Weird Family Conversation...Check

Don't you just love family scripture study and prayer? I do. If you don't do it...I recommend you start. If our house is anything typical...you are in for a treat!

We are reading the Book of Mormon this year. Who am I kidding...we've been reading it for two years and we're only just over half way through. That's because we don't even read a chapter a night. We have this awesome edition which is broken down into sections with points to ponder, definitions and discussion questions in the bottom margin. It's awesome...but looong.



(Troy admonishing me for distracting him with my photog)


Besides taking turns with the reading and prayer, we also have another nightly family tradition. It takes place right in between the discussion questions and the prayer...usually as we're trying to get everyone to kneel around the table, but not necessarily. It's called, "Weird Family Conversation." It's not something scheduled per se...but it just happens. Anything is fair game...animal body parts...strange diseases. You name it. Even if we purposely try not to, it comes up. And each and every time, we are astonished at how we arrived on such an obscure, random topic. It's never abruptly out of the blue...there is always an evolution. The problem is...the harder we try NOT to have it...usually the harder we are laughing by the time we should be praying...so it's really pointless to avoid. Embrace the weirdness.

I've thought about blogging several of these stories... but some of them wouldn't really be what we'd like to share with the world here. I usually forget about them by morning anyway. But I'm going to attempt to share tonight's gem.

Cliff gets through the reading...a long section about King Lamoni's conversion...and one of the discussion questions involves sharing an experience we've had with being prompted by the Holy Ghost. I share (briefly) the answer to prayer I received which led me to marry Cliff...then someone mockingly says something along the lines of, "Like that was accurate revelation." to which Cliff replies (while gesturing toward the four children with a sweep of the hand), "That's right...it led to you Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" followed by an argument over who was "famine" who was "pestilence", "war" etc. and why. (ie...Coree to Patrick, "You're plague...you're the one who came down with swine flu first and got the rest of us sick"....and Jake giving a convincing argument why he should be war instead of pestilence.)

OK...Check! We can have the prayer now...

Flashback Friday...Flying the Friendly Skies

circa 1993

If you couldn't tell by the head size...you could do the math and figure out that this is Troy.

Wasn't he a gorgeous baby?

He loved that airplane jumper...you couldn't tell whether it was a baby or a leprechaun bouncing around in that thing.

That's it for today. I'm going to pull myself away from these delicious baby cheeks and get something done.

*sigh*

Turning Japanese

It's been a week now since I came down with this terrible bug, and I'm still recovering. I have been out of the house three times now, but each time I come home SO exhausted and have to go to bed. This has now settled into my chest and so breathing can be painful at times. Every day gets better, though.

Yokosan (our new housekeeper) came today. I love her. She does things like organize my cabinets and use a toothbrush in the cracks of my dining chairs. She thoroughly vacuums all the edges AND scrubs the bathrooms. She is wonderful, but she only comes once every two weeks. I didn't want to miss her, so I bundled up my sick kids and took them out in Lopez so that we would not get in her way.

Our final destination, I knew not...but I knew it would involve a stop at Starbucks. I got a hot cocoa...the kids opted for the cold version (chocolate cream frappuccino...heaven in a blender). I toyed around with the idea of going in, kicking back and soaking up their free wi-fi...but then I remembered Jake sounded like he was about to cough up a lung and thought better of it. Instead we headed to "The Spot" on base, where there is also free wi-fi, but a more spacious floor plan where we could be inconspicuous in the corner, especially since it's almost empty in the middle of the morning...you know...since most people have jobs!

Luckily, it's also right down the hill from Cliff's office...so he joined us for an early lunch and quizzed Jake on his geography bee questions while eating Subway. Then he had to go back to work while we needed to find some lunch to bring to Yokosan. I suggested Apple Co-op, and the kids enthusiastically agreed.

Apple Co-op has sushi:



Apple Co-op has Japanese candy:



Apple Co-op has Mr. Delicious*:

(AKA Anpanman**)


Jake hadn't been inside yet, and while I hated to disappoint him, I knew he couldn't come in. You see, in Japan, people wear face masks. You can wear them either when you are sick (to avoid spreading germs) or to avoid getting sick...but it is expected that if you are sick...you wear a mask. They are everywhere.

