Caswell Beach 2012

From the time I've met my husband he's always told me stories about his vacations to the beach. Every summer his family would go and stay a week at his Nana's Caswell beach cottage in Oak Island, NC. He'd tell me about the sleeping and shower arrangements(boys and girls), how they would spend countless hours in the sun, run quickly on the boardwalk to avoid burnt soles, and take the best naps on the porch hammock. His imagery never failed to mention the way it smelled, the sounds the waves sang, and the over all feeling of many childhood memories made there.

This past week our family had the opportunity to experience such bliss. The beach cottage is no longer owned by Nana, but our family was able to rent the exact one, and vacation where those said childhood memories stem from.  Over 20 of our family members came together this past week, some of us from across the country. This trip was so memorable, as it has been a long awaited vacation, and unfortunately the "busyness of life" may prevent it from occurring again.

I sit here on the plane reminiscing over all of the memories we made this past week. Jonah experienced many firsts on this trip-his first airplane ride, he heard the sounds of the beach, splashed in the warm ocean water, and felt the grittiness of the sand. He enjoyed meeting  relatives--which included countless hours of fun with his cousins. He saw turtle hatchlings, swung sweetly on the porch swing, and experienced the hot humid air and heat of the NC sun. Patrick acknowledged the similarity of his past experiences to the ones made this past week and happily embraced it. 

And me? I took it all in. Every ounce of it. The heat and breeze of the morning ocean air on my skin, the excitement  I saw in the eyes of my baby boy every time he ran down the  boardwalk, and the overwhelming closeness I felt holding Patrick's  hand while walking along the ocean shore. I saw contentment in my mother in laws eyes as she stated several times she was in heaven seeing all her grandchildren together. I indulged in the vast amount of southern cooking and story telling, and took the definition of relaxation literally. It was all I had imagined and more. I smile knowing our own memories have been made-the experiences Patrick enjoyed while young have now become our own.

  

A couple days before we headed to the beach we stopped at a local park in Burlington, NC.  They had a carousel and some fun rides for the kids to ride on.  Jonah loved the 'horsey' and helicopter. 

 We took some family photos on the beach as well--such a great memory.

Caswell Beach 2012

Patrick's Graduation

Here's a short video of Patrick accepting his WIC diploma.

a USAF weapons officer

The weekend of June 17th was one to remember.  As many know, I flew to Vegas for Patrick's WIC graduation. Amongst all the hype of it being my first trip to Vegas- the excitement the city itself brings, the flashy casinos, delicious food options, and all levels of fashion, I have to mention that the city did not disappoint.  Before the graduation festivities began, Patrick and I had the chance to go out and explore Vegas.  We met up with some friends, gambled, and had ourselves a merry good time.  You really do lose track of time there, as I am sure there is so much more to see.  I foresee many trips in the future to tap into all that the city has to offer. 

Before all the hype of exploring the city began, Patrick attended patch night the evening I flew in.  Patch night is one for the books.  It's the night you receive your graduate patch.  As a weapon's officer, you earn the right to wear your graduate patch in place of the American flag--normally worn on the flight suit's left shoulder.

Patrick has always had a humble spirit.  Despite the difficult situations his job often leads him to, resulting in awards he doesn't often mention, he holds a gentle, unselfish demeanor that I have always admired. Having attended the event, Patrick walked into the hotel room holding the same gentle poise I know him to carry. Yet now, he stood a weapons officer.  He wears a patch many admire and look up to. It gives me more reason to admire my husband.

A little 101 on the course that Patrick took this past six months—WIC(Weapons Instructor Course) is a course that provides advanced training in weapons and tactics employment to officers of the combat air forces.  The weapons schools include the weapons instructor courses for several aircraft and systems of the USAF, one of them being the C-17 Globemaster III.  The course itself is extremely difficult, as the original number of undergraduates for this class stood at 118, and 96 of these men and women graduated on Saturday.   The current number of C-17 weapons officers is less than 100.  Patrick is number 96.

