Family Update-Return back to the States??

It is Saturday afternoon and Zack has duty today.  Caraline has been sleeping for the last two hours and Noah is playing independently with his wooden blocks.  This is affording me the ability to update all of you on the happenings of our life. 

Zack went back to work this week from his holiday leave.  He took ten days instead of the standard fourteen.  We decided to only take the ten to save up some leave for our spring trip to Australia.  He seems to enjoy working security...or at least he isn't hating it!  He may be back in his regular shop sooner than we anticipated...just depends on the ship.  We shall see.  We have mixed emotions about him going back to a regular work schedule.  This schedule isn't much fun when he works the three day period and the kids don't see him for those three days...but it is nice when he's off for a few days in a row.  This schedule allows him to be home during the day and actually spend more time with us.  And gives us the freedom to go on more day trips because he works less days...as well as gives me the opportunity to have some mommy time.  And I was thinking about taking some Japanese culture classes/art classes...so I'm praying that we stay in security for a bit longer!

Noah has been enjoying his Christmas presents.  His major gift this year was a Melissa and Doug easel set with various accessories...various family members bought him accessories to go with it.  He enjoys painting, coloring, and using the chalk.  He loves to sit at the kitchen table and do little art projects.  I got a toddler art idea book for Christmas and it's amazing.  Yesterday he used scissors to cut and tear paper...and then used a glue stick to stick the pieces on a background sheet of construction paper.  This entertained him for an hour!  As I mentioned before that we put away some of his other toys...and its taken him this past week to forget about some of the toys and play with the wooden blocks, trucks..etc.  We'd much rather him play with items that he has to use to entertain himself...not visa versa.  His face is healing well from his multiple falls on vacation.  He has been loving more on Caraline instead of trying to beat her...so that's great!

Caraline is growing and is just about the same size Noah was at her age.  And they look eerily similar!  She is also similar in the fact that her internal clock is well functioning...and likes to have her bedtime routine.  She really enjoys baths and sitting in the warm water.  She can hold her head up pretty well and likes to play on the floor batting at toys on her activity gym.  And she loves her mommy!

Now for me...I am doing well and loving our life here in Japan.  Zack and I have thrown around ideas of where we would like to go next in our family adventure.  To the outside the reality of moving every three years can seem tiring and ridiculous...but to us this allows us to have new and exciting adventures!  And in three years I am sure that we'll have accomplish quite a few things in this area of Japan.  We'll probably be ready to move on to another area.  After coming to Japan and learning about a new culture, seeing amazing sights, being able to travel to other countries, getting on a train to see amazing things...etc...I just don't know if I could be happy returning back to the States.  I would get that itch to get up and go.  It's been a week since we took a train to Tokyo and I'm already itching to get on a train and go!  We could travel in the U.S. but we can do so so much just in a few hours here.  Plus I just love the environment and the sense of family that is created here when we all must band together to be each others family.  That doesn't happen in the States.  While in Virginia, I got tired of Zack leaving and going out to experience the world...here I too get to see the world.  And I don't think I'm willing to give that up anytime in the near future.  Australia, China, Bali, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia...all on my list to see...plus many more.  Even with a bit of the baby blues...I'm happier here than I've ever been!  Living abroad has been amazingly wonderful for our family!

 

Embassy and Christmas

We got home from our winter trip on the 20th.  Then on the 22nd we headed to the Embassy.  Noah stayed with a friend and we took Caraline with us.  I had made an appointment in the afternoon for us to complete all of her paperwork.  We got on the train in Yokosuka and went again to the Shinagawa station.  We were supposed to get on a local line and then tranfer again to the subway.  But we got on the platform and the train never came.  The sign above was all in red Kanji...and red Kanji is BAD!  Trains in Japan are always on time and always go where they say they are going.  However we had an issue coming home from the trip when the train suddently changed lines on us...and it was a no English train.  We took a tiny detour and it wasn't much of an issue.  We stood on the platform for a few mintues and then looked around to find some help.  I found an African American man waiting on the other side of the platform (that tell that detail because I knew that there was a high chance that he spoke English).  He said that he was waiting for the express to the Narita airport and the train was going to be over an hour late.  There was some issue with the trains in Tokyo.  He was able to tell us the cab fare to get to the embassy...very suspicious indeed!  We got to the embassy and was processed in with everyone else.  I am not going to post information about the embassy for safety reasons...OPSEC!  We were able to fill all of her paperwork and head back home to pick up Noah.  The next few days we prepared for our Christmas feast.  Zack did most of the cooking and I took care of the kids and house.  Our talents were better used in that way! :)  Christmas day we had our shipmate friends over and had a great time.  Noah enjoyed all of his presents and we were able to put away some of his other toys to bring out later when they will be "new" again to him.  That evening/night and the next day we Skyped on and off with both of our families...popping in at various houses across southern Indiana!  Very fun to see everyone and let everyone see us too! 

Winter Trip 2011: Hiroshima

The afternoon of the 19th we got back on the Shinkonsen and took another two hour ride to Hiroshima. The train ride went well and Noah again fell asleep before we even got out of the train station. We walked to the hotel and dropped off our bags. On to a taxi to take us to the A Bomb Memorial. Seeing the bombed out building and pictures of the devastation from that day is probably one of the most memorable moments of my life. Standing in front of it imagining seeing it first hand...with a grimace and a churning stomach. The building has been preserved from that day in history. We walked around the park to see many of the memorials that evening before it dark. It was sickening to feel the empathy towards the victims. That night I had a horrible nightmare that the U.S. government dropped a nuclear bomb in an Indian Reservation located in Ferdinand. I still remember the dream and the feeling of utter devastation I felt. I remember the feeling of crying uncontrollably. I woke up with tears in my eyes. The next day we got up and went back to the park to see the museum. They had many artifacts from that day along with pictures and models to piece together what had happened that day. I know the U.S. says that lives were saved by the dropping of those bombs in Japan...but stand in an exhibit next to a pile of fingernails and skin...to a pile of hair...all that was left of those two people. Identified only by the ring in the pile or the hair bow laying in the hair. And then that feeling of "my country's rightness" quickly goes away. Stand next to the river where in that exact spot thousands of people perished upon each other as they went to quench their intolerable thirst from being burnt from the inside out. It was sickening. My stomach is churning as I write this. Of those that survived their DNA was altered and they became sick as the years passed. The nuclear rain poured down all across Japan causing thousands and thousands of more people to feel the long lasting toll of radiation poisoning...even children that were in their mother's womb. The mayors of Hiroshima since then have wrote a letter to each world leader following nuclear testing...they have written over 500 letters. The city has and continues to push for the ban of nuclear weapons...90% of these weapons belong to the U.S. and Russia. In the museum, Japan also told of the war tragedies that they did to the countries they occupied in the Pacific. They were in no way pointing the finger at the U.S. That one page in the U.S. History book Junior year was suddenly very alive. Zack says that him along with a few friends were probably laughing in the back of the classroom saying that "they deserved it". Is that what we were taught? Japan did so many horrible things during the war that they deserved to have nuclear bombs dropped upon them? It was the right choice. I'm not sitting here debating whether it was the right choice or not...but saying that it was sickening. We left the park and went to visit the Hiroshima Castle...well a replica since the original was destroyed by the bomb. Zack enjoyed it but my head and heavy heart were still at the park. This short visit to Hiroshima expanded my world ten fold...had a huge impact on me. So much that I would tell you to visit Japan just to go to Hiroshima.

We left that late afternoon for a four hour ride on the Shinkonsen to the Shinagawa station. Two young Japanese girls sat across from us and entertained Caraline for 30min...and then took Noah for 30min...we were sad when they got off the train! LOL And then it took us about 90 minutes to make it back to the base. Noah and Caraline took turns crying on the train ride back to the base during that 90 minutes. It was nine that night and each one wanted their bed. Noah started crying when Caraline started crying...because she gets attention when she cries! The poor Japanese that were on the train with us! But we shall not be deterred...if the kids scream the whole way on the train then so be it...because we are here in Japan and I refuse to live out the time we have stuck in the U.S. (in Japan!)! We had a blast and even with the screaming train rides it was well worth it!

Winter Trip 2011: Kyoto

On December 17th we left our little U.S. home in Japan and headed to the train station for an hour ride to the Shinagawa station to catch the Shinkonsen(Japanese Bullet Train)...for a two hour ride to Kyoto.  The last half hour of the ride to Kyoto got pretty interesting, where Noah was laying in the aisle of the train just screaming.  He was tired and it was way beyond nap time.  Zack was taking care of Caraline and I was supposed to have a handle on Noah.  Zack shot me a look saying..."Aren't you going to do something?"  And I responded by throwing my hands up in the air...exactly what did he want me to do with a tired screaming toddler that turned to a noodle every time I tried to pick him up?  Thankfully the Japanese people are fairly understanding and looked upon us with smiles...probably thinking that this was exhibit A for why they don't bring out their young children!  But we made it there and Noah fell asleep before we even made it to the subway below the train station.  We got to our hotel and checked in.  And we were able to knock out a few sights before it got dark...the Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace grounds.  That next day we visited many Shrines and Temples in Eastern Kyoto.  The city is known as the historical/old culture capital of Japan.  I've posted some of the pictures we took on facebook...but the pictures don't do it all justice.  You can't see the grandness of it...or the feeling of awe that comes across you.  It was absolutely amazing...amazing!  That evening we ate at an Irish Pub...you see that pretty much wherever you go in the world there is always an Irish Pub and a Texas Bar!  This bar was actually owned and operated by a young man from Ireland...just loved his accent!  Noah had a melt down or two in the booth...he was tired and hungry.  We all had a long day.  A waitress brought him over a dancing/singing snowman and Santa...and then we were able to eat our meal in peace!  The Japanese are so great about young children and lending a hand if they can.  The next day we had lined up a private taxi tour to take us to a few sights in Western Kyoto before heading to the train station to travel to Hiroshima.  The city has so much to offer that you could stay there for a month and have a full day planned each and every day.  The tour guide was able to explain a lot to us and we asked him many questions.  It made us realize that we had seen a lot the day before but hadn't really understood.  A lot of items were posted in Kanji and then English below it...but we would come across a sign in Kanji with a lot of people gathered around it.  It must have been pretty interesting stuff...but too bad we had no idea what it said!  We learned more in the three hours with him than we had the entire day before!  My top enjoyments of that leg of the trip was seeing a 600 year old living pine tree trained into the shape of a ship and the Golden Temple(actual gold leafed). 

