In the meantime

With all this waiting- and waiting, and waiting- to get to Hawaii, we have to keep in mind that life doesn't stand still. We still have children who don't need zombies as parents and we still have to make their days fun and productive. So here's a look at what we've been doing in the meantime...

This afternoon we had a Play-Doh making competition in the back yard.

Marcus started off strong with a Play-Doh Man.

Sierra really liked it :).

I countered with a blue giraffe.

Pretty fabulous if you ask me.

Marcus came back with a canoe.

Not impressive.

We decided it looked better as a nose.


Next came the Elephant competition.
I made a blue elephant.




Charlie and Daddy teamed up to make a pink elephant.




Here's our side-by-side comparison.

Although I think mine has better detail, I really like the color they chose. Also Charlie made all 4 legs by herself and that counts for a lot in my book! Especially considering the fact that their elephant could stand on his legs and mine could not- As you can see Marcus held mine up, removed his hand just before the second picture was snapped, and my elephant collapsed right after.

Unbeknownst to us, while we were busy making elephants Sierra was making Play-Doh sauce.

Sierra- Cute! Play-Doh sauce- Gross.

Charlie made this last elephant all by herself.

I think it's the best one of the afternoon.

Homecoming??? Pt 2 continued

March 20, 12:35pm

We arrived at the terminal at 7:45am.

As soon as we get inside I spot the family of five from yesterday.

WTF are they doing here??

Well, it turns out when yesterdays plane arrived there weren't 10 seats like we'd been told, there were 6. Which meant that after the 2 Cat1 guys got on there weren't enough seats for the family of 5. They were out. The family of 4 with the second Category 2 spot was smart enough to wait around so they were in. Lucky them!!

What time is it? I ask Kiyomi.

8:45.

8:45!! Weren't they supposed to do rollcall at 8:15?

We look at the monitors and notice the screens aren't working. Sensing our confusion, the girl sitting next to us leans in and tells us that a generator is down somewhere and because of it our terminal doesn't have accurate flight info. This means that not only do we not know anything, but the people working here who are supposed to know everything don't know anything.

Just relax Nicole... The generator won't be down forever... Wait it out...

The room held the same familiar faces from yesterday as well as an additional 10 or so people trying to get to Washington. Within minutes of hearing about the generator the voice on the microphone starts calling for the Washington people to check in.

Things are going smoothly for them. I reassure myself. We'll be okay.

The Washington people all get their bags checked and receive their boarding passes. Now they just have to wait to be called to the gate.

Then, the voice on the microphone- I regret to inform you that flight number ### heading to Washington had an early departure. If you are holding a boarding pass for that flight please make your way to the counter to retrieve your bags. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

What did he just say?? I asked myself. Then, as if he heard me, the voice on the mic came back- I repeat, flight number ### heading to Washington has had an early departure. If you are holding a boarding pass for that flight please make your way to the counter to retrieve your bags. Again, sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Confused as hell, the passengers- or ex passengers- make their way to the counter. Then about 2mins later the voice on the mic comes back- Passengers holding boarding passes for flight number ### heading to Washington please make your way to the gate for departure.

What!?

Before the man on the mic had a chance to mess with their emotions again the passengers- turned ex passengers- turned passengers all grabbed their bags and hauled ass to the gate, leaving us, the Hawaii folks, in their dust.

We sit for another 20-30mins with no word from the people behind the counter.

Finally, the voice on the microphone- Will all Category 1 travelers standing by for flight number ### heading to Hawaii pls come to the counter.

No one moves.

Will all Category 2 travelers standing by for flight number ### heading to Hawaii pls come to the counter. Then, just like yesterday, they begin calling people by name. First they call the family of 5. Then they call us. One by one they call up everyone from yesterday it looked like we would all make it.

We checked our bags, received our boarding passes, and made it through security and to the gate without incident. Once at the gate, Marcus and I allow ourselves to relax and crack a few smiles. After about 20mins a man in uniform comes to the gate area and asks if he can have our attention.

Ladies and Gentleman, there is going to be a delay. The plane you are scheduled to travel on (plane A) can not get here until it refuels another plane (plane B). Unfortunately plane B is having trouble and can't be refueled but don't worry, it shouldn't take long.

After he leaves Marcus and I overhear an older Japanese man say that the layover in Yokota (mainland Japan) is supposed to be 17 hours long. Unphased I tell Marcus, That's ridiculous- I'll believe that shit when I'm there and that's what they tell us.

20mins later, the man in uniform comes back. Ladies and Gentleman plane B has had more trouble than they anticipated. We're not sure how much longer the delay will be. Just sit tight, we're doing everything we can for you. Oh and by the way, if you're wondering about the layover in Yokota, the plane will be on the ground for 24hrs.

24hrs? You have GOT to be sh*tting me!!!

Now up until this point I had been working really hard at trying to relax and just go with the flow. But my patience was being tested. What happened next was so unexpected Marcus swears it only happened because the Universe decided the journey couldn't be over, my blog family needed more good stuff to read about...

