When I wake up tomorrow morning, we could have only 100 days left on our tiny little island paradise! I say "could" because although we have our flight window (June 9 - 18th), we don't know which day they are scheduling our flight as of yet. We should be finding out soon. But if it's the 9th - that means we only have 100 days left on Okinawa! I am excited and terrified all at the same time.
I guess I haven't shared our news here on the blog yet. We will be heading back to Quantico, Virginia come June! This will be my THIRD time living in Northern Virginia. Tommy will be attending Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS), which is a 9-month career-level school for the Marines. It starts at the end of July, so we'll have a good amount of time to fly back, spend time with both our families and friends, and get moved in before he starts class. Oh, and the other bajillion things we need to do, like find a place to live, buy not one but TWO cars, enroll Wyatt in school... okay, I will stop now.
We attended our moving class on Monday and my eye started twitching about an hour into the four-hour class. It hasn't stopped twitching yet. It might have something to do with the 5-page (typed) to-do list that resulted from the meeting. :)
I have been dreaming of all the stores I want to go to when I set foot on American soil for the first time in almost 3 years. In no particular order: Wegmans, Trader Joes, Michael's, Kohl's, Joann Fabric, and TJ Maxx are the ones I think about most often!
On average, about every 8 minutes I am struck with, "Man, I am so going to miss this when we move back to the States!" or "I can't wait to not have to deal with this when I move back to the States!" The next three months will be a whirlwind, that I know! We have a jam-packed spring: Tommy leaves soon, my friend is visiting for two weeks, then Easter, our trip to Tokyo over spring break, and then getting ready for the movers to be here. Let the madness begin!
Showing posts with label Military Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Military Life. Show all posts
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Anniversary Bunco Blowout Party
Epic. That is all I can say!
This month marks ours Bunco group's one-year anniversary of playing together, and our coordinator, Robin, had big plans for it! She rented out the condo at Okuma, the military resort on the northern part of the island, and we took Bunco on the road this month!
This is no easy feat to pull off, mind you, when most of our husbands are usually gone for work/deployed and most of us have small kids. But it worked out for all but two of our group members - mostly because there is a big annual exercise coming up soon that all of our husbands will be gone for, so the timing worked out great to do it right before they all leave!
So we all piled into two cars and made the drive up to Okuma. We stopped for lunch and got there around 3 to check in. This month's theme was pajama party, so we changed into our jammies and set up the condo with the copious amounts of food and beverages we had brought with us. Robin got us each a pair of fuzzy Japanese 100Yen store socks to wear!
Then it was time for the scavenger hunt that Robin had organized. We had a great time with that. Here's us all decked out with our team flare. Green team rules!! Then we toasted the past year of Bunco and the year ahead, and let the Bunco games begin!
After Bunco (I won the prize for most losses!!), we hung around playing Never Have I Ever, a popular pajama party game :) And then things sort of unraveled from there...
One of our Bunco ladies had brought her family with her for the night, and they were staying in one of the fancy suites, which comes with a golf cart rental to drive around the resort. Another one of our Bunco ladies had just announced to us that she was pregnant - after years of struggling and her first IVF process, she and her husband (currently deployed to Iraq) are expecting their first baby! We were so happy for her. Somehow she ended up driving the golf cart down to the beach, where one of our other ladies had decided to take a late night swim. And that's when the golf cart got stuck on the very wet sand :)
What you can't see is Amanda laying face-down in the sand behind us after losing her footing! Soooo funny. I will remember this for years! After we rescued the golf cart, we helped ourselves to a picture in one of the resort's fishing boat....
Here is me and Robin (our founder) - she is sweating to deatha nd I am freezing to death!!
We stayed up late - much later than can possibly be a good idea when you are not used to doing so - talking, drinking, eating, and enjoying "our" time. But some of us were up bright and early to walk the scenic route in the morning and check out the beautiful views!
Here we are at the top, checking out the view above. I will so miss these views after we move!
After breakfast, it was back to the condo to do a very quick clean up before parting ways. Jenny, Amanda and I were staying up there and our families were driving up that afternoon to camp. Stay tuned for part two of our adventure soon!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Holiday Happenings!
Sorry for the delay in posting lately - it's been a busy holiday season and I just needed one less thing on my plate! Here are a few images from the last few weeks of festivities!
Wyatt's Christmas production at school was held a few weeks ago. He had a line in the play and did fantastic. He even sang the songs this year! His class was all shepherds and the parents made the costumes. Wyatt's was a little big and he exclaimed loudly during one of the songs, "My costume keeps falling off!!!" Thankfully my friend was in the front row to fix his wardrobe malfunction - while the other parents (also my friends) turned and laughed at me ;)
Because our squadron was deployed during Marine Corps Ball season, we didn't get to have a ball this year. Our squadron tried to make up for this by hosting a Dining Out, which is an old Marine Corps tradition. It's a hard tradition to explain but it is a formal event with a seated dinner involving a President and Vice President of the "Mess" (Marines on hand) and funny accusations. You have to ask the Vice for permission to speak, permission to stand, move, or go pee - even the spouses!
If you do something wrong or out of order, you are fined. If you are accused of something and found guilty, you are also fined. It's all done in fun and makes for a great night of laughs, especially after the guys have just spent many months living on a ship together and carrying out missions in underdeveloped countries.
Sitting on Santa's lap...I was on the naughty list :)
The squadron Christmas party was this weekend and the highlight was Santa arriving in a CH-46E helicopter! Wyatt was very confused by this as he wanted to see the sleigh. We explained that it was just too cloudy for the reindeer to see!
Wyatt got very nervous because he was one of the last kids to be called to get his gift from Santa and sit on his lap. When he asked if he was going to get a turn, I asked if he thought he was on the nice list? He answer: "Maybe...?" He was getting pretty worried!
Olivia did not enjoy sitting on Santa's lap - she is afraid of all "characters," whether they be Sesame Street or Santa Claus. She loved the bouncy castle they had, though and it was all I could do to drag her out of there! Wyatt, who had a near-death bouncy castle experience awhile back when it collapsed on him, stuck to exploring the airplane inside the hangar.
While not Christmas related, Wyatt finished up his soccer season a few weeks ago. They had a scrimmage against another team and they did really well! While there was no official score kept, his team won 6-0 :)
Wyatt was the goalie and his little friend Jeffrey (who is also in his class at school) was his defender. Together they were pretty impressive and saved at least 5 attempts, I am told!
Stay tuned for more holiday festivities, including our church pagenat starring Wyatt as Joseph and Olivia as an "angel" (hahaha!)!
