This weekend, we had the opportunity to head over to Seattle to visit our friends, Scott and Jennifer. Scott was the best man at our wedding. He and Michael went to boot camp together and have so many similarities that they were fast friends. We have kept in touch with him over the years and just in the last few months have been able to really reconnect. As part of our trip, Scott invited us to go on a dependent's cruise on the ship he is stationed on. (He is still in the Coast Guard! Stationed on the Healy, polar ice breaker)
The boys had been excited about this for weeks and the morning of, they were buzzing with excitement. Well, Jacob couldn't stop talking...one of his nervous habits and Nicholas was a man of few words....one of his nervous habits.
They couldn't believe they were about to get on a ship THAT big!
Here they are after climbing up the stairs and getting on-board.
The funniest thing was that we must have heard at least 5 times, "If it doesn't come out of you, don't put it in the toilet or drains." Nicholas had a hard time understanding this and it kind of freaked him out. I finally dragged him into the bathroom with me and gave him a lil' lesson on what it meant!
16 years ago, when I saw this boat for the first time, I never thought I'd be taking a picture of it with my two children in front of it. The boat that you are seeing in the background is the cutter that Michael was stationed on when I met him. I have a lot of great memories from that ship. So many fabulous people on it, a ton of fun that we young college girls had with those ol' sailors and many tears shed over watching it come and go.
There were very few places that the boys couldn't go. They explored for HOURS! Here they are on Scott's rack.
They especially loved this gem! So, when the ship tilts, the bottle points to a level of vomit. You can't see it very well, but there are actual people's names on there of who vomited at that level!
So back to the Midgett for a minute. My stomach had butterflies from the moment I saw it. Like I said, it does have so many good memories for us, but it also brings back extreme sadness for me. It was a raw emotion. Watching Michael leave and not knowing when I would talk to him again was heartbreaking. I found myself making sure that I could always see him while we were on this cruise. I just didn't want him out of my sight. I don't miss the coming and going AT ALL.
Here are the boys watching us push away from the pier. You can see the barbecue in the back. They cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for us on the fan tail for lunch. They also did quite a few demonstrations for us.....safety, pyrotechnics, etc. I'll have to post a funny picture after I get it from Jennifer. Michael and I put on Gumby suits....the big flotation device suits. It was hilarious!
Although it was a little chilly, we didn't get rained on....much. :)
Scott showed us all around! The boys loved being on the deck.
Big no-no here....Jacob just plopped himself in the Captain's chair. Michael said that is unheard of! You never do that. Leave it to Jacob! At least I got a pic.
Here we all are together. Scott and Jennifer also invited their friends Rick and Mary to come along. It was really a fun day!
I love this picture because it really encompasses how Michael and Nicholas spent their day. They spent a lot of quiet time looking over the rail, watching the water and observing the scenery. I spent most of my day tagging along behind Jacob who couldn't stand still. The kid was on the move and exploring every nook and cranny. By the end of the day, he knew his way around the ship like a pro!
They loved looking through this. I was a little nervous, but, boys will be boys!
Jacob was insistent on doing his Titanic pose.
Neither of them had a fear of looking over the edge and no one got sick!
My boys. I have a picture of them from 16 years ago just like this. Both of them in their coast guard blues. It warms my heart to have shared such great memories with Scott and now Jennifer. This was a great day.
This is something our boys will never forget. It was fun to share a little bit of our history with them in this way. The Coast Guard is where it all started for their mommy and daddy.
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