I'm back!!

Happy March!

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have been able to update this blog! I kept meaning to sit down and update it all but it seems like every time I did something came up. I do apologize though! Since my last update a few things have changed:

1. The Saints won their first super bowl! Justin was rooting for them, so I was too…naturally. I was excited to see them get their first big win. Some friends had a Super Bowl party at their house which I gladly attended (picture below). Justin was not able to watch the game because it was so late with the time but was up for a flight before the game ended so we was able to catch the end of the game. I think the time difference worked in his favor for that.

2. I am officially a quarter of a century old! I celebrated my birthday on Feb 13with a great group of friends! We went to sushi/hibachi and then they planned a party. It was a really fun night and I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends here.3. Valentine’s Day came! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day this year! Funny story- the geniuses in maintenance on the carrier decided that they should paint the phone room the night before Valentine’s Day. Not only did they spray paint the phone room, but the phones as well. This means that no one was able to call out on Valentine’s Day! Must have been some single guys behind that one.

4. Justin is no longer a 'stache man! Most of the guys shaved their creepy moustaches this week and I must say that all of the wives are pretty happy about it! Here is a picture of Justin flying with his awesome 'stache! I would like to say that I am proud…but that would just be gross! Haha! I still think he looks good though! I asked him to send me a picture of him and his moustache where he doesn't look creepy and he said that it was not possible!

In response to some of the comments posted from last time:

1. OEF stands for Operation Enduring Freedom. It is the best way of saying where he is without actually saying his location. For the protection of all of the sailors they have asked us not to post anything about where the carrier is.

2. Justin has received care packages from multiple people. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to send things to him, it is nice for him to get little presents in the mail!

The Mr.

Justin is doing really well! He is getting tons of flights in and is getting even more comfortable with carrier landings, especially at night. They have had the pilots flying with the same Wizzos (back seat Naval Flight Officers) on every flight so they can get really comfortable. His main missions are to provide close air support to those that are in combat on the ground. This means that he is flying in-country and waiting to hear if their help is needed somewhere. He has actually been called in to provide assistance a few times. His missions are usually around 6-8 hours so they have to refuel a few times while flying.

This is a picture that another Jolly Roger took of their plane refueling from a tanker. Justin said that it can get tricky sometimes when they have bad weather because the basket is only a few feet wide. When he is not providing close air support he is also doing some recon work and things like that. He said that he was prepared for deployment before leaving but has learned so much since they have been there. It is pretty amazing to think that he has been preparing for this for so many years. I am incredibly proud of him and am definitely looking forward to him coming home! I know they all are too! They were supposed to have a port call in February but due to the surge it was cancelled. I feel really bad for the guys, they have not been on land in almost 2.5 months! They are looking forward to their first port call in the next few weeks. The senior officers on the boat are trying to put some precautions in place to keep the 5,000 people on the boat from getting in trouble when they finally get there (although not everyone gets off the boat at once). They must know how much the guys were looking forward to a beer because everyone on the boat that was 21+ got a beer last week to make up for the missed port. It sounds funny but it was definitely the highlight of the week for the guys! Small victories! The port call is supposed to be 3 days and each officer will be allowed one overnight liberty during that time. The first night they are confined to what they call the “Sandbox”. It sounds like it is a big area that is roped off right when they get off the carrier in port. They have bars and music and things like that. They will not be allowed to leave that area that night and have to return to the boat at night to sleep. The officers have to stand watch one of the next two nights and then get overnight liberty on the other night. I know the guys are looking forward to a much deserved break! I am sure I will have some good stories after that weekend!

The Mrs.

I am doing really well too! Work has been keeping me very busy but I am enjoying it. The people at my office are great and really trust me with all of their marketing which is neat. I have redesigned the logo for my company and am working on the website as well. It is a pretty big project and I will be working on it for the next 4-6 months but I am excited to unveil it all as soon as it is complete. I have also been producing some marketing materials that we have been sending out. They are letting me develop all of the campaigns and I have been revamping their current processes and procedures so hopefully it will all pay off! When I am not working I have been hanging out with lots of people here in Virginia. A big bulk of my time has been committed to working on a project for the guys. It is a surprise to them but we have been working on a half-way video for them, The Real Housewives of VFA-103. It is hilarious and really fun to work on! We have been compiling a bunch of short skits that are all really sarcastic! The wives are amazing and everyone keeps coming up with new and really funny ideas! My favorite skit that I have been in was the “initiation” of the new wives. We have convinced the guys that there is an initiation/hazing when a new wife comes into the squadron. Cari and I were the new wives and we got some great video of the CO’s and XO’s wives tarring (chocolate syrup) and feathering (stuffing) us while making us drink! Other skits include a poker game where we bet all of their prized possessions, the birth of the monkey twins (Susan’s husband is a little hairy) and a funny towel skit with an "April Showers" theme. Above are some pictures from one night of filming!