Wyatt's Christmas production at school was held a few weeks ago. He had a line in the play and did fantastic. He even sang the songs this year! His class was all shepherds and the parents made the costumes. Wyatt's was a little big and he exclaimed loudly during one of the songs, "My costume keeps falling off!!!" Thankfully my friend was in the front row to fix his wardrobe malfunction - while the other parents (also my friends) turned and laughed at me ;)
Because our squadron was deployed during Marine Corps Ball season, we didn't get to have a ball this year. Our squadron tried to make up for this by hosting a Dining Out, which is an old Marine Corps tradition. It's a hard tradition to explain but it is a formal event with a seated dinner involving a President and Vice President of the "Mess" (Marines on hand) and funny accusations. You have to ask the Vice for permission to speak, permission to stand, move, or go pee - even the spouses!
If you do something wrong or out of order, you are fined. If you are accused of something and found guilty, you are also fined. It's all done in fun and makes for a great night of laughs, especially after the guys have just spent many months living on a ship together and carrying out missions in underdeveloped countries.
Sitting on Santa's lap...I was on the naughty list :)
The squadron Christmas party was this weekend and the highlight was Santa arriving in a CH-46E helicopter! Wyatt was very confused by this as he wanted to see the sleigh. We explained that it was just too cloudy for the reindeer to see!
Wyatt got very nervous because he was one of the last kids to be called to get his gift from Santa and sit on his lap. When he asked if he was going to get a turn, I asked if he thought he was on the nice list? He answer: "Maybe...?" He was getting pretty worried!
Olivia did not enjoy sitting on Santa's lap - she is afraid of all "characters," whether they be Sesame Street or Santa Claus. She loved the bouncy castle they had, though and it was all I could do to drag her out of there! Wyatt, who had a near-death bouncy castle experience awhile back when it collapsed on him, stuck to exploring the airplane inside the hangar.
Wyatt was the goalie and his little friend Jeffrey (who is also in his class at school) was his defender. Together they were pretty impressive and saved at least 5 attempts, I am told!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
He's Baaa-aack!
This is a picture of Tommy & Wyatt on the afternoon we went to see Daddy's ship and to load Tommy's gear onto the boat. You can see him hauling some of his gear, and you can sort of see the ships up ahead.
Let me just say that this deployment has been an emotional rollercoaster. I know they all are, and I am by far luckier than most. But it is so true what they say about Marine Corps spouses - we are certainly Semper Gumby ("always flexible")!
If you've been following this de ployment you know that he left, came back, left again for 6 weeks with a supposed extension, and then we received word our Marines would be home for a brief 24 hours to offload equipment between exercises. Of course the timeline for those 24 hours changed a million times, but eventually on Friday night I went to pick up our Marine. I didn't tell the kids about it, because frankly I wasn't entirely sure it would even happen and there were too many changes in the wind.
But he did get here, and actually, he ended up staying here. He was one of just a handful from his squadron who stayed behind. It's a long story, but once again it has worked in our favor and I am thankful to have him home for a few extra weeks and for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
I sort of feel like I have won the deployment lottery. In fact, I think the deployment Gods must love me, because as I type this, many of my friends do not have the luxury of saying or even thinking such things while their husbands sail on to their next mission, or dump sand out of their boots from the desert.
We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. :)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Another Dose of Perspective
I apologize (again) for the lack of blogging lately. Mostly I have been really busy, with a side helping of really exhausted! :) We are 4 weeks into Tommy's deployment, and the past few days have been a little challenging. Among other things, Wyatt puked all over the car on the way to soccer practice yesterday morning, so yesterday and today we had to cancel plans and stay home, and the kids have been fighting...fighting...and more fighting. I am thankful that it seems to have been just a 12-hour bug because he's been fine ever since, so I'll happily send him to preschool tomorrow morning!
I received an email from Tommy's unit a week or two ago saying that they would be extending their time on the ship. Then the last couple of days had been a little challenging - I won't go into all the details, but I was getting pretty fed up with this deployment business. And then I saw on Facebook where my former supervisor's son had been hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic for lukemia treatments.
Which promptly put everything into perspective again for me.
Funny how that works, isn't it?
Because what it really all boils down to is that your family is healthy and happy, even if you can't be together right this second. Even if your lawnmower breaks, and it's 100 degrees outside in the middle of flippin' October, and you are sweating like a pig trying to fix it while your kids are fighting with very sharp grilling instruments playing together nicely.
So I'm going to take a deep breath, separate my kids, try to clean the puke out of my car for the 3rd time, and thank God that my husband is coming home eventually. Because really, that's all that matters, isn't it?
I received an email from Tommy's unit a week or two ago saying that they would be extending their time on the ship. Then the last couple of days had been a little challenging - I won't go into all the details, but I was getting pretty fed up with this deployment business. And then I saw on Facebook where my former supervisor's son had been hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic for lukemia treatments.
Which promptly put everything into perspective again for me.
Funny how that works, isn't it?
Because what it really all boils down to is that your family is healthy and happy, even if you can't be together right this second. Even if your lawnmower breaks, and it's 100 degrees outside in the middle of flippin' October, and you are sweating like a pig trying to fix it while your kids are f
So I'm going to take a deep breath, separate my kids, try to clean the puke out of my car for the 3rd time, and thank God that my husband is coming home eventually. Because really, that's all that matters, isn't it?
Friday, October 7, 2011
To-ga! To-ga! To-ga!
Anyway, I digress. Back to Togas. Personally, I have never been to a toga party which is funny considering I did spend a lot of time at parties in college. However, I just wasn't into the whole tying-a-sheet-around-my-body and trying to make it look good with safety pins and duct tape so I snatched up my friend Kristin's offer to wear her Spartan costume. Um, YES, please!
The ladies looked beautiful, as always. The food was yummy and after we had eaten all the Feta one could possibly eat in one evening, the Bunco commenced. However... we made it through only one round because there was much stopping and starting and shenanigans by certain members of the group. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Something glass was broken in the bathroom (not by me). I ended up with an Ivy ring around my head. Togas may or may not have started to spontaneously disassemble. Madness, I tell you, madness!!
After that happened, we decided to call it a night. Clearly we had reached our expiration time and it was time for us to be on our way! But not without one last chant of "To-ga! To-ga! To-ga!" that happened to be performed laying sideways on the floor...
Saturday, October 1, 2011
It's Been Awhile!
Wow, it's been a couple of weeks since I've updated the blog! It has been busy, and I haven't felt like writing. Tommy left on the boat last week and things were sort of day-to-day when he would leave so we were on our emotional rollercoaster of "hurry up and wait." We took the kids to see the ship when Tommy loaded his gear on. I think this has really helped Wyatt deal better with this deployment. He is doing great so far! Although it's only been a week :)
The ship is amazing and awesomely enormous, and I really wish I could post pictures but I am afraid I would get in trouble. (Even though there are a million pictures on Facebook posted by the MEU...lol) Anyway, we got to go in and see Tommy's room - it is a little larger than most people's bathrooms and has 2 bunks, 3 beds high each. You do the math!!! And these are the officer's quarters... I don't want to see the enlisted side... I think I would really go CRAZY!
