This was a huge weekend for us and two other families as we flew in a social worker from Colorado to do our adoption home study. The dust bunnies were hunted out and swiffered, the top of the refrigerator and stove were shined, and I febreezed Annabelle spit off the couch. I picked Charlotte up from her…
Culture Joys
“Do you speak Mandarin?” We returned their question with a deer in the headlights look. Barrett, Annabelle, and I were walking through a cave enjoying Annabelle experiencing her first stalactites and stalagmites when an Asian family stopped to wave at Annabelle. We spoke simple English to them when they asked that question. “No.” we finally replied. I never thought that…
Five Years!
Five years. I remember when I was in grade school thinking that the summer went on FOREVER. Each year was SOOOOOOOO long and a fifteen-minute lunch break was sufficient enough allowing my body to digest the Twinkie and kudos bar so I could go racing off to gym or French class. Five years. Those that know…
Writer’s Block
Man, I need to write. I haven’t written in awhile. What should I write about? Life in Okinawa? How it has been cloudy or rainy with the chance of typhoon for over two weeks? Or how this morning on my run with Annabelle, everyone who was walking a dog decided not to pick up their steaming piles forcing…
Tapping the Brakes
Changes. Changes of schedules. Changes of life stages. Changes of locations. Changes of friends. Odd, isn’t it? That major changes happen as an overlay to our normal daily lives. I’m still cooking, still running, still typing, yet changes are happening all around me. I’ve had some of my closest friends on island leave in the past month, the Commanding Officer of the MEU…