I was also lucky enough to have my mom and grandma come to visit me at end of February.

We had four great days of shopping, dining and drinking a some wine! I am so lucky to have family and friends that come to visit. It means more to me that anyone can imagine and really helps break up these six months. We had a great girl’s weekend and I think I laughed more in the weekend that I ever had! Special thanks to you two wonderful ladies, I love you both so much. I can't express in words how much it meant to me and how great the weekend was!!

Well, that is an update on what has been going on here in Virginia and with Justin on the carrier. I promise that I will start to update this every week again!

Thanks again for all of the thoughts and please continue to pray for all of the men and women who are risking their lives to keep us safe.

Blessings,

Danielle

Four Weeks Down!

Well, we have survived the first four weeks of deployment! I can't say that time has flown by but I can say that I am getting into the hang of things here. Although I have managed to break the couch (it is no longer a recliner and, no, I did not do it intentionally!) and break the guest bedroom fan I have learned how to fix a running toilet, how to make it through a Nor'easter and how to survive a snow storm (see the first picture- me in front of my house braving the elements)! I am woman, hear me roar! Thanks to everyone for leaving comments on the posts, it is nice to know that someone is actually reading this! I also wanted to wish everyone a happy February and a happy Super Bowl weekend! I have been getting emails and calls asking what Justin would like in care packages. He would like some granola /Cliff bars (for long flights), cookies, magazines, Gatorade drink mix (the powdered stuff), gum, mints and anything else that you can think of! It is so nice that so many of you are thinking about him, we are eternally grateful!

The Mr.

Justin is doing well and has been completing lots of flights. The ship arrived at their destination a few days ago and he sent me a few pictures that were taken while they were on their way to OEF.

The above picture was taken during a flight. The photographer is a NFO in Justin's squadron and it was taken from the jet as they were flying by the carrier on one of their flights. You can see the Straits of Gibraltar in the background! I think it is pretty cool! The second picture (below) is one that Justin took on the deck of the ship. You can see the jets lined up and Africa is in the background! Now that they are where they should be, the missions are starting. Justin said that the new guys will be flying missions pretty quickly so please keep the prayers coming. I know he really appreciates it (and I do too!). He has gotten to see many different things and places on route to OEF and said that he is finally getting to experience, "Join the Navy, see the world". He is loving getting to see so many different places and already has plans on us taking a trip to Greece as soon as he gets back...I was thinking Mexico, but I won't complain about Greece! Justin's spirits are high and he is staying very positive. He said that all six of the roommates are getting along great and making the most of carrier life. He also got the opportunity to meet the cast of Avatar! The director, James Cameron flew on the carrier for the day along with other members of the cast including Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver. They played the movie in the hanger bay for the ships crew and then went around to meet the squadrons. Apparently Zoe was very intrigued with the squadron's mascot; the bones of Ens. Jack Ernie. For those of you that don't know the story, you can click the link to learn the story: http://www.f-14association.com/stories-04.htm. The squadron's tradition is that the newest pilot in the squadron is in charge of keeping 'ol Jack safe and babysitting him every night. This task is very involved since squadrons are always trying to steal him. I am glad to say though that as of six weeks ago, Justin was no longer the newest pilot and and I was no longer creeped out by the bones of our third roommate! Anyways, it is pretty cool that the cast went to visit! And that's the low-down on Justin.

The Mrs.

Things have been going really well here in Virginia. My friend Lindsay (her husband, Scott was a groomsman) has been staying at our house since both of our husbands are gone.

The picture to the left is of Lindsay and I playing in the snow! It is so nice to have someone to eat dinner with and talk to every night and we are having a great time keeping ourselves busy! Lots of game nights and girl's nights! I just finished my first week of work and am really enjoying it. There has been lots of training and learning the insurance business but I have already been able to start revamping the marketing. I am currently working with a company on redesigning the logo and shortly will be redesigning the website. I definitely have enough to keep me busy while Justin is away! My bosses are extremely nice and ask about Justin all of the time. They are so funny; my phone was on vibrate when the CEO and CFO were in my office and it went off. They thought it was Justin and left my office so I could talk to him. It was Ashley. Haha! It is a great atmosphere and I think I am going to really enjoy my position there. Other than working, I have been keeping pretty busy with my social calendar. I am so thankful for all of my friends here to keep my mind off of Justin being away. I went to dinner on Sunday night with some wives from our squadron for Norfolk Restaurant Week and it was delicious!

