Ship Selection... it's like a combination of the NFL draft, the Oscars, and The Price is Right rolled into one awesome event! CoVid has families watching virtually, but it is exciting nonetheless. Firsties that have been assigned to the Surface Warfare community will choose their ships and their life for the foreseeable future, and this …
Irritable and Argumentative Goodbyes
As I prepare for my children to return to college and as their leave ends, I have been awash in nostalgia. My husband and I often counsel other US Naval Academy parents about what to expect at certain times, and returning to the Yard, as we fondly call the USNA campus, can be a bit …
The Pandemic that Didn’t Steal Christmas
Some thoughts as Mids begin to travel home. Time. It is precious. It is non-renewable. It is fleeting. It is a gift. If anything, this year has reminded me that time with family, whenever and how ever it comes, is a priority and a blessing. And I am so happy for all of our USNA …
The Moment is Here: Service Assignments
Service Assignments are this Thursday for Firsties! I thought I would share a brief excerpt from from my book, A USNA Mom's Journal. This is about Service Assignments from the Firstie Year / Commissioning Chapter: "When the Fall semester arrives, Firsties make their service selections at the very beginning of Firstie year. Firsties will rank …
On This Veteran’s Day – Looking Back: 2020 Vision
Certainly today we honor all service members, Officers and enlisted alike. Those that came before, those that paved the way, those that stand in the gap today, and those to come. But for me personally, this Veteran’s Day is different. Perhaps it is the isolation of semi-quarantine and the effects of this virus that seem …
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When the Going Gets Tough…
So it's that time of year when six week exams have passed and your Plebe may or may not be happy about the results. Grades are out and some Plebes may be ecstatic, but for some Plebes, there may be disappointment with their performance. Add to that preparing and having to pass their PRT on …
The Anomaly – A Year without Closure
Photo: Courtesy of Bob Peterson Photography I have written on this before. Yes - 2020 is the year of the anomaly for so many reasons. Change is the one word that describes 2020 for me. Change in expectations, in plans, in the future of things, of hellos and goodbyes, and in our journey. Who would …
So Close and Yet So Far
With so many things being different this year because of Corona virus, the ACyear begins very differently. Sadly, as with all other classes at USNA, highlights of the journey like PPW and 2/C Parents Weekend have been set aside for the safety of Plebes, Midshipmen, staff, faculty, and leadership on the Yard. I have to say that I am very proud of our USNA parents...
Time – The Valuable Commodity
Time... time is a very valuable commodity especially at the Naval Academy and especially during Plebe Summer and Plebe Year. Invariably, your Plebe will not have enough of it to go around and will have to choose something to sacrifice that will not get his full attention and invariably garner the ire of the Detailers. …
The Plebe Summer Challenge
As I have mentioned before and talk about in my book, A USNA MOM'S JOURNAL, when our USNA journey began I was feeling sad, empty, and felt like crying for no reason. In a way, as parents, we are grieving the sudden separation.... We have given our most treasured possession to USNA. There are so …