Minnesota is Heaven, But Virginia is Home

We made cookies...they were pretty good, albeit choked in glitter and toppings! Pics are blurry--we got a new camera and for some reason, it was set to "sport" mode (for all of our super-active, sporty moments?!  Ha!), hence the out-of-focus pics.   Don't look so excited, people.  Sheesh!  Believe it or not, this was the best pic I got of the three of them in front of the tree. Still blurry, but his excitement is just too fun! Moments like these are just too few and far between in the trenches of parenthood...true, unabated, unabashed JOY!  I guess "almost 10" is the age at which we are now too cool to be excited over Christmas presents?      Apparently, age seven is still young enough to show extreme excitement over Christmas gifts.       Thank you to everyone who helped to make our Christmas merry and bright!  We appreciate the time and effort it takes to mak...

This rare edition of the Gazette is coming out mid-week, but that's OK, right?  I happen to have a few minutes right now, so I'm going to sit down and write. Hmm. Well, I'm sure you've all seen the pictures from Change of Command and know that everything went pretty much as planned.  Old CO was kind of a hot ball of mess...if he had been wearing mascara, it definitely would have been streaking.  I'm not sure if he was geniuinely sad or just really, really glad to have it all over and done with.  Maybe a little bit of both.  Hans got up and gave his speech like a real pro.  I mean it, he was inspirational.  I cried both times they played the Navy Hymn, but that makes me cry every single time I hear it.  Every time.  I'm getting sniffly just thinking about it.  Sheesh. I cried when Hans and Joe read their orders and the official change took place.  It's kind of that "You may kiss the bride" moment.  Only they didn't kiss....

Happy Change of Command Eve.  It's a holiday!  We are celebrating it in various stages of sickness.  William = snotty and congested all week.  Annika = started barfing last night and has been lethargic all day (not necessarily a bad thing).  Josiah = appears to still be OK.  Rachel = sinusy, runny nose and end-of-day sore throat.  Steve and Donna and Hans all appear to be OK at this time.  Seriously though, pray for us.  It would be the worst if Hans suddenly got the puking flu in the middle of the night.  OK, so this week was actually pretty quiet.  As you may or may not know courtesy of Facebook, I cut off all my hair on Monday.  Not all of it, there's still enough to mess around with, but I'm already dreaming of cutting it even shorter.  Why in the heck didn't I do this sooner?  I have this dreadfully fine, thin hair that grows about to my shoulders and then just quits on me.  Every time I grow it out, I ...

Happy Thanksgiving, a day late, two from Japan.  We had our Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and it was quite brilliant.  There was absolutely no complaining from the kids--who could complain about lunch that included jellybeans and sundaes?  It wasn't exactly the most well balanced of meals, but it was dang easy to cook, serve and clean up after.  I miss having leftover turkey for sandwiches, but in a way, it's nice not to have a bunch of leftovers that I keep picking at...better for the waistline. I hope all of you had lovely, lovely Thanksgivings. Big sigh.  What have we been up to?  I have to consult my calendar, because by the end of the week, I can't remember what we were doing six days ago.  Sheesh. Monday:  pedicures with Marlane.  Lovely and I also had a paraffin wax dip for my hands.  Ladies, if you haven't tried this, please make haste to a salon or spa and ask for this service.  You dip your hands into a big crockpot ful...

This is MY Friday, mine, mine, MINE.  I have nothing scheduled for today.  No meetings.  No volunteer time.  No get-togethers, nothing.  OK, there IS flag football this evening, but the day is mine.  And I am guarding it like the damn crown jewels.  People have been trying to lure me out for meetings and drinks. I guess this is my own fault for saying "yes" to so many things...and it's partly my husband's fault for being so super-cool so that everyone finally notices us as the glamorous Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt type couple that we are.  I feel like I've had at least three weeks of solid crazy.  Department store shopping with the Japanese ladies.  Meetings for the new sponsor organization that has finally flapped it's little wings and taken off.  Volunteering to sit at said organization's table at the Navy Lodge and greet jetlagged, confused couples coming off the shuttle from Narita or wandering down into the lobby, bleary. ...

 Super tired after a day of shopping in Yokohama and my first FRG board meeting...1,285 pictures of our trip to Fuji will have to do.  Ladies and gentlemen:  Fuji. Where else would we have lunch?   The shrine...so tired, can't look it up...there's a sign further down. Astonishingly well-behaved children at the shrine.  Impossible to shoot a bad picture here, truly... Stone lanterns lining the path.   This tree is over 1,000 years old.  I'm pretty sure Josiah, Annika and William could care less.  It took all my powers of persuasion to get them to sit together on a tree that some samurai probably rested on. One of my new favorite Japan pictures.  Got it framed in perfect symmetry. All the red leaves from the Japanese maples. This is a stage or pavilion in the center of the courtyard. You MUST double-click this one. Do it.  Do it n...