June on the West Coast

Can you believe it is June already?! Time is just breezin' on by.  I love the summertime. It's sunny. It's warm/hot. Everyone is motivated to get out and do something. I love that here on the west coast there is little to no humidity..and it's great! I am definitely going to soak it up while I can because in about 26 days or so we are landing on the Island of Humid (wonderful..).

So now that we are back from the east coast fun, what's next?  Well, as of now we are living with a Captain friend of ours who works with the hubby.  He insisted we move in so we can save money by not paying rent on the apartment plus utilities. I believe we are in West Sacramento which is really close to downtown (which means cheaper cabs!).  The house is nice and it's so great having a real bed and a stocked kitchen! It's still the hubs, nephew and I so it's a pretty full house. We found a show to watch marathon style as a "family" in the evenings so that's been fun. Break out the wine, beer, what-have-you.

This weekend the Mr. and I are driving to Santa Cruz for our friend's wedding! I  have never been and I hear there are beaches (score!) so we are leaving first thing Saturday morning that way we can hit up a beach before getting ready for the ceremony.  Next weekend is a free weekend, the weekend after we have our Reno going away party which I'm pretty excited for! The following weekend we have a retirement ceremony to attend, then a few days after that we start our drive up to Seattle to get on our flight to Oki (the drive is not mandatory, we thought a little alone time road trip and saving Petrie hours on a flight in his carrier would be a good idea!)!

In the meantime I'm just trying to sit back and relax until I have to pack up my stuff (again!) and deal with the stresses of moving to a new area (where are we living? what should I paint the walls? when is our stuff arriving? what is happening with Petrie and the quarantine process? when can I get my Okinawa license and a car for that matter!? job? friends? closest store? snake and bug security? the list can go on and on..). We still have to sell the car, which Matt found a pretty great deal at Carmax, I'd like to make it to the gym more often and see as much of the friends as possible.  It's crazy to think in a month from now I would have been living the island life for a day already!  Yikes!  :)

The Goodbye's

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you don't know when, exactly, you will be seeing that person again.  Our trip to the east coast was a bittersweet one for me. Sweet in the sense that it's always a great time spending time with the people you love. Sweet in knowing that you are making this trip because a great adventure is up ahead and the hubs and I get to expand our wings.  For me, at times it was more bitter than sweet. Like having to say goodbye to my grandparents (Nanny and Papa) in Louisiana. Not only do I not know when I will see them again, but there is the big question of if.  They are in their mid-80's. Nanny is having problems with short term memory. I just worry about them. Papa is still very independent and sharp as a tack. Even though, due to a leg problem, he uses a scooter to get around, he still does the cooking, he takes care of Nanny, he grills outside, finds a way to do his own yard work, work on miscellaneous projects I'm not aware of, etc etc.  He told us a few days ago he wants to live to 102. I told him I am holding him to that!  So, I'm hoping to goodness that they remain lively healthy for a long long time so I can make a few more visits at least. 


As for the rest of the trip, Matt and I had a great time! We went to the Boston area first and his sister threw a great Bon Voyage party where Matt got to see a lot of old friends and family! In Virginia we spent time with family, got to celebrate my little sister's birthday, karaoke, and had our own last hoorah shin dig in Adams Morgan DC. That was the last night I spent with my best friends. *sigh*...hopefully they may get an itch to visit the lovely island of Okinawa! I'll get started on my persuasion very soon!

It wasn't easy saying "see you later" to my dad and Rachel (sister). I know my dad is very supportive of our move, and it makes it easier to know I'll "be right back". Two years will fly.  I do miss him already, though. First thing I'm doing is getting Skype. Final answer.

Mom, Matt and I drove down to Louisiana to visit Nanny and Papa. We stopped at LSU in Baton Rouge and ate at Mike Andersons (amazing crab meat au gratin..yum yum) then drove by the stadium to check out Mike the Tiger. I'm glad I got to spend extra time with my mom since I know she is taking this the hardest. Oh, she is oh-so-excited for Matt and I (she knows more about what to do in Oki than I do!) and can't wait to hear all about it, but at the same time she gets very emotional at the thought of us moving so far away. She is a mom, after all :)   Looks like I may have to have a baby over there to get her to come visit! haha    Matt and I are going to try to come back to the states for Christmas, if his work allows it. If not Christmas, then we are going to attempt a month close to that.  I haven't gone more than a few months without seeing my family..so this will definitely be a challenge. But, like I keep telling myself, "it's only two years..if my year and a half in Cali has flown, then this will definitely fly. Absorb it. Take advantage. Have no fears and no regrets". That's my goal, anyway.

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!