Otto Family Update

Hello again everyone!  It's been quite a few years since I've blogged & I apologize!  LOTS has happened in our household & I guess I should post a quick update.  :)

Since I last blogged, we have had 2 MAJOR changes....in December 2011 we moved from Florida to Virginia....& in November 2015, Jay transferred to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii as a geobachelor (meaning the kids & I are staying in Virginia while he completes his tour).  I also was able to leave my FT 9-5 job at the local Realtor Association in March 2015 to focus my full attention to my Thirty-One business & team.  :)  

The kids are growing like weeds.  Kali will be 16 in just a few short months.....really not sure how THAT happened.  She is a Freshman in high school & in the band.  Her favorite subjects are band & math.  Abby is 15 & her favorite subject is French. She would love to visit Paris someday.  Kaleb is going to be 14 in just a couple months & has his whole life planned out.  HAHA!  I call him my personal Sheldon (from the Big Bang Theory).

Sam (our Yorkie) is 15 &, sadly, quite blind & deaf now. We are treasuring each day we have with him...because we know they are numbered.  Sadie is, well, Sadie.  HAHA!  She's 120 pounds of energy & love.

As I said before, Jay is in Hawaii now for his last tour in the Navy.  November 2017 can't get here fast enough!  I am keeping busy with 3 crazy teenagers, 2 dogs, a house to manage, & a Thirty-One team to celebrate, encourage, & reward!  :)

Our life is crazy & choatic....but it's OUR life!

Just gonna leave this right here.....

Otto Family Pics 2010

WOW! I've been MIA!

WOW! I can't believe I've been MIA from my blog for SO long! Lots has happened...so much that it's going to take awhile to get this updated! ;)

• Jay & I are officially on the 'hurry up & wait' list for the Navy to fix my tubes! YAY! They are saying it will be between early-late summer...

• We get to put in for orders next month!! YAY! We are looking at staying here, or moving to Dahlgren or Norfolk, Virginia...we will know what the plan is by early summer (hopefully) so that we can get the kids & I moved up wherever before school starts!

• Kids are GOOD! It's hard to believe how much they've grown & how old they are getting. :(

• Jay (obviously) got home safely from deployment...the ship returned September 19, 2010

• I'M GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!! I've decided what I want to do...I've always helped others, so I'm going to stick with that. I'm going to go for a Bachelors of Science in Psychology.

• I decided in the fall to stay on at the Ombudsman for Jays ship (USS The Sullivans)...I will probably turn over in early/mid summer to a new Ombudsman (especially since we'll be moving). I thoroughly love the families/Sailors from our ship & just couldn't part with them...

That's about it...for now...I'm sure that I'll be posting pictures SOON...but for now, I'll let you get back to your regularly scheduled programming! :) Have a great week!

This & That...

Well, a week ago mom & dad got here & were here until Friday visiting. We had a GREAT time! :) We went to the beach, then went to Kennedy Space Center & Medieval Times...then spent the night at an awesome resort & then went to Downtown Disney on the way back here to my house. :)

They left Friday afternoon earlier than planned because dad received a call that my grandpa wasn't coherent & they thought he had a stroke. When he got tot he hospital they learned that he did in fact have a stroke. He is now unconscious (coma basically) & they are saying that if he doesn't pass in the next 24 hours that they will have to move him to a nursing home until he does. :( Please pray for our family during this time. He is my only living grandparent.

On another note, kids start school the 23rd & then it's back to the PTA grind for me...not to mention chaotic times for the Ombudsman in myself & my best friend as we await the return of our Sully Sailors.
Which means NOT MUCH LONGER & JAY WILL BE HOME!!!! (I bet you can all picture me yelling that too...haha)

I have added a few pictures from our mini-vacation...enjoy & hope all is well with everyone!!

Love, Sarah

Turning 30

Well, today marked a new decade within my life...I am officially 30! I was so worried about how bad I would feel BUT it's just fine...I feel GREAT! :) I'm extremely happy with my life, being a mom & a wife is something that I've always wanted to do! Now I'm blessed with 3 awesome kids & an AWESOME Sailor of a husband! :) I love my life! Here are some pictures from my day...thanks to all my friends who made this day fabulous! :)

Deployment 2010

Hi all! I am writing this email just 24 hours after the kids & I had to say our 'see ya laters' to our Sailor. Jay (along with the other Sailor aboard USS The Sullivans) departed from NS Mayport yesterday around 1:30pm. It was a bittersweet moment, since the ship JUST got home at the end of April from deployment & here we are, not even a year later, going back out for who knows how long. I am still working (even though there is no pay...HAHA...) as one of the Ombudsmen (along with my best friend) & love it. We are looking forward to helping the families through this deployment (along with ourselves). I can't say much about this one but, just keep praying for the ship & her Sailors. This won't be a fun one...it'll be a very stressful one with many sleepless nights.

The kids are doing as well as to be expected giving the circumstance. I just keep reminding them that he WILL be home & that everything will be fine (even in the back of MY mind I'm worried beyond belief). I am just doing my normal deployment routine & organizing everything that I can find (& for those of you that know how I keep house, that's hard to do...it's pretty much done already...). Just going to take a few days & then everything will be back into a routine, definitely not normal, but then again, in our Navy life, what is normal?!

If you would like to keep in contact with him while he is gone (he will not have his cell phone after this Friday & he won't be able to get on Facebook either), his email is: ottoja@ddg68.navy.mil

Also, if you would like to mail him packages, cards or letters, his mailing address is:

FC1 Otto, Jay A

CF Division

USS The Sullivans (DDG 68)

FPO, AA 34093, 1287

You can check out ALL the pictures @ http://s959.photobucket.com/albums/ae76/jayandsarahotto/Deployment%20Day%202010/

I also have videos @ http://www.youtube.com/user/proudfcwife

We are a Navy family through & through & know that this is our life & there will be times where we will be separated. When duty calls, Jay must answer...we have known this since he completed boot camp in August 1997. It's not the normal life but it's OUR life. There will be tears but he will come back to us SAFE!

Please keep us in your thoughts & prayers & please keep in touch (with both the kids, myself & Jay). It will make this time we are apart go that much faster! (Plus give our minds a little vacation...even for just a split second) We love you all!!!