Officer Development School

I attended Navy Officer Development School (ODS) in Newport, RI from July 7 to August 9, 2019. The first week and a half were a difficult adjustment to military life, but I soon learned to love the routine and the things I was learning. It also helped that we started getting weekend liberty after a couple weeks! 

Newport had great sunsets. This is the view from my window in King Hall.

At a pier in Newport while out on liberty with some of my shipmates.

Several of us toured The Breakers, which was the Vanderbilt's summer home.

The grand staircase, modeled after the Paris Opera House

The main hall, which the Vanderbilt kids used to ride tricycles through

A very old Steinway in the music room

The library

The backyard--ready for a Gatsby style summer party.

Views from the cliffwalk near The Breakers

So many mansions, and so much old money in Newport!

 
Learning to put out fires before heading into a simulated ship hatch on fire (which I don't have pictures of).


Learning to shore up holes in a torpedoed ship, the USS Buttercup (aka wet trainer). This was actually a lot of fun, and was a nice relief from the summer heat. At one point the water was up to our necks!


DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!

The last week of ODS, we got to tour Battleship Cove in Massachusetts.

 

Our church group from ODS class 19050, pictured here at a reception the day before graduation. There were usually 3 or 4 others from OCS who joined us at the Newport ward every Sunday.

Sierra Company, ODS Class 19050

By the end of ODS, I was excited to see my wife and kiddos again, but I miss wearing the uniform every day, and I miss hearing colors every morning.

July 2019

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Our ward celebrated with a flag ceremony, pancake breakfast, and bike parade.

We celebrated at home by the kids having their own parade with flags and stuffed animals. They also made our traditional flag out of fruit. Once it got dark we were able to watch the Hurricane Harbor firework show right by our house. 

JARED FINISHES THE REMODEL

We decided to put up a wall and create a music room/bedroom out of a large living room/formal dining room. Dental school kept Jared from getting the project done as quickly as he would have liked, but he had a goal to finish the remodel before he had to leave for Rhode Island. Jared hardly slept his last few nights with us, but he got it done! He did a beautiful job, and it is so nice to not be under construction anymore. He even got custom shelves put up in Nathan's closet.  We appreciate Jared's dad Neal and our ministering brothers who lent us their tools and helped him with the project.  

DADDY LEAVES FOR RHODE ISLAND

On July 6th Jared left for ODS (Officer Development School) in Rhode Island. It was hard on all of us to have him gone for 5 weeks. Audrey kept asking when he was coming back so we made a chain so she could keep track of the days until Daddy came home.  

Brooklyn probably had the hardest time at all since she couldn't really understand the concept of time. She did enjoy video chatting with him on the phone, and I would often find her looking out her bedroom window for "Daddy come home."  

SUMMER CHOIR AND DANCE

There is a retired dance teacher in our ward who offers free dance classes at the church every summer. There are also some other wonderful volunteers who put together free junior and senior choir classes. At the end of the summer they perform the choir numbers and dances at the Stake Center. This year's performance was entitled "Colors," and the girls did a wonderful job. 

 One of the choir numbers Audrey learned was "One-eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater," so she made ones for her and Brooklyn to play with.

Maddy and Abby were each in two different dance numbers

Audrey really liked her dance routine of Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, which she called, "Yellow Polka-dot Zucchini."

Brooklyn didn't perform, but she wanted her own picture too.

The girls were sad that their dad couldn't be there to watch them perform, but their sweet Beehive leader, Sister McDowell, came to support them and even brought them flowers.

PIONEER DAY

We didn't have outfits for the older kids, but Audrey and Brooklyn had fun dressing up and getting a backyard wagon ride to celebrate pioneer day.  

BROOKLYN AND AUDREY

I was having trouble with Booklyn wanting to change her outfit multiple times a day. She would freak out if she even got a drop of water on a shirt and would insist on changing. Once I gave her this outfit she never wanted to change, even if she had to let water dry on it. Now my only problem is her wanting to wear it every day!



Playing and having fun with friends.