Good News & Bad News... Part 2

The good news is our internet is connected- YAY! I have tons of catching up to do and hopefully in the next few days I can blog about all of the really cool things I've done and the people I've met. Also, I haven't forgotten that I have to post before and after pictures of my upstairs patio and my backyard.
The bad news is we still have no furniture. It was supposed to be here on Friday. When Marcus came home from work though he told me that not only was our furniture not here, but that the housing office doesn't know where it is... like it's lost... possibly at sea... my guess is it's in the hands of Somali pirates which would be funny except that it's not. Either way we're stuck sleeping on futons and air mattresses (thanks Kelly!) and eating on the floor. The housing office said to check back with them on Wednesday to see if they have any more information. Wish us luck!

Good News & Bad News...

The good news is we moved into our new house! Our furniture won't arrive until the 21st so we're kind of roughing it right now. That's okay though, I'm still excited. I've already redone the backyard with a tile walkway and artificial grass for the girls (it used to be a long concrete slab). Anyhow I can't wait to upload pictures so I can show you guys :).
The bad news is we don't have Internet service and it won't be hooked up for another 2wks :(. The Internet is my lifeline to you guys. I haven't had it for a few days and without it I haven't been able to check up on my parents or my friends. I couldn't call my big brother on his 40th birthday -Happy Birthday Charles Jr!!!. I can't catch up on my Black Celebrity Gossip. I have NO idea what's going on in the States. I'm completely in the dark! Aaaagggghhhh!! Seriously I just want to scream!! I'm currently at the USO using their wireless network but the girls are NOT making it easy for me to be here so I'm sure I won't be coming back.
Anyway just wanted to tell you all why you haven't heard from me and let you know that you most likely won't hear from me for another 2weeks.
Don't forget me...
Love you
-Nik

Picture Of The Week

Adoration.

Every parent wants their child to feel it, me included.

Like all parents, I want my girls to know more than anything that they are loved and cherished and I tell them often. I also want them to know that Mommy is proud of everything they do and to be certain that they're sure of it I load up on the praise. I mean I lay it on. When Charlie puts an outfit together on her own it's always FABULOUS! If Sierra sounds like she's singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star I listen and give her the same attention and applause I would give to the worlds greatest singer. Jokes with punchlines I don't understand are met with roaring laughter and drawings of dogs that look like trees are treated as if they were the finest artwork I'd ever seen.

The crazy thing is though, much more often than not, my praise is sincere. I'm so in love with my girls that I really believe that everything they do is wonderful. Now I'm not delusional. I mean I know that a drawing of a dog that looks like a tree is nothing to write home about, but creativity is... And Charlie's jokes aren't always funny but that little girl is really clever and sometimes she does have flashes of comedic genius... And Sierra singing Twinkle, Twinkle little Star is impressive considering she can't talk and she's only ever heard the song a few times. So I clap. I laugh. I oooh and ahhh. I tell them that they're wonderful and smart and kind and brave. I shower them with hugs and kisses.

So far its worked. I see confidence in my girls. They aren't afraid to make friends because they consider everyone their friend anyway. They aren't afraid to share ideas and speak their minds because they know they are smart and no matter what their opinions are valid. They are happy and they know that Mommy and Daddy adore them.

But I want more. I want Charlie and Sierra to know that they are so special everyone they meet can see it.

I was warned before I got here that strangers might come up to my children and rub their heads for luck. Although it typically happens to children with blonde hair (because blonde hair is so rare out here), it happens to kids with really curly hair too. At first I didn't feel good about that. I'm no fan of strangers coming up and touching my children. But when we got here and it started happening it wasn't weird or negative at all. In fact its been great. People love our girls. Everywhere we go people come up to them and tell them how beautiful and sweet they are. Teenage girls want to hold them. Old ladies want to hug them and hold their hands. Naturally, I am on guard when someone I don't know is close to my girls. But I realize that the people who do this make my girls feel the way I try to make them feel everyday. They make them feel special. They make them feel adored. They make them feel the way I believe all children should feel.

This is where my picture of the week comes in. A few weeks ago when we were at the Sea Wall some young girls walked by us and could not take their eyes off of Charlie and Sierra. They started talking and laughing with them. They asked if they could take a picture with them. We said yes, as we have before, and this time we were ready with our camera as well. Enjoy :).

In MY lifetime...written before the results were posted

Today is a big day!! I woke up with a nervous stomach and a heart that was beating so hard that it seemed as if it would beat right out of my chest. Last night I told Marcus that I wouldn't turn on the TV and he would have to call me to tell me what happened. Yeah, that didn't last... I've been glued to various news stations and election coverage all day.