We also got to see the mess hall, the library, and the gym. The best part was climbing up and down all the ladders with the kids. All I could think of the entire time was the Titanic... :) But this really helps Wyatt have some perspective of where Daddy is at instead of just being "gone" so I think it helped!
We tried to celebrate our 8th anniversary before he left (because he was gone already, on the actual day). I arranged for us to take a private sunset flight over the island in a 4-seat turbo prop plane, but alas the Tropical Storm had different plans for us. The good news is that they forgot to notify us, so we showed up anyway (even though we knew it would probably be cancelled), so they refunded our money and gave us a FREE flight for when he gets back! How cool is that!
Tommy gave me the best anniversary gift ever. A few months back I read this article that a friend had posted. Please take a minute to go read the article if you haven't already! Just click here, on Big Metal Chicken. This post is hilarious, and I laughed until I cried. If you know me, you know my sense of humor and that I would totally buy a $100 6' tall metal chicken and pass it around to my friends. I read it outloud to Tommy, and he just sort of looked at me like, "I don't get it but I love you" and told me not to buy a $100 metal chicken.
So fast-forward almost 2 months and I open a heavy box from him. I pull out a heavy, bronze chicken and immediately bust out laughing. I knew exactly what it was and why he got it for me, and I laughed so hard. He is the absolute BEST! And so thoughtful. He couldn't get the 6' tall metal one shipped here, so instead he looked up the modern 8-year anniversary gift, saw that it was Bronze, and ordered a bronze chicken. From China. Because that's the only one he could find, and he is that amazing :)
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The ship is amazing and awesomely enormous, and I really wish I could post pictures but I am afraid I would get in trouble. (Even though there are a million pictures on Facebook posted by the MEU...lol) Anyway, we got to go in and see Tommy's room - it is a little larger than most people's bathrooms and has 2 bunks, 3 beds high each. You do the math!!! And these are the officer's quarters... I don't want to see the enlisted side... I think I would really go CRAZY!
We also got to see the mess hall, the library, and the gym. The best part was climbing up and down all the ladders with the kids. All I could think of the entire time was the Titanic... :) But this really helps Wyatt have some perspective of where Daddy is at instead of just being "gone" so I think it helped!
We tried to celebrate our 8th anniversary before he left (because he was gone already, on the actual day). I arranged for us to take a private sunset flight over the island in a 4-seat turbo prop plane, but alas the Tropical Storm had different plans for us. The good news is that they forgot to notify us, so we showed up anyway (even though we knew it would probably be cancelled), so they refunded our money and gave us a FREE flight for when he gets back! How cool is that!
Tommy gave me the best anniversary gift ever. A few months back I read this article that a friend had posted. Please take a minute to go read the article if you haven't already! Just click here, on Big Metal Chicken. This post is hilarious, and I laughed until I cried. If you know me, you know my sense of humor and that I would totally buy a $100 6' tall metal chicken and pass it around to my friends. I read it outloud to Tommy, and he just sort of looked at me like, "I don't get it but I love you" and told me not to buy a $100 metal chicken.
So fast-forward almost 2 months and I open a heavy box from him. I pull out a heavy, bronze chicken and immediately bust out laughing. I knew exactly what it was and why he got it for me, and I laughed so hard. He is the absolute BEST! And so thoughtful. He couldn't get the 6' tall metal one shipped here, so instead he looked up the modern 8-year anniversary gift, saw that it was Bronze, and ordered a bronze chicken. From China. Because that's the only one he could find, and he is that amazing :)
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Sunday, August 28, 2011
Another "Wild" Night of Bunco!
Oh Bunco.... where have you been all my life??? I just love Bunco. It's such an easy, fun game that requires absolutely no skill. Throw in some amazing food and good friends and you've got yourself a great party! One girls' night out at Bunco each month and I am a new person!
This time my neighbor Ivette hosted Bunco.... if you know Ivette or have met her you know that she is a crazy fun girl, so we all knew we'd be in for quite the night. She hosted Jungle Boogie Bunco and as you can see from the pictures we went all out with the theme. Keep in mind that the decorations are all stuff that Ivette has in her actual house. The table coverings were rugs and shower curtains... she also has an animal print ironing board...and the clothes that Antonia and I are wearing (above) are Ivette's too! Of course I do not own any jungle print outfits myself...but this has me thinking that maybe I should! :)
The food was mostly Nicaraguan/Cambodian/what have you and it was DELISH! And then there were the drinks...let's just say that there is a reason the "Jungle Juice" is seldom served anywhere outside the college circuit! And a bunch of 30 year old women really have no business drinking something that's primary ingredient is Everclear at 190 proof. Thankfully I quit while I was ahead but some of the other ladies did not fare so well!
There were lots of laughs all around that night. Sometimes you just need a good night of laugh-til-your-sides hurt fun. It was all fun and games until people started falling off their chairs, texting each other's husbands, and spilling their jungle juice...and that was our cue to call it a night!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Bunco Luau!
Our July bunco was last Friday and we had a Hawaiian luau this time. The food was amazing - we definitely outdid ourselves this time! Sarah was our host and she made pineapple chicken, hawaiian meatballs, and a hawaiian shrimp dish - all of which were to die for. Combined with everyone else's great eats, we were stuffed before we started playing! Yummy!!
The highlight of the night involved coconut bras...lots of coconut bras :) Some of us wore ours over our 'regular' hawaiian clothes...but one of us, who shall remain nameless, took it a step further and just plain wore the coconut bra, which I have to admit takes some cahones even amongst friends. Loved it! She of course won "best dressed" of the night. I was on a birdie roll and took home an awesome bamboo platter for winning most birdies! Always fun to win.
Another great night of Bunco with great ladies. Fun times!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Drama on the High Seas!
So he WAS gone, but now he's back :) Due to some complications I am not at liberty to post about, my husband was able to return on Sunday just in time for Independence Day! What a crazy, emotional week/weekend it was while we were trying to figure out what was going on! I am happy to report, however, that hubby will be able to be here through the remaining summer and will now only have to go on the Fall & Spring patrols. So what was supposed to be almost a year-long deployment will now be an 8-month deployment with about a month's break in between around Christmas. Yay!
