So today has been five weeks since I dropped James off at the pier and five weeks is the longest that we've been separated since little Mason came along. Since he left I always thought that once I passed this point it would get harder because....well, this is new territory, right? ThankfullyI got a pleasant surprise because I feel much stronger these days than I thought I would. I've found that staying exhaustingly busy is what has made the past month go by so fast, so we're keeping on' keepin' on. And as someone reminded me last week, that's how you eat an elephant, one bite at a time!
James is doing really well, he's been able to call us a couple of times a week which was a nice surprise. We didn't get calls during the workups before deployment, so I am loving that I get to hear his voice, that was one of the hardest things for me when he would leave for long periods of time before. They made a stop last month in England and he got to explore London, Bath and even went to Stonehenge. He got to drink an English brew in a real pub on his actual birthday so I don't think it could get much better than that! More recently, the Roosevelt successfully cruised through the Suez Canal and is relieving the USS Carl Vinson in the 5th fleet waters so they're moving onto the more mission oriented part of deployment. I would be lying if I said I was completely at ease with the state of the world, but I'm not so just keep us all in your prayers as we navigate these literal and figurative waters. It has really put a whole new perspective on a lot of things for us, and I'm so grateful for our military. But in happier news, James has loved getting mail (finally!) and is so excited to tell me who the latest package or letter is from. I'm so proud of him, I can't even imagine what it would be like to be away from Mason for this length of time - so I find my strength in him these days.
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| One month down! |
But I will tell you the person I am probably most proud of, though, is Mason. He surprises me all the time with his endurance. I know he's 2 and a half and many people have told me he doesn't know what's going on, I completely disagree. He is completely aware that his Daddy is away from us, and that he won't be coming back for a long time. We talk about James all the time, Mason asks lots of questions and tells me to tell James things for him, so I know he's thinking about him all the time, yet he has remained his sweet, silly self throughout this journey. I was so nervous before James left and the pediatrician told me not to be surprised if we had some behavior issues but he's really been such an amazing trooper through the first weeks. He is so much fun at this age. I know a lot of people call it the Terrible Twos, and maybe he just has so much of my stubborn nature that I get him more (ha), but I think this age is terrific. He is really coming into his personality, I love that he has opinions, he asks so many questions and that gives the amazing ability to see things through his eyes. I think that is what has surprised me most about motherhood and in the best way possible, is that I'm living life again, through him. It's the greatest gift I've ever been given. He is still high energy and full of spirit but I wouldn't have him any other way. One day, he'll channel that into something amazing and I'm on the edge of my seat already to see what it is. So thanks to you, Mason Eldridge, for helping Mommy more than you ever thought you would through this phase in our crazy life.
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| 30th Birthday in NYC with my girls |
We've traveled, we've explored, and we've had visitors and it has been wonderful and tiring and a godsend. I celebrated my birthday in New York City with my best friends in March, we ate amazing food, shopped and laughed so hard which was perfection. We don't get to see each other as often as we used to, but I love the weekends we spend catching up together. It was also hilarious to see how different that was from my 21st birthday weekend. (Day drinking is way cooler once you turn thirty.) Easter weekend Mason and I hung around Virginia Beach. I was off Friday and Monday and Mason had school so I actually got two days for Julie time and it was much needed and amazing. I took naps, got my hair done and even squeezed in a pedicure! On Easter Sunday we went to the farm so Mason could hang out with his favorite animals and then had Bojangles for our Easter lunch (don't judge). And this past weekend we rode roller coasters at Busch Gardens. Not only did Mason ride his first roller coaster, but so did my Mom and I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time. Afraid of heights, doesn't really like to go fast and just not into craziness and we somehow talked her into getting on the most hardcore ride at Busch Gardens...amazing. And if you want to know which ride, go YouTube the Griffon at Busch Gardens! Proud of you Mom, this picture was too good not to share :)
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| Terrified? Unconscious? Enjoying it? You take a guess. |
So as you can read, we've been so occupied the past month, but it worked and that's one less month we have to do! This weekend I've decided we're going to wake up Saturday morning and make an impromptu road trip to Dunn, NC so Mason can spend the day with his great grandmothers. And because I don't find it weird that I will drive 3 hours for some good barbecue, a homemade oatmeal cream pie and to just put my feet on NC soil for a day or two. We also have painters coming this week to finally paint the main living floor of the house and I am SO excited. I think this is really going to make it feel more like ours once we start making changes like these. I can't wait to do a blog post about it later. I've taken before pictures and am so excited to take after pictures. In a couple of weeks we have some of the Greens coming for the weekend and we're going to head to Williamsburg to explore, and soon after that heading down to Papa and Lala's for a beach weekend and hopefully some boat time. I am loving all this family time I'm getting!! While I wish James were here, I am so thankful for all the support I've gotten from all of YOU. Thanks for reading along on this crazy journey. I know I say it in every post, but it really just warms my heart to read your comments, hear your encouragement and feel your love. You guys are the best support system in the Navy.
Until we have new adventures to write about,
Jules and Mason
xoxo
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