. The dilemma came to figure out who I could get to go with me. I thought of my oldest but did not know if he could go or help pay for the trip. So I emailed Jon my sons father and asked if he wanted to drive with me, he said yes. Problem solved! I then started to worry if my car would make it which was unnecessary because my car has never given me any trouble. The trip was to take 30 hours, not too terribly bad I thought. I got my tires checked out, had the oil changed. Jon came over to check all the fluid levels everything seemed fine. So off we went Jon my daughter and myself.

I received a letter from my son. I was excited to get it. He asked me not to send anymore singing cards ( it was hoops and yoyo saying hello). Any way he asked me not to send anymore singing cards, because his RDC made him sing along with the last one. My son is not really outgoing so it must have been hard for him to sing along with the card (bad mommy)hahahahahaha. I won't send him anymore cards like that.

My Six Year Old Grandson

I had my grandson over the weekend. He tells my daughter and I that he does not have to go to school on Monday we say why, he says because its the guy on the pennies birthday. I thought that was funny

The Letter

So I checked the mail Sunday and the letter was not there. I checked Monday and to my delight, the letter was there. I tear open the letter to find wait for it, wait for it...a form letter. The only writing he did was write my name, write who he wants to come to his graduation, write his address oh and on the back he said. "Hi Mom, I am doing fine here at boot camp, can you". The can you was supposed to say can you give my address to my brother. Well at least I know the graduation date.

Waukegan Calling

Sunday morning the phone rings I thought it was one of my friends whose mom had passed away she had called the night before upset. So I thought she may have needed to talk more. But when I looked at my phone it showed the phone number and the place of the call. It was Waukegan IL. It was my son. I was thrilled. He said mom did you get my letter? I had not checked the mail yesterday and now wished I had. So I said no. He said ok I sent you a letter, telling you the date of my graduation and other things but I didn't get to finish what I wanted to say so can you make sure to give my address to my brother. So I'm think great the letter is going to tell me about his trip to get there and what he has been doing the first few days there. I ask can this phone call be longer, he says yes. So I asked him how boot camp training is, he says he has not started training but that he has been processing, so I ask what is that, he says it's eye exams, dental exams and some sort of lessons. I asked has he had a headache, he says yes but it went away. He said it was cold there, but they gave him a parka, a raincoat and some sweats. I asked did they give you underwear, he says yes. He then says he has to go and I tell him I love him and he says the same. This call lasted 4 minutes which was longer than the last 44 second phone call.

Weight Loss and Running

At my heaviest I was 247 lbs. I was almost a quarter of a thousand pounds, I wore a size 22. Knowing that I was that heavy made me want to lose weight but I was too lazy, made so many excuses. Fast forward to 2005 I was doing this diet called Out of Egypt which is where you eat only when you are hungry, I got down to 204 lbs, then I decided to join a gym, I told the trainer what I was doing and he told me that I was losing muscle and that I needed to eat 6 small meals a day. Well I did not eat 6 small meals I ate more than that and surprise I gained 34 pounds. 234!!! ugh. I really wanted to be thinner, I wanted to be healthier but I did not have the motivation. I had no inspiration.

I found my inspiration in my son Nathan.

Nate has joined the Navy, but before he could get in he had to lose some weight. So he started running and changed the way he ate. I watched him as the weight began to fall off. I told him one day that I wanted to run with him. Told him I probably could not keep up with him and that he should just leave me. He said okay. So off we went. We stretched first and then started running. I kept up with him for about 3 minutes then there was a gap, he looked back and I told him to keep going. He got to a point where he dropped to the ground and did push ups. I was able to catch up to him. But then he got up from his push ups and took off running again. I was never able to catch up again. But what I discovered that day was that I enjoyed running. It was freeing, it was as if life's problems don't matter when I run. I can listen to my music and enjoy being outside. Running doesn't cost anything well except you need a good pair of running shoes but that's about it. After discovering a love for running, I decided I wanted to do a 5k by the time I am 50 (7 weeks from now). So I downloaded this app called couch to 5k and have been using that to train for it. Training was going okay until I became ill and was in the hospital for 5 days. Due to my illness I will have to have surgery so I may not make the goal of doing the 5k by 50 but I intend to do a 5k this year.

So today I weigh 201 and have purchased a pair of pants that are size 14. I have not worn a size 14 since I was 15 years old that's 34 years ago. I want to weigh 150 so 51 pounds to go. I need to eat better though so that is what I am going to focus on next.

Another added benefit is that my daughter has seen the weight loss and want to workout with me! I am so happy about that.

