Wyatt and I are leaving in a couple hours for Grandma & Grandpa's house where Jeff will join us post-work. We'll be meeting up with Jeff's sister and her family and we haven't all been together since 2003. But that was Christmas past, when things were fairly simple. Here's a snapshot of Christmas present:
6 adults
3 kids
4 dogs
1 serious drink machine
endless fun
We might be too busy to blog, is all I'm saying. So, in case that turns out to be true, Merry Christmas! I hope your holiday is truly blessed.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Who's Running This Show?
Because hey, why haven't there been any pictures? Here you go.
Millie making sure she doesn't get left behind.
Hanging out at the grandparents' house.
A little reading time with his new "I Spy" book - thanks Aunt Sue!
Ops checking Grandma R's newspaper holder.
My work here is done.
Quality time with Daddy.
Quality time with Millie.
Cheese!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Delights of the Redneck Riviera
I'm not sure what it says about us that we're feeling settled now that we're going to be somewhere for a few months. Perspective, I suppose, that's unique to military families. And as I'm feeling settled, I find myself thinking about our friends who are just starting to transition; especially those who are leaving Okinawa, completing a whirlwind trip through America and then heading for overseas adventure 2.0 in Scotland. I'm envious and not envious, all at the same time.
We got our stuff yesterday - you know, our favorite thousand pounds (which turned out to be more like 890 lbs., so I should've sent more stuff) that was packed up in about 40 minutes by five efficient Japanese men a little over a month ago. It was delivered by two kind and slow Americans, just as we expected. It was like Christmas for Wyatt; his little eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw his parking garage, his wagon of megablocks, all his books and his very favorite four-square ball. (I don't think I ever told you about the ball - Lisa gave it to him because he always loved playing with Nathan's, and he loved it so much that he took a nap with it the day he got it. He loves that ball!)
So he played with all his "new" toys while we finished unpacking and sorting and cleaning. I'm already looking forward with trepidation to all the unpacking, sorting and cleaning that awaits our next move, since we'll be getting our 890 lbs. from here, our remaining shipment from Okinawa and all of the other random stuff we left behind three years ago. I'm guessing that'll take more than a day. In the meantime, we're trying to figure out a routine here and get settled into our new normal.
And as much as I thought America would disappoint me in the funny-stuff-you-see-while-you're-out-and-about category, I'm delighted to say I've seen two things in the past week that made me wish I had a camera with me (so I'll start carrying that again). The first was a sign that said John's Outboard Motor "Repair". The quotes are his, not mine, and made me envision a big ol' toughguy making airquotes. Someone should tell him that putting quotes there don't really instill confidence in his work. The second thing I saw was at the BX today (and maybe it's totally common but I've been away for three years so cut me some slack) - a convertible with antlers! It was a tan, cloth top convertible and had an antler held up by each window, same system as is used by the sports flags. Anyway, I walked out and saw a reincar and it made me laugh. Just like old times in Okinawa.
We got our stuff yesterday - you know, our favorite thousand pounds (which turned out to be more like 890 lbs., so I should've sent more stuff) that was packed up in about 40 minutes by five efficient Japanese men a little over a month ago. It was delivered by two kind and slow Americans, just as we expected. It was like Christmas for Wyatt; his little eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw his parking garage, his wagon of megablocks, all his books and his very favorite four-square ball. (I don't think I ever told you about the ball - Lisa gave it to him because he always loved playing with Nathan's, and he loved it so much that he took a nap with it the day he got it. He loves that ball!)
So he played with all his "new" toys while we finished unpacking and sorting and cleaning. I'm already looking forward with trepidation to all the unpacking, sorting and cleaning that awaits our next move, since we'll be getting our 890 lbs. from here, our remaining shipment from Okinawa and all of the other random stuff we left behind three years ago. I'm guessing that'll take more than a day. In the meantime, we're trying to figure out a routine here and get settled into our new normal.
