That was... Fun

 We had a power outage. Not your regular “Oh no! The power is out in the neighborhood!” It was an “Oh no! The power is out in the entire Country!”

I have never experienced an outage that affected the entire nation and many other parts of Europe. It is eerie when one looks outside and there are no lights... anywhere. It lasted all night and into late the next evening. School was canceled for the day and most offices and stores were closed. Power off base was finally restored at approximately 10 pm.

The most horrible thing to happen, according to my children anyway, there was no TV or internet! Horror of horrors! Fortunately for them, no other school had electricity so all the neighborhood children were home and they all remembered there was an outside to play in that needed no power beyond their own.

For me, I made myself comfortable on a bench and did something I do not often do, read a book. Not my normal fare, but a “Historical Fiction” novel called “All the Light We Cannot See.” It is interesting so far. It is also easier to read than my usual fare.

The base recovered sooner since they have power generators of their own. It is a good thing they do else a carrier would have returned with little fanfare. There was also the convenience of hot food being available for us in limited amounts.

In all, the night and day proved to be a blessing in disguise. As a family we rediscovered how to be a family independent of electronics and other distractions. We discovered that we can, in fact, have fun playing board games,  and wrestling with each other (well, them and Jared. Their mother does not wrestle well).

I will be sure to not forget the lessons of a power outage.

Our Latest Days

For a change, I am the one keeping us from traveling very much. I have been doing a lot of substituting at the high school this past week. It has almost felt like I was employed full time. It has served to remind me how much I enjoy teaching and how much I miss it.

I am determined that upon discovering our next assignment, I will begin the process of applying at the school on base or off base should we return to CONUS. This is very likely since we have been overseas for what will be 12 of 18 years.

Speaking of our next assignment, whispers are beginning to float around of it. There is nothing concrete yet. Orly little teasers of possibilities, There is one I do not find objectionable; NAS Everett. It is close to my home in Oregon making visits to Mother Bing and my best friend Heather possible. There is plenty of recreation to be found. I suppose before I begin investing myself in an particular base I should wait for Jared's detailer to become available.

We are almost a year complete on this assignment so change is in the wind. How odd is this way of life that you get a single year that does not require planning for relocation to somewhere new? It is no surprise my civilian friends look to me as an alien when I describe our navy life. Strangely though, I enjoy it. Even despite those inconvenient moments that always arise.

The Navy life is not for everyone but it suits us very well. We are home.

The Shoe Has Dropped

 It was as I feared it would be with Jun and her departure from Japan. To her credit, it took longer than I expected. She has finally asked, “When are we going to go home?”

Before we left, I had posted that she has only known Japan as home. She was born there and I was not prepared for how attached she was to her birthplace. She has even described herself as Japanese. She will argue with the suggestion that she is actually American. Who would think an almost five year old child would be so sure of it?

I had to explore exactly what she meant by “home.” As I expected, home was Japan. She missed her friends, her room, and especially Sobo.

My answer did not go over well with her. Her belief that Japan was home and she wanted to return there was insistent. At this point I realized my answer should have been a little less back and white. Where was the parenting coach when I needed one?

It took considerable time to undo the trauma I had caused before we could speak more of it. It is not easy to speak “five year old.” It gets no easier when trying to re-explain after forgetting the first time that you were speaking to a child. Jared was required to do some damage control.

After much comforting and explaining, which would not have been required had I just spoke more carefully the first time, Jun seems to accept the notion that we may not return to live there but there is the possibility we could visit Japan. Though she was not satisfied with that answer, she is accepting it... mostly. Her parting word to end the discussion were shouted as to make her point clear. “I AM STILL JAPANESE!”

We will see how it goes as she ages.

It is Warming!

 I am pleased that winter is over and the warm temperatures are returning. I have neveer been fond of the cold weather. I am sure Alaska has its charm but the cold instills no desire in me to visit. I believe I would panic if somehow Jared received orders for there. Fortunately, there are no naval bases in Alaska so the chances are near impossible.

No, if I must be OCONUS, I prefer sunny Spain. I sit now with the courtyard door open enjoying 65° and a light breeze. Why am I up at 0100? The ship is to arrive in port at 0230. Why 0230? Because they can. Daylight seems to be an unsuitable time of day for docking. It is good there is no school tomorrow.

Fuente de la Plaza de Seville

 I am hoping Jared will be home for a short time at least. It would be good to do a short trip to Seville or Cordoba. If we can get a little more time, maybe even Tangier. I will not be picky. I just wish for a trip anywhere. I am not ticking the bucket list boxes very quickly.

All that remains for this morning is to retrieve my husband from the docks and finally fall into the bed... after putting three excited to see their daddy children to bed. Wish me luck.