Somewhere on the other side of the world...

they are waking up to a war so that we can wake up to peace.

Please continue to pray for our family, our troops, and for Mark's safety.

Proud Navy Wife

I've recently received comments and e-mails asking about how Mark is doing. I really do appreciate the outreach and thought I would give you guys an update. Mark, my wonderful husband and best friend is currently on his first deployment and is stationed in a combat zone far far away from home. He has now been gone from home for 197 days and that's not counting the 2 weeks here and there of pre-deployment training before he left. I honestly can't believe it's been 197 days. The days go by fast but the weeks seem to drag by. He was able to purchase a cell phone but the downside is that the minutes are terribly expensive so I buy calling cards online in order to communicate with him. It really helps me sleep better at night knowing that he's just a phone call or text away. My Grandpa was in the Navy and when he was gone on deployment the only method of communication was a telegram. I'm counting my lucky stars and I'm very thankful for the technology we have today. We purchased a laptop for him before deployment and had hopes of using Skype, ichat, etc., but to my disappointment he doesn't have internet access in his tent. Yes, I said tent. For the first month and a half he was in a 200 man tent and has since been moved to a 40 man tent. The tents have generators, no bathrooms, and they sleep on tiny bunk beds. When he first arrived he got viruses, pink eye, and was overall sick, sick, sick in those new living conditions. I won't go into detail about exactly what he's doing but I will tell you about a couple of accomplishments that are worth writing about.

SCWS

When Mark got his orders last year, he knew he wanted to make the most of this deployment. He set a goal to earn his SCWS (Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist)  pin. He ordered tons of books and study materials to get a solid jump start months before he left. Mark is a Seabee and unless your familiar with the Military you probably don't know what a Seabee is. Seabees make up the Construction Battalion of the United States Navy. The Seabees have a famous motto, "We Build, We Fight". They have a history of building bases, roadways, airstrips, and completing a variety of construction projects dating back to WWII. If your up to date on the current war situation then you know that President Obama called for 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The Seabees are the ones building the bases and performing multiple projects in order to support the current and incoming troops. Within the Seabees there are many jobs but I won't go that far into detail. You get the idea! Now, back to the SCWS pin.. A SCWS pin represents expertise in subjects that include weapons, military tactics, Seabee history, equipment, communications, convoys, etc. The SCWS pin also represents completing a very difficult process that can take months/years to complete. In October, my husband was pinned by the Commanding Officer and awarded the Seabee Combat  Warfare Specialist pin and was the first Seabee to be awarded this honor in country (meaning, over there... not over here). This is a huge accomplishment for Mark especially considering the vigorous training he went through in Gulfport, MS. Now, he's considered an expert in skills Seabees possess and is helping others earn their SCWS pin as well.

Outstanding job Love! I'm so proud of you!
Isn't he so cute in his uniform? :)

CAP

I've heard this Navy acronym spelled out a couple ways now, Command Approved Promotion and/or Command Advancement Program. I'm not sure which one is right but I do know that Mark got "CAP'ed" just last week. This is a huge highlight in a military career. This program is in place to recognize those who are at sea or deployed. If you're eligible for the next pay grade, you can be deservingly elected and awarded immediate advanced to the next pay grade versus waiting for the next exam cycle. Mark met all of the requirements and was the only one advanced from an E-3 to an E-4. He is now Petty Officer Swallow (PO3)!

Basically, his overachieving qualities are shining on this deployment! Now, if I can get him to treat laundry and household tasks the same way when he returns we'll be golden! :) Just kidding!

Extension

Now for the not so exciting news, his deployment was just extended for 1 month. This is extremely common so I wasn't shocked when he told me the news. Actually, I won't be surprised if the extension goes beyond that. I might as well start preparing myself now.

That's the update for now! I'm so proud of him and think that the CAP came at a perfect time. It really gave him a positive boost during the most difficult month to be away from home. I'm normally more festive but his year I'm looking forward to getting through the holidays. The reality is, it's not quite as "Merry" when you're separated from the one you love by war.

The Shields Family

Meet the Shields Family! We go way back. :) Cory, Nikki and I all went to high school together. Was that really over 4 years ago already? It seems like just yesterday we were at football games, themed parties, and just hanging out in the cafeteria. Well, I guess it kind of was yesterday.. I'm only 22! Cory is in the Army and is currently stationed in Germany. I think it would be so fun to get stationed in another country for a few years! They're just in town for the holidays visiting family and friends. It was so nice to see them and to meet little Savannah. She is such a doll and was so happy throughout our session. Love you guys!

New Domain Name

Hello to all my blogger friends! I would like to announce that I got a domain name for my blog. I'm so excited and shocked by how easy it was! My new site name is now.....  thenavywife.com. 

Pretty cool, huh? 

If you're interested in switching your blogspot blog name to a custom domain name, follow these simple steps: 

1) Go to your main blogger Dashboard

2) Click on Settings

3) Click on Publishing

4) Click on Custom Domain

5) Follow the simple forms, pay a small $10.00 fee and your on your way to a new customized domain name!

The cool thing, is that all of you (my followers) will simply be redirected from www.theswallownest.blogspot.com to www.thenavywife.com so you don't have to worry about updating my site name in your reading lists and/or sidebar links. Unless of course, it just makes you feel better. :)

Out with the old and in with the new!

    

Fabulous Photography Giveaway

Last day to enter to win MUST HAVE photography software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 (click here: http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2009/12/po

wer-of-two.html) and Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 (click here: http://grammiemommy.blogspot.com/2009/12

/power-of-two.html)! Just fabulous! I've been dying to get my hands on a little Lightroom action. Crossing my fingers. :)

Santa

This week I decked the girls out in gorgeous Christmas dresses and off we went to see Santa. Addison was elated and had her whole Santa speech all planned out in the car. Guess what she told Santa that she wanted? Just guess? You got it, what every 3 year old wants... a little, girl, white, puppy dog with curly hair. Nice, huh? See, I'm not much for animals... at all! Go ahead gasp! I can do diapers but I can't do dogs.  She is going to have to settle for her dollhouse! I'm hoping she'll be so excited that she'll forget about the whole puppy thing. If not, I'm going to have to make up some story about how there just weren't enough puppies born for Santa to give out this year. Any ideas? Lilly didn't scream like the 10 month old in front of us so I guess that was an accomplishment! However, she was not at all amused by the guy trying to make her smile with the crazy looking puppet. In the photo you'll notice that she's staring off to the side at him with an expression that says, "What's wrong with this guy?" Maybe next year she'll smile at the guy with the puppet telling them to say "cheese". While waiting in line, I took lots of photos! The girls were entertained by the Polar Express themed snow globes, train engine, and fake snow! Lilly loved the fake snow so much that she shoved as much as she could in her mouth and ate it.

After the photo with Santa, we checked out the new play area, ate lunch, and shopped for Christmas gifts. I just LOVE days out with my girls and am so happy I'm not stuck working in an office this year!