Anyway, Jake sounds awful. It was a deal breaker. He understood, but was visibly disappointed as Coree and I left him in the van. As we walked through the front door, I thought, "I wonder if they have some of those masks here?" Sure enough...on the end cap, I looked down and saw these:


198Y and we were in business!



Jake didn't mind at ALL. If this was his ticket to sushi paradise, he'd pay the price of admission.

Once inside, I pointed out the candy section to Jake and told him I'd be over at the bento counter. I chose a prepared bento for Yokosan, as she was looking kind of sheepish at my sinusy voice and Jake's hacking cough. She even put a paper towel over her water glass. (Can't blame her, really.) Anyhow, I thought she'd prefer food fancily wrapped in red rubberbands as proof that I did not touch it. I also purchased more onigiri (those triangular, filled rice balls wrapped in crisp seaweed that I'm in love with).

Jake met me over in the bakery (where I was filling my tray with Mr. Deliciouses and thick, Japanese bread for toasting) bearing a small, attractive tray of sushi. He asked, "Can I get this?" I nodded...pointing out to where I had parked the cart. Coree appeared with a corn snack (like an individually-wrapped, giant cheeto without the cheese) and a tube of Anpanman candies. It wasn't until we reached the check out that I realized Jake got the sushi instead of the candy. I love that (strange) kid.


Quick...name 3 things Japanesey about Jake in this photo.

Give up?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?



(1) He has his SARS mask on.
(2) He's brought his own reusable, collapsible shopping bag.
(3) It's pink. (There's no feminine connotation implied to pink in Japan.)

(Sorry...there's no prize this time.)


*Patrick coined the term "Mr. Delicious."

**Anpanman is the single most popular Japanese character for children, and he's been around a long time. Wiki it. He's literally on everything. I found it interesting to note that those things we ate on New Year's Eve...those bean-paste-filled pastries, are Anpan. This somehow makes Anpanman a little less cool in my eyes now. Luckily, these Anpanmen are filled with chocolate. SEE...we really HAVE all evolved to chocolate!

Major Technical Difficulties

Normally there is so much going on at our house that by the time 5 days has elapsed, I'd have posted at least twice...or started said posts, anyway.

Things are not normal around here, though.

I am now on day 4 sick in bed. REALLY sick. And it came on super-suddenly Friday night.

I had spent the afternoon pruning plants, and hanging new patio party lights (thanks to my dad sending me a plug that screws into a light fixture so we could have outside electricity).





Cliff grilled yummy tilapia on the BBQ for dinner, which we ate with broccoli (which some of my kids like to pronounce like it rhymes with E-Coli), sliced avocados, (Which I was SO grateful to have caught right before they transitioned from ripe to compost...I SO hate it when I pay good money for a lovely avocado and then let it go to waste. It should be a crime, really.) and sweet potato fries...which we actually ate as a second course since Cliff forgot to press the "start" button after setting the temp, which our oven requires. (Isn't learning new appliances every few years fun?) I still do that sometimes. Once I did it when I was making chicken for the Stork's Nest*. I wanted to DIE! Luckily, I was able to grill it really quickly instead so they still had enough meat...and charity didn't faileth. (That reminds me of another "charity" meal-making fiasco story. I'll have to share that one with you sometime...and hopefully you'll have some to share, too.)

Anyway, I don't know whether it was just that I had finally sat down long enough to notice it...or if it all really came on that suddenly, but my whole body started to hurt. The next couple of days were a roller coaster of fever and chills...and not a lot of sleep. I made it to the Dr. yesterday and he confirmed it was flu turned sinus infection, which was what I thought. I get one every year or two...usually either set off by an extreme change in weather or allergies...but the flu can do it, too.

I thought I was done for the season in the illness dept, because I had been sick at the beginning of December, and then my older boys followed suit. I watched them get REALLY sick...Patrick missed a whole week of school and Troy wasted his first week of break due to this illness. I was grateful, thinking I had just had a lesser version (which, as mom, I am usually blessed with...if I get it at all). I was wrong.

We spent the week after Christmas "Clean-Sweeping" kids' rooms. Coree was first, then Jake, followed by the older boys. Why had it not occurred to me to wear gloves while touching anything in Troy and Patrick's room?! Seriously...we cleaned out ev.e.ry.thing...every drawer, every corner, so you know I was just asking for a dose of their boy cooties. Lucky for Cliff, he was vaccinated. By the time they opened up the vaccine to family members here...Patrick was already sick and we just never got around to it. As you can imagine...I'm now wishing I had made the time!