Tuesday I had the girls over for dinner (chicken and spinach cannelloni) because it was my turn for our weekly dinner. Wednesday I went to a girl's night with some of my friends that live here in Norfolk and we had an awesome time. We went to a really cute french bistro and tried some really neat food. I went to a game night (see the picture to the right) and then hit up a cool New Orleans style bar in Norfolk on Friday night and then the snow hit early on Saturday morning. I was like a little girl on Christmas morning when the snow came! Thankfully I live in an area where I can walk everywhere so the "getting snowed in" wasn't so bad! I met some friends Saturday morning and we walked to Starbucks but it was closed. Naturally, we went next door to the Colley Cantina for some margaritas instead! Sunday we walked to Pasha for brunch and then I had some friends over for the Grammy's! I must say that it has been a fun and exhausting week! I am looking forward to another great week and being seven days closer to seeing my husband! Thanks again for all of your love and support!

God Bless!

I'm a blogger!

Well, the blog is up! How exciting! First of all I wanted to thank everyone for keeping Justin and me in your thoughts and prayers. The first few weeks have gone by so much quicker thanks to the love and support of our family and friends, so thanks to each one of you. In my posts I plan on giving quick updates on how we both are doing, feel free to leave comments/questions/suggestions because I am definitely learning as I go!

The Mr.

Justin is doing very well; they are keeping him super busy on the boat. They are moving quite quickly, faster than I thought for sure! He has been flying a lot and going to lots of meetings to get him ready. He has kept his positive attitude throughout the whole thing and is starting to get used to life on a carrier. He has been doing lots of carrier landings- day and night along with other flights. He doesn't have much free time but when he does he is watching movies, playing games and sleeping. He is living in a six-man room so there is always something going on! Every night they have a movie playing and make popcorn for snacking in their ready room which is something for them all to look forward to. Justin has received emails from so many people and is thankful to you all. He has tried to respond to everyone at least once but is starting to get pretty busy! Keep the emails coming though! Also, if you would like to send mail to Justin please address it to:

LTJG Justin Heitman

VFA-103

UNIT 60127

FPO AE 09504-6117

Please send via USPS only.

If you would like to send Justin a care package the USPS has a program for military family members and friends to supply them with packaging materials to send packages to troops overseas. If you call 1-800-610-8734 and select option # 1, Ask them for the "Military pack" they will send you boxes, tape, packaging materials and labels. They will also give you an I.D. number so if your supply runs low, you just call them up and they'll send you more supplies. The materials take about four to ten days to receive. Also, by clicking on the link below you can get up to 25 free 12"x12"boxes mailed to you from the USPS. The standard shipping price is $12.95 no matter how much it weighs.

https://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10052&categoryId=10000036&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10000002&top_category=10000002&WT.ac=10000036

The Mrs.

I am doing very well too! I feel like Justin has been gone for more than 2.5 weeks but I am coping well. The people here are so great, someone is always planning a get together! I was lucky enough to have an amazing sister that took a week off of work and came to visit me right after Justin left! The picture to the right is from a girl's night that we had while Ash was here!

We went shopping, made dinner, went out to eat and hung out, a perfect sister trip! I was so glad that she got to see our new house and get to meet some of my friends here in Norfolk! I have weekly dinners with some girls in our wives club. The host cooks the main course and well and bring an appetizer, side, dessert or wine. Somehow we always run out of dessert and wine! Figures! Next week I will be hosting, I am making Chicken and Spinach Cannelloni, yum! This week was restaurant week in Virginia Beach so I went to dinner with a couple of girls last night. The picture below is from dinner- Cari, Ashely, me and Lindsay. Cari's husband is in Justin's squadron, Ashley's husband is still in the training command but is flying 2-seaters so we are hoping he gets the Jolly Rogers and Lindsay's husband is on the carrier that is currently in Haiti. It was a great girl's night; good food and great friends! I am so lucky to have them!

I start my new job on Monday and am really excited! I will be the Marketing Manager of an insurance company in Virginia Beach and will be their sole marketing department. I am going to build a marketing plan and everything from the ground-up but it is a challenge I am ready to take on! Since Justin is gone, it will keep me really busy! That's pretty much everything that is going on here now. Please keep the rest of the men and women on the carrier as well as everyone in Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.

God Bless!

The Heitmans!