2010!?
Where have the years gone?! Join me here for a recap of the last 10...
2009-Our kids went back to public school, Cliff deployed to Kuwait, we sold our first home, Cliff was promoted to LCDR and we completed our first year on Okinawa. Troy started football, Patrick started JROTC and cross-country and both of them started wrestling.
2008-Cliff was selected as the Miltary Chaplain Association's "Navy Chaplain of the Year". He and I flew to So. Carolina for the ceremony. We found out we got orders to Okinawa. Troy started taking college classes. I traveled to Vincennes, Indiana for Site Directors' Conference. We put our beloved home on the market. Troy turned 16 and got his drivers license. Cliff left for Okinawa over Thanksgiving weekend...the rest of us followed right before Christmas.
2007-I started a part time job on the base as the Site Director for the college there. LOTS of stress, LOTS of responsibility, sometimes full time hours...not much pay. Learned a TON and felt great about helping Sailors get their associate degrees. We adopted Charlotte the cat. Continued to LOVE living in our new home. We also continued to LOVE shore duty as Cliff stayed close to home. Cliff started teaching at the college as adjunct faculty (psych and speech) and I resumed taking classes.
2006-Cliff reported to NAF El Centro as Base Chaplain and we started out our new lives as trailer trash. We learned we didn't need much to be happy. We slept in the trailer, did wash in the trailer park laundry room, held school in an unused classroom in the base chapel, either ate dinner in the trailer or the chaplain's office kitchen and watched TV in the meeting area outside Cliff's office. We loved our time in "Mayberry" where everything was within walking distance. Sold the trailer in July and moved into a furnished 2 bedroom apt. on the base for the last 2 months when we couldn't take the heat anymore. Cliff turned 40! We finally moved into our first home. Jake was baptized!
2005-Coree was Baptized! We had to move houses...just within our neighborhood as they were gutting all the houses and remodeling them. We were the last ones to move into a new house. We bought new furniture and fixed it up nice as we thought we would be there another 4 years. Cliff had orders to the Naval Hospital in San Diego. That summer we were "asked" to "prayerfully consider" orders to NAF El Centro instead. We took those orders and bought our first home there without even seeing more than a floorplan on paper. Jake started homeschooling in the fall. We moved out of our house right after Thanksgiving and spent the month of December traveling to visit family. We moved into our new RV home at the NAF El Centro trailer park (while we waited for our home to be built the following summer) on December 30th.
2004-Cliff deployed to Iraq again...in February again! He was there 7 months this time. Jake and Coree went back to public school for the last half of the school year. Coree decided she liked homeschool better, so she returned home for the fall semester. Jake stayed on for another year.
2003-Cliff changed duty stations...this time with the Marines. He checked in in February and within 3 weeks was in Kuwait ready for the deployment into Iraq to begin. That summer he returned and we traveled to my brother's wedding in Wyoming and visited several national parks on a wonderful family vacation. In the fall, we started homeschooling!
2002-Cliff returned from deployment, and I went on a Vegas getaway with Janette. Patrick was baptized! The 3 older children started attending a new charter school, SDCCS. I decided to take another break from school in order to be more involved with the cooperative charter school.
2001-Cliff did his first deployment as a Chaplain. We moved from Camp Pendleton down to San Diego once the kids finished school. Adopted Brownie the dog. The older boys started a new school, I started a new college, and Coree started the preschool there. Cliff was promoted to Lieutenant. September 11th. Cliff deployed with the Stennis Battle Group in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Jake graduated from Children's Hospital "Toddler School" and started a new preschool with the school district. His diagnosis is upgraded to PDD/NOS. We spent the holidays apart.
2000-I worked the census, turned 30, ran several 5Ks and a half marathon and took college classes. Troy was baptized! Cliff finished his Masters Degree, left 15 years in the Marine Corps on one day and was commissioned a LTJG in the Navy (by my grandfather) the next...and went to Navy Chaplain School. While Cliff was gone, Jake was diagnosed with Autism and began an intensive treatment program at Children's Hospital 5 days a week...and my beloved grandfather passed away suddenly. Cliff reported to his first duty station as a Chaplain...DESRON 21 in San Diego.
Cliff's graduation kids w/ Gma Mary and Gpa Mike
(circa 2000)
Wow, how much changes in 10 years!
Where have the years gone?! Join me here for a recap of the last 10...
2009-Our kids went back to public school, Cliff deployed to Kuwait, we sold our first home, Cliff was promoted to LCDR and we completed our first year on Okinawa. Troy started football, Patrick started JROTC and cross-country and both of them started wrestling.
