Happy 2008!

I can hardly believe it is New Year's Day already. Where did 2007 go? It was a good year. May 2008 be even better. Happy Happy New Year from our house to yours!



WE hung out with our neighbors tonight and the kids had glow sticks and "poppers" to let off. They had a blast.


Owen found the light sabers and the confetti found me.

For GramZ

My "jammie dress"

She didn't really cooperate for a picture but she sure is cute in it :)

SpiderMan 4

Today we went to Comprehensive Park again, but this time we took bikes and explored a little more. We started at the great playground we found the first time we went but then the kids found a track to ride bikes/scooters on and from there we saw a spider web jungle gym. We headed that way and found the spider web and another playground with a zip line. One of Owen's most favorite things about Okinawa is zip lines. I have to agree with him they are pretty fun. I tried one at another park where there weren't so many people watching. We went to the park with our friends Shari, Kaitlyn, and Kyle. After the kids wore themselves out we headed to McDonald's for lunch. I now know why McDonald's has picture menus. It is for people like me who can't read Japanese or ask for a happy meal in Japanese. Luckily, the good people at the McDonald's made it simple for this American and all I have to do is point and smile. We filled up on some fast food and a Japanese veggie juice box and went home for naps. It was a good day.





Owen on the zip line




Spiderman's jungle gym




SpideyO

Christmas Lessons From My Kids

My Angels Before Church on Christmas Eve


Her grown up Christmas Dress



As I sat in church tonight or rather chased my toddler in church tonight I was thinking about Mary. I wondered if she ever tried to sit through Christmas Eve service with Jesus as a toddler. Or any service for that matter. We only think about Jesus as an infant and as an adult, but not really about how he grew up. Did Mary have to whip out the goldfish to keep him quiet. Did he try to race his cars on the pew? Did he crawl to the end of the pew just to get away and then stand up and run? Did Mary ever think Why on earth did I drag these kids to church tonight in the wind and rain?

Then as I chased Alison up the stairs to the cry room one last time and she looked back at me with that sweet grin and eyes all aglow with wonder I felt that Jesus himself was smiling at me. I felt like He said "this is why you brought them. Because I love them. Because I made them in my image and they need to know about me. You brought them here so they could know me." I don't think Jesus cares about them sitting still or being completely quiet. I think He likes to hear their joyful noises, probably more than I do.

So we raced home to get the kids to bed because it is Christmas Eve and Christmas doesn't come unless you go to sleep. I was wanting to rush through it and get to the wrapping, and stocking stuffing when Owen asked "Why is Jesus the King of all Kings?" Wow, he did hear something at church. I guess it doesn't have to be silent to learn about God. Afterall it is a birthday party so there should be some noise. So maybe this Christmas I'll try to be more like my children. I'll try to have more fun and find Jesus in the simple things. He's there if I just look for Him. I hope you find Him this Christmas too.

Remembering Christmas

One big thing I remember about Christmas is my mom's cookies. I've been told that my Grandma Fox was a fantastic cook. I wish I could remember that, but I don't. My mom is a fantastic cook and hospitality is definitely her gift. She must have taken after her mother. At Christmastime my mom always made what seemed like 100's of different cookies and candy. Everyone looked forward to my mom's cookie trays. If you were lucky enough to be one of our neighbors or someone my Dad worked with than you have undoubtedly enjoyed some of my mom's Christmas goodies. I've had lots of favorites over the years, Pecan tassies, fudge jumbles, chocolate crinkles, sugar cookies, spritz, and monster cookies to name a few. I can still remember how she would store them all in tins out in the garage because it was always cold enough out there to keep them fresh. I would go out to cure my sweet tooth and freeze my toes just to find the right cookie.

The other day I mixed up some monster cookies and baked them. Alison came in while they were in the oven and looked in the window and said "ooh cookie". It made me sad. I picked up that sweet girl and told her how I wish she could be in GramZ's kitchen making cookies. I hate that part about living here. The part that means my baby will be 4 years old before she can spend Christmas with GramZ again. I don't want my little ones not to remember what a great cook their GramZ is and all the special treats she makes them. I can picture Alison in a little apron helping my mom and learning all her secrets. I guess it's best that she will be 4 when she starts baking with GramZ because really right now all she'd make is a mess. And GramZ hates a mess in her kitchen. :)

Mom still makes lots of cookies at Christmastime although she has cut back quite a bit. She will act like she's not good at it and even try to say it's just too much effort but she's lying. She is very good at it and she makes it seem effortless. Unfortunately, I did not inherit my grandma's or my mom's ability to cook and with our present lack of kitchen utensils we'll be lucky to have slice and bakes for Santa this year. Too bad we can't go out to the garage and take what we want from Mom's stash. Thanks for all of the cookies and the memories mom, we'll be missing them this year!

