December

December has been a busy month. After my return from Greece I was quickly whisked away to the USS NIMITZ. Danny and I went for a long weekend trip - flying in on a COD. The flight over wasn’t bad, and they made sure you used the bathroom before you left - no amenities on the plane (especially for ladies). The ship was quite large from the outside, but once you start walking around it felt a lot smaller. I stayed in a room with one other girl who was only onboard to qualify as a “shooter” … she must have wondered at my confusion as I thought “where’s the shooting range on this ship? Did I miss something?” … but no, no. For those of us that are unaware of the Navy nuances, a shooter is the person that gives the last ‘ok’ before the aircraft is catapulted off the deck.

It seems the main past time on an aircraft carrier is eating. There were 4 meals a day and we loaded ourselves up at each one! They had a cappuccino machine, so I had a few cups a day in-between meals ... that plus the swaying of the ship made some of my walks around deck an adventure. Then there was the smoke deck where we had a lovely 180 degree view of the ocean (and at night the stars). We returned home mid-afternoon on our virtual Sunday (catapult launch!), only to go into work again the following morning.

Then Danny went on leave back to the States, which meant double the workload, long days, and lack of weekends. The holiday was thrown in there somewhere - I spent 8 hours one afternoon helping shop, organize, and cook for our Christmas Eve function. I did take Christmas Day off an went to a co-workers to exchange gifts and enjoy a family meal. At this moment Danny’s still gone (well, he’s at a conference), so it’ll be Jan 1st before things become more manageable I think. Luckily my friend Laura is flying in from St Louis for a week to see me! I have all kinds of plans, and will definitely be taking a few days off to show her around the island. Mid-January I’ll be leaving again - not on another glamorous vacation, but to Afghanistan. It’s just a few weeks, but the last time I was told I’d only be gone for a short while I ended up staying a bit longer, so I’ll probably take my laptop and a few other survivalist items with me.