2008-Cliff was selected as the Miltary Chaplain Association's "Navy Chaplain of the Year". He and I flew to So. Carolina for the ceremony. We found out we got orders to Okinawa. Troy started taking college classes. I traveled to Vincennes, Indiana for Site Directors' Conference. We put our beloved home on the market. Troy turned 16 and got his drivers license. Cliff left for Okinawa over Thanksgiving weekend...the rest of us followed right before Christmas.
2007-I started a part time job on the base as the Site Director for the college there. LOTS of stress, LOTS of responsibility, sometimes full time hours...not much pay. Learned a TON and felt great about helping Sailors get their associate degrees. We adopted Charlotte the cat. Continued to LOVE living in our new home. We also continued to LOVE shore duty as Cliff stayed close to home. Cliff started teaching at the college as adjunct faculty (psych and speech) and I resumed taking classes.
2006-Cliff reported to NAF El Centro as Base Chaplain and we started out our new lives as trailer trash. We learned we didn't need much to be happy. We slept in the trailer, did wash in the trailer park laundry room, held school in an unused classroom in the base chapel, either ate dinner in the trailer or the chaplain's office kitchen and watched TV in the meeting area outside Cliff's office. We loved our time in "Mayberry" where everything was within walking distance. Sold the trailer in July and moved into a furnished 2 bedroom apt. on the base for the last 2 months when we couldn't take the heat anymore. Cliff turned 40! We finally moved into our first home. Jake was baptized!
2005-Coree was Baptized! We had to move houses...just within our neighborhood as they were gutting all the houses and remodeling them. We were the last ones to move into a new house. We bought new furniture and fixed it up nice as we thought we would be there another 4 years. Cliff had orders to the Naval Hospital in San Diego. That summer we were "asked" to "prayerfully consider" orders to NAF El Centro instead. We took those orders and bought our first home there without even seeing more than a floorplan on paper. Jake started homeschooling in the fall. We moved out of our house right after Thanksgiving and spent the month of December traveling to visit family. We moved into our new RV home at the NAF El Centro trailer park (while we waited for our home to be built the following summer) on December 30th.
2004-Cliff deployed to Iraq again...in February again! He was there 7 months this time. Jake and Coree went back to public school for the last half of the school year. Coree decided she liked homeschool better, so she returned home for the fall semester. Jake stayed on for another year.
2003-Cliff changed duty stations...this time with the Marines. He checked in in February and within 3 weeks was in Kuwait ready for the deployment into Iraq to begin. That summer he returned and we traveled to my brother's wedding in Wyoming and visited several national parks on a wonderful family vacation. In the fall, we started homeschooling!
2002-Cliff returned from deployment, and I went on a Vegas getaway with Janette. Patrick was baptized! The 3 older children started attending a new charter school, SDCCS. I decided to take another break from school in order to be more involved with the cooperative charter school.
2001-Cliff did his first deployment as a Chaplain. We moved from Camp Pendleton down to San Diego once the kids finished school. Adopted Brownie the dog. The older boys started a new school, I started a new college, and Coree started the preschool there. Cliff was promoted to Lieutenant. September 11th. Cliff deployed with the Stennis Battle Group in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Jake graduated from Children's Hospital "Toddler School" and started a new preschool with the school district. His diagnosis is upgraded to PDD/NOS. We spent the holidays apart.
2000-I worked the census, turned 30, ran several 5Ks and a half marathon and took college classes. Troy was baptized! Cliff finished his Masters Degree, left 15 years in the Marine Corps on one day and was commissioned a LTJG in the Navy (by my grandfather) the next...and went to Navy Chaplain School. While Cliff was gone, Jake was diagnosed with Autism and began an intensive treatment program at Children's Hospital 5 days a week...and my beloved grandfather passed away suddenly. Cliff reported to his first duty station as a Chaplain...DESRON 21 in San Diego.
Cliff's graduation kids w/ Gma Mary and Gpa Mike
(circa 2000)
Wow, how much changes in 10 years!
5 comments:
HI Carrie,
You certainly were busy. No time for moss to grow under your feet. Never a dull moment in the Stuart household.
I think I should get a prize for commenting on your recent blogs. 8~)
Hope you're feeling better,
The Lovely Lisa Lamont
Thanks, Lisa! I would send you a prize if I felt up to getting out of bed. Maybe when I'm up and at 'em again. Nice chatting with you today!
Hey, I just read your comment, and wanted to say how great it is you are in Japan! We thought we'd get to go there when we were up for orders last year, but ended up here (although, I'm totally not complaining!). I'll have to read along to see what it's really like. Who knows, maybe we'll get the chance to go there someday.
Amazing how fast the time goes!!! Seems like yesterday we were on Parker Rd!!!
Julia...I know! Drove by your house again a little bit ago (like I do everytime I'm headed to the high school) and thought of you guys. Keep wishing I could knock on the door and find you there. Hugs!
Post a Comment