Mommy Has Left the Building

Last night for the first time since we've been here I went out by myself with a few ladies for dinner. It was so nice to have adult conversation and no one screaming for milk or trying to suck lemonade up their nose through a straw. We went to a garlic restaurant and it was wonderful. It's the kind of place where you pick several things to order and then share. Everything was delicious and of course garlicky. After dinner we went to Starbucks and hung out for a little while. It was my first trip to the Starbucks here and it is right across the street from my base. I had the chocolate mint mocha and I'm thinking I need to go get a few more of those before they're gone until next year. It was a great outing and just the break I needed. When I got home Jeff said Alison cried for me for about 30 minutes at bedtime. I felt bad, but only for about 2 seconds. I knew she was safe and for crying out loud I left her with her dad not a stranger. She will get used to being without me again, I hope. I need a periodic outing to regain my mommy strength.

Owen and I went to visit his school today for an interview. Despite the fact that he acted totally shy and wouldn't answer any questions the principal asked she said she didn't see any reason he couldn't start in January. He will attend Okinawa Christian School International, http://www.ocsi.org/ , starting January 8th. We are very excited about this opportunity. He will be in the K4 class and he will be the 10th student in the class. He got to see his class and the other students today. The Japanese children are so adorable. They all said "hi Owen!"There are other American children at the school too. It is about a 20 minute drive in good traffic but I think it will be worth it. He can take a bus but I'm not ready to put my baby on a bus for that long. Maybe next year. The school is celebrating their 50th year this year and seems to be very strong academically. It is located up on a hill in the Yomitan area of Okinawa. It has an incredible view of the East China Sea. We think Grandpa will be jealous that Owen gets to see the ocean everyday and he doesn't.

Not much else new here. Jeff is on the inpatient service this week and it seems to be going well. We're still trying to figure out how many hours this new job is going to take. It doesn't seem any worse than residency so far and hopefully it will be better.

It's 9:36pm and I need to go watch Fox and Friends. It is so strange to watch it before bed rather than when I'm getting up, but at least I can watch it. Have a good Wednesday!

We've Been Elfed

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1416065694

Playing BabyDolls

We decided before we moved that we would have the kids share a room so that we could have a playroom in the new house. We'll see if it lasts but we figured it was worth a shot. This morning Jeff was setting up O's train and Alison came in wheeling her stroller and two baby dolls. She began talking a mile a minute, but we had no idea what she was saying. I asked her what her baby's names were and Owen jumped in and said "we just had the babies". I said "oh did you have twin baby girls?" He said "yes, their names are Marshmallow and Lamb". We thought it was sweet but he certainly won't get the job of naming any real babies at our house. Not that we are having anymore babies, but if we did he wouldn't name them.

Odds and Ends

Hello all,

We are moved in. Slowly getting settled. Now that everything is where we want it I imagine our household goods will show up just to mess things up again. I'd almost not mind the mess of the boxes yet to come since it means we will get our bed. How I miss my bed. The government doesn't believe in pillow top mattresses. Don't get me wrong I am totally thankful that the have given me a bed to use until mine comes, it is just not what I would choose should I be given a choice. I'm learning a lot about choices and needs and wants these days. It amazes me what I can live without when it is not an option. Like House and Grey's Anatomy, haven't seen those since we left the states. Oh, and The Office, I think that is on the AFN but it's last season. Today I took the kids to a park. It was awesome. So many things to climb and cool slides. One thing I have been excited about moving here was the parks. There are many more for us to find and explore. Our tree is up and it looks great, in my humble opinion. It's not as nice as my big tree back home but it'll do. It was extra special to hang my flag, harrier, and eagle, globe and anchor ornaments this year. I am constantly reminded of how blessed I am to be from such great nation and how blessed I am to have the marines to keep me safe. I'm also blessed to have the opportunity to live in another country. It is sure opening up my worldview.

I have found my self wishing for the familiarity of home. Not so much of the place but of the people. How I would love to have Kristin and Drew for neighbors. People who love us for who we are because they have taken the time to get to know us. They wouldn't look at Owen's tantrums as evidence of bad parenting, but rather 4 year old behavior. I'm longing for Joy and Brian who love my baby girl no matter if she screams or not. I'm wishing for friends who know the worst and best of me and love me anyway. It's hard being the new guy. I want our new neighbors to know me, but unfortunately they have already seen my worst. It's humbling to share a wall and a small neighborhood. I wish they knew that although I may have a short temper at times that I am fun to be with too. That although I can get fired up about some things I am also a friend who is loyal to the end. I guess I have to rest in God's grace. I have to remember that He will care for me and He will provide the friends I need. He is changing me from glory to glory and I can see growth since moving here. I just have so far to go.