And as much as I thought America would disappoint me in the funny-stuff-you-see-while-you're-out-and-about category, I'm delighted to say I've seen two things in the past week that made me wish I had a camera with me (so I'll start carrying that again). The first was a sign that said John's Outboard Motor "Repair". The quotes are his, not mine, and made me envision a big ol' toughguy making airquotes. Someone should tell him that putting quotes there don't really instill confidence in his work. The second thing I saw was at the BX today (and maybe it's totally common but I've been away for three years so cut me some slack) - a convertible with antlers! It was a tan, cloth top convertible and had an antler held up by each window, same system as is used by the sports flags. Anyway, I walked out and saw a reincar and it made me laugh. Just like old times in Okinawa.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
It Takes a Village
...or at least a very patient realtor, two sets of parents, two siblings and a best-friend-who-happens-to-be-a-realtor to raise us into home ownership. Thanks to those combined efforts, we seem to have been successful. We had no idea it would be so challenging! This house or that one? Which neighborhood's best? We're awaiting the home inspections to make sure it's all a go, but it looks as though we'll have a house to move into come March. I love it when a plan comes together.
In other news, Wyatt seems glad to have us back, although perhaps not as overjoyed as I'd hoped. This just reaffirms my belief that the passage of time is irrelevant to him. Oh, and it proves that grandparents are pretty great.
I also realized - as we made that 15 hour drive each way - that we have some awesome friends. I could have just mapped the trip by who we could see in each city and as we passed through without saying hello (sorry, Leslie!), I thought of each person. And then when we got to Virginia and were able to hang out with our friends who we'd last seen in Japan, I realized that this military life is really starting to pay off. While I hate saying goodbye, it's that much better to get to say hello again.
In other news, Wyatt seems glad to have us back, although perhaps not as overjoyed as I'd hoped. This just reaffirms my belief that the passage of time is irrelevant to him. Oh, and it proves that grandparents are pretty great.
I also realized - as we made that 15 hour drive each way - that we have some awesome friends. I could have just mapped the trip by who we could see in each city and as we passed through without saying hello (sorry, Leslie!), I thought of each person. And then when we got to Virginia and were able to hang out with our friends who we'd last seen in Japan, I realized that this military life is really starting to pay off. While I hate saying goodbye, it's that much better to get to say hello again.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
This is Not HGTV
I've always enjoyed that show, "Househunters", where they get to go look at cool houses, all with different pros and cons and then pick one, buy it and you get to see the follow-up of how it looks four months later after the new owners have put their mark on it. I can now see that it's a load of crap.
We looked at seven houses today, all of which were on my "list" because they looked nice online and had good descriptions, etc. Ahh, well, pictures might be worth a thousand words but sometimes the words those pictures are replacing are the kind you wouldn't say in front of grandma. For the builders of the Virginia peninsula: why would you build a 1900 sq. ft. house with only one garage? Why would you put funky texture on every surface of the interior? Why would you think that a one-inch thick layer of plaster in a swirl pattern on the ceiling of a dining room would be a selling feature? To the homeowners of the Virginia peninsula: Why do you think I want to pay 40% more than you did for the same house that's now six years older when you did nothing to improve it? Why do you think you can ask so much for a house when you didn't even bother to dust the ceiling fans before you left? And why would you decide to paint all the walls white in hopes of selling the house quicker, yet fail to mask anything or keep the overspray off the floors, windows and cabinets?
Suffice it to say this homebuying business is a little less like television than I'd hoped. Life's just one big lesson in compromise, I think.
We looked at seven houses today, all of which were on my "list" because they looked nice online and had good descriptions, etc. Ahh, well, pictures might be worth a thousand words but sometimes the words those pictures are replacing are the kind you wouldn't say in front of grandma. For the builders of the Virginia peninsula: why would you build a 1900 sq. ft. house with only one garage? Why would you put funky texture on every surface of the interior? Why would you think that a one-inch thick layer of plaster in a swirl pattern on the ceiling of a dining room would be a selling feature? To the homeowners of the Virginia peninsula: Why do you think I want to pay 40% more than you did for the same house that's now six years older when you did nothing to improve it? Why do you think you can ask so much for a house when you didn't even bother to dust the ceiling fans before you left? And why would you decide to paint all the walls white in hopes of selling the house quicker, yet fail to mask anything or keep the overspray off the floors, windows and cabinets?
Suffice it to say this homebuying business is a little less like television than I'd hoped. Life's just one big lesson in compromise, I think.
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