Wordless Wednesday: Anticipation

Rising from the chaos

Where oh where did the month go? I do believe it got lost somewhere in the chaos of our move. Thankfully this move is over and the boxes are unpacked, for the most part.  Now to get back to living life on a more creative note. I have a great deal of catching up to do with all the wonderful blogs and Linkies I generally follow, but trust me I haven't forgotten any of you and will stop by soon. 

I have so much to share with all of you it may take me a bit before I can delve more into exploring my new home town. Here is a peak at a few things I have in the works.

"The Labor of Love"
An in depth article and photo journal featuring the civil war  home of John Cary-Weston and interview with current owner Lisa Trengove-Jones.

"Farewells"
What we did to make this major move a bit easier for six year old Bubba and nine year old Sissy.
  

"Rural America"
Just some of the beautiful sights seen on our trek from Virginia back to South Dakota. 

As well as a few updates on the comings and goings of our family and an important announcement on some changes taking place at Artistix Network LLC.

Yet again the chaos has been defeated and I have prevailed!
 

I am adding this Fragment post to Mrs.4444's Fragmented Friday, please be sure to hope over and check out what everyone has been up to. I hope you will come back for the upcoming post 'The Labor of Love' It will be published Sunday June 9th.

 

Tearful Farewells and Emotional Homecomings

Oldest Son just after graduation from boot camp

Since my oldest son joined the Navy in 2002 and my Son-In-Law joined in 2006 there have been many tearful farewells and emotional homecomings. I am sure any parent who has a child move far from home experiences joy and sadness saying goodbye or welcoming their child home after a long spell of not seeing them.

Son-in-law leaving for boot camp

While most of our farewells and homecomings have been emotional only a few exceptions have they come close to the level of emotion experienced when sending a loved one off or welcoming them home from a military deployment.

With the kids and their families on the East coast and us back home in the Midwest it was not possible to be there when the boys left on their different deployments or when they returned from deployment, so while I did experience the worry of them being deployed and the relief of knowing they were finally home safely, I did not experience the full impact of such events. Our farewells and homecomings were generally during the summer time when they were home and on leave, or when they were able to get long enough leave to bring their families home for a visit, so the emotions were the typical family reunion emotions.

Just after Thanksgiving, our friend Brown was transferred to a ship that was already underway and we saw him off as he was flown to join the ship on deployment. Just before Brown left he asked if I would come to the pier when his ship pulled in from deployment to photograph his return. I was honored both to be there for him and to take photos of his return. The experience showed me just how much I missed not being on the pier during such important times. 

Saturday morning dawned crisp and cold with Norfolk having received an unusual snowstorm on Friday. We arrived at the pier about an hour before the ship was due to arrive. Many people were already there. Most were inside a heated tent, erected on the pier for the occasion, while others were taking advantage of the snow cover as these children building a snowman are doing. 

Service members worked diligently to clear the pier of snow.

Finally the ship was in sight, with tug boats maneuvering it to the dock as loved ones watched with tears of joy and whispered prayers of thanks.

Once the ship was along side the pier and tied off people were allowed to go out onto the pier to watch for the loved ones. I thought it was pretty awesome that they allowed the families of service members who had a child born during the deployment go first and after a few minutes opened the pier to everyone else.

As you can see there was a good size crowd waiting for the returning sailors to come ashore. The atmosphere was nearly electric with emotion. Excitement and anticipation buzzed all around us. With the temperature barely reaching 30 degrees and the cold wind blowing off the bay it was a long cold wait. 

Weekly Top Shot

Since we were waiting for a friend and not an actual family member we stood toward the back. After almost an hour the crowed had thinned to only maybe 40 people standing on the pier,  and we were beginning to wonder if maybe we had missed Brown.  Then all of a sudden we saw him coming across the  brow, I snapped a few quick shots and then went for a hug. I was so glad to see him safe and sound back in the states. I couldn't help but think how proud his mother, who passed away last fall, would have been to see him come off that ship, and how much I had missed not being there to welcome my boys home. 