Ok, so I want to say to Pam and Shelvin I can't wait for the bowl game either. I had no idea we played the Gators until I read Pam's comment on the blog. Maybe I'm glad I live across the world now. I have emailed you guys many times but it gets sent back. Thanks for all of your encouragements. Well, at least Pam has been encouraging. Shelvin, just remember "Hail to the Victors!" Looking forward to the Gator/Wolverine banter.

Aarin, I have emailed you too and it gets sent back. Sweet friend I am praying for you. I will call you soon. I told Nisha to hug you for me. I sure miss you and I'm in this fight with you. Please give your girls hugs from me. I love you!

And at long last here are some pictures

The kids on a fake Santa at American Village

The "Super Charger"

The Singley Mansion.

Ours is the one on the right, 6145 B

Don't be jealous, we've earned the privilege of living here. Actually, I think it's going to be pretty nice once I get some walls painted.

Overstimulation

Sorry it's been a while. I really am tired and I still don't really know how to explain what is going on. The kids and I moved into the duplex on Wednesday. Jeff is conveniently on TAD in Guam to take his boards. He is staying at the Hilton Resort and Spa. I am staying at the lovely Government duplex and the furthest thing from spa you can get. It's not so bad now that we have had time to take it in. The yard will be great for the kids but sharing a wall was something I thought I had given up once we left the young married apartment life. Our neighbors sure will hear the good, bad, and the ugly of the Singley clan. The kids have been kind enough to throw some major tantrums just to ensure that I am thoroughly embarrassed in front of everyone on the block. Base life is a little bit closer than a regular neighborhood. We'll adjust.

I wanted to tell you a funny story. Well it's funny in that it made me laugh at myself. Monday I convinced myself I needed to get out and drive somewhere. So it's Christmas time, my kids have no gifts, where else should I venture but Toys R Us. Yes, there is a Toys R Us here. I found it with just one minor wrong turn. I was so proud. I got the kids out of the super charger and we headed into the small mall. We found the toy heaven easily. I was shocked. I don't know what I was thinking, but Geoffrey and his store of toys were all in Japanese. Imagine my shock when I couldn't read anything about any toy. All the dvds, books, etc were in Japanese. I had to laugh because after all I do live in Japan. I guess my cultural insensitivity was showing. Some toys were in English and most of them you could tell by the picture. But it was the most overstimulating toy store I had ever been to. Everything was very colorful and loud. Lots of tv monitors and music throughout the store. They also had lots of Japanese type toys like Pokemon etc that are very colorful. I had a headache when we left. And if that wasn't enough we walked through the small mall and right in between sporting goods and shoes there was a very loud, very bright, arcade. Because that is where anyone would place an arcade right? I had been warned about all the arcades/games in the stores but I had to see it to believe it. My headache got worse but Owen was in heaven.

Well it is time for this girl to hit the bed. It's been a long day. Lots of runs to the exchange and commissary and all my military wife friends will relate to the worst part of my day. I lost my ID. Yes, the one card I have never lost. The card that allows me to get anywhere in this town. The card that lets me get home. And my husband is TAD and the folder proving who I am with my power of attorney is at home on the desk. CRAP! I prayed all the way back to the commissary and Praise Jesus someone had turned it in to the desk. I packed the kids back up and came home. I wish the bad day ended there but it didn't. I won't bore you with the details just please pray for our adjustment. O is having a bit of a hard time and I'm not sure how to help him. Thanks for all of your support. I'll post pictures soon now that we have our own computer up and running.

** Oh, I wanted to tell some of you that I have gotten your emails but when I respond they get sent back to me. I don't know why. I've never used yahoo before and I'm not sure I like it. You can always leave comments on the blog and I will get those too.

