August 2006 Archive

Another Important Update: Monty is finally up and running with email.  Now he only has access to his work email.  If you would like to email him please use the usmc.mil address you may have.  I do know that he shares his computer with 2 other people so I don't know how long it will take for him to respond.

8/30: Who couldn't use a little coffee to get your day started?  As you can see little miss decided that she needed to try mommy's coffee.  This may not have been so bad if it was morning!  Not to worry though it didn't seem to have any ill effect.  I have added a few new pictures to Picture Mania.  I have been trying to get Riley's artwork updated, but I can't get the scanner to work correctly.  Looks like Monty will have a lot to do when he gets home.

Last Thursday Kimiko took me shopping downtown.  We had a great time.  We walked the streets and underground market.  Kimiko has fallen in love with Riley (who doesn't??) and she just had to buy her something while we shopped.  The dress in these pictures is one of the 2 Kimiko bought for Riley.  Think of them as sort of a child MuMu.  This is the white one and she also got a red one. I let her wear this one to the pool the other day, everyone thought she was cute and looked very Hawaiian.

8/25:  Girls Girls Girls!!!  Our new neighbors have 2 daughters.  This is a big deal for Miss Riley.  Today we were outside playing and they finally emerged from their house, Hannah and Sara.  It seemed like Christmas for Riley.  I was able to meet the father as well, he seemed nice, but he also seemed like a hardened Marine.  I guess they all start to seem that way eventually.  Riley tumbled in the grass and chased after her big ball with her new found friends.  Hannah is a bit older she seems around 8 or 9 but Sara seems about 4 or 5. I know that is older than Riley but not that far off and who doesn't love playing with a little girl when you have been the baby all your life.  I'm sure Riley will now be waiting patiently by their door everyday waiting for them to come outside.  I hope they stay pleasant and end up being great neighbors.  It's Friday so I am not sure if I will get to update this weekend or not, if I don't then I will be on it Monday morning.  Take care everyone!

8/22- New neighbors.  This brings a sense of both excitement and dread all at the same time.  Base housing can sometimes be a breeding ground for gossipy, stuck up wives or in some cases trashy gossipy stuck up wives!  There is nothing worse than a wife who has nothing better to do all day than sit in her front yard all day and talk about everyone in the neighborhood.  We have been fortunate so far and have had great neighbors.  As Monty moves up ranks in the Marine Corps we tend to have better neighborhoods since most of the time they are older and more mature.  A couple weeks ago I noticed a family checking out the house next to us, now today I arrived home to see government furniture being delivered.  Time will tell if we get good neighbors or bad.  The dream neighbor would be all the normal things you want in a neighbor plus a daughter would be great.  Riley really only gets to play with boys and I think she could use a gal pal sometimes.  Well, that is it for now.  Today is pool day for Riley so have to go pick her up soon.

8/21- I know many of you wander just what Riley and I do while Monty is away.  Well over the weekend I snapped a few pictures to give you a peek of the old saying "When the cats away the mice will play". I'm sure you will get a good laugh out of these:

As you can see playing outside in 98 degree weather playing with bubbles and wearing the floaties is a must while dad is gone.  Sitting on the kitchen counter eating Oreo cookies and chugging a bottle of water is a must do as well.  Finally Riley found a new place to hide.  I'm sure these activities would have happened even with daddy home, however I'm positive they would have been followed by an "it's too hot for floaties" a "don't sit on or put your feet on the counters" and lastly "don't break that shelf, it's the military's and we don't want to pay for it!"

Be sure to check out Picture Mania to see a few other pictures of Riley.

8/20- Not much going on today.  It has been thundering most of the morning.  I think I am going to do my best to stay inside and just hang out with Riley.  We are heading to McDonald's later for dinner.  I have been eating a lot of Subway this week and could go for some good greasy fries.

8/19- Monty has been trying to make quick phone calls when he can.  He still does not have any type email going yet so if you have emailed him don't expect a quick response.  He seems to be having a good time.  He has been on Shore Patrol (military thing) 1 or 2 times and has been out in town on liberty.  He did take a tour of the DMZ  (Demilitarized Zone) at the North/South Korean boarder.  He says it was great, but I am always a bit weary of taking a tour where you have to sign a waiver saying if you get shot it's not the State Departments fault.  I had planned on taking that tour with Riley on Monty's next conference but I am thinking twice about that now!

