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!!!

Abby's 9th Birthday...

On September 19, we celebrated Abby's birthday...check out the great pictures of our little girl that is now 9! :)

Ombudsman Appreciation Dinner!

This past Thursday, the base held an Ombudsman Appreciation Dinner for all the Ombudsman on the base. Jay was able to go with me & we had a GREAT time! :) Here are some of the pics...

Apryl & I with our command...

Jay & I...

Apryl & Andy...

Apryl & I...

Dawn & I...& Andy...HAHA...

Surgery

Hi everyone! Most of you don't know but a couple weeks ago I went to a plastic surgeon about getting a breast reduction. The doctor seemed to think that it was going to get approved by Tricare (our military insurance) but, you never know so I have been calling our insurance company a couple times a week to check on it. Well, after I got home from the gym on Monday & I called (just to check) & it was pending. But the lady on the phone told me that I could always go online to track it so, I did. In the time that it took me to get a sign in for the website, it had been APPROVED! :) So, I called Tricare (just to double check that it wasn't a mistake) & sure enough, it was approved! :) So, I called the plastic surgeon & they now have me schedule for OCTOBER 5 @ 7:30AM! :)

I will update everyone as things progress. Please keep me in your thoughts & prayers...it has taken me MANY years to make this decision permanent (I HATE the thought of surgery...having c-sections is one thing because they weren't elected..this is an electoral surgery...). But, I figure this will help me out physically & mentally! Thank you all for your support (no pun intended)!! :)

CO Tillotson Talking about his Ombudsmen (Apryl & I)