 

               

Facts and statistics of the course alone bring forth a pride I cannot describe.  As I watched him walk on the stage, accept his diploma, and ultimately become one of the elite few who hold a prestigious title, I proudly cheered him on. There have been many moments within my husband’s career thus far that I have been proud.  Those that include becoming an USAF officer, and the pinning of his wings at pilot training.  But this moment topped it all.   

In honesty--Yes, the past six months have been hard. And it’s been difficult at times to acknowledge or see what he has gone through to get to that moment Saturday night.  As he stood in line to receive his diploma, I could not help to reflect, yet again, what we’ve done to get to this moment. Regretfully, my own experiences have at times masked the severity of his.  However, in that moment, as his name was called, I saw the beauty of his hard work.  It resulted in an indescribable pride.  

Many photos were taken to capture such a prestigious moment in Patrick's career.  Here are a few taken after the ceremony. 

      

     

Our big boy

Today we celebrated Jonah's 2nd birthday.  As noted, his birthday was in April, but his celebration has been long awaited, as we wanted to make sure Patrick was present at the party.  The theme was 'Caillou', Jonah's ultimate favorite cartoon.  I am pretty sure all those that attended this afternoon are fully aware of who Caillou is if they hadn't before today.  We celebrated Jonah's birthday with many friends and family.  We made sure pizza, dinosaurs, and cupcakes were all present--all likings of Caillou himself. 

 

playing with his balloons with Auntie Julie

In 'Caillou' fashion--Jonah is now the owner of Caillou shoes!

Oooohh!!! (silent, and adorable gasp)

cake time!!

blowing out his '2' candle

mmmm..cake!!

a favorite of several gifts--a rocket-ship!!

  

Jonah is TWO

These pictures were taken back in April.  Patrick was able to come home and visit the week before Jonah turned two and we decided to celebrate as a family then.  I made a small 'Caillou' cake--Jonah's ultimate  favorite cartoon character.  Jonah loves balloons, so we had a balloon surprise in the morning for Jonah to see on the day we celebrated his birthday.  It was so fun seeing the excitement in his eyes, reflecting on how much he's grown this past year and spending time together as a family. 

smiley birthday boy

  

A treasured 6 month moment

One hundred fifty nine days.  Just one of the thoughts I sit with as I type tonight on the eve of my flight to Vegas for Patrick’s WIC graduation.  I could easily list all of the trials and frustrations I’ve had to endure the past six months.   I could reflect on how it has molded me and given me a better perspective of who I am.  But I feel as if I’ve already done a lot of those reflections (both here and on my own) and have had noted them throughout this journey.

Tonight as I went through the one last bedtime routine, I caught myself many times throughout the 30 minutes of bath/story/prayer/cuddle time reminding myself to treasure this one last time.  I couldn’t help to hear that small voice inside my head saying, “You’ve done this routine almost 160 times now, Sarah--counting down the days until Patrick returns.  There have been many times when you’ve dreaded this routine and wanted it over with because of the day you’ve endured. ..and now you’ve decided to live in the moment?” Despite this loathly self-talk resulting in an utter feeling of guilt, I decided to answer back and say, “Why, yes.  I will live in this moment because it’s a special one. This is monumental in my book--doing this on our own, yet together, has been a journey.  And now it has come to somewhat of an end.  As special as it is, it holds a slight bit of sadness--and the only way I know how to make the best out of sadness is to reflect on the good.  So yes, I will take in this moment and all the glory that comes with it.”

I couldn't stop telling Jonah I loved him.  I wanted him to know in that moment, despite all the things we’ve had to endure together while Patrick has been away, both good and bad--the growing we've done together and the lessons we've learned, the moments of happiness and those of frustration--that I love him.  That I’ve enjoyed every minute with him.  For probably the 100^th time tonight, we read the book, “I love you through and through", by Bernadette Roseetti Shustak.  One of my favorite lines is, “I love your giggles and your cries.” There have been vast amounts of giggles and a significant presence of ‘cries’.  And I've loved every one of them. I know he’s only two—but hope that he remembers and values this time with me—those six months in 2012—as one to treasure. 

'a month's memories'--May

'A month's memories' photos are taken on the Instagram iPhone app (free) and dropped into a collage using Picasa. I am @shancockhap on Instagram if you want to follow the feed.