Weekend Trip: Yokohama

On Sunday we went to Yokohama and got to the city in the late morning.  Saturday night I repacked the backpack and planned out the trip.  I used a few websites to find activities in the area and programmed in their location in the iPhone.  Yokohoma is the biggest train station that we've come across so far in our travels but we quite swiftly navigated our way to the lowest level...getting on the subway.  This was my first time riding a subway-not nearly as exciting as I'd imagined!  It really is just a train running underground.  We rode the line a few stops and got off and navigated our way up to street level.  We then headed to our first stop the Mitsubishi Minato Mirai Industrial Museum.  It housed motors and the inner workings of everything from trains and airplanes to rockets.  We had no idea that Mitsubishi manufactured all of those machines!  The museum for the most part was over Noah's head but he enjoyed driving the train and running from one interactive area to the next.  We then diapered the kids and got them squared away to go outside again.  It was then onto BorneLund Kid O Kid.  This was a kid zone that I had found out about from a friend that was a block down.  I had found it on a map on the Internet and then found the building on the iPhone...dropping a pin down with it's location.  We walked to the building and it didn't look like there was a kid zone inside...and the sign didn't list the name either.  We walked around the area just in case I had dropped the pin on the wrong building.  I finally took out the iPhone and googled the name and found the address.  And it was nice because the address was the name of the building it where it was located...followed by 3F meaning third floor...and then the suite number!  Oh how we love the iPhone!  It really is a necessity when in another country!  While we were trying to find it Noah had fallen asleep in the stroller...we found our way up to the third floor and woke up Noah.  His eyes got huge and he said...I play!  So in we went where a Japanese lady tried to explain the process to us.  In Japan it's never as easy as pay and then play.  There are rules and regulations that must be followed.  She began talking in Japanese...as they always do.  Zack signed the standard X(crossing of forearms)...meaning I don't speak Japanese.  The cashiers switched places and the process was explained to us in broken English.  We paid for 30 min. of play for Noah and then a small entrance fee for me and Zack.  We were handed a ticket to hold onto and Zack and I were handed lanterns to wear around our necks.  Off came the shoes but the socks must stay on.  Then it was play time!  Noah especially enjoyed the ball area and the inflatable jumping areas.  Okay...well we all enjoyed those areas!  And it was hard play...we all were sweating about ten minutes into playing!  The camera I was using ran out of battery and I wanted to exchange it for the second camera we brought along.  I explained/motioned to the man that I wanted to leave the area and return with a different camera.  He shook his head yes...I could do that.  Then waved his hand down to slippers...meaning that I had to put the slippers on before exiting.  Then onto the antibacterial spray...where I had to clean my hands before leaving.  And see I must be completely barbaric because I would have just ran out of the area to the stroller in my socks.  The Japanese are very germ aware...hence the spraying of the hands.  This is also why they wear the masks over their faces.  They don't want to spread their germs to others or catch something from someone else.  Workers in public areas such as the train, subway...etc. wear them too because they come in contact with a lot of people each day.  We finished paying and then handed over the ticket.  It was scanned and we had played over 30 min. so we had to pay a small fee for that time.  We left and did lunch and then walked to the Landmark Tower.  We had seen a short commerical about it on TV and wanted to check it out.  The building includes a huge mall and a lot of restaurants.  The Tower is 69 stories tall and roughly 900 feet tall.  It is the highest building in Japan.  We paid a fee to take the quickest elevator in the world up to the top.  We then enjoyed amazing views...and found the base as well off in the distance.  I would like to go back to the area and see the art museum as well as go up to the top of the tower after dark.  Zack and I just might have to make a date to do that.  It had been a long day by then and we debated on going home or visiting Chinatown.  We opted to make a quick go of Chinatown...there are mostly restaurants and tourist shops anyway.  Chinatown was located a few subways stops down.  We saw what we wanted and got some food to go...then back to the subway.  Noah fell asleep on the way back to the station where we rode the subway back to the Yokohama station and then we would transfer to a train.  By this time Caraline needed to be fed.  Well there was no where in the station to feed her...no nursing rooms or even a chair to sit down!  I just wanted to sit on the floor and be done!  Zack told me that I wasn't a bum and he refused...he found a way into an underground shopping mall that was located inside of the station...still no chair.  So he took us outside to the taxi portal where there was a little bench...and I nursed here there in front of about 40 taxi cabs!  Somehow to him that situation was so much better...than me sitting on the floor in a quiet hallway!  But whatever.  Noah slept almost the entire way home which worked out well because we had to stand for the 30min. ride back to Yokosuka.  The train cars have different seating arrangements and with the stroller they often just don't allow us to get a seat and still stand next to the stroller.  Often though all the seats are taken and it is standing room only.  We were all tired from our full day in Yokohama...and it was early to bed for Noah. 

That evening we decided to take a trip at the beginning of Zack's holiday leave.  He goes on leave Friday after working hours.  Our family will be headed on train trip...the longest and furthest away trip we've done so far from the 17th through the 20th.  We will be going 3.5hrs to Kyoto for two nights(part of the trip will be on a bullet train)...one of the old capitals of Japan.  It is full of old architecture and old Japanese culture.  Then onto Hiroshima for one night to see the peace memorials.  I believe Hiroshima is maybe 2 hours or so away from Kyoto.  We've got the traveling in us now...and Zack's new work schedule really allows us to take day trips fairly easily.  I picked and booked the trip to day with the ITT office(a travel office)...and then we will be gearing up for the trip for the rest of the week!  The travel office offered a package for the train and hotel.  They will provide us with the train info to get us to each location as well as a guide book for the trip.  And it was very affordable compared to us traveling/booking the trip ourselves.  We've decided to make it a regular December thing...to go on a trip during the holiday leave.  We hope to go on a trip each spring out of the country as well...this year possibly to Australia.  This all depends if we have Caraline's passport back from the U.S.  All for now!

Weekend Trip: Enoshima

This weekend we took two family trips.  On Saturday we traveled to Enoshima, which is about an hour train ride to the south.  The night before I had gotten on Hyperdia and planned out the train stops as well as packed our backpack with lunch and supplies.  Enoshima is located along the coast and also has an island off of the coast.  There are many things to do on the island...caves, parks, etc.  And just right along the coast on the mainland is the Enoshima Aquarium.  We just visited the Aquarium because the island has a lot of spring/summer activities and we'll have to come back.  We had heard that it was an amazing aquarium and knew that Noah would love it.  We went to the Virginia Aquarium and Noah had a blast looking at all the fish. We got up early and headed to the train station to be there to make a train coming a bit before 9.  Going to the train station entails driving to the main gate.  We then unload the kids and walk to the train station of choice.  There are two train lines in the Yokosuka area...the local line and the JR(Japan Railway) line.  The local line is usually less busy and way less expensive.  And we are close to two local train stations.  We enter the station at street level and swipe our train card...and then head to the elevator to bring us up to the track level.  The Yokosuka train stations are quite small and simple in comparison to others.  On this train trip we had to switch lines twice.  This means getting off the train at the junction of the line...head to the elevator with the stroller...swipe our cards to pay for that leg of our journey on that specific line.  Then we find the next line...swipe our cards....find the elevator and which track we need...then up to the track level...then hop on the train.  Depending on the city there are many tracks in different locations for different lines located on many different levels of the station.  So this means that you are in a very big hurry to find your line and track each time so that you don't miss the train.  Although missing a train isn't a huge deal and another one will come in a few minutes...it would just throw off the rest of the plan.  We're getting pretty darn good at it and switch lines in time to make the next train coming in four minutes.  So we are rushing along with everyone else through the train stations with our kiddos.  We brought the stroller to hold our winter coats and for a place for Noah when he fell asleep.  In the U.S. when you have a stroller the tides will part and let you go ahead...have the right a way.  Well in Japan there is no such thing as a right a way.  Everyone goes where they need to go and no one moves for anyone else...so you just take the stroller and go.  If we waited for them to make room for us and the stroller...well we'd still be standing there!  And because everyone is in a hurry and their idea of personal space is limited...when the elevator comes people jam pack themselves in it.  At one point we are waiting for the elevator(there are fairly small and not a square...the corners are cut off of two sides) it comes and there are two people inside.  Zack waves it away indicating that we will take the next one.  The man waves us in...us and the stroller.  Now the elevator is very full by U.S. standards...that just means that you squeeze tighter and fit in another stroller and two more people!  I would have loved to take a picture of Zack's face when he realized that the stroller and two more people were going to get in! (Side Note: There are people called Pushers...there job is to push the people inside of the train during rush hours.  All of the people would not be able to fit on their own so need to be pushed inside.  For this reason there are women only cars during the peak times.  Check out this you tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7kor5nHtZQ&feature=related)  We reached station closest to the aquarium and I was able to nurse Caraline in the station in a handy little heated waiting area on the track.  I've mentioned before that you don't see small children out and about here.  This is because in their culture they don't bring out their small children.  Nursing is very accepted here and I've heard that percentage wise more women nurse here than in the U.S.  But because they don't go out much with their small children finding a place to nurse can be a challenge...because there aren't places even in public just to sit down even!  In places like the aquarium there are small rooms with a sign having a baby and a bottle on it...meaning a nursing room.  We followed the signs and the map on the iPhone to the aquarium and the beach area.  We had an awesome view of snow covered Mt. Fuji!  Into the aquarium where Noah ran from tank to tank screaming...and yes I mean screaming Fish, Fish, Fish!  He was beyond excited!  But boy did we get through there pretty quickly!  His favorite was the jellyfish where he ran around to each tank two or three times.  We found the little lunch area and took our sticky rice and snacks from hone.  Many places in Japan like the aquarium, zoo...etc. don't actually serve food.  You have to bring your own lunch and sit in their lunch area to eat.  We usually pack a few items and then pick up rice balls and our favorite Japanese snacks at a store inside the train station.  We all enjoyed the visit...and headed home.  We got home in the early afternoon and relaxed for the rest of the day.  And around eight that night we decided to go to Yokohama the next day.

