The Yokosuka Gazette, 1/3/14

Welcome to 2014's first Yokosuka Gazette--your source of drivel, nonsense and whinery since 2005!  Hard to believe that I've been blogging for almost a decade now, even harder to believe that my weary band of readers keeps plowing along on this journey with me.  Thank you.

The kids have been home for about 2-1/2 months now.  OK, it only feels like 2-1/2 months, it's actually been something like 14 days, but I am so very ready for them to go back to school and get back into a normal routine.  There have been no meetings, no bunco games, no socializing, no schoolwork since mid-December.  Life will be picking up again next week with FRG meetings, vet appointments for Noko and a reception at the Admiral's pad.

On the 13th, we will celebrate five, FIVE!, months in Yokosuka.  If all goes according to plan, which it rarely does--I accept that, our 22(ish) month tour will already be down to a scant 18 months. 

All the Christmas trappings came down yesterday and were packed away.  I got rid of a few things that I just don't hang up anymore and added in a few new ones that I bought during this Christmas season.  This is the last year with our artificial tree...next year, we need to get a real one, or a bigger artificial one.  Our little tree was just not big enough for my ornament collection and after nearly a decade of being dragged around the world, it's pretty stressed out and losing a lot of its needles.

Happy New Year to everyone!  I'm sure you all watched my awesome video on Facebook...three times, right?  Can you hear me shout "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!" over all the noise?  We had some of the best seats in the house, on the bridge wing of CDW.  The kids weren't too ornery.  Annika had had a long afternoon nap and so was relatively perky, as perky as Annika gets.  Josiah slept on the couch from 9-11, so he was not too bad.  Will fell asleep roughly 1.5 minutes before we were set to leave, so...a little grouchy, but he cheered up when the Culinary Specialists on the ship brought up cookies and hot chocolate for us.  Cookies make any situation more tolerable, no?

I'm very glad that Hans and I decided to see the fireworks.  It was a truly memorable experience and one that we will repeat next year at this time.  And I will work harder to butter the CO up so that he lets his kids blow the horn at midnight!

The only other excitement this week was a little girl's excursion up to Yokohama.  For those of you who thought Annika was having a happy-go-lucky time, I offer you this picture:

Because, WHY would any 7-year-old be happy on a huge ferris wheel?  This one is mad because I wouldn't buy her anything at the Pokémon Center, even though I repeatedly told her that I was not going to buy her anything...

 

 

Don't get me wrong, she had a little fun.  Going to the Pokémon Center was fun, until my aforementioned mean-ness of not buying her every little bauble, trinket and set of plastic chopsticks emblazoned with Pikachu.  She's also mad because I kept suggesting that we go on the roller coaster, which wasn't that big of a deal, but she refused to go.  And by big deal, I mean, she went on one of the huge coasters at Busch Gardens earlier this year--a SERIOUS coaster.  This thing in Yokohama was pitiful by comparison, but she flipped out when I mentioned it.  Tears and all.  I guess Busch Gardens was a scarring experience.  That's OK, Hans and I have already started setting aside money for her therapist.  It's all good.

 

Look, see, she had a little fun:

 

At Krispy Kreme--hells yeah!  That was a great doughnut!

Before I told her that she absolutely was NOT getting that hat...

With Pikachu, therefore happy.

 

Sculpture between Landmark Center and Queen's Tower



The ferris wheel, from way, WAY down the street

 

 

I think that's about all there is to report from this week.  Sara is back in business today, so Will is going to go and play with her for a few hours while the kids and I go out to the Japanese grocery store.  It is strawberry season in Japan and the strawberries are amazing, albeit expensive.  I need to replenish my sake and Japanese food stock.  I'll try to get a few shots from inside the store for next week's gazette, which shall be filled with tales of vet visits, ALONE time and parties at the Admiral's pad...much more interesting stuff.  That's a promise.