Underway on the KHK

Josh and I had a chance to join the USS Kitty Hawk's Friends and Family Day cruise last week, so we got to enjoy a day at sea together. It was not quite as cush as a Royal Caribbean cruise, but it was a great experience nonetheless. (It's not everyday that you get offered a ride on an aircraft carrier!)

We left Elise with our friends, John and Ashlee, and they took wonderful care of her and even kept us posted with text messages about their day!! (which lasted from 4:30am when we dropped her off, until 7pm when we returned home - wow!)

We started off the trip by "mustering" in Josh's command's office and then went to get some breakfast. That was followed by a trip to the flight deck and a tour of the pilot bridge (where they steer the ship and stand watch). We continued touring the ship (it's gigantic!) and then went back up to the flight deck for an air show. It was pretty cool to see the jets take off right in front of us and then fly in various formations overhead. (I decided that I'm glad Josh is not a pilot!!)

After the air show we went to a chapel service and then headed back to the hangar for lunch. Josh was only a little bit happy that I experienced a slight case of seasickness, so that I could empathize with how he feels when he goes out to sea!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing more touring and more chatting. (with quite a few trips down to medical, so that I could pump)

We had a good day and were very happy to get back home to our sweet little girl!

A note for you history buffs: The USS Kitty Hawk was built in Camden, NJ and first commissioned in 1961 at the Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard. It is the world's only permanently forward deployed aircraft carrier and the oldest active ship in the Navy. (though it will be decommissioned sometime in 2008 and replaced by the USS George Washington)