Daddy's Home

Yeah! Karl arrived safely home from Afghanistan late on Memorial Day. We are very excited to have him home. Karl will have about two weeks off before he reports back to the realities of life. In the meantime, we are making up for lost time by taking him to all of our favorite places such as the aquarium, RoundOne, and the beach. The poor man has been home almost a week and has yet to unpack!!

Our Welcome Home Banner

Carolyn and her friend Oliver waiting for their dads to arrive

Karl and I are also very lucky. We leave tomorrow for four days to Hong Kong, while Mary watches the kids for us. We're looking forward to exploring the city; especially, all of the restaurants and the nightlife. Hong Kong sounds very similar to NYC with an Asian vibe. In addition to tasting some dim sum, we both are looking forward to some good pasta and red wine. I guess we'll have to go on some hikes to work off all of our eating!

Okinawan Art

A visit to Okinawa is not complete without an Okinawan pedicure. You know how when your finishing your pedi and the little Vietnamese lady asks you if you want a flower on your big toe. You like the idea of it, but there is no way your spending an extra $5 bucks for a silly flower! Well, imagine paying the traditional pedi price and receiving the most beautiful, intricate toe art. That is an Okinawan pedicure. While relaxing in your chair sipping tea, you pour over hundreds of designs trying to decide which one reflects your mood, the season, your outfit, etc. I took Ange and the girls to Coko's, an Okinawan institution. Being virgin Oki pedi gals, they were overwhelmed with the choices. At first Ange was leaning towards the conservative side, something simple, no wild colors or designs; then it clicked. This is a fun removable way to express yourself! The artist in her emerged. Here are a few pics from our day.

In celebration of Karl’s pending return this weekend, the girls and I updated our looks. Ella chose flowers after switching mid painting from hearts. After three consultations with the employees, Ella’s choice was honored. I’ve learned you are not supposed to deviate from directions, written or unwritten. It just throws the whole order of things off. You can only follow one path and one path only. For instance, you can’t add more people to your table or you’ll food will come two hours later. Maybe that is what makes Americans so successful; we support creativity, thinking outside of the box. The Japanese are all about order and tradition.

Anyway, back to toe art. Carolyn chose cherry blossoms. Meghan and I got hearts. I have an added personal touch, with “I love Karl” written on the big toes. Can you tell we missed him? I can’t wait to share homecoming pictures!

Mother's Day Race

What a fantastic mother’s day! The Courtney Girls (Amanda, Misty, Chris, Elisha and I) competed in a 25K relay race sponsored by the MCCS Futenma MCAS. We each had to run 5K except for myself and Elisha who ran an extra quarter of a mile at the start and finish. It was a grueling course. The second mile was continuous hills; where in many ways the race was won or lost. We saw several seasoned runners struggle with those hills. I started us out, ending with a decent position in front of every woman’s team but one. We spent the remainder of the race ticking off the seconds. We all ran hard; there was even puking involved. Elisha brought victory home with an amazing final leg. Our finishing time was 2:07:46. We were the first in our division and 6th overall. Not too bad! Ian, Amanda’s husband, helped us toast our victory with a frosty beer for each of us. It just added to a wonderful experience. Not only did we win, but we were brazen enough to bring beer to celebrate! I almost enjoyed that moment more than the awards ceremony—almost.

I wish I could say I had a relaxing day afterwards. But there was no rest for the victor. We went to Mother’s Day brunch with our families still sweaty from the race, wearing our race shirts and sporting our trophies. I had about an hour down time after my shower before the kid’s bickering lead to a couple of hours at the beach. Either I could pretend I would get some downtime but really settle squabbles or give into their wishes and take them swimming. It was a wise choice. I hope all you mom’s had just as wonderful Mother’s Day.

Before race photo

Our time

Victory beer

Easter Egg Hunt

Okay so I'm a month behind...the pictures are still worth the post. Our neighborhood held an Easter egg hunt the Friday before Easter. The kids were divided into two groups 0-6 and 6+. I was a little worried at first that Carolyn wouldn't be able to keep up with the big kids. She held her own, even scoring some of the well hidden money eggs. Every kid came home with their coffers more than filled. Afterwards, we went to the Sullivan's for a wonderful potluck dinner.

Marta leading the charge

And there off...

Danny Sullivan

Ella examining her spoils

Ella and Evan

Carolyn

Meghan, Peter and Mason

Mason and Meghan

This posting is a little bittersweet. Both the Sullivans and Fullwoods have since left for Camp Lejeune. The island just isn't the same with out their laughter, generosity and warm hearts.

Happy 3rd Birthday Ella

We celebrated Ella's birthday a few days early so Grandmom and Opa could join us. She requested an Ariel cake. As always I had fun making it, even watching Ange have a go with the frosting. Ella was very pleased with the results as you can see from the pictures.

We also celebrated with dinner at Sam's By The Sea. The food and atmosphere were great. The girls can't wait to take Karl when he returns. The restaurant serves the kids drinks in skull cups, with a monkey hanging from the straw coming out one eye and a cherry shoved in the other. Meghan, being Meghan, freaked out over the skull. So I turned it around. After a few sips, I politely informed her that she was sucking his brains. That just sent her over the edge!! The cup was promptly replaced with a traditional cup. That kid has no sense of humor. :)

Promotion to LtCol

Congratulations Karl! We are so proud of you!