Ever since Val suggested we offer to photograph Service member Farewells and Homecomings free of charge I have been all for the idea. Now that I have experienced one I am more determined than ever to let people know that we will photograph these events locally free of charge.

So if you know a service member in the Norfolk area that is having such an event and needs someone to photograph it let them know about us.

After an exciting and cold day yesterday I spent today relaxing indoors. Now head over to one or both of these great meme's to see what is going on elsewhere:

  And    

A Beautiful Sunday

Yesterday was such a beautiful day here in Norfolk  that when I mentioned I was going out to take some photos my grand kids got all excited asking if we were going to go park hunting. Although I had planned to go down to the ocean front I couldn't bring myself to squash their joy. Especially since their enthusiasm had convinced their mom to join us. So off we headed to Northside Park.

After playing on the slides and jungle gyms we headed over to the wooden ship where the kids did a bit of climbing and even though Sissy is very afraid of heights we convinced her to not only climb but to jump off the highest wooden post.

Looking back on the plans I had for the day it would be easy to grumble about not getting a chance to take some beautiful sea scape photographs. However, the sea will still be there tomorrow or ten years from now, but children grow so fast that moments like these will soon be lost. 

That was my Sunday, How was yours? 

Linking up with:

Memories, Dreams and Reflections 2012

I am happy to be able to take part in Ashley Sisks


1. Me! – A reflection of myself taking this photo. Proudest accomplishment of 2012 . . . surviving!

2. I Love You –Since I couldn't decide on just one photo I did this collage of my grandchildren whom I love with all my heart.

3. Still Laughing… Shortly after going to live with my daughter's family my little dog tried to follow me out of the back yard by going through the fence and got himself stuck. To get him out of his predicament we had to coat him with cooking oil.

4. Winter Wonderland – One of my favorite shots taken near the end of winter before we left South Dakota.

5. Birthday – My youngest grandchild turned six this year. I can't believe how big they are all getting.

6. Friends – My youngest daughter with two of her dearest friends.

7. I Was Inspired… Much of my inspiration this year has come from my grandchildren and the ocean.

8. Spring Fever – I can't think of anything that reflects Spring more than a nest with Robin's eggs.

9. Travel or Vacation – During my vacation to Arizona I was inspired by this adorable couple who visited the Grand Canyon every year for their anniversary.

10. Summer Days – One of my favorite places during the summer has always been the beach.

11. A Day In My Life – Considering I have spent the majority of the year feeling out of focus,  I felt this photo best depicted a day in my life.

12. All Smiles – These two can always get me to smile.

13. Autumn Harvest – No photos this year of fields ready for harvest but I did get this Autumn shot.

14. Family or Home – Where ever my children and grandchildren are will always feel like home.

15. Celebrate! – Fireworks!

16. Let’s Do It Again… – Enjoying visits with my extended family. This one is with my brothers oldest daughter who came for a brief visit.

17. I Miss You – Looking through my photos trying to find a photo taken of my husband before he passed away last February I was disappointed to find that the last picture taken of him was at the end of 2011. Then it dawned on me that he had spent most of January and February in the hospital, so this photo of photos of him will have to do.

18. Beautiful – To me sunset is the most beautiful time of day.

19. Dress Up – One of my favorite photo sessions this year was this Civil War Period dress up session!

20. Macro - Macro of a King Crab found while walking on the beach.

21. Holidays – It looks like Santa forgot his boots.

22. My Favorite – My favorite memories of this year are all those created while spending time with my grandchildren.

23. Don’t Ever Change – This is Bubba, I hope he never loses his exuberance and zest for life.

24. Just Because…So There! – Isn't this a pretty tree?

25. Hopes and Dreams – My hopes and dreams for 2013 can easily be summed up in the words of Emerson.

May your year be filled with all that is good! 

PS. Please click on the button at the top to share your memories, dreams and reflections or visit others who have shared theirs.