Jose in Guatemala

Here's a picture of Jose treating a man in Guatemala! It was taken on May 8th, and will be in the next issue of "All Hands", so I'll have to scrounge up a couple of copies. I miss him so much! He is my calmer and more sensible half. Anyway, he sent me this picture to prove that he is really doing humanitarian work across the globe, rather than holed up in a nightclub in Roppongi all this time. Hi honey, I love you!

Time for a Sandwich

This was in the BBC news. One of the ships based out of Yokosuka, the destroyer Stethem, which Nathan has been on and has the hat to prove it, stopped at Vladivostok recently which is an East Russian port. They celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 with a US Navy - Russian Navy sandwich making contest. the Russians won for best sandwich but the US had the most creative presentation. The prizes were Vodka, of course, hats and sweatshirts with ship stuff on them. Look at the cucumber sails the Russians made! Cute.

Mother's Day

Awww.....little Kotaro, Ko-chan is so cute I just want to take a little bite out of him!!! The kids had fun with his as well, and took turns holding him while he grinned. On Mother's Day, Saori and I were home alone with our kids whilst our husbands were off on different ships. We decided to go out for brunch with our kids, and met up at the CPO (Chief Petty Officer's Club) for their brunch. The food was ok, but the best part of the food was the coconut cake, which alone was worth going for. Ko-chan is such a content, jolly little fellow. They are calling me "Aunty Wendy," which I think is a great honor. I remember when he was just a twinkle in his parents' eye and Saori and I were working together at the thrift shop. Saori is a great friend. She is one of the families associated with the rusty old Kitty Hawk ship that is retiring this year, the ole dinosaur. She still does not know where her husband will go next or what will be come of her and the baby. She is Japanese and would love to be able to raise him here, and have him go to Japanese schools, but they might move to the States. They do have in-laws in the States after all. Or, he may end up somewhere without either of them for a year. Somewhere warm, and sort of tropical, with rum and cigars.

We ate to our hearts content and then I went home with our kids, then picked up another season of the show "Stargate" for Frankie who is a huge fan. I did not see him for the rest of the afternoon. Later that night Chris, one of our neighbors, made dinner for all of us Moms, including his wife who is an active duty person herself. He made grilled salmon, brats, and bulgur wheat salad and regular salad, and for dessert, his vanilla lattes that he always makes us. It was a wonderful day, except for missing Jose so much.

Connor's Birthday

Well, this was Connor's birthday on Saturday. Connor is the boy that Frankie tutors, who is moving back to the States with his parents including my friend Anne, who I am sad to see go. They had a great party for the kids, with tug of war, balloon swords, cupcake and cookie decorating stations and fun stuff to do. There was an awesome Korean barbeque with some of Anne's cooking and lots of potluck as well. Over time, the roomk was packed with friends not only celebrating his birthday but saying goodbye to the parents as well. The sound effects that would go with this are very loud and overstimulating, as only a first grader's birthday can be. :)

Yum Yum Worms and Dirt!

Here is the dish I made for the potluck at Connor's birthday: Worms and Dirt. The kids love this gross thing! It is just an oreo cookie crust, with an instant chocolate pudding pie, crushed oreos for the dirt, and of course our favorite sour gummies for the top. The boys actually liked it so much I made it for the neighbor kids as well, later that night. Wow, I can cook.

My Dog Hearts Treats

I have been trying to get Cricket to go potty outside in his new backyard. I don't know what his problem is, the wet soggy ground, moles, snakes, beetles and centipedes of Ikego Hills - its a cornucopia of puppy-sniffing fun! But he has never consistently gone outside. He came to us as a tiny new rescue pup, perfectly comfortable laying in his own potty but trained to use paper if convenient. Now he will use paper consistently but I'm trying to get him to go outside. Yesterday I baked these treats which seem to be a great reward for him!
He gets tiny heart shapes and the neighbor's dog got bigger bone shaped treats. It is an old recipe I used to make for the Second Chance Animal Rescue dogs. Here it is:

1/2 cup shredded cheddar, or can use two tiny jars of meat baby food
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup dry milk
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

Roll out the dough and cut into shapes. Bake for 25-35 minutes. Best to let them sit in the warm oven for several hours after, to make them dry and crispy. They don't have preservatives, so I keep some on the counter and freeze some. Frankie has eaten some thinking they were cookies and actually thought they were good!

Good Ol' Amercian Flag

Well, I've never hung a flag outside in my life, and I don't think my parents have either. But there is something about being overseas for a while to make a person feel more patriotic. I may not like everything about the US, but it is my home. With Jose being sent on the Boxer, we agreed that the boys and I would hang a flag outside, sort of in his honor.
Well, Jose mentioned that the flag is supposed to be taken inside in case of rain, and every night. Wha??? Way to much work for me, plus the neighbors here on this base have flags and they never bother with all of that. Lo and behold a neighbor mentioned in the sweetest way, that it is indeed poor flag "respect" to leave it out after sundown etc. So now I have a new chore, which is ok.
I love the Navy folk. They are conventional folk, and they like you to be that way too!