I hope you all enjoyed your Independence Day weekends. Remember my post last year about how it's not the 4th of July? It's Independence Day for a reason and Independence is the reason for the season! Just like how you don't go around saying "the 25th of December." :)
I took the kids to AmericaFest on Kadena Air Base on Friday with some friends and their kiddos. I am so upset with myself that I forgot my camera - it was fantastic! This year they moved it to the flightline (which is enormous) and had plenty of space for everyone and everything, a great kiddie land area that the kids thoroughly enjoyed (even Olivia - she rode the Train 5 or 6 consecutive turns! She was thrilled!), listened to awesome entertainment, walked through the Air Force and Marine Corps' aircraft (and got to push all the buttons and drive the 'steering wheel'!), and ate some FANTASTIC grub. I have never in my life had jerk chicken so amazing. And my first corn-on-the-cob in nearly 2 years!
I hope you all enjoyed your Independence Day weekends. Remember my post last year about how it's not the 4th of July? It's Independence Day for a reason and Independence is the reason for the season! Just like how you don't go around saying "the 25th of December." :)
I took the kids to AmericaFest on Kadena Air Base on Friday with some friends and their kiddos. I am so upset with myself that I forgot my camera - it was fantastic! This year they moved it to the flightline (which is enormous) and had plenty of space for everyone and everything, a great kiddie land area that the kids thoroughly enjoyed (even Olivia - she rode the Train 5 or 6 consecutive turns! She was thrilled!), listened to awesome entertainment, walked through the Air Force and Marine Corps' aircraft (and got to push all the buttons and drive the 'steering wheel'!), and ate some FANTASTIC grub. I have never in my life had jerk chicken so amazing. And my first corn-on-the-cob in nearly 2 years!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Good and Gone
D-day (That would be Deployment Day) is now Good and Gone and so is my husband. Many of you may not know this but because of Operational Security we (spouses and family members) are not allowed to post details regarding deployments or exercises on the internet - i.e. when they are leaving, where they are going, etc. So I will kindly just direct your attention to Facebook where you can "like" the 31st MEU or HMM 265 and they will give you all the details themselves. I must admit it annoys me that we are not allowed to post details but the units can. I just don't get it. What is the difference? I have no idea. If someone could explain it to me, I would be appreciative. But, I digress. Back to D-Day.
We had a tropical storm over the weekend which worked in our favor and gave me a few more days to enjoy my husband. This was awesome because Olivia is teething and I think I might have gone insane were it not for the hubs being here. Sooooo nice!
I am actually relieved to begin the actual deployment cycle. All this "preparing" for him leaving left me a bit emotionally exhausted. Wills, powers of attorney, Family care plans, blah blah blah.... I am happy to just get on with it and look forward to him coming back. My first born is having some serious issues dealing with this deployment, though. I won't go into detail but it is enough to break this momma's heart. Never fear, I have an action plan and am working on the coping mechanisms for him, but there is not much I can do or say to help him at certain times. It is hard to know that you can't make it all better for them.
We are having a great summer so far and are really enjoying the island. Wyatt finishes up an "around the world" camp next week and then we start swimming lessons. And, my sister-in-law is visiting us at the end of July for 2 weeks! I am really excited. I know Tommy is sad that he won't be here to see her, but I personally am looking forward to showing her Okinawa and having a little bit of help with the kiddos this summer. It will be a welcome relief! Now, who wants to sign up for a visit in October/November to help me through the Fall season?!? :)
We had a tropical storm over the weekend which worked in our favor and gave me a few more days to enjoy my husband. This was awesome because Olivia is teething and I think I might have gone insane were it not for the hubs being here. Sooooo nice!
I am actually relieved to begin the actual deployment cycle. All this "preparing" for him leaving left me a bit emotionally exhausted. Wills, powers of attorney, Family care plans, blah blah blah.... I am happy to just get on with it and look forward to him coming back. My first born is having some serious issues dealing with this deployment, though. I won't go into detail but it is enough to break this momma's heart. Never fear, I have an action plan and am working on the coping mechanisms for him, but there is not much I can do or say to help him at certain times. It is hard to know that you can't make it all better for them.
We are having a great summer so far and are really enjoying the island. Wyatt finishes up an "around the world" camp next week and then we start swimming lessons. And, my sister-in-law is visiting us at the end of July for 2 weeks! I am really excited. I know Tommy is sad that he won't be here to see her, but I personally am looking forward to showing her Okinawa and having a little bit of help with the kiddos this summer. It will be a welcome relief! Now, who wants to sign up for a visit in October/November to help me through the Fall season?!? :)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
You Take the Good, You Take the Bad...
...And there you have, The Facts of Life.
The other day I was at the commissary (military speak for grocery store) with the kids, and Tommy got off early* so he met us there.
*Early = 5:00 p.m. He "only" worked 12 hours that day.
We were almost finished getting our groceries when a woman approached us and asked how old Olivia was (she has a 7-month old at home). I answered her, and then she proceeded to blurt out her entire story to us. She and her family had just arrived to the island a few days prior and she was having some serious culture shock. I think it had something to do with being like 8,000 miles away from the States. She was fighting back tears the entire time we were talking and I thought she was going to lose it at any minute. I felt so bad for her! Been there, done that.
I could tell she was older than us, but then she dropped the bomb. Her husband has been serving in the Marine Corps for 27 years. Twenty-seven years!!
To put that in perspective, Tommy just hit his 13-year mark in June. Meaning she has been doing this twice as long. And she still cries after every. single. move.
I kind of thought that the longer you did this, the easier it got. Guess I was wrong.
We tried to reassure her that it gets better, but the truth is, living this far away is both a blessing and a curse. The island is beautiful, there are so many adventures to be had, and what a great opportunity we have to travel and experience another culture! But the reality is, it is HARD. You have no family. You have few, if any, friends. You are half-way around the world with young children, have no support system, and your husband out-of-country half the time. When he is home, he works at least 12 hours a day. It is truly a double-edged sword!
I have been thinking about her for a couple of days now, hoping she is adjusting. It does get better, and it does get easier, one day at a time until your three years here are up. And then you put on your big girl panties and do it all over again.
The other day I was at the commissary (military speak for grocery store) with the kids, and Tommy got off early* so he met us there.
*Early = 5:00 p.m. He "only" worked 12 hours that day.
We were almost finished getting our groceries when a woman approached us and asked how old Olivia was (she has a 7-month old at home). I answered her, and then she proceeded to blurt out her entire story to us. She and her family had just arrived to the island a few days prior and she was having some serious culture shock. I think it had something to do with being like 8,000 miles away from the States. She was fighting back tears the entire time we were talking and I thought she was going to lose it at any minute. I felt so bad for her! Been there, done that.
I could tell she was older than us, but then she dropped the bomb. Her husband has been serving in the Marine Corps for 27 years. Twenty-seven years!!
To put that in perspective, Tommy just hit his 13-year mark in June. Meaning she has been doing this twice as long. And she still cries after every. single. move.
I kind of thought that the longer you did this, the easier it got. Guess I was wrong.