Since I started this blog I've debated with myself about whether or not I would discuss this election. I decided I wouldn't. I mean you guys read to find out what's going on with my family, not to hear my views on politics. Also, I know that my political views differ greatly from many people that I love and care about. That said, I'm sure that they'd be about as excited to read about my love and adoration for Barack Obama as I'd be to hear about how they feel Sarah Palin is qualified to become Vice President. What I'm getting at is neither one of us would want to hear that mess (feel free to assign the term "mess" to whichever one of those notions is mess to you).

That was the plan... but today I received an interesting email and my response to that email prompted me to change my mind. The email came from someone I love and respect, someone I think is an awesome lady and a great mom and who not only cares about people, but devotes a huge part of her life working for an organization which cares for those who can not care for themselves. Her email had nothing to do with politics, but it ended with the following paragraph...

PS. I know you will read this, and I hope you're not upset with me for sharing...

She wrote...
"Well, today is the day Obama will likely win the election...in spite of the fact he has what seems to me, an overwhelming amount of negative factors. Like ----- (name deleted to protect the identity of the sender of this email), I am a very worried Republican. I guess ultimately the public will get what they vote for. I hope they are happy with the results....and I hope the country survives. I worry about all the Democratic power that will be behind his office too. Sigh. The American public are simply looking at the tax breaks they think they will get, and the refunds they think they are going to get. Not going to happen as they forget if a higher tax bracket business is taxed more, those businesses will just filter their added costs down through their product. The middle class worker is going to pay either way. This is not to even discuss Obama's controversial alliances. Wow!! It amazes me how stupid, self-centered, narrow focused, and short sighted people can be. Sigh."

End.

I was not the least bit upset or offended at this email. Like I said, the person who sent it to me is wonderful and as I read it I took it for what it was, an honest and candid opinion about a very important election.

As I responded to what the email was really about I was unsure what I would write in response to that last paragraph, if anything. I started out just letting her know, hey, btw, I'm an Obama supporter. But what poured out of me after that was something so honest and real, and unexpected, that I had to share it.

My response...
"The bottom of your email was interesting to me because I'm an Obama supporter :). I mean I love him! I wasn't offended by your email or anything so I don't want you to worry about that :), but I am always curious to see why people support one candidate over another.
I support Obama because I believe that he really wants to see this country go in a different direction. I don't think anyone can argue, no matter what your party affiliation, the fact that our county is worse off today than we were 8 years ago. Our economy is worse, unemployment rates are worse, international relations are worse and I think the average American has a less optimistic view of their own future as well as the future of the country as a whole. I've never liked politicians- Democrat or Republican- to me they all seem phony, they will say one thing to get elected and then do another to keep the people and interest groups who give them money, happy. They also, and of course this is my opinion, seem to be disconnected from the rest of the country, so if they made decisions based on party loyalty or a different kind of politics it's not like they would be affected.
With Obama though I feel that he feels that he has a stake in what happens to this country. That if the economy doesn't get turned around, if things in this country don't get turned around he too will be in big trouble. His family and people that he cares about will be in big trouble. I believe he's being sincere when he says that it's not about being a Democrat or a Republican but about being an American and that the leadership in both parties have a lot of changes that need to be made in order to be what their supporters not only expect of them, but also what they need of them. I think he cares about everyone in this county being successful, not just those who look like him and/or are in the same social class as him.
I could care less about the tax breaks. We're gonna get taxed one way or another. And regarding his questionable alliances, both candidates have questionable alliances and have made questionable decisions during their political careers. I think we are all guilty of pointing out one candidate's alliances while ignoring the other's depending on who we support.
Anyway that's part of why I'm supporting him... But there's more!
I know you're probably like "Oh Brother!" but you have to keep reading.

I'm excited about his presidency!! I'm more excited for it than I have been for anything in my entire life!! I know you won't be able to relate to this and may not even understand why it would be a big deal to me but I'll share anyway :).

Black people in this country never want to articulate this or say it out loud, but there are things that we know (or I guess now, knew) for a fact could never be accomplished. As a person, that's a hard pill to swallow- the notion that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you work there are just some doors that will never be opened to you. As a parent it's even harder. I used to tell my mom all the time that I would be the First Black Female President of the United States and she loved to hear me say it and she would smile and encourage me but (I know) she didn't believe it. It's not easy to look at your children and tell them that they can be anything when our reality has been that they can't. I mean my parents were born in the 40's, they remember WHITE ONLY water fountains and grown Black men being called "boy"... And the fact that a Black man could possibly be President of the United States!... The same country that enslaved and lynched us, the country that didn't even count us as complete human beings (remember the 3/5ths rule in the Constitution?), the country that systematically disenfranchised and intimidated us with it's Separate but Equal and Jim Crow legislation, and unfair voter registration practices, respectively... the fact that THIS country is on the verge of electing a Black man as President provides so much hope for so many people that's it's... immeasurable. I'm crying just typing this email. This, to me, feels like we too can be a part of the American Dream, which truthfully many Black people don't feel a part of. This means that my future son will, when he's little, be able to look at his life and his future with no limits... And if he says to me, "Mom, I want to be President one day" I can look at him and tell him that he can and know that I'm not lying to him. For people who have never had that- it's beyond, I mean beyyyoooonnndd huge. It's just, it's really hard to explain how important it is for me, for us. "

End.