Mommy of Two: Club Secrets

Noah is down for a nap and Caraline is playing on the floor next to the computer...and I have time for a bit of an update on the Gogel family.

The family is adjusting to Zack's new work schedule.  When he works the two and the three days straight, I am parenting alone.  He needs all the sleep he can get and is no help with Caraline during the evening or at night.  He comes home, eats, and usually falls asleep on the couch.  I wake him when I'm ready to go to bed.  He trots upstairs and falls asleep instantly.  And by the third day the whole family is done!  We all miss him!

Just yesterday Noah has expressed his "big brother" interest in Caraline.  He wanted to rock with her in the nursery.  And then wanted to hold her while I slowly rocked the chair.  It was also a repeat this morning.  He still occasionally raises his hand to try to hit her in jealously and we still of course can't trust him to be alone with her.  But it's progress!  Noah's post baby behavior has been slowly improving and we are seeing glimpses of his old self.  His interest in holding his sister now is proof that he's making the adjustment...finally!  He is still attending his PT Tots class and especially loves the parachute.  We have play dates at least once a week with his friends....usually during the last day of Zack's working day.

Caraline is growing like crazy.  She is eating every 2-3 hours during the day.  More towards the 2 hour mark most of the time.  She sleeps fairly well and most of the time wakes up 2-3 times at night to eat.  She isn't always ready to go to bed when we are though.  She has adjusted her fussy times and waking times to when Noah is asleep.  She has figured out that she gets more attention during those times.  I'm thankful for that so I can spend some one on one time with her.  The past two days she has started to coo a bit and find her voice.

And now the portion about me.  I am working on trying to find my balance with two kids and a husband at home.  I am feeling a bit guilty about not giving each of them as much attention as I used to but it's an adjustment adding another person to the mix.  And I'm getting there just like Noah.  I am also feeling a bit of the baby blues.  I spoke with my doctor because I just felt off..blah. Something wasn't right with my body.  He put me on medicine to prevent the blues from becoming a depression.  I debated on whether or not to post that info.  The subject is hush hush..but I'm not ashamed. I know I'm not the only mom out there that realized after birth that they weren't all smiles and seeing rainbows!  Zack's new work schedule has given me the freedom to go out with friends and have some time away from the house.  And the time is much appreciated.  I uses to be under this delusion that not having any me time made me a better mom..FALSE!  I need that time more than ever now...and honestly so does the kids and Zack.  They need alone time with their father to bond...they each probably need it just as much as the other.  Moms have this habit of putting their needs last and it's taken me almost two years to start paying attention to some of my needs...and it has made me a better mom.  I need time away from the house and my amazing husband understands...and pushes me out!  No matter how hard we moms try to hide it we all struggle to find that balance within our family.  I think it took me three months with Noah to find some balance between him, Zack, and the household stuff.  Caraline is a bit over a month and I'm on track...just working on finding a balance with paying individual attention to each of them.  That is the mommy truth I've just let you in on...told you some of the club secrets.  Now don't any of you worry because this mom is not down and out.  I'm still kicking and in no way hiding out on my couch all day in the dark!  Remember I said, " a bit of the baby blues"!  My tush is falling asleep along with my arm...as I'm sitting here rocking Caraline to sleep.  And that's my cue to end this....over and out!

Work and Thanksgiving

Zack has been transferred to Security for his temporary duty...his rate(job) is over manned and so when coming to a new command just about everyone has to go do a temporary job for a while before going into the shop to preform their actual job.  Going to Security beats pealing potatoes in the ship galley!  We were very blessed for him to be put on days as the man that he was replacing was on nights.  His working schedule has also changed.  Zack works 14ish hour days two days a week and then works the following weekend.  The next week he will work three days a week and have the weekend off.  That's the simplified version.  He used to get home from the ship around 4:30 in the evenings and now on working days he gets home around 6:30...essentially being home two or so hours later than the normal ship working schedule.  We haven't quite figured out the duty schedule but I believe that he only has duty(meaning sleeping on the boat as well) on the Saturday that he has to work.  So for now...we are enjoying this new schedule.  It allows him to have more hours at home...quality hours with us than the normal schedule allows.  We haven't figured out the evening schedule when he has to work because he comes home now at bath time or quite time(cool down time before Noah goes up to his room to sleep).  Zack wants to come home and eat right away because he often hasn't eaten all day...and then Noah is calming down and Zack coming home right in the middle winds him back up again.  So Zack has to wait until Noah is asleep before eating each night.

On Saturday we celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a family at our own home.  Before Zack left the ship in October he had invited a few shipmates to celebrate with us at our home.  They are all single sailors...male and female.  I was nervous about preparing all the food...first because we've never done it before...and second because I admit I'm not much of a cook!  The entire process involved me calling my mom more than a few times and asking, "How do I....?"  And a lot of muttering under my breath!  But we got it done!  We enjoyed a great afternoon chatting and having fun.  They all enjoyed playing with the kids and I think watching Zack being in a family situation.  And watching Zack take zingers from his amazing wife...just saying!  Noah especially enjoyed the extra attention and hijacked one of Zack's friends to his bedroom.  They played for quite a while and left us wondering if he knew that he could come down and didn't have to sit upstairs with Noah.  I went upstairs to check on them...and found them both sitting on the rug surrounded by toys grinning ear to ear!  The night ended with a viewing of The Lion King...an early present from Santa...as Santa forgot to put away the present after being wrapped the night before.  Which has caused another problem in the Gogel house...Noah has seen wrapped packages under our bed...and already unwrapped one of Zack's Christmas present.  Zack gave me a hard time about "starting something" but he sure as heck didn't ask me to re wrap his gift!  And he's been playing with it on and off ever since!

The following day I was able to go see the new Twilight movie with a few friends in the evening.  Zack gave Caraline a bottle and did the bedtime routine with both kids.  Very grateful for a few hours out of the house without a kid tagging along.  Now that Zack will be home for a while I think that I'm going to take this luxury more often...very refreshing to get out.  Two of Zack's shipmates volunteered to babysit for us as well.  And I believe that we will take them up on the offer.  Zack and I haven't been out in town on our own yet and would love to go eat at a nice restaurant just the two of us.

This coming week on one of Zack's days off we hope to go to Chinatown in Yokohoma...we are anxious to get off base and go somewhere.  And hopefully the weather will allow the trip!  We are also planning and organizing our trip to Tokyo during Zack's holiday leave.  We have to take Caraline to the U.S. Embassy to get her U.S. birth certificate, social security number, and passport.  We were issued a hospital proof of birth certificate and must take that with a ton of other paperwork to the embassy.  Noah is going to spend the day with a friend and we will go up and back in one day.  We would like to spend more time in Tokyo...but doing so in late December just isn't practical with baby Caraline.

We're back...I hope!

I've had this nagging thought in my head that I haven't made a blog post in a very long time. This was confirmed when I tried to log in to Blogger and was one password try away from locking myself out of my account...last post September 22nd.  Very sad indeed.  I apologize!  Life has been going insanely fast.  In the past two months Zack was gone for a bit over a month (which I'm ashamed to say seemed like a whole lot longer than 30 plus days) and of course we had our Caraline.