We tried to reassure her that it gets better, but the truth is, living this far away is both a blessing and a curse. The island is beautiful, there are so many adventures to be had, and what a great opportunity we have to travel and experience another culture! But the reality is, it is HARD. You have no family. You have few, if any, friends. You are half-way around the world with young children, have no support system, and your husband out-of-country half the time. When he is home, he works at least 12 hours a day. It is truly a double-edged sword!
I have been thinking about her for a couple of days now, hoping she is adjusting. It does get better, and it does get easier, one day at a time until your three years here are up. And then you put on your big girl panties and do it all over again.
Friday, July 2, 2010
One in One Hundred
Today was the last day of swimming lessons and Wyatt "graduated" from Pre-Level 1 and is officially ready for Pre-Level 2. That is, if I decide I want to brave the line again at registration! The jury is still out on that one.
Anyway, since it was the last day they sang a bunch of songs, had a pool party, and a pot luck. It was a lot of fun and Olivia even got in on the action by "swimming" with me in her new little infant floatie ring thing. Wyatt got to go down the big curvy slide and all was right with the world.
At the potluck portion, I asked the Camp A staff how their experience has been so far (you know me, ever the student affairs practitioner). As they were telling me about their experience, I could empathize with them on so many things because I had been there, done that. Turns out one of the girls has been dating a Marine she met last year while doing Camp Adventure, so I told her "our story" about how Tommy and I met & got married. She said, "I'm so excited to hear that! I always hear these stories from so many people about how it doesn't work out. You're the first one I've ever heard of that it worked out for!"
I've been thinking about that comment all day. This is a girl who has spent FOUR summers doing Camp Adventure. She probably knows or at least heard about a hundred others who have tried and been unsuccessful at dating the Marines they meet over the summer and making a relationship work from different continents. And here I am, little old me, happily married to mine...with two beautiful babies to show for it. What are the odds? I'd say one in one hundred, at best.
Life is crazy. Absolutely crazy!
Anyway, since it was the last day they sang a bunch of songs, had a pool party, and a pot luck. It was a lot of fun and Olivia even got in on the action by "swimming" with me in her new little infant floatie ring thing. Wyatt got to go down the big curvy slide and all was right with the world.
At the potluck portion, I asked the Camp A staff how their experience has been so far (you know me, ever the student affairs practitioner). As they were telling me about their experience, I could empathize with them on so many things because I had been there, done that. Turns out one of the girls has been dating a Marine she met last year while doing Camp Adventure, so I told her "our story" about how Tommy and I met & got married. She said, "I'm so excited to hear that! I always hear these stories from so many people about how it doesn't work out. You're the first one I've ever heard of that it worked out for!"
I've been thinking about that comment all day. This is a girl who has spent FOUR summers doing Camp Adventure. She probably knows or at least heard about a hundred others who have tried and been unsuccessful at dating the Marines they meet over the summer and making a relationship work from different continents. And here I am, little old me, happily married to mine...with two beautiful babies to show for it. What are the odds? I'd say one in one hundred, at best.
Life is crazy. Absolutely crazy!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Camp A is the Way
Wyatt started swimming lessons on Monday, and its going surprisingly well! I say surprising because it took some convincing to get him to get in the pool with someone other than mom or dad. And by convincing I mean telling him that if he did the whole lesson we would take him to play games that night. The second day we told him we would give him a bell for his bike. Convincing...bribing...same thing, right???
Well, it only took two days and now I can't get him to get out of the pool! He loves it. Three days ago he didn't even like to put his head underwater and today she had him holding his breath and going to the bottom of the pool to fetch a dive ring!
Here are some side notes in this crazy parenting adventure I'm on...
First, I am embarassed to admit that I am officially a "helicopter parent." And I didn't even realize it. Monday was the first day of lessons and, as I mentioned, Wyatt wasn't about to get in the water with some college girl no mattter how cute she was. So I stood there (with the other parents, I might add) and bribed him during the lesson. On Tuesday, however, I (along with the other helicopter parents) were actually asked to take a seat over in the shade and let the kids be. HELLO, Wake Up Call! I was mortified. I have now become the parent that I complained about for 3 years during orientation!!! Tommy won't stop teasing me about it... first swim lessons, then college advising sessions, he says! Yikes. I backed off immediately.
Second, apparently being the parent of a 3-year old means waiting in long lines to register your child for events. And I am tired of it already. So far, I've stood in line for hours on end at the Sesame Street Live show, Preschool signup, Swim Lesson Registration, and I am about to brave the Soccer Moms at soccer registration here soon. God help me! I have no patience for these things. Haven't they heard of online registration?
Third, I can't help but smiling every single day at swim lessons, because the college students that teach them are from Camp Adventure. For those of you who don't know, I did the Camp Adventure program some 12 years ago and was sent to London, England for the summer...where I met my eventual husband-to-be! It was an amazing summer and the experience of a lifetime. So everytime I see the Camp A girls here on base I just smile. I told one of them our story at swim lesson sign-up, and she said, "So you mean there's hope for us!?!? (to meet guys, I assume)" It was hysterical. I hope they know what a great Adventure they are on. Sooooo many memories!
Well, it only took two days and now I can't get him to get out of the pool! He loves it. Three days ago he didn't even like to put his head underwater and today she had him holding his breath and going to the bottom of the pool to fetch a dive ring!
First, I am embarassed to admit that I am officially a "helicopter parent." And I didn't even realize it. Monday was the first day of lessons and, as I mentioned, Wyatt wasn't about to get in the water with some college girl no mattter how cute she was. So I stood there (with the other parents, I might add) and bribed him during the lesson. On Tuesday, however, I (along with the other helicopter parents) were actually asked to take a seat over in the shade and let the kids be. HELLO, Wake Up Call! I was mortified. I have now become the parent that I complained about for 3 years during orientation!!! Tommy won't stop teasing me about it... first swim lessons, then college advising sessions, he says! Yikes. I backed off immediately.
Second, apparently being the parent of a 3-year old means waiting in long lines to register your child for events. And I am tired of it already. So far, I've stood in line for hours on end at the Sesame Street Live show, Preschool signup, Swim Lesson Registration, and I am about to brave the Soccer Moms at soccer registration here soon. God help me! I have no patience for these things. Haven't they heard of online registration?
Third, I can't help but smiling every single day at swim lessons, because the college students that teach them are from Camp Adventure. For those of you who don't know, I did the Camp Adventure program some 12 years ago and was sent to London, England for the summer...where I met my eventual husband-to-be! It was an amazing summer and the experience of a lifetime. So everytime I see the Camp A girls here on base I just smile. I told one of them our story at swim lesson sign-up, and she said, "So you mean there's hope for us!?!? (to meet guys, I assume)" It was hysterical. I hope they know what a great Adventure they are on. Sooooo many memories!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
1st Lieutenant!
