Shannon here: Tina Pinson shares insight into her real life romance plus a chance to win two of her Historical Romance titles, Betrayed and Rescued, books 1 and 2 in the Trail of the Sandpiper Series. Deadline: May 19th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Tina:
Cruising.
Hi, Tina Pinson here. I’ve shared before about how I met my husband Danny and our first kiss. I thought I’d share some about our life together and something romantic he did for me.
The first few years of our marriage, hubby was in the navy. He was ship’s company, which meant when the ship was in dock, he had to be on it more than not. He would leave for work ups, a week out a week in, a month out a weekend in, a couple weeks out a couple weeks in… I’d sit in the security tent with him on the dock, just to see him before he left for another work up. They let him off the ship some, of course. And I soon became pregnant.
After our first child was three weeks old, hubby left on a cruise and returned when our son was eight and a half months old. During the cruise he got transferred to a Squadron, so he didn’t have to pull duty station on the ship.
We got out of the navy for a year and had our second son, but when the economy took a downturn, hubby reenlisted and left for a two-month cruise most of which would be spent in Hawaii. I packed and moved from Colorado back to San Diego. I was sick and soon found out I was pregnant again. Once I was settled in an apartment, hubby was back off the cruise.
I told him how fun it must be to cruise around the ocean and stop in all the exotic ports, while I kept house and watched children.
Hubby took leave to help with the boys and take care of me when third son arrived. Just before our son was born, he called to check out on leave and was told it had been canceled. Instead of taking some of the single men, they pulled him in for a month work up. I couldn’t get out of the hospital and had to call a friend to get me.
When our son was three months old, I moved back to Colorado while hubby went on a 7-month cruise.
He spent enough time at sea, we calculated he was home for half or less of our first seven years.
I missed him and sometimes, if I am honest, I was angry. I was home watching our children and he was always on cruise. The navy didn’t care if he had a wife and children, if they weren’t issued with his sea bag it didn’t matter.
After ten years, the navy wouldn’t let hubby choose his next duty station. They planned to send him out to a little island called Diego Garcia for three years. Family does not go to Diego Garcia and hubby would only get to come home once or twice a year. He got out of the military and we moved back to Colorado.
He went to Hawaii, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and other ports. I changed diapers and kept the house running. I realize he wasn’t on some Disney Cruise. He saw the seedier side of things and didn’t want to travel because of it. Still, I dreamed of traveling. But time and money couldn’t get together to let us travel far, and certainly no place off the mainland or a cruise.
Fast forward to 37 years of marriage. I felt weepy and couldn’t seem to get a word down for any stories. My mother’s death and the death of a few friends left me shell shocked.
Hubby called. “Hey, guess what?”
“What?”
“I’m getting tickets for Hawaii.”
I laughed. The man who doesn’t want to go off the mainland, wants to travel. “No Way.”
“I’m getting tickets. I know how sad you’ve been and this will help you with research on your book, so… I am taking you to Hawaii.”
He really was taking me to Hawaii. I started to cry.
Last April, hubby took me to Hawaii.
We went to Pearl Harbor and looked at some of the history concerning WWII. Hawaii wasn’t quite what I’d expected, but it was good to get away. Hubby enjoyed it so much, he wants to go somewhere else.
I still haven’t finished book three in my WWII Trail of the Sandpiper series. But I have written more on it. Hubby’s thoughtful gift spurred my imagination.
About Tina: Award winning author Tina Pinson resides in Grand Junction, Colorado with Danny, her husband of thirty-seven plus years. They are blessed to have three sons, and ten grandchildren. Tina started her first novel in elementary school. She enjoys writing poetry, songs, and stories. She loves to draw, sing, do woodworking, and enjoys gardening.
She hopes her stories will transport you to worlds beyond and touch your spirit and give you a closer insight to yourself and God.
In the Manor of the Ghost, Touched By Mercy, To Carry her Cross, Christmas in Shades of Gray, Then There Was Grace, The Shadow Series; When Shadows Fall, Shadowed Dreams, To Catch a Shadow and This Shadowed Land and her WWII series Trail of the Sandpiper – Betrayed and Rescued are available through Desert Breeze Publishing and major retailers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbooks and other outlets
Then There Was Grace won the Epic Award for best Contemporary, Christmas in Shades of Gray finaled in the Epic Awards Paranormal Category and Trail of the Sandpiper-Betrayed placed third in the Historical category of ACFW Genesis Contest. Learn more and connect:
Tina’s Blog Tina’s Twitter Tina’s Facebook Tina’s Pinterest
About the Books:
Betrayed:
It’s the summer of ’42. The world is at War and Japan’s Imperial Army is moving across the island of New Guinea.
After their mission is attacked Justine is left with seven children to lead to safety through enemy lines. She leads them to a cave and goes back for her husband when she is taken captive. Upon her escape with the help of a friend, Virginia, she starts back for the children and runs into Lt. Tyler Merrick. She hopes he will help her. But he’s drunk and doesn’t believe there are children. He thinks Justine is the rogue spy he been sent to find.
Justine goes for the children and returns to an even angrier Lt. Merrick. He wants to tie her up. She hopes to win his trust. Because if they can’t stop fighting one another, they will never get off the island alive.
Rescued:
The Imperial Army is moving across New Guinea. Tyler and Justine have managed to evade them, but they fear it isn’t because of their own abilities.
Tyler wonders why the Japanese haven’t taken them as prisoners. Is it to find the Sandpiper? Or the Nandus? Without a radio they can’t reach the ship or let them know where they are. Meanwhile, the Japanese have been moving them like pawns, killing off members of the team as they go.
Justine leads them to a place of safety until they hopefully raise the ship, but how long can they fend off the enemy once they attack? They’ve yet to get off the island, and there is still an ocean to cross to reach the safety of home. Justine fears someone else will die before they can escape and she’s just as certain it will be her.
Can’t wait for the drawing? Get your copies now!
Trail of the Sandpiper-Betrayed Trail of the Sandpiper – Rescued
Question for Readers: What gift has your spouse or a loved one given you? Or have you given your spouse or loved one?
Come back May 15th for Nike Chillemi!
for my 45th birthday, my daughter took some rose petals from a bouquet she had gave me and pressed them to dry then wrote me a poem and framed it with the rose petals!
Hi Sheila, I bet your gift is treasured and beautiful. Things like that show the giver’s heart in deeper ways sometimes. Thank you for sharing.
My favorite memory was a surprise 50th party. I was so surprised with everyone there.
Hi Kathy,
Surprise parties can be fun. There are those that would prefer not to be surprised, but having friends and family taking the time to do something special is awesome.
My spouse gave me a new microwave, refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher.
Now, if only, he would give me a cook and a maid.
Janet, 😁
Too funny. I got a refrigerator, a washer and dryer, and a dishwasher. I would take the cook. But I would feel obligated to clean my house before the maid showed up. Wouldn’t want ’em thinking I was messy.
I took myself to maine when I turned 50.
🙂 you should give yourself a trip somewhere else for for how considerate you were. I want to go Maine too.
I have a winner! Janet Estridge won the drawing. I appreciate Tina for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.