Our experience with the birth of Caraline earned me yet another patch on my imaginary Navy Spouse jacket.  I can wear that patch and say that I (with the help of great friends) delivered my child without my husband.  And it was amazing and wonderful!  And not nearly as traumatizing as it may seem.  Having Zack with me to see her birth would have been wonderful but I'm going to admit to you that in someways it was easier.  And just maybe the "old fashioned" belief that the husband should pace in the waiting room just might have had something going for it.  With me in the hospital I had my neighbor, Ashly, who has one child and my friend Heather, who is anxiously waiting for the right time to start their family.  And having two women with me to help me, calm me, and encourage me was a smidgen different than having my anxious, annoyed ( I don't handle IV drugs well...causing me to run my mouth without remembering the apparent not so nice things that came out of it!) husband.  Now don't get me wrong Zack was a great help when I was in labor with Noah but having two women was just different.  They were both attentive, focused, considerate, amazing...should I go on? Women are just women!  They can provide the support and encouragement that sometimes men just don't realize is needed.  And in all fairness this being my second delivery that mirrored my first so closely it would have been a completely different experience delivering Caraline with Zack there compared to when we had Noah.  And this go around I didn't have IV drugs!  God willing we will have more children and my ideal plan is for Zack to be at each of their births...but it wouldn't be the end of the world if I deliver another child without him.  It made me smile to see all of your comments and posts on facebook.  And I appreciate all those that said that I was a strong woman or words of similar meaning...but you would be surprised how much you can do when you are faced with a situation that you must handle on your own.  Tucking my tail between my legs and having a mental breakdown wasn't an option.  You have to put on your big girl panties and buck up!  That fact is one of the reasons why I enjoy being a Navy wife.  Those experiences mold you and help you become a better person.

We can't hardly believe that she is already almost a month old.  She is growing like crazy and starting to be more alert.  She sleeps through most of the day and I don't remember Noah sleeping that much...although I'm sure that he did.  It's amazing how much your forget about those newborn months...just maybe it's your bodies way of coping.  Letting your forget about the reality so that you are more likely to bring another child into the world!  We can't help but see the differences in Noah and Caraline as newborns and I'll mention a few.  With Noah I could feed him and put him back in his bed.  He would just be content and then fall asleep on his own.  Caraline enjoys being cuddled and wants loads of attention!  Noah hardly cried...just when he needed something. Caraline has a fussy time of night(not overly fussy though)...and she will be content one second and screaming another.  I told Zack that it's because she's a woman...she's changes her mind very often!  Noah will pat her back and give her kisses....and the next minute he's trying to smack her!  We can't leave the two of them in the same room or near one another without immediate supervision.  She is one tough little girl.

Noah is growing out of yet another size of shoes!  We're almost into size 8s for him now.  He still gets a bit jealous of Caraline at time especially when I am nursing her.  But he worries all the time about the baby...and reminds me when we leave the house or the car about the baby.  I guess he thinks that I might forget her!  He also is growing so fast...making me wish that little boys could just stay little forever.  He can test my patience for sure but what a joy he is!  The comment about forgetting her in the car reminded me of when we first had Noah and I thought what a pain it was to go anywhere with him...to get him in and out of the car.  After a while it became the new normal and didn't bother me at all...and now with two kids I'm back where I started again...what a pain it is!  Especially here where the shopping carts don't allow for her to sit in her infant carrier on top or in the bottom of the cart.  So I have to put her in the Baby Bjorn all the time.  And Japan is not stroller friendly!

Caraline into the ER with the germs and flu bug.  I was able to call my friend, Heather, to watch while I took Noah into the ER.  I had called ahead and they told me that they were pretty busy so I knew that Heather was going to have to bring her to me to nurse.  Noah had an outer ear infection...first one of those for us and by the time the doctor came into to see him the timer had gone off on Caraline's tummy.  I was nursing her while the doctor was looking at his ear.  And then it was home for all of us.  It's so complicated when he's gone or at work and this situations arise!  And Zack didn't get home until after 9 that night.  Wives can only count on wives here.  We don't have family and let's face it...the husbands can't be counted on.  It creates an amazing environment and I'll be sad to have to go back to a U.S. base!   Zack will check into the ship this coming week and we'll learn what day he will be given for his duty day.  We are hoping that he doesn't have Thanksgiving or black Friday.  We got a flyer in the mail for the NEX deals on Friday and have made our mental lists for Christmas shopping steals!  We will probably be celebrating Thanksgiving with a few friends and maybe a few of Zack's shipmates.  That is all for now...Caraline is in her fussy time of night!

Goodbyes and Typhoons

We dropped Zack off at the ship on Sunday evening.  And they left early Monday morning...having everyone on the night before eliminates having to deal with people being late and missing the ship if they are leaving early the next morning.  I'll rewind and tell you about our weekend.  Friday evening Zack got off of work and we decided to go out in town to get pre-made food in the grocery store at More's City Mall.  Then we could bring it home and just hang out here eating our food.  Zack had been on his feet all day and decided he didn't want to walk from the front gate to the mall.  The mall is located on a busy street that us Americans call Blue Street...because the street has a lot of blue everywhere.  There is also a train station right next to the mall...meaning it's super busy almost all of the time.  I was all for driving as long as it wasn't me doing the driving.  I knew that it was going to be crazy.  So we left base...took the first road to the right and we were already on Blue Street.  And then the fun began...it's basically a four lane road with six lanes of traffic.  Cars were parked along the sidewalk..blocking one of the two lanes...and in order to go around these vehicles you had to drive into the turn lane of the oncoming traffic.  And then mopeds and bicycles ride on the road but next to the curb...so we often had to leave room for them to navigate...and then motorcycles are free to ride down the middle of the street to navigate around traffic.  So imagine that you have to go into the lane of oncoming traffic to continue your path...but you must keep track of the bicycles and the mopeds on your left to ensure you don't run anyone over/or cause them to run into the side of your vehicle...and then also keep track of your right in case a motorcycle decides it wants to just drive down the middle of the road...all the while keeping track of the traffic in front of you because they could potentially come into your lane to go around a stopped vehicle on the curb.  It can be a bit overwhelming!  We made it to the mall but missed the turn lane for the parking garage...and there is no doing a quick turn around and going back!  So we had to keep driving and I had the iPhone and was able to tell Zack which way to turn to get us back to the main road that runs in front of the base...there really isn't a grid system set up on the roads.  We made it back to the main road and then had to drive down to turn right onto Blue Street and do that fun drive to the parking garage again!  We parked and headed down to the grocery store where we picked up a few of our favorites and then a few new foods to try.  Then we headed home to eat our food and watch some movies that we rented.

Saturday Zack had duty so Noah and I hung out and visited the park..fairly boring day!  Zack came home the next morning and we did family time and played at the park.  That evening we tried to get Noah to go down and then the plan was just to move him to the car to take Zack to the ship.  Noah decided to sleep in that morning and he was full of energy.  So when we took Zack to the ship at 9 that evening Noah was still wide awake.  Zack had sat down with Noah and talked to him about him leaving and going bye bye for a while...on the boat.  We drove to the ship and we said our goodbyes.  Zack once again told that he was going bye bye to work on the boat and that he loved him and would miss him.  Noah waved goodbye to him and Zack went through the security gate.  We drove home and Noah finally passed out a few minutes after coming home.

Noah has done really well so far in this post daddy leaving time.  He's been going down well for naps and bedtime.  And not nearly as grumpy.  He has asked for him and we talk about how we dropped him off at the boat so he could work and go bye bye for a while.  Noah seems to accept this and goes on with his business.  I guess Zack's talks with him and him being awake for the drop off helped make some connections for him.  We have been watching him on TV(reading stories) every evening.  Noah has also been asking to see "cheese me, dad"...pictures of me and dad.  I get out the camera and we go through the pictures of him and then pictures of him and Zack.  He gets a big smile on his face!

We have been very busy with play dates at the park and our home...as well as PT Tots.  That class has been a lifesaver for both me and Noah.  He has meet a lot of friends and is able to do developmental activities.  And it has given me a chance to meet a lot of other moms and make some friends.  Noah got invited to his first birthday party today...it has a dinosaur theme and Noah will enjoy it.  It will present some challenges for us food wise but we'll work it out.  And yesterday we were busy with a typhoon.  This has been our third one since coming here but this one was different because it actually made landfall right on top of us...and we experienced the full typhoon and not just the rain associated with the outskirts of the band.  It was an interesting day as the winds were going crazy.  I had picked up the seat cushions from the patio furniture and laid them all down...this bugged Noah to no end that they were "broke"!  The wind really hit us around 3-7ish that evening...and I heard all sorts of noises coming from our home.  I was texting/fbing with a friend that also lives in townhouse in another housing area about all the noises...and we were all trying to figure out what noise was coming from where!  One was the metal and the glass "stuff" from the patio overhangs that were flying off the homes, another was the sound of neighbor's outdoor sheds being ripped apart, and another was the sound of the top of the vent on the roof that was connected with the stove vent hood-this was super annoying...as the sound traveled down and into our home...along with tree limbs, sheet metal, tin...and all sorts of other stuff flying around on and off base!  Very Wizard of Oz!  We made it through with no damage...except for our small plants/trees in our flower box...3 out of the 4 are leaning over from being blown by the wind.  Zack is not going to be very happy about it...but I think I can somehow get them to back upright again.  We have activities planned for tomorrow and then possibly going to the aquarium with a group on Sunday.  Almost one week down and so many more to plan!

Noah's Bully Beatdown

I just wanted to thank everyone for reading my rambelings!  When we thought of this idea...we didn't know much of a success it was going to be...how many people would take time out of their busy lives to read about our lives.  We both enjoy your comments, fb messages, and just letting us know that you read it...or "so and so" reads it too.  I try not to think about all of you too much while writing otherwise I get stuck and nothing comes to me!  Thanks again!