He's in the Navy Now

February 7, 2012 my son was inducted into the Navy. But let me back up a day. The previous day he wanted me to go to the recruiters office with him so he/we could get information on what will happen the next day and after boot camp and so he can sign some papers. We walked into the recruiters office and he pulls out his ID salutes the flag and asks "permission to come aboard" and the recruiter says "permission granted" or something like that. We walk to the recruiters desk, he greets us and I start to cry. The recruiters name is Muckenfuss, he asks if I am ok? I say "yes I am sorry I was not going to cry." It was such an emotional moment for me. My son whom I had seen almost everyday for 20 years was getting ready to live his life away from me. I was excited and sad at the same time. Like the overprotective mother that I am I ask "what happens if he gets a headache can he take Tylenol with him?" Muckenfuss says "no over the counter medicine." Then he says "he will be so busy that he probably won't realize he has a headache." That makes me feel a little better.
After we speak with Muckenfuss, he has to talk to the the Chief. The Chief ask him what the Core Values of the Navy is, Nate says "Honor, Courage and Commitment". The Chief then tells him what to expect when he gets to boot camp. He tells him he needs to listen and do exactly as they say. He is then finished speaking with the Chief and it's time to go to check in at the Double Tree where he needs to spend the night, he asks permission to disembark or something like that and they say permission granted.

I drive Nate to the Double Tree where he checks in with 139 other recruits from all branches of the military. After he checks in I bring him home with me, he has to be back at the Double Tree by 8:00PM. He does not want to stay here long, he is ready to go. His dad wants to ride with us to the Double Tree so he can say his goodbyes and to impart last minute information. We get to the hotel and we sit and talk. I snap a picture of Nate and his dad talking.

I ask Nate if he is ready to go, he says yes, I give him a hug and tell him to make himself proud because if he makes himself proud, he will make me proud. He smiles and walks away to his room.











Now February 7, 2012. Nate gets a wake up call at 3:45AM, the only one he will get, he has to get up, do his morning ablutions, eat and be ready to leave at 4:15. He needs to get the Military Entrance Processing Station(MEPS) so he can have a physical and sign more papers. My daughter and I need to be there between 8:30 and 10:00 so we can watch him swear in. We arrive at 8:30. There were quite a few families seeing off their loved ones.

They took the families to two dining halls, since there were so many people. A television was on the game show network. Match Game was on

Nate was able to come in and sit with us for a few moments. Liv snapped some pictures of her brother while we talked and waited for the swearing in.







The next game show came on Lingo and a lady came by to sit by me. Her name was Linda. She said her son Josh was joining the Marines and was turning 19 on Valentines day. She did not want him to join the Marines any branch of the military but the Marines, but that's what he wanted to do.
















The call came to for the Navy recruits to leave and shortly thereafter they herded the families to the room where the ceremony would take place.

The room does not have enough chairs and is really small, this man offers to give up his seat for my daughter, chivalry is not dead after all. We take pictures of the flags and emblems on the wall.












The recruits file in

















A military officer from the Army came in to swear in the recruits his last name is Krohn. He said this was the largest group of supporters he had seen in a long while. He thanked the recruits for volunteering to serve their country during this time of crisis. He asked if anyone had any reservations, no one did. He asked them to raise their right hand and say the following inserting their name "I, _____, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."


The recruits file out to sign more paperwork, I get Nate's attention so I can get his cell phone, he could have taken it but would have had to ship it back once he got there. I took his phone and said said my goodbyes, got my goodbye hug and took a picture of him hugging his sister. They never hug.


I took Liv back home and went to work. I was anxious all day because I did not know what time his flight was to Chicago. I was told that he would be able to call me after he got there. So after I get off work I call the recruiters office to see if they knew what time his flight left or what time he would land. Again I had no intention of crying but once I started talking to the recruiter the tears started to flow. The recruiter told me Nate would call between 10PM and 12AM. I kept my phone with me the entire evening because I did not want to miss his call. He called at 9:13pm from Waukegan IL. The conversation went like this. Hi Mom, I just wanted to tell you I was here and that I will be shipping my things home (the things he was talking about was the raggedy clothes he wore which he was going to throw away but I guess he had to send them back), you should receive the package in about a week and a half. I will also be writing you a letter and you will receive that in about a week and a half. I said what I don't get a three minute phone call, he says no I have to go. I said how was your trip he says it was fine I have to go. I said ok I love you. He said bye. The call lasted 44 seconds. After the call I was able to relax and sleep. More to come when I go see him graduate from boot camp

After Seperation

May 2011 a decision was made to separate. I think I would have been content to stay until "death do you part". There had been no connection for quite a number of years. There was sex, there was conversation but no real connection. During those 21 years of marriage there were good times and bad. During the last year he got himself an apartment unbeknownst to me because he was home every night. He finally told me about it and was going to move but changed his mind and stayed and said he would not leave. But six or so months later he had a meltdown. A meltdown so severe that I thought he was going to kill himself, and I did not want to be the cause of his suicide. He was unhappy. He had been for a number of years but stayed because the kids were not yet grown. Though his interaction with them was limited during that time,limited by his choice. I made a suggestion that we go our separate ways and he jumped on that idea. He said he we were just not compatible. We think differently. So now I am on my own my middle son lived with me until he left for the Navy and my daughter lives with me.