Tommy's promotion to 1st Lierutenant was this morning. He was promoted along with five of his peers. Traditionally, the Marine getting promoted will select up to two people to "pin on" your new bars to your cammies, but Tommy chose to wear his flight suit so that Wyatt could remove his old patch and replace it with a new one. The patches are velcro, and much easier to replace for a two-year old than the bars with the heavy-duty (and sharp!) pins. It was so sweet to watch. Wyatt was so proud that daddy asked him to help! And I am super proud of my hubby :) Here is a little video of the "action" followed by some more pics! In the video, Wyatt was putting on his patch and then went back to say "Congratulations, Dad!"
Taking their "oath"
Monday, November 16, 2009
234th Marine Corps Ball
I will say this: MASS-2 knows how to throw a Birthday Ball! For those of you unfamiliar, the Marine Corps celebrates it's "birthday" every year by throwing a formal Ball. There is a social hour, formal ceremony with presentation of colors and the cutting of the birthday cake, which is traditionally presented first to the guest of honor, then to the oldest and youngest Marines present. Last night's youngest Marine was born on 20 November 1990 - he will be 19 years old next week and is already serving his country on foreign soil. Amazing!
Cutting the Cake
Taking a Taste...
If I did the math correctly, I believe this is my 10th birthday ball. It was definitely one of the better balls we have been to. The ceremony was great and the guest speaker was even better. My favorite line of the night was, "I know you are a Marine spouse when you automatically add 3 hours to the time your Marine tells you he will be home." He was brief, funny, and had a great message about the importance of Marines and examples of why they are the greatest fighting force in the world.
There was great food, great music, and everyone danced the entire time. While my 6-month pregnant self wasn't too excited about the bumping and grinding, I really enjoyed talking to the spouses and Marines and getting to know everyone better. His squadron is very social and very friendly and it was so fun to have an adult night out. And of course, it made me stop and appreciate my husband and the 234 years that the Marine Corps has been fighting for our freedom. Ooh-rah, Marines! Well done.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Our New Home...
I realize it is... a little different than our last few homes. But it may help if I explain that housing on Okinawa has been built to withstand the many typhoons that come through this tropical paradise. So, homes here are primarily built out of concrete, which doesn't exactly lend itself to curb appeal.
It needs a little "sprucing up." A little TLC, if you will. But overall I think it will fit the needs of our family while we are here. I have big plans for flowers and plants in the front to make it look pretty, as well as seasonal decorations.
This is the dining room... I am standing in the living room taking the picture. This space has come a long way since Thursday. We (read: Tommy) painted the living room over the weekend - the color is more of a dark beige and less of a poop color than what the picture looks like. Sorry, the lighting was a little off on the camera! We also hung matching curtains (one is pictured here... the ones in the living room aren't pictured) and my sister-in-law, Christy, brought us this beautiful wall hanging from India, as well as the place mats on the buffet.
On Saturday my wonderful friend Jen took me to this hole-in-the-wall (literally) shop where you can pick your own fresh flower stems and make your own bouquet. I only paid 500 Yen for this bouquet! That's a little over $5.00 in American money!
We are looking forward to getting our "big" shipment of household goods in a couple weeks so that we can add some more personal touches. I'll post more pics later... until then, feel free to post your comments on how I can spruce things up in here!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Driving... to He** and Back!
Here is the first of what I assume will be many "stories" about my adjustment (or lack thereof) to Japan. This is the tale of my first driving experience in Japan.
By now you all know that I passed my driving test and was given Professional Driving Status. That is to say, they consider ALL Americans to be Professional Drivers. What this actually means is that you are basically at fault for any and all accidents that would occur with a Japanese National. So what seems at first to be an honorable title is really... not so much so.
Anyway. I digress. So this morning Tommy went to go file the claim for the approximately $7,000 the Marine Corps owes us for our move. Wyatt and I stayed here and we were to meet him and our Sponsor here at 9:30 to go to the housing office to finalize our housing offer.
It stopped raining for about 90 seconds so I took Wyatt out to the playground. It has rained every day since we got here!! Our Sponsor calls me and tells me Tommy is hung up still doing paperwork but that he is going to take me to Kadena Air Force Base so I can do the housing stuff. Fine, no problem. So we load up in the car, but I am getting nervous because it is already 9:45 a.m. and the appointment is at 10 a.m. What happens next is the sort of thing that can only happen to me.
Subsequent timeline of events, with internal dialogue in italics.
9:45 a.m.Sponsor decides we should take the Expressway to Kadena.
9:47 a.m. Sponsor gets lost trying to find the Expressway and we hit a Dead End road. Stress level: Yellow.
9:51 a.m. Sponsor finds an alternate route to Expressway
9:56 a.m. Sponsor gets off the Expressway and pays 200 Yen toll. Really? Was that worth it?
9:59 a.m. Sponsor attempts to enter Kadena AF Base. I notice Sponsor does not have his Military ID but instead has only his Stateside Drivers License and Gold Card (Internal document with rank). I ask him about it and he tells me he forgot his Military ID at Camp Futenma in his camis.
Umm.... how in the Lord's name are we supposed to get on the Air Force Base without your ID?!?! I start to majorly freak out. The housing office is on the other side of the base and we are already going to be late! Don't worry, he tells me, piece of cake. What kind of cake are YOU eating? Stress Level: Orange.
10:02 a.m. Air Force man will not let us through the gate and tells Sponsor he must go get a visitor's pass to enter the base. Sponsor then tells Airman that I will be driving the car and shows him my Military ID and ONE DAY OLD Japense Drivers License.
I'm sorry... did you just tell this Airman that I AM DRIVING this vehicle?!?!? Panic seizes me but I try to remain calm. Airman tells Sponsor that he is not allowed on base at all without his military ID.
I'm sorry... did you just tell me that I have to drive ALONE with my TWO YEAR OLD SON across base and find the housing office????? Stress level: RED
10:07 a.m. Sponsor pulls over to the side of the road and hops out. Gives me directions that consist of "turn left at Air Squadron 234 and right at III MEF 4234 Wing" and tells me he'll wait there.
Excuse me???? I look at him like he has totally lost his mind. Which he has. I have never driven in Japan. Or in any country that drives on the lefthand side of the road. Ever. The steering wheel is even on the other side of the car! This isn't even our Sponsor's car, he has borrowed it from someone I have never even met before. Have I mentioned I am not a good driver, even in the States?!?!
For the love of all things holy. I have no choice. I am totally late and I hate being late, and we have to get housing done today.