I realize that I haven't written a blog update in over a week, but we have been super busy with our everyday lives.  We have not taken a train trip since going to the zoo because it's just too darn hot and humid for me to do a lot of walking.  I suppose the limitations of being 32 weeks pregnant has finally caught up with me and there is no more plowing along.  My asthma has also begun to bother me and I had two attacks last week.  I have spoken to my doctor about it and we decided to just wait and see how it goes...before going to the pulmonologist.  The entire time we lived in Virginia, which was over two years I only had to use my inhaler maybe four times total.  When we went back to Indiana to visit before flying here I had to use it fourish times a week.  For me, it all depends on the climate and how oppressive it is outside.  We have extended summers here and it is still close to ninety degrees outside everyday.  The Japanese women carry umbrellas to keep the sun off of them...many are clear(because they can be bought at the 100Y shop), but some are very pretty-an extension of their outfit.  The women also carry around small pretty dish-rag size cloths.  They use these to wipe the sweat off of their faces and necks...more like daintily dab at the sweat.  The cloths are small squares that usually have pretty designs in the cloth.  Many also wear hats to keep the sun off of their faces.  And while American women are sweating with red faces and breathing heavily...they are wearing a hat, shaded by an umbrella, and then dabbing at the sweat on their faces as they stroll down the street!  The men have rolled up usually white towels at the back of their necks to keep them cool.  They will remove the cloth to wipe the sweat from their faces as well.  It's one of those cases when we need to take a clue from the locals and adapt!  But I guess the "American" part in us is too ingrained.

Noah has just recently hit his growth spurt.  I believe I mentioned that it usually follows a well child visit by a few weeks.  He has grown inches in the past two or so weeks.  He had been sleeping in 90 minutes in the morning, take a 90 minute longer nap, and then going to bed an hour or so later than before.  Noah has pretty much always hit a growth spurt and shot up in a week and then he won't grow again for a few months.  These periods of growth are hard on him and his brain is working overtime to keep up.  I say this because during those times of extreme growth he has nightmares and night terrors almost every night.  He has always been prone to these...having his first night terror the night we brought him home from the hospital.  He also tends to wake up between sleep cycles and can't seem to get his body to "rest".  He also has growing pains and goes from being his happy self to times of agitation.  My mom, me, and many others on my mom's side of the family also experienced growing pains...as I believe Zack did as well.  I have spoken to his pediatrician about it back in VA...and she said because his body does all the growing in such a short time period that those symptoms are normal and to be expected.  The past two days he has been sleeping in a bit more in the morning and nap...but is back to his old bedtime.  He did have a night terror last night...but the frequency and intensity seems to be lessening.  We are crossing our fingers that this marks the end of the growth period for him.  We recently got his ear tubes checked this week and found out that one tube is working it's way out...and one or both of them will probably work themselves out in the next six months.  We had them checked in May before leaving VA and not due for a check up until November.  At that time his tubes were sitting well and "in" his ear.  However, our name came up on the list here on Monday...so it was a do it now deal.  The doctor was really nice and great with Noah.  We are concerned that when they come out he will have many ear infections again...but the doctor told me that 95% of kids only need one set.  So we shall see.

Noah and I are enjoying meeting new friends and having play dates at our home.  Living on base and being able to do base activities and go the park has allowed us to meet many moms and children.  Noah enjoys going to PT tots every Tuesday and Thursday mornings and playing with his friends there.  Recently the classes have begun to get quite large and Noah doesn't react well to the chaotic environment.  When there are too many children running around, too many mom's yelling their child's name, and just in general too much going on...he shuts down.  He just can't handle it all...and some mom's take the phrase "parent involvement" very loosely as their child runs amuck around the room!  Noah has gone up to a mom and dragged her toward her child...as if to say...get your child under control!  He is very perceptive and sensitive to the world around him...Zack says he has "delicate feelings".  And his feelings get hurt very easily...even if it's another mom yelling at her child...he gets tears in his eyes....then looks to us for reassurance that everything is okay.  He comforts other children, drags moms toward their crying children, and often gives up his toys to other smaller children around him.  And while he does use this gift to help other children around him...he is not immune to use it for evil!  There is one child there that is maybe close to being a year older than Noah.  He tends to hog the toys, take things from others, and be a bully to the other children.  And when he is caught he cries and cries and cries.  Other children tend to leave him alone and let him have is way...ignoring his behavior.  But not our Noah!  He does things just to upset him and to hear him cry!  For instance, during music time this child will take many many instruments and hoard them between his open legs.  Other children leave him alone...letting him have his way.  Noah will reach for "his" toy and stand just beyond arms reach to get him to react and cry.  Noah will then either hand it back innocently or launch it at him.  The child will scramble for the toy and hold it tight against his chest...and while he's doing this...Noah quickly reaches down for the toy he really wanted and then takes off across the room!  This sends the child into a full out tantrum...all the while Noah is across the room sitting on the floor playing with the toy.  He has learned which buttons to press with this child to get the reactions he wants to see...he does this with Zack too.  A part of me wants to have Noah march over and give the toy back...and the other part is silently cheering as other mom's try to hide their smiles...that finally this child has gotten his just desserts.  I have a parent conundrum and instead have taken to just leading Noah away from this child to avoid having to make a "parent decision"!  Noah gets that behavior honestly...and maybe from both sides of his family!

Zack is doing well and will be leaving us soon.  He has a few more things on his to do list before he leaves...and if he doesn't get them done...I can borrow a friend's husband for a day to finish up the list!  He may not know that he's been volunteered for the job...but he'd do it in a heartbeat.  He is waiting for the weather to cool down so that he can make me a pie to "fatten me up"(Cooking in a Japanese home is miserable in hot weather).  We are very thankful for the people we have met so far...and it just doesn't seem possible that we have only known each other for only a few months!  We have a few invites already for the Holidays.  Zack had asked me about cooking a Thanksgiving meal...and for those that don't know...I'm no chef!  I quickly replied that we have friends for that...and the next day we had an invite for Thanksgiving...problem solved!  That just about wraps this up for today...and I'm off to enjoy the rest of my "mommy time" before Noah wakes up.

Bean's Upcoming Birth

I just wanted to let our family and friends know that we are just about one hundred percent sure that Zack will be home for her birth.  The ship is leaving soon and will not be back for a while(I can't share because of that darn OPSEC-Operational Security).  But it is different here than it is for other carriers in the U.S.(The G.W. is the only forward deployed carrier in the Navy-meaning its homeport is in another country) when it comes to things like a birth of a child.  When I had Noah, Zack was able to stay behind when the ship went out so that he could be there for his birth(my due date was slightly manipulated though to ensure that his paperwork went through).  This time...Zack should be able to fly back before my due date.  I say "should be able to" only because the event actually hasn't happened yet...but it's standard procedure here for the ship to allow sailors to do that.  They really aren't very far from the homeport anyway and it's fairly easy to fly them back.  The "Navy" here is very family friendly and tries to support the family whenever possible(because life IS different here when living in a foreign country)...as does the Navy as a whole.  He will then take his free ten day "daddy leave".  I have no idea was the proper name for this is but basically the Navy gives dads up to ten free days to take during the baby's first year of life.  This is a fairly new program...I think it started while I was pregnant with Noah.  Since Zack will be home for the birth...he will take his ten days immediately after her birth(he also did this with Noah).  And when the event gets closer...I will be sure to update you all on how it's all unfolding...as much as I can say over the internet.

American Weekend Adventures

We had a great weekend all planned out...Friday night we were going to get a sitter and go out to dinner for our anniversary.  We had planned on going to a traditional Japanese restaurant where you take your shoes off at the door and wear wooden sandals into the restaurant and sit on pillows...on a side note there are bathroom sandals at the restrooms.  So you switch out your sandals before entering the bathroom and then switch them back again...and should you forget to switch them you may hear the word...Gaijin.  This means foreigner...but usually tends to be a bit derogatory, such as "stupid Gaijin"!  Saturday we were going to head to Yokohoma(the next largest city north) and do some sightseeing/Chinatown with friends.  However...mother nature had another plan...a typhoon(equivalent to the U.S. hurricane).  So we had to cancel all of our exciting Japanese style adventures...and you will instead hear about our American style weekend.

Friday afternoon...Noah and I had a play date!  I had met a mom at the park the Saturday before with her son that had just turned two.  Noah and her son hit it off immediately and they played together almost the entire time.  The mom and I started talking and found that we had a lot in common...and they also just moved here around the same time as us from VA.  Just about everyone in their Navy careers is stationed in VA at some time or another...but it's always nice to run into some that just came from there...kinda like sharing that common bond of someone being from "home".  We exchanged names and numbers and I promised that I would invite them over for a play date....as they live in an apartment and I have the yard and outdoor toys.  We were to start feeling the wind/rain on Friday night from the typhoon and Zack was told that he may or may not be able to come home from work that day.  The plan was that they were going to keep a second duty section on the ship(meaning the duty section scheduled for Friday and then plus a second one)...so that they could make adjustments to the ship if necessary so that it wouldn't receive damage from the storm.  So I decided that it was a good day to call our new friends and invite them over.  The boys had a blast...playing well together the entire time!  Her son is about 6-7mths older than Noah...and they were just about on the same level.  I should mention that when we go to the park or to play with other children.  Noah will not play with younger children or children below him developmentally.  It is not uncommon for him to be playing with children that are much much older than him.  If they are willing to play with him then he puts in his best effort to keep up...but usually his playmates are around the age of 2-4ish years old. I had a great time getting to know the mom a lot better while the kids played.  Zack came home during the play date to stay...because the storm had choose its direction and we were on the outskirts of its range.  The rain ended the play date and the kids unhappily said goodbye to each other!  After supper we went to the football field and watching some of the JV game...our school against another base school here in Japan.  However...I'm pretty sure that these teams also play teams from outside the country...such as base schools from South Korea.  They hop on plane to go to another country to play.  Zack and I are going to look into this...as we know someone that couches for a base school in South Korea.  We weren't able to stay for the varsity game because it was close to bedtime.



