We are excited to share that Stro has been elected to the Crescent River Port Pilots' Association! This is his dream job and means he won't be working offshore anymore!
He was working in Aruba when he got the news via text message. He took a screenshot and sent me this picture:
I was (and still am) on such a roller coaster of emotions! I'm so proud of him for not giving up. I'm relieved that we no longer have to cram so much into his one month at home- spending time together as a family, time together as a couple, time relaxing on our own, seeing family, hanging out with friends, house projects, etc. It was a balance we certainly never perfected, but now don't have to worry about anymore! I'm grateful that Lily will never remember this first year of her life when he left every other month, and I'm looking forward to this new chapter. I also know there are some challenges ahead- new routines, schedules, budgets, etc, as well as getting used to seeing each other more often!
Of course, I had to plan some great celebrations for him when he came home! First, the house was decorated when he arrived:
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| The mantle holds his diplomas, a certificate, and some books about the river and the shipping industry. I also found a Pilots' calendar from 2010 and used the pictures as decoration. |
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| His chair at the table was decorated with balloons and an anchor. |
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| Table centerpiece |
The second night he was home, I told him to be dressed at 5 pm. He didn't know if we were going out, staying in, or who was joining us.
Surprise! It was our parents, ready to celebrate! We enjoyed a meal of all Stro's favorite foods: oysters Rockefeller for appetizer, steaks as entree, and seven-later cookies for dessert.
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| Champagne toast after dinner |
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| Pilots patch that belonged to his grandparents |
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| His mom had this hat and was waiting for the perfect time to give it to him |
The next night, Stro and I had a dinner date planned. Stro thought that after dinner, we were meeting up with four friends for some celebration drinks. He was super surprised when 20+ people cheered as he walked in the door! It was so fun surprising him, and it meant so, so much to both of us that so many friends came to congratulate him and welcome him home!
We had lots of fun celebrating; congrats again, Stro!