The uniformed man comes back- Ladies and Gentleman, unfortunately your flight has been delayed 24hours. Please leave and come back tomorrow morning at 0800.

So after some rumbling and grumbling we leave the gate, but not before being informed that this 24hour delay does nothing to change the 24hour layover in Yokota- we'd have to deal with that too.

Marcus and I gather up the girls, our 3 bags, 2 carryons, 2 carseats and 1 stroller and head out. I was NOT happy. I mean, I thought we'd made it! We were so close!! If only the other family of 4 from yesterday had left and we had stayed we would be in Hawaii. That was a good flight too- It left when it was supposed to and it was direct. But no, we have to deal with this 24hr delay, and a 24hour layover in Yokota- What the hell is there to do in Yokota? We've never been there! We don't know anyone there! Uggghhh!!!

Well Marcus and I say screw that flight and screw Yokota. There's a different flight going to Hawaii tomorrow that has a layover in Guam. There are ~20 tentative seats and we're the first people on the list. The layover is still 24hours but Marcus has friends and a cousin in Guam and if we're gonna be somewhere for a day we'd rather be there.

So the journey continues.

Here's to taking our destiny into our own hands and hoping it was the right decision.
Wish us luck!

Homecoming??? A chronicle of my journey home- P2

March 20, 6:51am

We have to be at the terminal on base at 7:55am.

We live 5 mins from the base (it's an additional 5 to the terminal) but Marcus insisted we get up 2 hours early so I could give the girls a bath and we could have breakfast and make it out the door with plenty time to spare.

Everyone has clean bodies and full stomachs.

We're gonna hang here for 30mins before we leave.

I could've used an extra 30minutes in bed.

Not sure if the terminal has wireless but if it does I'll be post an update if we make it on.

Wish us luck!

Homecoming??? A chronicle of my journey home

March 19- 10:15pm.

Today was day 1 of my journey.

Usually one wouldn't refer to a trip home as a journey cause it's not, it's just a trip. You buy your plane tickets and when the happy date arrives you get on the plane and go. There are no unknowns, no adventure, just a trip... right?? Not for us.

I'll explain.

Next weekend my sister in-law is marrying a wonderful guy and we will be in Arizona for the wedding. The wedding date was set long ago and before we even moved to Okinawa we knew that our first trip home would be in March 2009. The plan was to get our tickets early (for a good price!!), wait for our happy day, and then go home and have a great time visiting family and friends. But as we searched for tickets online we realized it wouldn't be that simple.

You see, we are a family of four. Not only are we a family of four but we are living on a single income. Now, don't get me wrong, that single income is great. It has afforded many things, the most important of which is the opportunity for me to stay home with my children until they are school-aged. Which btw is something I never intended for myself but am grateful for everyday. I'll write a blog about it later. Okay where was I?? Oh, our single income. Although our single income provides everything we need and more, it gets lonely sometimes. It misses having another income to play with, to go shopping with, to go on trips and split hotel costs with. And when a family of four needs to take a trip to the other side of the world our single income really, really feels the pain.

Fortunately for us and families like us there's a way to ease that pain. When you live overseas you are eligible to take military flights, provided there's space available, to anywhere in the world- FOR FREE!! So we decided to take a military flight to Hawaii and from there we'd take a commercial flight to Phx. Our single income was happy.

Unfortunately, with these military flights you're pretty much on standby so there are no guarantees. For someone like me- who has to have every detail planned, who always needs to know what's going on, who literally hates not knowing- this.is.torture.

But for a family of four who needs to take a trip to the other side of the the world sometimes it's necessary.
Did I mention it's free?

So here's how (I think) it works. You fill out the required paperwork and get it signed by your boss or command. Then you go to the terminal, get everything stamped and get on the standby list. There are 5 categories. Category 1 is for those going on official gov't business or with okay'd emergency situations while Category 5 is for dependants traveling without their sponsor (ie, us without Marcus). I don't know what the categories in between are, all I know is that Marcus filled out some special form that bumped us up to Category 2. YAY!

The next step is a bit of a headache. You go to the terminal a couple hours before the flight you want to be on is scheduled to leave... and you wait. You wait for the standby list to be read. If you make it, you get on the plane. If not you go home.

This part is not ideal, especially for me, because you don't really know anything. You have to pretend like you know- I mean you have to pretend like you're getting on the flight which means you have to have all your bags there and ready, because who knows, you may actually get on, but you don't know. That is, until you know.

Today we woke up with every intention of being on that plane to Hawaii. We were cautiously optimistic because there were only 10 tentative seats on the flight, and although we were Category 2 there could be other Cat 2s that got on the list before us.

Our friend and Marcus' co-worker Kiomi, who is awesome by the way, drove us to the terminal and played the waiting game with us. We lugged 3 bags, 2 carryons, 2 carseats and 1 stroller in and were met with at least 25 other people who were also hoping to be on that flight.
I scan the room.
Be cool Nik. All these people can't be category 2.
We sit.
We wait.
And wait.

Finally, a voice on the microphone- All Category 1 official or emergency travelers please come to the counter.
Two men get up.
Looking good, I think to myself.