Sunday we played outside in the yard and after nap we went to the base pool.  Noah had a great time playing and splashing.  They have a fairly decently sized pool area that goes from 1ft to 3ft in depth.  Noah could stand in the 2ft depth water but wanted to go farther..and we had to follow him around to make sure that he stayed within his limits.  He understood his limits but he had no fear.  He did go under a few times...but it didn't bother him.  He enjoys testing his own personal limits and strengths and I think he was using this opportunity to do just that.  We tried to put on a life jacket but the smallest one was rated for over his weight...so the jacket wouldn't let him touch his feet on the bottom of the pool.  We stayed for a little over an hour and then it was time to head home, clean up, and cook supper.  Noah is very sensitive to chlorine and Zack took him into the shower area at the pool...and then we also gave him a bath when we got home.  He thankfully did not break out.  We came home and did supper...Zack instructed me to relax on the couch and to stay out of the kitchen!  A great husband.  We then went on our evening walk.  Along our walk in our neighborhood is a pretty decent sized steep hill.  The land was cut away for the road and flattened for housing right next to hit...and this hill is what is left that connects it to the large mountain behind it.  There is one side of the hill that faces the houses and the other sides face a road.  The neighborhood children use flattened moving boxes to slid/fly down the hill right after a rain...but it can also be done on dry grass...that's how steep it is.  Noah has tried each day on our walk to climb the hill...and on Sunday he succeeded in climbing it to the top...first walking, then bear crawling, and lastly just crawling on his hands and knees...but he was very excited and proud of himself for making it to the top.  Zack would then sit on one of the flattened boxes and slid down with him.  Our walk was put on hold so that the two of them could slid down the hill many many times!  They both had a blast and Noah kept signing..."again, again"!  On our way home we stopped and rented a few movies...one being "Rio".  It's a kid's moving about birds...and there is a lot of music and dancing in the movie as well.  We put in the movie for his wind down time...and we didn't realize our mistake until it was too late.  Noah kept singing, dancing, and yelling..."bird, bird"!  There was no winding down done until the movie was over...we should have known better than to put in a movie with birds!  But it was a great movie and got Noah's approval too.  Just maybe I'll be able to fill you in on our Japanese style weekend next week...we are running out of weekends before Zack leaves.  But we may be able to fit in a train trip next weekend. 

The Weekend & Kanagwa Zoo

Sunday morning we all got ready and headed to the train station to go to the zoo.  We had used the website:hyperdia.com and it pretty much dummy proofs the whole train thing for you and tells you what rain to be on and when to get off...especially if you have to switch tracks.  We got on the train and picked our spots next to the window.  Noah loves riding the train and watching everything go by in his window.  He also enjoys people watching and trying to get someone to pay attention to him.  We were seated in a grouping of 4 seats...two seats facing another two seats.  I picked one next to the window and Zack stood behind us with the stroller.  We have been told that it is not uncommon for you to pick a seat and the Japanese nationals will not sit next to you.  Someone got on at a stop and picked the seat directly across from us.  And then at another stop a couple got on and they picked the other two seats(facing each other).  I was surprised that the woman had sat down next to me...and I could tell she was uncomfortable because she was trying to lean as far away as possible and leaning forward.  The man was talking to her at the next stop and motioned over to the seat across the aisle from him.  She said something back and got up and moved!  Haha!  And yes we had all showered that morning and were smelling quite fresh...but it's just something that makes them uncomfortable!  We got off at our stop and headed out to find a taxi.  The trains between home and Tokyo are fairly English friendly...with English titles below the Japanese and an English option on the machines...but we were told that beyond Tokyo the English in the stations drops off.  We got in a taxi and thankfully he understood the word zoo!  He dropped us off at the entrance and we had to hike up the hill.  Japan is not a flat country...all hills and mountains.  The zoo is built on the side of a mountain so we did a lot of up and down walking through out the day.  We began walking up and reached a fork in the road.  Zack ran ahead to see what was down the hill...and saw that it was huge slide.  The slide had rollers on the top and was a winding path down the side of the mountain....super super long!  So...Zack and Noah climb to the top and have a blast going all the way down...but then they had to walk back up again!  We eventually made it to the entrance to the zoo and use the automated machine(pretty much everything here is automated) and purchased our tickets.  It wasn't a super large zoo but had four different areas...Africa, Asia, The Americas, and an Australia/Oceanic area.  Many of the animals were the same...like Elephants, Giraffes...etc.  But there were some that we had never seen before.  The zoo winded it's way up and down the side of the mountain so there was a lot of trees and shade cover which was wonderful.  I had packed a few lunch items and we bought a meat item for all of us at the zoo.  I used the iPhone to ask about the oil and was told it was soy nut oil.  Zack and I were pretty sure that this meant soybean...since peanut oil really doesn't exist here.  But we aired on the side of caution and didn't order anything made in the oil.  If we had been anywhere and had the option we wouldn't have eaten anything to be on the safe side...but we were 99.9% sure it was safe.  We had hot dogs on a stick...and tested the it out before letting him chow down on it.  Noah made it through most of the zoo before falling asleep after lunch.  When we were headed out the zoo I used the iPhone to ask for a taxi number.  We did try to find the number of the cab company we used to get there but there was 4ish different numbers listed inside the cab and none were the same.  They had preprinted slips with the number listed for the taxi...and we were thinking that this is going to be easy.  I called once we reached the bottom of the hill and immediately said English before saying anything else.  The man said...I don't speak English...do you speak Japanese.  And I'm thinking that was a lot of perfectly worded English for a man that doesn't speak Japanese.  I then saw a couple getting on their bicycles and said...excuse me in Japanese.  They knew enough English for me to ask them to call the taxi service for us.  They took the phone and called and then hung up...we really didn't understand what they were telling us other than that no taxi was coming.  He ended up calling two other places for us to find us a taxi.  They then waited for the taxi with us and ushered us into the cab...telling the driver where we needed to go in Japanese.  Super thankful for them...and how friendly/helpful the Japanese people are!  Once we were home...Zack and Noah enjoyed father-son swimming in the kiddie pool!

On Monday, we also enjoyed a day together as a family.  Zack had the day off because of the ship's return home.  We went to Livin and Homes...about a 15min. drive.  Livin is sorta like a Walmart but way more upscale...and Homes is like a Home Depot.  I'm pretty sure that each of these stores are owned by Walmart and Home Depot respectively.  Even though this is my second visit to Livin...I have yet to see the entire store...it's gigantic!  We ended up buy Noah some rain boots in the store area part and then went down to the grocery level to buy a few of our favorite Japanese items.  At grocery stores they have packaged food(and in convenience marts)...including meals and side items.  Zack got his sticky rice balls(Noah also absolutely loves these) and I got my favorite rice item too...and then a few other side items...like barbecue pork on a stick.  We've come to the point that when we walk by a convenience store we pop in our heads to see if they have our favorite items!  Then we picked up Noah's orange juice.  He will not drink American orange juice...but will suck down Japanese orange juice.  It does taste different...and contains less sugar.  Then we got some of our favorite drinks...tea and vitamin water and some fresh fruit(Noah's tangerines and the best pineapple I've ever tasted).  Yes the food is safe...the food here goes through more testing than the U.S.!  The produce that makes it to the commissary is already on the verge of going bad and the meat isn't very fresh and all is very limited.  We went to the check out and paid for our items...then you go to a small table and use the bags the checkout lady put in the basket to bag your own items.  The carts at grocery stores consist of a rack on the top and bottom where a basket can sit.  Their refrigerators and pantry areas are really small so there isn't a need for a huge shopping cart.  We then drove across the street to Homes...which consists of furniture, curtains and rugs(household items), and then an entire floor dedicated to the usual Home Depot stuff.  We picked up curtain rods and a few other items.  You can pretty much say that you can buy whatever your heart desires at one or both of these stores!  Zack drove home, which was his first time driving off base...he was nervous but did great!  The rest of the day consisted of pool time and Zack completing items off of his Hunny Do List (hanging curtains, helping me with Bean's room, etc.)  I will post pictures of our home when we feel like it's home enough...Bean's room isn't done yet.  And we enjoyed our favorite Japanese items...and we were already fast forwarding to leaving the country and not being able to get our favorite items in the U.S.!  I'm going to have to take an on base cooking class to learn how to make some of these items. 

What a culture shock it will be for us to return to the U.S....especially for our children.  Noah is starting to prefer the Japanese brands over American, chowing down on rice, using chopsticks, bowing...and probably so many more things he's picked up since being here for almost two months.   Life is just so different here than in the U.S.  And this caused us to have a discussion about life after the Navy.  I want to start this off by saying that Zack has been in the Navy for almost 5 years(September).  And for the past 5 years our record has been about 4ish months straight without him leaving (but this includes duty days-where he sleeps on a ship one night a week).  Our next command will be shore duty (as long as he doesn't talk me into doing another sea duty rotation)...and this would consist of him coming home every night for 3ish years.  All of you are probably starting to cheer inside...but Zack and I looked at each other and just started laughing!  And then thinking about him getting out of the Navy and being home every night for the rest of our lives...this just puts us in overload!  The idea is honestly completely unimaginable.  And it would be an interesting time for our marriage for sure...Zack says he's going to need a job that includes traveling! LOL  But I am sure that we'd get the hang of him being home every night after a while...maybe a long while...but eventually!  And then we discussed about our children...and if we choose to move back home how difficult it might be for them to fit in with their peers.  We already know that the students don't exactly embrace new kids....as kids moving in in the 3rd grade were still pegged as new kids long into high school.  And our children will have a completely-180 degree different upbringing...and all that includes in moving every 3-4 years to a new location around the world and traveling while stationed.  We are starting to think about the places/countries we want to visit while we are here...Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, China..all are real possibilities!  But we firmly believe that our lifestyle and the opportunities that our children will have...will be a positive impact on their growth and development.  Even if this means they are the most cultured kids in a school district...where there is special parking behind the Ag building for tractors!  But right now we are living, loving, and thriving in Japan!  Who's ready to come and visit?!