So, here I sit...spending WAY too much time blog-hopping and trying to remember people I used to know so I can look them up on Facebook. I wish I was going for a bike ride with Susan, instead. Or to Gen Sushi with Molly. Heck, I'd settle for pulling weeds at this point.

I'm just SO grateful that it's not our turn for Seminary carpool. AND I'm grateful that Brenda made us chicken tortilla soup last night. I've never met a chicken tortilla soup I didn't like...and hers is my new fave. Maybe it's the authentic Latina influence? Could be. She's awesome. Is her chicken tortilla soup worth getting sick over? I wouldn't go that far.

Here's hoping to be back in the saddle tomorrow!

*Stork's Nest: A private, non-profit org which houses military families of high risk pregnancies/births who are sent here from all over the Pacific for the NICU facilities available at Naval Hospital Camp Lester. On certain nights, different orgs take turns providing meals to all the families there. Our Chaplain Spouses Group is one of them.

Flashback Friday...Decade in Review

2010!?

Where have the years gone?! Join me here for a recap of the last 10...

2009-Our kids went back to public school, Cliff deployed to Kuwait, we sold our first home, Cliff was promoted to LCDR and we completed our first year on Okinawa. Troy started football, Patrick started JROTC and cross-country and both of them started wrestling.

2008-Cliff was selected as the Miltary Chaplain Association's "Navy Chaplain of the Year". He and I flew to So. Carolina for the ceremony. We found out we got orders to Okinawa. Troy started taking college classes. I traveled to Vincennes, Indiana for Site Directors' Conference. We put our beloved home on the market. Troy turned 16 and got his drivers license. Cliff left for Okinawa over Thanksgiving weekend...the rest of us followed right before Christmas.

2007-I started a part time job on the base as the Site Director for the college there. LOTS of stress, LOTS of responsibility, sometimes full time hours...not much pay. Learned a TON and felt great about helping Sailors get their associate degrees. We adopted Charlotte the cat. Continued to LOVE living in our new home. We also continued to LOVE shore duty as Cliff stayed close to home. Cliff started teaching at the college as adjunct faculty (psych and speech) and I resumed taking classes.

2006-Cliff reported to NAF El Centro as Base Chaplain and we started out our new lives as trailer trash. We learned we didn't need much to be happy. We slept in the trailer, did wash in the trailer park laundry room, held school in an unused classroom in the base chapel, either ate dinner in the trailer or the chaplain's office kitchen and watched TV in the meeting area outside Cliff's office. We loved our time in "Mayberry" where everything was within walking distance. Sold the trailer in July and moved into a furnished 2 bedroom apt. on the base for the last 2 months when we couldn't take the heat anymore. Cliff turned 40! We finally moved into our first home. Jake was baptized!

2005-Coree was Baptized! We had to move houses...just within our neighborhood as they were gutting all the houses and remodeling them. We were the last ones to move into a new house. We bought new furniture and fixed it up nice as we thought we would be there another 4 years. Cliff had orders to the Naval Hospital in San Diego. That summer we were "asked" to "prayerfully consider" orders to NAF El Centro instead. We took those orders and bought our first home there without even seeing more than a floorplan on paper. Jake started homeschooling in the fall. We moved out of our house right after Thanksgiving and spent the month of December traveling to visit family. We moved into our new RV home at the NAF El Centro trailer park (while we waited for our home to be built the following summer) on December 30th.

2004-Cliff deployed to Iraq again...in February again! He was there 7 months this time. Jake and Coree went back to public school for the last half of the school year. Coree decided she liked homeschool better, so she returned home for the fall semester. Jake stayed on for another year.

2003-Cliff changed duty stations...this time with the Marines. He checked in in February and within 3 weeks was in Kuwait ready for the deployment into Iraq to begin. That summer he returned and we traveled to my brother's wedding in Wyoming and visited several national parks on a wonderful family vacation. In the fall, we started homeschooling!

2002-Cliff returned from deployment, and I went on a Vegas getaway with Janette. Patrick was baptized! The 3 older children started attending a new charter school, SDCCS. I decided to take another break from school in order to be more involved with the cooperative charter school.

