Well, the last 8 months have been very interesting to say the least. I took the job with MSC as an Ordinary Seaman, and started traveling after training on my first ship. This venture lasted from May 26-October 3, 2021. I got off the ship (the USNS Robert E. Peary) in Rota, Spain and headed home. It has taken a week to get home due to the circumstances of how I left the USA back in July on the vessel. I had to leave my car in Norfolk, after bringing it back to there after a small break I took in late June 2021 to see my boat, and family. After leaving in February I hadn’t laid eyes on my boat since rushing out right before the freeze that shook Houston Valentines weekend. As is the normal for these adventures, I took too much stuff onboard the ship and when I found out I was being relieved, I had to ship two boxes of belongings back to the USA. Thankfully Rota has a US Navy Base and therefore a US Post Office, so shipping was relatively painless.
The journey was quite extraordinary. I caught the ship as it was finishing dry docking in Philadelphia and therefore had a great time exploring some of Philly, having a cheese steak, and just settling in on the boat. From there we went back to Norfolk, did some sea trials and a couple of us reps out to sea locally, but was for the most part on the Navy Pier, doing shore duty. We actually crossed the Atlantic on July 23rd and from that crossing visited Scotland twice, France, Spain twice, Norway twice, and did unreps along the way. The mission continues, but I was relieved and therefore did not continue on with the vessel. It was a good experience and I would have been able to stay on the ship if I had not put in for relief. Relief means that after four months you ask for a replacement for you so you can go home for a month of vacation. I needed this, and have other desires to fulfill during my off time, such as this journey back to Houston by E-Bike on my E-Cells Super Monarch 1500, to get into AB school, and to get Lasik so I can try out for the SRS (Surface Rescue Swimmer Program).
So Here I sit at the Airport here in Houston awaiting my plane to board at 0955 to take me to my bicycle and to visit my loved ones as well as check in with the program of AA. God has been very good to me and I am eternally grateful for His Love, Mercy, Compassion, and Protection these last seven months. I fully expect He will continue on this journey and I look forward to seeing how He is going to move on my behalf these next days as we trek back to Houston, and beyond.
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