10:09 a.m. I get in the drivers side and signal to turn out of the parking lot. Except the signal doesn't turn on, the windshield wipers do. On full blast. Wipe, wipe, wipe, going like 100 wipes an hour. Stop it! I am so confused, but it finally dawns on me that the windshield wipers are where the turn signal would be on an American car. I can't figure out how to turn them off, and I for sure can't figure out whether I am supposed to turn the signal up or down to signal a left turn! Stress level: BRIGHT RED
10:11 a.m. I finally get the wipers/signal business straight and I turn left out of the lot. Turning left is easy here, but turning right is like a Left turn in the States. Keep in mind that this base is HUGE. The road I am on is 5 lanes across (two in each direction and a turn lane) I start driving and relax a little bit, but then my cell phone goes off. It's against Japanese and U.S. laws to talk while driving, but I'm worried it's Sponsor and that I have already messed up so I signal to pull into this parking lot to look. Wipe, wipe, wipe. It's only Tommy so I ignore it. Very large mistake.
10:17 & 10:20 a.m. I realize I am very lost. I followed his directions to a T but there is no Housing Office. I pull over and call him. Twice. Eventually I ignore his directions and go the opposite way and I find the Housing Office. Every time I turn on the turn signal the wipers go off. Wipe, wipe, wipe.
10:27 a.m. I roll into the housing office parking lot and load up the backpack of paperwork, 2-year old, sippy cup, Goldfish crackers, and purse. I promptly drop my purse and everything spills out of it in the lot. Sweet.
10:31 a.m. I approach the (male) receptionist. I explain that our sponsor was late and apologize 14 times. Then he looks at the appointment sheet and tells me, It looks like Kumi called your husband and rescheduled the meeting for 2 p.m. today.
Life stopped. My heart stopped. Excuse me?
He repeats the same thing again. I remember the cell phone call I ignored. My eyes fill with tears.
He takes one look at me and says, "I'll try to see what I can do. It will be okay."
Fortunately, they got another counselor to meet with me and everything with the appointment turned out fine. I made my way out of Kadena AF Base - I still got lost again, but I eventually made it. And I only hit one curb, to which Wyatt said, "Oh, gosh. Driving all done, mommy?"
We can only hope so, son. We can only hope so.
By now you all know that I passed my driving test and was given Professional Driving Status. That is to say, they consider ALL Americans to be Professional Drivers. What this actually means is that you are basically at fault for any and all accidents that would occur with a Japanese National. So what seems at first to be an honorable title is really... not so much so.
Anyway. I digress. So this morning Tommy went to go file the claim for the approximately $7,000 the Marine Corps owes us for our move. Wyatt and I stayed here and we were to meet him and our Sponsor here at 9:30 to go to the housing office to finalize our housing offer.
It stopped raining for about 90 seconds so I took Wyatt out to the playground. It has rained every day since we got here!! Our Sponsor calls me and tells me Tommy is hung up still doing paperwork but that he is going to take me to Kadena Air Force Base so I can do the housing stuff. Fine, no problem. So we load up in the car, but I am getting nervous because it is already 9:45 a.m. and the appointment is at 10 a.m. What happens next is the sort of thing that can only happen to me.
Subsequent timeline of events, with internal dialogue in italics.
9:45 a.m.Sponsor decides we should take the Expressway to Kadena.
9:47 a.m. Sponsor gets lost trying to find the Expressway and we hit a Dead End road. Stress level: Yellow.
9:51 a.m. Sponsor finds an alternate route to Expressway
9:56 a.m. Sponsor gets off the Expressway and pays 200 Yen toll. Really? Was that worth it?
9:59 a.m. Sponsor attempts to enter Kadena AF Base. I notice Sponsor does not have his Military ID but instead has only his Stateside Drivers License and Gold Card (Internal document with rank). I ask him about it and he tells me he forgot his Military ID at Camp Futenma in his camis.
Umm.... how in the Lord's name are we supposed to get on the Air Force Base without your ID?!?! I start to majorly freak out. The housing office is on the other side of the base and we are already going to be late! Don't worry, he tells me, piece of cake. What kind of cake are YOU eating? Stress Level: Orange.
10:02 a.m. Air Force man will not let us through the gate and tells Sponsor he must go get a visitor's pass to enter the base. Sponsor then tells Airman that I will be driving the car and shows him my Military ID and ONE DAY OLD Japense Drivers License.
I'm sorry... did you just tell this Airman that I AM DRIVING this vehicle?!?!? Panic seizes me but I try to remain calm. Airman tells Sponsor that he is not allowed on base at all without his military ID.
I'm sorry... did you just tell me that I have to drive ALONE with my TWO YEAR OLD SON across base and find the housing office????? Stress level: RED
10:07 a.m. Sponsor pulls over to the side of the road and hops out. Gives me directions that consist of "turn left at Air Squadron 234 and right at III MEF 4234 Wing" and tells me he'll wait there.
Excuse me???? I look at him like he has totally lost his mind. Which he has. I have never driven in Japan. Or in any country that drives on the lefthand side of the road. Ever. The steering wheel is even on the other side of the car! This isn't even our Sponsor's car, he has borrowed it from someone I have never even met before. Have I mentioned I am not a good driver, even in the States?!?!
For the love of all things holy. I have no choice. I am totally late and I hate being late, and we have to get housing done today.
10:09 a.m. I get in the drivers side and signal to turn out of the parking lot. Except the signal doesn't turn on, the windshield wipers do. On full blast. Wipe, wipe, wipe, going like 100 wipes an hour. Stop it! I am so confused, but it finally dawns on me that the windshield wipers are where the turn signal would be on an American car. I can't figure out how to turn them off, and I for sure can't figure out whether I am supposed to turn the signal up or down to signal a left turn! Stress level: BRIGHT RED
10:11 a.m. I finally get the wipers/signal business straight and I turn left out of the lot. Turning left is easy here, but turning right is like a Left turn in the States. Keep in mind that this base is HUGE. The road I am on is 5 lanes across (two in each direction and a turn lane) I start driving and relax a little bit, but then my cell phone goes off. It's against Japanese and U.S. laws to talk while driving, but I'm worried it's Sponsor and that I have already messed up so I signal to pull into this parking lot to look. Wipe, wipe, wipe. It's only Tommy so I ignore it. Very large mistake.
10:17 & 10:20 a.m. I realize I am very lost. I followed his directions to a T but there is no Housing Office. I pull over and call him. Twice. Eventually I ignore his directions and go the opposite way and I find the Housing Office. Every time I turn on the turn signal the wipers go off. Wipe, wipe, wipe.
10:27 a.m. I roll into the housing office parking lot and load up the backpack of paperwork, 2-year old, sippy cup, Goldfish crackers, and purse. I promptly drop my purse and everything spills out of it in the lot. Sweet.