2001-Cliff did his first deployment as a Chaplain. We moved from Camp Pendleton down to San Diego once the kids finished school. Adopted Brownie the dog. The older boys started a new school, I started a new college, and Coree started the preschool there. Cliff was promoted to Lieutenant. September 11th. Cliff deployed with the Stennis Battle Group in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Jake graduated from Children's Hospital "Toddler School" and started a new preschool with the school district. His diagnosis is upgraded to PDD/NOS. We spent the holidays apart.

2000-I worked the census, turned 30, ran several 5Ks and a half marathon and took college classes. Troy was baptized! Cliff finished his Masters Degree, left 15 years in the Marine Corps on one day and was commissioned a LTJG in the Navy (by my grandfather) the next...and went to Navy Chaplain School. While Cliff was gone, Jake was diagnosed with Autism and began an intensive treatment program at Children's Hospital 5 days a week...and my beloved grandfather passed away suddenly. Cliff reported to his first duty station as a Chaplain...DESRON 21 in San Diego.


Cliff's graduation kids w/ Gma Mary and Gpa Mike
(circa 2000)

Wow, how much changes in 10 years!

Happy New Year!!

Last year on New Year's Eve, having just arrived on Okinawa a week earlier, I think we were still too shell shocked to get out and do anything. But our boys went to a church New Year's dance, and then stopped by the Futenma Shrine on their way home. From the pics, it looked like they had an awesome time.

This year, I wanted in on the action. We met with some friends just down the road at Ft. Buckner and walked up to the shrine, hoping to get to ring the gong.



This kind of a scene really floats my boat!



I love all the colors...and the abundance. Gorgeous!



Mmm...this is what I'm havin'.



There's that Anpanman again!



The boys played a fishing game (at 500Y a pop) and won these little plastic guns that shoot little plastic balls. Joy. I mean, what says "Happy New Year" like pretending to kill each other?



Coree chose corn. I told her to hold it up so I could get a picture (of the cops standing behind her so that they wouldn't know I was taking their picture).



We finally made it to the shrine and...SUCCESS! We are number 57. This means we get to ring the gong the 57th out of 108 times. 108 times to ring out the 108 sins of man. I wonder which sin #57 is? I'm just sayin'...if I have to ring a gong to cast out a sin, I'd like to know if it was a "good" one.



Patrick chillin' with some of his peeps.



OK, kids...remember...bow, gong, bow...hold onto the rope so it only rings once...or else the dragon will appear and eat us all.



"GONG!"



Bow...sort of.



The Mierzejewskis are back! It was a real treat to run into them here.



Then the clock struck 12. Happy New Year, Joneses!



Happy New Year, Stuarts!



After ringing the gong on the Buddhist side...we walked over to the Shinto side to get our fortunes for the new year.







First, we stood in a line to buy a little wooden plaque as a memento...



"Which trinket shall we choose?"

Since we can't read any of them...we just go with the picture.






Then we headed past the people waiting to throw a coin and pray for good fortune...



So that we could pay 100Y and read our fortunes.























I've heard conflicting stories on this one. I've been told:

(1) You have to tie your fortune to the rope or else the good fortunes will leave you and the bad ones will stick with you.

(2) If you don't like your fortune, you leave it there by tying it on the rope and it won't come to pass.



At any rate, they were vague enough that we felt pretty confident in leaving them tied to the rope.



We walked back to where we parked Lopez...



Which meant we had to walk past more tasty treats. We bought a box of these things. They look kind of like McGriddles from the outside. We'll see what's inside.







And who can resist a melon slushie?



Goodbye 2009!



We got home around 1 AM, but had to do our traditional Stuart New Year's Eve toasts. This year we had some Japanese treats to go along with our Sparkling Grape Juice. Remember these tasty treats? They have a lump of sweetish, red bean paste in the middle. I can appreciate different cultures and tastes...but haven't we ALL evolved to chocolate by now? I'm just sayin'.



And Jake HAD to have Mochi balls...rice pounded into rubbery, gelatinous, sort-of-sweet balls, sometimes with bean filling. I'm not a huge fan (MAJOR texture issues here) but some of the kids like them. Jake made them last year on New Year's Day at a combined Japanese/American Cub Scout activity...so he felt he needed to honor that memory.



"To our family!"



"To our first year on Okinawa!"



"To our friends!"

"To a healthy, happy and prosperous 2010!"

Happy New Year!