All Category 2 Active Duty or DOD Civilian travelers please come to the counter.
He starts calling off names. Yadda... Yadda... Updegraff.
We were the third name called.
We're high on the list, I think to myself. We might make it.

Unfortunately, the first Category 2 guy has a family of 5. I instantly realize there are only 3 seats left. The second Category 2 guy has a family of 4. They give him the option of splitting up his family.He declines.
They give us the same option.
We decline.
We decline because in order for us to remain Cat 2 Marcus would have to travel with the girls and leave me to try a flight on another day. And I could've done that, but since my sponsor wouldn't be with me I'd get bumped down to Category 4 therefore lessening my chances of making it at all.

So we left. We lugged all our sh*t back to the car and drove home.

There are 3 flights tomorrow. Each with 10 tentative seats. Again I am cautiously optimistic. The family of 5 is gone, kickin' it in Hawaii by now. There's still the family of 4 ahead of us on the list but unless there are a couple dozen emergencies that go down between now and 8am tomorrow morning, we should make it.

Here's hoping!

PS. If you're wondering why we chose Hawaii instead of someplace closer (like Washington or Northern California), it's because I've never been. Marcus and I were supposed to have our Honeymoon in Hawaii but life happened and we wound up never going. My awesome husband saw this as an opportunity to give me my trip to Hawaii. If we're lucky we'll get there in enough time to relax and enjoy it for a few days before heading to AZ.
If we're really lucky we'll also get to hang there for a few days on our way back :).

New Hair

I got new hair. I think it's fabulous it but my husband... well, he's not as enthused about it as I am.

See, we're going home soon. In a 2 and a half week span we plan to visit 3 states, see lots of family and friends and be in a wedding (the girls, not us). And in my excitement I decided to switch it up and surprise everyone with a fabulous new look!

Marcus and I talked about what style I would get. I said just about shoulder length. He said long. I said straight bangs. He said side-swept bangs. I pulled up picture after picture on the internet of girls with a similar look and settled on this.

I LOVE This. Of course my bangs wouldn't be as severe, but straight bangs are in right now- at least I think they're still in. Plus I think if you're cute you can pretty much pull off anything, and those who know me know I think I'm cute ;). But the biggest thing I had going for me is that I've done straight bangs before and they were a hit.

Now I did the bangs with short hair mind you but I wore this style at a concert and got tons of compliments. Point is I thought I was making a good decision. I reassured myself on the way to my appointment... What does Marcus really know about hair?! Surely not as much as I do. Just wait, he thinks he won't like it but once he sees me he'll love it!!

Well, last night he saw it and he didn't love it which really bums me out.

He actually said it takes away from my cuteness. In fact, he said my afro (that I had after I took my braids out- Black girls know what I'm talking about) was cuter. OUCH!!

Needless to say, now I'm not as confident- and all ladies know confidence is key to pulling off any look. I mean, I look at myself and I still really like it... but it's hard to love it knowing that my husband hates it.

He even got up early this morning and left for work before I woke up. So be honest with me, I think I can take it...

Did he totally leave early so he wouldn't have to see me?

Update!

I like it- 6

I don't- 2

My friend Angie took this picture of me at lunch.

Photo Blog- Okinawa World

A couple weekends ago we took a trip to Okinawa World which is a theme park about Okinawan culture. The park's 2 biggest attractions are the Gyokusendo Cave the snake museum.

We had lots of fun and took tons of pictures.
Here are my favorites.
Enjoy :)

My girls as Shisa Dogs.

Shisa Dogs are mythical creatures that are said to protect dwellings and the people inside them from evil spirits. They always come in pairs.

The Gyokusendo Cave is the longest cave in Okinawa and the second largest in all of Japan. It is five kilometers long. 850 meters of it is open to the public. It takes forever to walk through, but it is very cool.

There were tons of underground streams and waterfalls. Marcus and I joked that the water was probably the cleanest, freshest water you would ever get a chance to drink- but neither of us were brave enough to taste it.

Charlie and Marcus decided to make a wish instead.

When you enter the snake museum tons of pictures line the walls. I'm sure it's because I'm a parent but this picture, by far, made me the most uneasy.

A couple snake skeletons.

Apparently snakes eat each other, who knew?

You can also check out a shop where they make and sell Habu Sake.

Your eyes are not deceiving you- that is the shed skin of a single snake wrapped around this pillar.

The salesladies fell in love with our girls.

We also got a chance to get up close and personal with a few snakes.

They were non-poisonous of course.

My Superman Is Home!!

Hey everyone, I know you're all wondering how my Dad is doing. I've updated a few people individually but I was just reminded that I've yet to share the good news with my blog family (thanks Aunt Joy & Tam).

Well, on Tuesday Superman had surgery to remove the what was left of his tumor and reverse his stoma. This morning my mom called me from the airport and told me that even though we were told that he might have to stay in Chicago for a few weeks, the doctors said he was well enough to come home!

I'm so happy and thankful that the big guy is on his way home... I feel like this huge weight has been lifted.

I can't thank you guys enough for you prayers and concern!!
You rock :)