8/18- What an exciting day Riley and I had today.  All of you know by now that on Friday I attend Ikebana flower arranging classes.  I posted earlier that my teacher Kimiko wanted to meet Riley and have her try to arrange flowers.  I was really nervous.  Class is at 12 exactly when Riley eats lunch then takes a nap. I put off taking Riley as long as i could.  Long story short, I picked up Riley early from Ms. Tomy's and took her to class with me.  I knew it was be a good day when she beamed with excitement when I picked her up early.  The left picture is what Riley made and the right picture is mine.  Riley sat and did her flowers then worked on her puzzles.  Kimiko raved on how well behaved Riley was.  I guess my little showgirl knew it was time to turn on the charm!

8/17-  I finally heard from Monty.  He is doing Ok.  They are just now getting the phone lines up and running.  He tried to call but we kept getting cut off every time.  Finally he found a cell phone and called.  They should have email by Saturday so if you have emailed him and not heard back be patient.  This weekend I should have some pictures to post.  I have to figure out how to download them from my camera then publish them.  I'm sure everyone understands if you don't get pictures.  Well that is it for now.  I am off to bed to start another day.  Tomorrow, Friday I have another Ikebana class them Kimiko (my teacher), Riley and I are headed out to lunch.  I will be sure to tell you how that goes!  Until next time.....

8/16- Not much has been going on here in Okinawa.  I have been attending L.I.N.K.S  (Lifestyles Information, Network, Knowledge and Skills) training this week.  That is a program designed to help military spouses learn about the all aspects of the military.  Even though I have been a spouse now for almost 12 years this is a good chance for me to brush up on my knowledge and help me  with my Key Volunteer position. 

8/13- Another week has come and gone, it seems like just yesterday I was updating the site.  Monty is taking off to go out and "play" for a few weeks so I am officially in charge of the web page.  I will do my best to keep updates current and not too long.   This week has been busy.  Typhoon Saomai brushed by us leaving only 10 minutes of good rain.  Monty did get most of that day off so it was take a nap day all around.  Unfortunately for China typhoon Saomai caused great damage, including many deaths.  I guess we made out easy on that one. Tuesday and Thursday I attending Key Volunteer training.  For the non military folks it is a type of liaison program for the families and the command.  Basically a way to spread official information. My experiences have never been good with the system so instead of complaining about it I am joining to maybe make a change.  Thursday night I also attended my basic Japanese Language class  and no I still can't speak Japanese.  Friday was another Ikebana class.  I don't have pictures this week because on the way home my arrangement fell over and just refused to cooperate since.

We have conformation that Bobbi & Mike have a beautiful little girl!  Welcome baby Landyn, I have seen pictures and she is beautiful.  We are still waiting on word about Kristen and Roberts baby.

8/6-  It looks like another month as slipped away from us.  This week week will mark 5  months here in Okinawa, only 31 more months to go!  It's not really that bad, we could be in a lot worst places!  This past Friday I started month 3 of Ikebana classes.  Since August is a hard month to find nice flowers we are shifting form traditional Ikebana arranging to the more modern style of table top arrangements.  Kimiko (my teacher) is going to take me to downtown Naha in the next couple of weeks.  We are going to take the bus and do some sightseeing.  I am excited to get out of our local area.  I will update when this happens.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY AUNT GLADYS!!!!!

It seems as if the stork is working overtime this week.  Monty and I both had friends induced on Friday (8/4) and we are patiently waiting to hear the good news of their deliveries!  Congratulations Bobbi & Mike and Kristen & Robert!

 On Friday Riley took her second field trip with daycare.  They went to this jungle gym place called Mona Kids.  It is about 40 minutes south of us.  This is a picture of the outside of the building.  For those of you who have been to Chuck E Cheese the security system is similar.  Each child is given a sticker and the parents are given one too.  If your stickers don't match, you don't leave.  That made for a fun and SAFE afternoon. Check out Picture Mania to see more pictures from Riley's adventure.

On a side note, I have finally started Basic Japanese Language classes.  I have taken 1 and have 3 more to go.  Don't ask me to speak yet, we are still just learning sentence structure.  If all goes well we should be able to speak it and write on  a basic level.  Don't hold your breath!!! 

These are pictures of the HSV (High Speed Vessel) WestPac Express. This is the primary means of transporting Marines from Okinawa to different countries. It isn't what you expect the military to use and to tell you the truth I was quite surprised at its comfort features. I has nice seats with more room in between them than an airplane. They show movies and have a little kitchen area. On the back is a mechanical ramp to load people and equipment. The only downfall from what I hear is that if the seas are even a little uneasy it could be a rough ride. I have been told once you start getting around 4 foot swells the HSV becomes a giant boogie board. As most of you know I will be going to Korea for a field exercise this month but I won't be riding the HSV this time but I am sure I will get my chance.