![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
One Last Week...
Feb. 26th, 2006 09:04 pmI just got off of my last watch in the plant. Tomorrow morning, I turn in my TLD and never set foot in a Naval Nuclear Propulsion Plant again. Then, a week from today, I'll be boarding a C-2A and flying off this ship that's been my workplace and sometimes home for almost 4 and a half years.
To be honest, there are some things I'm going to miss- walking across the hangar bay first thing in the morning just as the sun is starting to poke above the waters that we're sailing through; the long conversations with my friends on watch to pass the times; the pranks and jokes that always a part of being bored and out to sea for long periods of time; watching the sun set over the rest of our battle group at the end of another long day; hanging out with all of my friends here on the ship on one of the boat sponsons after dark, trading stories about home, telling jokes, singing whatever old songs strike our fancies as we pass the time and unwind before heading to bed; feeling the vibrations of the screws and the gentle rocking of the ship as I'm lying in my rack at night before I fall asleep... when you spend a lot of time out to sea, you really get to know the people you work with, and I'm going to miss the friendships that I've made, not just on this cruise, but over the last 4 years. I've had a pretty good run here, and I'll always take the memories I've made here with me- the good times, the bad times, the friends I've made...and those that we lost along the way. I'll never forget my time here, and I think that I'll mostly look back on my time on the Reagan with fond memories. (but I'll talk more about that in later entries)
But, my time here is coming to an end. Going out to sea for long periods of time is a game best played by those who don't really have a whole lot going on on land. 6 months ago, I wouldn't mind nearly as much, but now I'm really looking forward to getting back to San Diego, to starting a normal relationship with Amy, to seeing where we're really going with this thing that we have now- and to starting a normal life on land. Being able to come home from work every night, to not have to pack for an underway, and not know when I'll be back again, to miss birthdays (including my own), anniversaries, weddings, and other celebrations.
Just one last week left here.
To be honest, there are some things I'm going to miss- walking across the hangar bay first thing in the morning just as the sun is starting to poke above the waters that we're sailing through; the long conversations with my friends on watch to pass the times; the pranks and jokes that always a part of being bored and out to sea for long periods of time; watching the sun set over the rest of our battle group at the end of another long day; hanging out with all of my friends here on the ship on one of the boat sponsons after dark, trading stories about home, telling jokes, singing whatever old songs strike our fancies as we pass the time and unwind before heading to bed; feeling the vibrations of the screws and the gentle rocking of the ship as I'm lying in my rack at night before I fall asleep... when you spend a lot of time out to sea, you really get to know the people you work with, and I'm going to miss the friendships that I've made, not just on this cruise, but over the last 4 years. I've had a pretty good run here, and I'll always take the memories I've made here with me- the good times, the bad times, the friends I've made...and those that we lost along the way. I'll never forget my time here, and I think that I'll mostly look back on my time on the Reagan with fond memories. (but I'll talk more about that in later entries)
But, my time here is coming to an end. Going out to sea for long periods of time is a game best played by those who don't really have a whole lot going on on land. 6 months ago, I wouldn't mind nearly as much, but now I'm really looking forward to getting back to San Diego, to starting a normal relationship with Amy, to seeing where we're really going with this thing that we have now- and to starting a normal life on land. Being able to come home from work every night, to not have to pack for an underway, and not know when I'll be back again, to miss birthdays (including my own), anniversaries, weddings, and other celebrations.
Just one last week left here.