10:31 a.m. I approach the (male) receptionist. I explain that our sponsor was late and apologize 14 times. Then he looks at the appointment sheet and tells me, It looks like Kumi called your husband and rescheduled the meeting for 2 p.m. today.
Life stopped. My heart stopped. Excuse me?
He repeats the same thing again. I remember the cell phone call I ignored. My eyes fill with tears.
He takes one look at me and says, "I'll try to see what I can do. It will be okay."
Fortunately, they got another counselor to meet with me and everything with the appointment turned out fine. I made my way out of Kadena AF Base - I still got lost again, but I eventually made it. And I only hit one curb, to which Wyatt said, "Oh, gosh. Driving all done, mommy?"
We can only hope so, son. We can only hope so.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Time/Weather in Okinawa
Many of you have been asking me some basic questions about time change and weather so I figured I would post some of that info here.
Time Change - In general, if it is night in the States, it is daytime the next day here in Japan. We are about a 1/2 day ahead of the States. I posted some world clocks at the bottom of the blog if you are thinking of calling. From Central time, you add 14 hours and from Eastern time, you add 13 hours, although that will change a bit once Daylight Savings Time changes for you all because we don't observe that in Japan.
Weather - Japan follows the same weather pattern as Iowa or Virginia in terms of the seasons, although in general it is warmer and more humid on Okinawa. We are on the same latitude as Hawaii if that helps you out any. It is fall here but ranges from 75-88-ish degrees right now. It was hot and humid the day we landed but yesterday cooler and less humid. But my ankles are still ridiculously swollen!! I've heard "winter" is mild - obviously no snow - but 50s/60s the norm. I can handle that. Summer is very, very humid (think Iowa/Virginia on crack) from about May-September. Like, you don't leave your house humid. Glad the baby is due in February. :)
We woke up at 3:30 today so I guess changing our schedule around will be a little harder than I initially thought, but we're making progress. This morning we are going out to breakfast with our sponsor family from Tommy's unit and then going to get our Japanese cell phones activated. Some people from his unit that just moved back to the States left their phones for us so we just have to buy the monthly phone now. Not that I know anyone I would actually call in Japan yet, but Tommy is very excited about getting these and they are relatively inexpensive compared to the States, so whatever. It'll come in handy when I'm lost.
This coming week when the base opens on Tuesday we have to attend newcomer's orientation, housing orientation, get our medical stuff straight, take our driving test, buy our cars, etc. Tommy also has more stuff to do for work in terms of checking in. After seeing some of the housing yesterday I am just anxious to get our housing offer and get our stuff and get moved in. Wish us luck!
I will try to post some pictures of Okinawa soon!
Time Change - In general, if it is night in the States, it is daytime the next day here in Japan. We are about a 1/2 day ahead of the States. I posted some world clocks at the bottom of the blog if you are thinking of calling. From Central time, you add 14 hours and from Eastern time, you add 13 hours, although that will change a bit once Daylight Savings Time changes for you all because we don't observe that in Japan.
Weather - Japan follows the same weather pattern as Iowa or Virginia in terms of the seasons, although in general it is warmer and more humid on Okinawa. We are on the same latitude as Hawaii if that helps you out any. It is fall here but ranges from 75-88-ish degrees right now. It was hot and humid the day we landed but yesterday cooler and less humid. But my ankles are still ridiculously swollen!! I've heard "winter" is mild - obviously no snow - but 50s/60s the norm. I can handle that. Summer is very, very humid (think Iowa/Virginia on crack) from about May-September. Like, you don't leave your house humid. Glad the baby is due in February. :)
We woke up at 3:30 today so I guess changing our schedule around will be a little harder than I initially thought, but we're making progress. This morning we are going out to breakfast with our sponsor family from Tommy's unit and then going to get our Japanese cell phones activated. Some people from his unit that just moved back to the States left their phones for us so we just have to buy the monthly phone now. Not that I know anyone I would actually call in Japan yet, but Tommy is very excited about getting these and they are relatively inexpensive compared to the States, so whatever. It'll come in handy when I'm lost.
This coming week when the base opens on Tuesday we have to attend newcomer's orientation, housing orientation, get our medical stuff straight, take our driving test, buy our cars, etc. Tommy also has more stuff to do for work in terms of checking in. After seeing some of the housing yesterday I am just anxious to get our housing offer and get our stuff and get moved in. Wish us luck!
I will try to post some pictures of Okinawa soon!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Goodybe, Quantico
I am sitting on the floor of our very big, very empty house, thinking how weird this particular goodbye is. I'm sad to be leaving Quantico, but not for all the usual sentimental reasons. I've already said my goodbyes to family and friends. We've got a few more days left in the States before heading to Japan, but we're spending them down in Richmond with Tommy's family. He's there right now, and I'm staying here to check out of our house in the morning, and the sad part is, I really don't even care that I'm leaving.
It's not that I didn't like living here. I did. It's just that calling it living here would be a bit of a stretch.
I met some great people here, but most of my good friends here are people I knew from before. There are one or two new ones that I will keep in contact with, but for the most part, the people I know here are friends of convenience. Which doesn't mean I appreciate them any less. They played a big role in helping me survive 2009.
But 2009 has been a tough year. I'm really ready to see it go and to ring in 2010, to hopefully move on to more positive endeavors. Maybe it was the move and the transition from our nice "family" life in Iowa to the hell that is The Basic School. Maybe it was the three months following TBS when Tommy was training in to California and I had to fly solo. Maybe it was the stress of my father-in-law's battle with lukemia and subsequent passing that made it so tough. Probably it was all these things combined. But whatever it is or was, I never really felt like I lived here. I felt like I was watching someone else's life go by and just trying to survive the next series of events.
To be fair, maybe living in a place for only 358 days means your roots aren't quite as deep. Regardless, I will have to wait until another day to really live in Quantico.
It's not that I didn't like living here. I did. It's just that calling it living here would be a bit of a stretch.
I met some great people here, but most of my good friends here are people I knew from before. There are one or two new ones that I will keep in contact with, but for the most part, the people I know here are friends of convenience. Which doesn't mean I appreciate them any less. They played a big role in helping me survive 2009.
But 2009 has been a tough year. I'm really ready to see it go and to ring in 2010, to hopefully move on to more positive endeavors. Maybe it was the move and the transition from our nice "family" life in Iowa to the hell that is The Basic School. Maybe it was the three months following TBS when Tommy was training in to California and I had to fly solo. Maybe it was the stress of my father-in-law's battle with lukemia and subsequent passing that made it so tough. Probably it was all these things combined. But whatever it is or was, I never really felt like I lived here. I felt like I was watching someone else's life go by and just trying to survive the next series of events.
To be fair, maybe living in a place for only 358 days means your roots aren't quite as deep. Regardless, I will have to wait until another day to really live in Quantico.
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