Homecoming for G.W...Gone Rogue

The morning started out with an email from Zack saying to go with the plan and pick him up at the ship at 11.  The ship docked at 9 and it may take over an hour before the first person walks off.  Noah and I were going to go to PT Tots at 9:45 and then meet him at the ship at 11.  Neither one of us knew how it was set up at the pier as we have never actually seen the ship docked here.  We spent the morning cleaning odds and ends up...those things that I knew would annoy him.  I am member of the group of spouses that run around like idiots right before the husband comes home making sure that he has his favorite foods, the house is clean, etc.  And you do those things that you know bug him...like clean windows, the counter tops are clear of clutter, the car is free of trash...etc.  Even though you've functioned the entire time they're gone just fine without doing those items.  Noah and I did PT Tots and usually we come home and I have his lunch all ready for him...we do lunch and then quiet time...and he's in his bed by 11:30ish.  But instead we headed for the ship, which I had no idea where they docked but figured I couldn't miss a giant aircraft carrier!  While driving towards the pier area I saw hundreds of sailors in the NWU(Navy Working Uniform) all carrying their sea bags and then bags caring the treasures they bought at port visits...so I figured I'd just follow the trail to the ship!  Noah kept pointing at all of them saying...dad...dad!  I ended up driving right by the docking area of the G.W. and was able to find a great parking spot super close.  It is set up so different here than Norfolk.  Norfolk was a planned base where the pier area is a whole line of piers with miles of parking.  However since the U.S. sorta just peed on the base after WWII(there is actually a dry dock with a sign saying it's the oldest one in Japan...made in the late 1890's)...it's not nearly as planned out and there is pretty much nill parking.  And there wouldn't be room for parking anyway...all the buildings are right next to each other.  I get Noah out of the car and make sure that I refill his snack trap because it is after all lunch and nap time.  I got past security and have my eyes open for Zack.  We walked up and were standing on an elevated area right in front of the brow(basically the ladder area where they come off of the ship).  Noah finishes his snack and runs around a bit with a few other children.  And then all heck breaks loose!  It had been an hour and we were hungry, hot, and tired.  When Noah and I are hungry and have low blood sugar...we...simply become huge bears to be around.  This is not the phrase that Zack uses though! LOL.  The sailors that are now coming off of the ship are in civilian clothes and I KNOW that Zack would not come off out of uniform.  And I get that sinking feeling that he had gone rouge on us.  So I make the executive decision that he is not on the ship and he didn't follow his own directions...so we're out of here.  I haul a screaming, hungry, and tired toddler to the van...along with this mommy also being hungry, aggravated, and tired.  He's in his seat and I am filling up his snack trap again and Zack pops his smiling face around the side of the van....and says..what are you doing...followed by where were you?  Hmm...yeah you can guess that it didn't go over well.  I said that we were getting ready to leave your (enter cuss word)...and we were at the brow at 11...we were there and you weren't.  He goes on to explain that since I didn't reply to the email in the morning he wasn't sure of the plan...even though we had discussed it off and on for the past few days that I would pick him up at 11.  He said that at 11 he was along the street area outside of the security point(where ID's are checked before even getting anywhere close to the ship).  He had since walked home (15min. walk or so) with his bags...and then walked back to find us.  Noah could tell that I was aggravated at Zack...and yells at him...DUDE!  I say this when I'm thinking..what the (enter cuss word).  I am still unsure how being out on the street area(on the opposite side of the road that I had to drive on) constitutes following the plan, which was meeting him at the ship at 11.  But in the event of forgetting the whole thing...we drop it!  Homecomings never go as planned...never!  I was still aggravated and we headed home and did lunch and quiet/nap time.  I would like to tell everyone that when he comes home it's a happy feeling in the household and we're both all smiles and falling over ourselves to be amazing to the other.  This is simply not the reality in the Gogel household.  It's like trying to fit a circle into a square hole the first few days.  This time it's worse than before because our lives wern't consitent before he left.  And now that we've found some scheduling and consistency with our new enivronment...he has to play catch up.  The first few days are full of arguments, deep breaths, prayers for patience and understanding...along with smiles, happiness, and laughter.  It's the reality of a family on sea duty.  The spouse gets used to running the show, making all the day to day decisions and being a "single parent".  It's hard for me to flip the switch instantly when he walks down the brow.  But after a few days we are all on the same page again...at least for a little bit!  While we are at this duty station we will most likely be doing less sea time than when we did on the Truman...they all think they have it rough!  Those that we have talked to...all find this nuts...but the Truman has had a crazy past 3 years.  And we are looking forward to having the schedule of a forward deployed carrier.

Not soon after Noah was done for his nap...the maintenance man came to install and new garbage disposal and the contractor came to match the color of our tile.  And how nice it is to deal with these types of people here in Japan compared to the U.S!  When making the appointment they suggest a set time such as 9.  That time didn't work for me obviously so I suggested 1 to both of them.  They say...okay...1..we be there.  And if I suggested a time in the middle of their lunch...I would bet that they would have cut their lunches short and arrived promptly on time.  And at 1 the doorbell rang and they were all standing at the door.  It isn't any of the U.S. crap where you have to be there all darn day waiting for them to show up.  They take off their shoes(as is custom in Japan) when they enter your home...and bow to you.  They are here to provide a service to you...they work for you.  They are kind, nice, courteous, clean up after themselves, and so much more.  They do their work...and when leaving I was asked to sign a paper stating that the garbage disposal had been replaced.  I am handed the paper with a bow and two hands.  I have to accept the paper with two hands as well...I signed it and handed it back.  Again he bowed...as a sign of respect and thanks.  He left bowing all over himself.  I told him thank you in Japanese and replied back in Japanese...your welcome..and in English...have a nice day.  He spoke a bit of English but the contractor spoke none!  Don't you wish you were treated with that amount of respect by a maintenance man or contractor in the U.S.?!

When Noah woke up we picked up a few things at the NEX and went to the park by the water.  Then it was the evening routine.  On our walk home...Zack and Noah enjoyed playing with each other and Zack throwing him up in the air...along with my yells...saying it was too high, be careful, Zack!...etc!  Noah was really bad about not staying on the sidewalk and was going rogue everywhere.  He climbed a hill to run down it and found a damaged CD.  So what do you do when you find a CD?  Well Noah grabbed the end of his shirt and carefully cleaned the bottom of it(yes he flipped it over) and proceeded to clean it from the inside out...not going in circles.  Zack says..where did he...and I say...no idea!  I have no idea where Noah saw this, but when he did it stuck!  And with that...the events of the rest of the evening routine were non-eventful.  Noah got up this morning...came in to let me know he was awake, played in Bean's room, and then when I noticed that he wasn't making noise...I found him downstairs closing the refrigerator door after he got his milk out!  Today I got Noah's pool aired up and he played in that all morning...and then this afternoon he had to make me pay for going off schedule at nap time yesterday...and just wouldn't go down for a nap.  He thrives on a schedule with consistency...and just like his momma...everything has a place and everything in it's place.  Just a warning that should you enter our home...Noah will promptly have you take off your shoes and place them in correct spot.  And should you not put your shoes with our shoes...then he will do it for you!

