I'm missing All of Y'all!!!!

So Sorry I haven't been around to support all my dear friends for a while!! I'm still out in the beutiful N.W. w/ my wife and son. We had a great time welcoming the Sailors back from their 6 month deployment on the J.C. Stenis Aircraft Carrier. The Navy Mom's really helped us out w/ all the info and even had a big party the night before the ship came in. How patriotic I felt when that big ship rounded the bend w/ the sailors maning the rails in their dress whites! They had muisic blasting some great music on the pier like Born in the USA by the Boss and America by Ray Charles which brought tears to my eyes. They let of the 67 new Fathers off first to meet their wives and new babies even before the officers! When I saw my son coming through the croud my heart sored and I got all choked up. I'm sooooo proud of him!

The day before he arrived, I had the Great honnor of meeting our own Father John in Seattle!! He is an a AMAZING man to make time to come meet my wife Lisa and I w/ his busy schedule. Thank you so much John!!! It meant so much to both of us to meet and visit w/ you, I'm sorry we didn't have more time together!>> Next time we will be holding flyrods together in some river!!!

My body is starting to fail me with all we are doing on this trip. I'm doing my best to ignor it but my neck, legs and back are in pretty bad shape. My meds help a little but not for very long. Yesterday we took a trip up to Mt. Rainer, WOW, that is a BIG ROCK!! The mountain air felt and tasted great but the lack of oxegen at the high altitude gave me some trouble breathing> dam cigs!!! My wife promissed to try to quit w/ me when we get home. I made it 3 weeks w/o them last time after my neck surgery but that was when she was still smoking, together I believe we can do it!!

Well my wife must be getting up by now and my son will be calling from his Lake house he shares w/ 6 other sailors soon so I should go. I love and miss all of y'all and think of you often. I promiss to get back in the groove when I get back home. 

God bless you and Big Hugz to all!!

Pete

PS> Thanks again FJ, it isn't often when someone gets to meet his HERO face to face like I did!!!

 

 

Pete!!!

 

We wanna go to Mt.Ranier too!!!

 

 

Take care and be safe

 

*huggs*

dani

Pete, I am so glad you posted. I have been thinking about you and wondering how  you have been doing. It gave me goosebumps reading about how you described the sailors return and how the music was playing. I know you are so proud of your son. I personally thank him and all the other men and women how are serving our country. And the part you put about the 67 new fathers finally getting to see the babies they haven't seen yet. Wow. That is something I haven't really thought of before... What sacrifices they make!!!! They all make so many sacrifices to serve our country.

I am happy for you for metting FatherJohn,too. That was great!!! I wish I could meet so many of you face to face. And didn't you also meet Patti? Or was that FatherJohn? My memory isn't very good here lately!! It is kind of scarey!! I wish we could all get together one day and spend the day together. That sure would be fantastic.

My geography is pretty bad. I am embarassed to admit that! So are you in Washington? I had to google Mt.Rainer to find out where that was. The photos I saw are beautiful!!! I haven't been very many places. I was thinking the other day how much I would love to take a real vacation some day and start to see all these places I've never been.

It sounds like you are enjoying yourself. And I am glad and happy for you. I am sorry your pain has been increased. It sounds like you have been doing alot. Hopefully when you return, you can get rested up and start to feel a little better. I wish you a low pain day real soon!!!

I did get my tens unit, finallly. It really has helped me with my pain. I just wish I would have had it before now. I get aggravated when I think that I could have had it way before now. I had never heard about it before except for what I've learned about it from the forum. The doctors should have perscribed it for me way back when!!! Anyway, I have PT on Monday, the re-evaluation on Tuesday and a doctors' appt on Friday. I should know more then about returning to work...

Ok, I am rambling on again. Take care and enjoy yourself to the fullest. Let us know when you get back and get settled. We'll be looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks again for posting and letting us know what is going on. So, is your son home now for good? I know you have missed him. Six months is a long time. Enjoy catching up with him. I know you sure are proud of him. Take care and post again soon.

Anice

Pete

What a Lucky Guy you are! To be a father and have two sons serving our country in the Navy! and then to have been able to meet a fellow Forum member, and have it be fatherjohn no less! Well it sure sounds like things are really going your way!

I know first hand how beautiful that part of the country is and especially Mt Rainer, I have friends that live on Puget Sound and have been out there to visit them on a few occassions. My family and I use to fly on military hops, (we would fly free on military cargo planes) I was stationed at Eielson AFB Alaska and we would hop done to Elemendorf AFB in Anchorage and then down to McChord AFB in Seattle! The planes were cold and sitting in a jump seat for hour on end was unpleasant but the price was right! As a retiree I can still do that, but you just have to have plenty of time to be abe to wait for an opening, as it is all standby!
Anyway it was great hearing from you!
White Beard

Hi Pete,

I'm so glad that you were able to make it out west for your son's homecoming! I'm sure that will be a moment you remember forever! You must be so proud! And to meet fatherjohn, too! Wonderful! I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip & the flight(s) home isn't too hard on you! We miss you here -- glad to see you posting & in good spirits! I hope your hotel has a nice hot tub that you can relax in & help with your aching body! Or at least somewhere nearby to fish!

hugs,
Skeye

Thanks to all my Brothers & Sisters here who posted back!! YES, I am soooo proud of my sons and yesterday my son Pete Jr. called from his ship in the Persian Gulf!! We hadn't heard from him in over two weeks, not even an e-mail and were worrying. He sounded GREAT and told us about jumping off the ship and swimming in the 120 degree heat over there! I can't wait till he gets back, he's my baby boy! Joe, my older son is going to more radar school in Va. Bch Virginia for 3 months when his leave is over and we are really hoping Pete will return before Joe has to go back to Wa. It would be so great to see them both together again. We'll just have to wait and see.
FJ, has your son left yet? Our prayrs are and will be w/ him everyday! I'm hoping we can go out to the Olympic Penninsular today when Lisa & Joe get up and maybe wet a line in a stream or river out there. They are still sleeping after yesterdays' activities. Joe took us onboard the Mighty Aircraft Carrier J.C. Stenis!! WOW, what a ship!!! It's HUGE!! I thought Pete's ship the Bataan was big. Standing on the flight deck and looking at the size of the surface area is really something and to think that this huge ship can go over 60 mph and get to anyplace in the world in 20 days is just unbelievable!! I am hurting pretty good today from climbing around that monster and couldn't stay in bed any longer so I thought I'd come over to the lobby and give Y'all a shout! The weather has turned crappy and it's raining and cold which doesn't help me in the pain dept. but I'm going to just keep going as long as I can. It's going to clear up later today, we hope! Lisa and Joe made reservations to skydive on Weds, the day before we leave. God bless them! I told them I don't have a problem jumping out of the airplane, it's landing that would get me! No jumpers over 220lbs anyway and I'm hovering around 280! Anyway, I hope everyone has a painfree day and here's a big Pete HUG for everyone>>>>!!!
Love Y'all!!!
PS> When I get back, I'll somehow post a pic of FJ & I in Seattle!!!