Here is a recent news article on the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Jason is a part of.  Still no word on how long they will be in Haiti.

Read more here.

I just found another article which gives a better idea of how Jason’s MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit), and more specifically his ship expects to help in the relief efforts in Haiti beginning this weekend.  According to the article, his ship has one of the largest ship-borne hospitals in the US Navy and is expected to act as a hospital providing beds for many victims.  According to Wiki, the USS Nassau has a 300 bed hospital, 4 medical operating rooms and 3 dental operating rooms.  Read more here.

Now that it is in the papers, I can share with you that Jason’s ship has been diverted to Haiti.  He was expecting to head out east towards the Mediterranean.  I know the Marines will be happy to participate in this crucial relief effort.

You can read the New Bern Sun Journal article here.

In December, we took a much needed vacation to Disney World in Orlando.  This was a first for all of us except Jason, and we had a blast.  One of the main reasons for this trip was Jason’s upcoming 7 month deployment.  Besides that trip, we were also finishing the work-ups portion of his deployment, which involved 4 mini-trips to his boat.  From August through December, he was away for at least half of every month as the Marines prepared for their deployment.  For our family, work-ups meant very little time with Jason sleeping at home, and long days and nights for him during the work weeks he was here.  Needless to say, we missed him and were all ready for a magical escape.

We toured the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the Animal Kingdom, and Sea World.  The parks got pretty crowded as it got closer to Christmas day, but we arrived early and did most of what we wanted before the lines grew too long.  It was a great chance for us to spend stress free time together as a family.  No calendars or countdowns, but instead parks, characters and rides for all. Cathy and Mike, Jason’s mom and step-dad, joined us for the first part of the trip.  Faye attached herself to her Grandma Cathy almost immediately and remained by her side for the rest of their visit.  One of Cathy’s closest friends, Shirley, also joined us for a really fun day.

One of our favorite characters at Disney was Nemo.  There was a large exhibit at Epcot, which we really enjoyed.  There was also a live Nemo musical at Animal Kingdom, which was easily my favorite experience at Disney.  That park wasn’t as exciting as some of the other parks, but the shows were well worth it.  We also saw Lion King, which was a live show including acrobats, characters on stilts, loud noises and plenty of stimulation.  Jason and I were in shock in this show when we realized both kids were asleep!  And it was really, really loud!  Besides that episode, though, the biggest surprise was how little Faye actually sat down.  In 5 days of park visits and hours and hours of walking, Faye only sat in the stroller a few times, and only then when we gave no choice because we had to get somewhere quickly.  We are so glad Faye enjoyed the parks so much, and so proud that she was such a trooper.

Gavin, I must say, was a really good boy as well.  I think he may have been cutting 2 teeth during our trip, so he didn’t want to be held by anyone but me and really didn’t want me out of his sight.  This made it tricky to have any privacy or alone time for me, but considering his age and the lack of activities for him, he did great.  My Ergo baby carrier was my most used accessory, by far.  In fact, Gavin spent most of his days attached to me, both while awake and asleep.  So much so, that we almost forgot to get pictures of him!  He was able to ride almost every ride with me and go to every show, just sitting with me.  He even kept up his naps, taking 2 a day while I rode rides and strode through the park.

We spent our last day in Orlando at Sea World.  After the excitement filled week at Disney, it was a nice calm way to spend the day.  The Shamu show was as cool as advertised, and we really appreciated the salute to active duty military.  Otherwise, it was a nice day of visiting sea life and watching well trained animals perform.   A really nice way to end our vacation.

It’s hard to say no matter what language you use.

Yes, it’s that time again.  In a matter of days, I leave for deployment.  My last one was a bit more vacation-like compared to this time around. No long stay in Japan, visiting old friends, and SCUBA diving. I’ll spend a lot more time at sea and a little closer to the tip of the spear as I do my nation’s bidding. As usual, I can’t mention any details, but it’s safe to say we will be sailing east until we hit desert, and then sailing a little more east. I should be able to post periodic updates along the way, mostly after we have come and gone at a particular location. For those that want to keep an eye out in the news, I’ll be floating aboard the USS NASSAU in support of the 24th MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit).

I’m looking forward to what should be an interesting adventure over the next 7 months or so, but do not look forward to leaving the family for so long. This will be deployment #2 for Faye (and Shannon for that matter), and I really don’t think it gets any easier for any of us. Last time we had ready access to Skype and phone calls, this time I will be far more isolated. Luckily, I married a super-wife and I know she will keep the kids and I involved in each other’s lives with photos, videos, letters, and treats via good old fashioned mail. I will be coming home to a completely different son who will, God-willing, be walking and talking, but hopefully he won’t forget who I am with a steady stream of pictures and videos.

Some of you out there have asked what kind of things I would like to receive in the way of care packages while underway. If you really want to make my day, I have updated my Amazon wishlist specifically for deployment (to include my deployed mailing address). Books and movies are a great way to pass the time when we aren’t busy. Space is extremely limited on the boat, so please hold off on buying me that new bike or bar-b-q grill until I get back. Homemade snacks and treats are always good too. Just realize it may take 2-3 weeks to reach me, so no deviled eggs please.  Shannon has my mailing address, so you can drop her a line if you want to send something directly.  Even letters and cards offer a great morale boost, so don’t hold back.

Thanks for all the support and good wishes!  Please keep my family and I in your prayers.