'a month's memories'--April

'A month's memories' photos are taken on the Instagram iPhone app (free) and dropped into a collage using Picasa. I am @shancockhap on Instagram if you want to follow the feed.

more {sunny} reflections

The weather was perfect yesterday--Spring was written all over it.  A cool breeze and sun filled sky made itself present in the small town of Puyallup.  Unlike the weather our state has experienced the past several months, it was a breath of fresh air when I packed Jonah up in the car.  I smiled, knowing the photo shoot in a short hour at the park would result in some beautiful, sun filled, photos of my newly turned 2 year old boy.  After a quick stop at Starbucks for an iced (yes, I indulged in an iced beverage yesterday..the weather was THAT good) latte, we headed down the strip of Meridian.  Funny how circumstances can drastically change.  I noticed a shift in the ordinary.   The radio turned off.  The dash board gages all went to a flat zero.  I found it strange that just yesterday I had filled up our gas tank, only to see the marker at “E” a mere 24 hours later. I pulled into the nearest parking lot and our car stopped.  It died.  I tried to restart the engine and it wasn’t budging. Perfect. An innocent toddler sat behind me, wondering the reason for my frantic demeanor as I tried to find the road side assistance number.  After a few phone calls later, I sat in our car with Jonah and waited for our neighbor to come pick up Jonah and for the tow truck to arrive.  A few hours at the dealership, I sat with a quote of nearly $700 in repairs.  My status on facebook said it all—I am pretty sure this instance tops the list of ‘joyous things to throw my way while Patrick is gone’.

Coincidently, it had only been a few hours before that morning, that I found myself thinking  of my recent post-‘twenty nine reflections’.  I am pretty sure I have this year’s ‘30 things I’ve learned’ already fulfilled.  I sit and reflect on all the instances and things I have had to experience the past 4 months while Patrick is away and smile, knowing I have learned a lot about myself.   More importantly, about the things that matter most.  What to sweat and what not to sweat.  I have learned a lot about naivety and the drastic level I carry. I've learned when I am stripped of what I feel necessary to survive, I am stronger.  Humorously, I’ve learned about the anatomy of a toilet.   And more recently, if your car occasionally makes the sound of a popcorn maker near the shifting unit, the words ‘voltage’ and ‘alternator’ will most likely be included in the problem diagnosis.  I’ve learned more on the importance of family and sacrifice these past few months and I have seen the net of a support system I own in action.  It may take the instance of family dropping their plans and driving 3 hours to hold down the Hancock fort while I attack a vicious stomach virus to make me aware of it, but when viewed with a clear lens, my net of support is a strong one-- one which I have learned to humbly, and with a grateful heart, take advantage of.   

I am not going to deny the presence of frustration and annoyance yesterday afternoon.  Frantic pleas of desperation were aimed at Jonah to calm down while I made drastic attempts to resolve the situation at hand.  And I am pretty sure the consoling words of, “it’s okay” were not only for Jonah but for me.  If you happened to drive by the corner of 37^th Avenue and Meridian yesterday, I am pretty sure you would have witnessed first-hand the effects of a self-talking mother at its best.  It’s quite comical.

But despite the breakdown of our car yesterday, I think the curve balls and things I’ve learned along the ‘journey towards June’ have provided me a shield of armor against any thrown my way going forward.  And despite my frantic demeanor, I think I viewed the situation more differently than I would have otherwise.  It was more of a hiccup rather than a catastrophe—and another one of those things where I had to decide if it’s worth the sweat. Another opportunity to grow and add to that on-going list for the year.  I found myself saying things like, “this could be worse.” (those that know me understand that type of mindset, reluctantly, is not always in my nature).  And “at least it’s a sunny day”.  I saw myself finding joy amongst the hiccup.

My plans for a day at the park, basking in smiles and sunshine didn’t turn out as expected. But I am  pretty sure God wanted me to see and experience the sunshine in a different place yesterday--A place to reflect and see my own growth.  Guess that place just happened to be on the corner of 37^th and Meridian. 

'a month's memories'--March

'A month's memories' photos are taken on the Instagram iPhone app (free) and dropped into a collage using Picasa. I am @shancockhap on Instagram if you want to follow the feed.