An Eventful Day

Today I woke up and had a whole list of items in my head that I wanted to accomplish. A load of laundry and the dishwasher were started super early so that it could be done by 9:00. That is pretty much the start of the energy conservation during the day until after working hours. I also knocked off the cleaning chore of cleaning the three bathrooms. The items in our refrigerator consisted of leftovers and condiments...no joke people! So we took off for the commissary right as it opened. Noah picked out his cart...this time a cart with a car next to the handles instead of one added onto the front of the cart. And we were off. All was well until we were about half way done shopping and Noah was done. He was over driving the car with the steering wheel and his drink/snack. So he became that kid in the grocery store screaming at the top of his lungs. I had picked up a box of gummie snacks and opened them right there in the store...and with holding him/giving him gummy snacks I was able to finish the shopping. The selection in the dairy aisle was really bad with entire areas empty. We'll have to go back next week and see if they received a shipment. We left with a lot...a lot of groceries. When shopping while Zack is at home...I time it so that he can help me bring the items in or I only take in the cold items and he brings in the rest when he gets home. It just wears me out...hauling it all inside and then today having to haul Noah around while in the store used up a lot of energy. And the idea that if I had gone sooner then there would have been less bags...doesn't escape me! We got home and put away all of the groceries and it was lunch time. We did lunch and quiet time while I was trying to knock of small tasks in the kitchen. Noah fell asleep on the couch before I got him to his bed...and it was back to the kitchen. It seemed as if my faith was being tested today because things just started going crazy starting with Noah in the commissary. I was cleaning up the kitchen...emptying the dishwasher etc. And I turned on the water and it drained into the garbage disposal...all of which came pouring out under the cabinet door. Wonderful! I said a little prayer saying that my determination will not falter today...and asking God to help me. I called maintenance and reported it...and they replied back in half English/Japanese that someone will come today or tomorrow. This is not uncommon for a slow reaction to an issue. So when I was cleaning it up and poked my head underneath and saw that it was coming from the garbage disposal itself and not a pipe issue...whew...because then I could still use the other side of the sink. And while on the phone I got the number of the person I have to report the broken tile in the bathroom to...I believe it was Monday and I was taking a shower...Noah was coming in and out from his room to the bathroom. He had a bunch of his kitchen stuff in the bathroom. He must have hit his wooden pot against the 4x2 inch tile(right as you step out of the shower but before the floor) just right because it cracked and broke. I called and reported the issue and the housing officer had to come and inspect. I suppose he looks at anything that isn't regular maintenance. He came and checked it out and I told him that I had dropped a hairspray can and it just cracked and broke up into pieces. He thanked me for being honest(not really...I didn't want to say that I was in the shower and my child beat it with his pot!). A contractor is coming tomorrow to see what materials he will need to fix it as well as maintenance to change a gasket/seal on the garbage disposal. We will have to pay to have the tile fixed...the housing officer said that he knocked it down to only labor and we won't have to pay for material(not that one small tile and the grout used...would be all that much anyway)...this was done as a favor to me. I got all sorts of things accomplished during the rest of nap time including sweeping/mopping the floors(these hardwood floors are great but impossible to keep clean) and three loads of laundry folded. I'm exhausted by this time but still pressing on to accomplish everything on the list for today. We hop in the car and head to the P.O. And then we were headed to the NEX and the park next to the water. This was all great but after stopping at the P.O. I couldn't get Noah to go back into his car seat. I would get one strap over and he knew the second on was coming and he would buck/squirm/twist out of the car seat. I tried four different times to get him to go in. So I'm standing there at the van trying to figure out a way to get him to go in. About this time a woman officer comes out of the dry cleaning place next door and is getting ready to get into her car. I called over to her saying...excuse me Mam, could you do me a favor and see if you can get my son to go into his car seat! No Joke...I really did say this! She smiled and giggled and came over talking to Noah. I handed him to her and she put him right into the seat. She struggled a bit with straps and I could tell that she didn't have any children. Noah was enchanted with her and just smiled and laughed. And just a few short minutes ago when his amazing mom was trying to put him in...he screamed bloody murder! I thank her and we were on our way...ending up at the park. Noah saw some familiar faces to which his face always lights up...from PT Tots, park visits or families from The Lodge. He also played with two older boys maybe ages 9-11ish. They must have lived in the apartment building across the street and decided instead of playing on the big kid playground they would come over and play with the young children. The smaller children would chase, push, and pull on them...as they pretended to be hurt or beat up...ending up on the ground. Noah would then go and sit down on top of them and continue to rough house just like he does with Zack. Noah had a blast as did all of the other children. It was sweet that they decided to play with the young children and also to play in a way that their daddies do with them...considering that most of their daddies were out to sea. We were there for about 90 minutes and Noah let me know when he was done...and he went happily into his car seat. We did our evening routine and then Noah played out in front with the neighbor children...because it was lightly raining and I didn't want to get stuck out when it started to pour. When the rain started really coming down we headed inside and made a cake together. He poured in the ingredients and stirred it up...having a lot of fun. While it was cooking I finally put salt, pepper, flour, sugar etc. into the canister/shakers. Noah asked me what I was doing and I said that I was putting flour in the canister so that we can cook with it. He said flower/flour and rain over to our indoor plant...pointing and saying flower. He was super confused as to why I was going to put the "flower" into the canister to cook with! LOL! And the rest of the evening when pretty uneventful...thankfully because I don't/didn't have the energy to deal with it!

The Happenings

On Sunday, we had a great time going out in town and having lunch with a friend.  I remembered to bring along Noah's new lunch box with his child size chopsticks...and I was finally able to eat a meal without fighting him for the chopsticks!  This was our third time visiting the restaurant and the waitress remembered my order!  Haha!  We then walked down a few stores and visited a 100Y store...this is like an American Dollar Store.  And then down to the craft store.  This store is amazing and I could spend the entire paycheck there!  It's one of those places where you walk in and you want it all...even though you have no idea what you'd do with it or where you would put it...but you want it!  They have a small children's area that is American/European based.  Noah runs towards it and plays with all the samples they have out on a little table for children to use while their parents shop.  I picked up Noah's turtle backpack there.  All the children in Japan wear backpacks.  The moms carry their purses and the children carry their own things.  Zack had been wanting to get Noah one...saying that the Japanese kids can carry their own stuff so Noah can too!  The little Kindergartners wear yellow backpacks and then they also have yellow hats that is part of their uniform...so cute!  All schools have uniforms...and it can cost thousands of dollars just to get your child registered, pay the fees, and get uniforms.  It's serious business here.  That evening I ended up taking Noah to the ER because he had hive spots that weren't responding to Benedryl.  He hadn't eaten or been around anything new that day.  But he does occasionally get them for no reason at all...but this time they were not responding to the Benedryl and some little bumps kept popping up.  It was bedtime and I decided that I was just going to take him in so that I didn't have to worry all night about him.  The hospital here is small and unlike Navy Medical Center Portsmouth(NMCP) when you enter the ER or go to the pharmacy you are called up immediately.  These people are in the back bored out of their minds and jump at a patient coming in!  The Dr. thought that it was a mix of hives and a virus showing in his skin.  So we were in and out in less than an hour.  And all the spots were gone in the morning.  It was new for us to have spots that didn't respond to the Benedryl which makes sense with the Dr. saying he thought it was a virus.  Chicken Pox and Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease is going around young children here on the base as well.

Monday we hung out in the morning because it was the second day of raining(yes the grass I just mowed was now full of growing weeds popping up above the grass).  Then after nap it had stopped raining and we ventured to the P.O. and had six packages waiting for us!  I had to drive around the back to pick them up at the loading dock!  The pump for our pool finally came, which I think we might use this afternoon.  Then we went to the library and returned a few books...and checked out more.  Then it was off to the park next to the water.  It is under a giant shade canopy and face the waterfront.  Noah wanted to swing for most of the hour we were there...just watching the water, boats, and birds.  He loves the sight of water...most likely from looking out the doors in our apartment in VA Beach.  He sat swinging and we talked about everything going on around us...and had a good time playing when he was finally ready to get out of the swing.  Later after supper we headed out on a long walk around the base.  Noah walks the entire way on his own...except the occasional times where I have to pick him up.  He has to hold my hand when we cross the white lines(crosswalks).  He usually does a pretty good job of staying on the sidewalk and not going off on too many "walks to smell the roses".  This time though he was all over the place running and exploring everything.  I know he was excited just to be out again...especially with all the rain we'd been having.  He took a while to go down as well...and kept asking for Zack...and going through the dad is at work earning money thing over and over again.  It's been almost three weeks and he's still holding onto it and hasn't forgotten.  I tell him that daddy loves him and he blows kisses back to Zack.  He also sits on the couch and watches Zack on TV reading him a book.  We did two stories before he left on deployment in May of 2010 and then he made two recordings during this deployment through the Navy program United Through Reading.  So Noah has four total stories of dad reading to him.  He really enjoys it...and this was actually how Noah learned who Zack was and the sound of his voice during the May-Dec. deployment of 2010.

Today(Tuesday)
We did PT Tots this morning and Noah is making friends with a few kids his age.  Today it was a little boy, Kanto(I believe that's the spelling...it's so hard with many spouses being Japanese and then the children usually also have Japanese names).  They had fun playing and sharing together.  He's 17mths old..Noah's 18mths old.  While I was watching Noah play and helping him play...I noticed that in the room there were 20 or so children and parents were speaking...English, Japanese, Spanish, and another language I couldn't identify!  A very diverse group...which is pretty consistent with the base here.  It was one of those days for many of the children and it seemed like at any given time there was a child crying!  Noah did really well and has become familiar with the routine and participated more in the group activities.  Children are not forced to participate but can go and play instead of joining the circle times or parachute....just more practical with children from pre-walking to age 4 all doing the activities.  It's a great program and I'm not sure why more parents don't bring their children.  Later that day we went with a friend to a shop on base that imports items from all around the Pacific...VERY cool place with tons of things I would like to have.  Just a lot of it isn't practical to have around with young children!  I picked up two Chinese/Japanese style silk lanterns from Thailand to hang in Bean's room.  One is pink and other is purple...I'm thinking about having Zack hang them in the corner of the room or above her bed as a mobile...another item on Zack's to do list!  The first being hanging the curtains!  This place is slowly becoming more of a home...it still seems so white though.  I'm thinking that after the curtains are hung it won't seem so white anymore...or I hope so!  And I'm looking forward to not have the sun coming into the room at three in the morning!  I do have a date for Zack coming home...but because of OSPEC I cannot share it...as they say...loose lips sink ships.  And going along with that...during our AOB the NCIS agent came and spoke to us and told us that just like in America there are foreign operatives outside the gate...saying that at that particular time he knew of Russian, Chinese, and North Korean operatives trying to gain information about the base and how it operates.  And he wanted to remind us that we need to watch what we speak about outside of the gates, to taxi drivers, and little old ladies...or anyone that seems to be asking too many questions.  The same was true for Norfolk...the 9/11 terrorists were caught on tape in Norfolk before the attack.  It's hard to think about the reality of the target on the American military...but it does exist.  I've noticed that I now have readers outside of family and friends in foreign countries...so I will continue to be careful about what I post...details about the base, operations, or procedures.