So that's it. That's how I feel.
It's hard to live in a place that doesn't want you there. America is the greatest country on this Earth but it hasn't always been. And although things are SO, SO, SO much better for people of color than they used to be there is a part of us that feels that we are still not a part of the "American Dream". Obama's Election means to me that the American Dream is for us! More importantly, it means that America is not just reluctantly including us in that Dream but that America wants us as a part of that Dream... the symbolism in that is something that ALL Americans should be proud of.

By the way her response to my response was that, while she's not necessarily in line with Obama's politics, she does recognize what it means that a Black man can be elected to lead our nation and that's she's proud of what that says in terms of how far our country has come.

Of course this whole thing- my support of him in this election, his presidency- isn't about Barack Obama being a Black man but this part of my blog, of my journey, is. Some of you who read this won't understand or even like what I'm saying and that's okay, but that doesn't lessen it's importance.

UPDATE!!
Okay so, I'm finishing this blog and Marcus calls me, and while we were talking CNN projected Barack Obama as the President Elect. Just right now!! Like a minute ago! So here come the tears... again. This sense of pride and joy and renewed hope and faith in our country that has come over me is unreal and indescribable and I'm not sure how to effectively explain it to someone who doesn't already feel it.
This is a good day for my family- my parents and my children...
It is a good day for my ancestors...
It is a good day for my country...

PS. Negative comments are NOT welcome on this post!!... Or on any for that matter considering all of my posts are about my family :).
That means NO negative comments about my views, OR the views expressed in the email that prompted this post. You may disagree... but you will be respectful!

Picture of the Week

Best Ruby Slippers... EVER!

This Halloween Charlie dressed up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I thought the costume would be simple enough. A blue dress, a basket with a dog in it, two french braids and ruby slippers. But early on we ran into a problem! We couldn't find ruby slippers anywhere! Angie (one of the wives) and I drove around to store, after store, after store with no luck. Finally we had an idea... We bought a little pair of white inside shoes, got some red gllitter glue at the craft store, put in a little sweat equity and voila! Behold, the best ruby slippers ever!!

Halloween- We're off to see the Wizard

Halloween can be tricky in a foreign country. Especially when you don't have a neighborhood. Luckily the various bases out here are very creative and do what they can to make Halloween as enjoyable as possible for the kiddies. I know you're all dying to hear about it! So let's get to it.

Our plan was to be characters from the Wizard of Oz.

Charlie would be Dorothy. Sierra would be the Wicked Witch. Marcus would be the Scarecrow and I would be the Tin Man.
But thanks to a shortage of silver face paint, and Marcus being sent to Guam, I became the Scarecrow.

The Halloween Festivities started early and on the 30th I got the girls in their costumes and we went with the Franks to have some good, clean, Halloween fun. Camp Foster, the base where we're staying, held an event called "Trunk or Treat". It's called Trunk or Treat because instead of being held in a neighborhood it's held in an empty lot where people park their cars and the kids go from trunk to trunk to trick or treat for candy. Sounds lame right? Wrong!! There were tons of kids there and these people really go all out with their trunk decorations.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the night.

Dorothy and the Princess (Charlie & Summer).

The girls and Superman, Conner, who as you can tell was not the least bit interested in posing for my pictures.


Sierra hanging out with a fireman and Scooby Doo.

The kids running around having a great time.


A couple decorated cars.

Charlie trunk or treating.

JAWS!!!! -Check out the scuba diver that Jaws ate on the way over.

This gets my vote for Best Costume Of The Night!

After scaring Summer half to death the wearer of this costume lifted his mask to reveal himself as a regular 10 or 12yr old kid. When I asked him what he was trick or treating as, he told me he was... wait for it... the Economy.

How hilarious is that?!

More pictures of my beautiful girls :).



At the end of the night Dorothy and the Wicked Witch had a spit bubble contest. Dorothy should've known that she could never compete with the Wicked Witch in something as vile as blowing spit bubbles.

October 31st

When the girls woke up on Halloween they wanted to get into their costumes immediately. We ran a few errands and you'll never guess who we ran into at the grocery store...

It was Glenda the Good Witch, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion!!!

Later that evening, the Scarecrow joined Dorothy and the Wicked Witch for trick or treating.

Charlie and Summer were joined at the hip.

This is Dorothy catching a glimpse of what happens when you cross the Wicked Witch. The poor, headless soul laying behind her incurred the Witch's wrath and met a horrible fate.

Unfortunately, later that night, so did the Scarecrow.