A [Father's] Day in the Life of a Navy Seabee Wife

What a day!!  I can't say I'm sad it's over! 

Happy Father's Day, Derick!  I hope you enjoyed FaceTime as much as I did!  And I hope you enjoyed "sitting with me" in church!  I look forward to that every Sunday!

So this morning started with a series of emails and texts. (Actually that all started yesterday). Trying to find out who was riding their bike this afternoon at church. And trying to find a babysitter so that I could ride, too.  Since today was Father's Day, I struck out on the sitter.  

I missed Derick so much this morning, getting ready for church.  I almost didn't want to go to church at all, but we made it.  My sister came over, just long enough for me to braid her hair this morning. And I cried on her shoulder for a few minutes.  

When Derick first left, I used to tell my kids, our church wants to support us while Dad is gone.  So we're gonna go to church and we're gonna let them.  And they have, in so many ways! 

We were too late for Sunday School but we made it in plenty of time for the service.  Derick likes to FaceTime with me so that he can listen in on the service too.  Usually it's FaceTime audio so he can just hear it.  But last week we started using the video too so he can watch.  It seems to work pretty well.  We get some funny looks, until people realize it's Derick on the other end of the line.  Then they usually wave and say hi. 

My view during church

His view during church

FaceTime (or Skype) is such a funny thing.  If it's not someone you are used to talking to face to face, it can be really awkward!  Like you're not really sure how to act in front of the person.  It's like being put on the spot for an entire conversation.  

Anyway, we sat with friends at lunch.  I talked to more friends about the Midwest Bike Trip (an annual 3 1/2 day, 300 mile bicycle ride to Lake Michigan at the end of July). Talked to other friends about fixing up my house, and fixing my broken washing machine.  And still more friends about having dinner together.  

So far, so good...

On the way home, we drove through Pinky's and the kids got ice cream.  Always exciting!  Then I took them to Walgreens to buy Father's Day cards to mail (late) to Derick.  There was a large couple in the small isle, looking at the very picked-over Father's Day card section.  My little boys can't tell the difference between a Father's Day card and a birthday card.  They happily walked up and down the isle looking at all the cards.  

After a while, the large lady and the large man in the small isle were apparently pretty irritated that my 4 and 6-year-olds didn't say excuse me every time they walked by them.  She made rude comments to me.  I stared at her, stunned.  I apologized.  I put everyone's cards back and we left.  

I really wanted to go back inside and give her a piece of my mind.  But I refrained.  

Aida asked why we left.  I said that lady was rude to me.  And I said I'm not going to subject my kids to someone being rude like that.  Not while they are picking Father's Day cards for their daddy, who is overseas, fighting for her right to be offended and then rude to me.  I said were going to HyVee, where they are nice. 

True to form, the customers and the employees were very friendly at HyVee. Even when my kids got in their way, they were still friendly and helpful.  I was still crying when we walked into the store, so my sensitive daughter wanted to buy me a Caribou Coffee. She said she would pay for it, but she didn't have any money.  I gave her money and told her what I wanted. That helped me smile again. 

We kept Hallmark in business today, with the stack of cards that we bought!  But Derick will get mail. That's what matters most!  And we found bacon jerky to send to Derick. Because everything's better with bacon... or so I've been told!

This is less than half of the cards we bought. 

We got home and I realized my phone didn't make it.  I knew the last place I had it was at church.  So I iMessaged a friend from my iPad.  (Thank God for technology!)  And I asked her to look for it.  After my church friend didn't see it, I drove back to Tremont to try to find it, myself.  Borrowed her husband's church key to check inside as well as out, but to no avail.  Went back to her house to return the key and cried on her shoulder a while.  

Between the bike ride I missed, the rude lady at Walgreens, and the missing phone, my emotions had had enough.  

So her gracious husband returned to church - again - and located the phone for me!  A ray of sunshine! 

"Yes kids, we're going to church today.  Twice, in fact.  Our church wants to support us.  So, we are going to let them!"

The day ended with dinner at my sister's house with her family and our parents.  And then lounging on the couch, watching Netflix and snuggling with my kids.  

Maybe today wasn't so bad after all.  I still miss Derick though! 

The moral of the story: Be kind to everyone you meet, for they are fighting a hard battle! 

"Be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God, in Christ, also forgave you."  Ephesians 4:32