Good night.
K

For Better or Worse

Seven years ago right about now I was wearing the most beautiful dress I have ever seen and walking down the aisle with my Dad in front of about 200 friends and family members ready to start my life as Mrs. Jeff Singley. It was the best day ever. The best wedding ever and the best honeymoon ever. So now you're expecting me to say it has been the best marriage ever. But that would be a lie. It has been great. It has been hard. It has been fun. And it has been downright overwhelming at times. We have come a long way from two 26 year olds who didn't know what lie ahead of them. I had no idea what I was in for becoming a Navy wife. In truth I'm not sure Jeff really had any idea what he was in for becoming a Navy Doctor. It has been quite a journey. One that has taken us across the country and back and now to the other side of the world. We have transitioned from giddy newlyweds into a relaxed married couple. (one of us is more relaxed than the other :)) We have overcome the hurdle of being new parents, twice. Life is good. I'm thankful to remember today the way all of this started. With the two of us in love and believing that God had great things in store for us. We are certainly learning what it means to be "in love" and God has done great and wonderful things for us. Here's to another year of wedded bliss. Happy Anniversary Jeff.

The Marines and God

I still don't think I have the time or frame of mind to write a good post about all that has been going on. It's still sinking in everyday that we live in Japan. Jeff has all but mastered driving on the left side of the road. I haven't tried it yet. I'm saving my debut for when my "super charger" minivan arrives. We should be able to pick it up on Tuesday. Oh yes I am the proud owner of a toyota estima minivan. You've never heard of that, well neither had I until we got here. It's not quite the oddysey that Jeff promised me after residency but it is a van with plenty of space and some sweet privacy curtains. I can't figure out the curtains in the cars here. Maybe they like to nap in their vans, or change their clothes in the car or I don't want to think about what they use the curtains for. Anyway we bought our van and a car for Jeff for just under $8000 which includes all of the insurance taxes, registration etc. Pretty good.

Yesterday we came home after our morning of car shopping to eat lunch and nap. Well the nap was foiled due to a fire alarm. There is a loud speaker that comes on to tell us that there is a fire on the first floor please exit the building. Owen, was so afraid. He cried from the minute he heard them say fire until long after we came back into our room because there was no real fire. We tried to reassure him that there was no fire and that even if there had been we were safe and our things could be replaced. I asked him "who keeps us safe?" expecting him to say "Jesus" because we always used to say that to him when he heard thunder. Well his answer was priceless "the marines and God". Amen. With the marines and God on our side whom shall we fear.

Can You Say Jet Lag?

Fourteen hours on a plane was much better than I expected. Thank God for economy plus seating and free wine on international flights. As always Owen was a terrific traveler. Alison has some areas for improvement but all in all she was good. The fourteen hour flight wasn't bad, but getting to that second flight was an adventure. One day I hope to speak a little Japanese but I'm quite sure I'll never be able to read it. I'm so thankful that they put English on the signs too or we might still be wandering around Tokyo's airport. Jeff has some funny stories about me interacting with the Japanese immigration people. Once we got to our second flight we all crashed. Our sponsors picked us up and brought us to our hotel. We got here around 11:15pm and Jeff had to be up and ready by 7:15am. We've been going non stop since then looking for cars, dealing with the housing office, newcomer's orientation, driving tests etc. We are now both licensed Okinawa drivers. Scary!We don't have cars yet but I'm sure we'll post some pictures when we get them. We're excited about all the fun things to do here. It is quite beautiful and green. We went to our first Japanese restaurant last night and it was great. We're running on fumes. THe kids keep waking up at 2am and playing until about 6am and going back to sleep. It's getting old. We have no where to be in the morning since it is Thanksgiving and for that I am thankful. I'm praying for a full nights sleep.

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Don't know when I'll be back again. We are getting ready to leave for the airport. Pray for us. It's bound to be 17 hours of good times. We'll be talking to you from the other side of the world.

I LOVE Being Right!

So Jeff and I were on our way to meet some friends for lunch today when my cell phone rang and it was my mom. She said "Kristen I'm mailing your packages and your zip code is wrong. It's wrong on the card do you know what it is?" I have no idea what it is mom. I'll check it when I get back to the house. Maybe Jeff wrote it down wrong. I copied it from his folder. I hung up and proceeded to tell Jeff that I thought he wrote it wrong. When I made the postcards I used the address that he had written down on a folder and he told me it was correct. So in all my self righteous rightness I told him he had been wrong and now I was going to have to email everyone with the new address. So efficient. Because it's fun to order 100 postcards, address and mail them only to have to re do the whole thing. He said, "maybe your mom wrote it down wrong, etc etc etc. " Lets not worry about it until we get home and can check it". Fast forward to the mall food court where I'm ordering my last American food court meal, which was Panda Express, and my phone rings again. It was my mom. "Kristen, it is wrong on the postcard but your email was right" "OK, mom I'll figure it out when we get back". I bring my last American meal back to the table and proceed to tell Linda and Russell how all of our postcards are wrong and blame it on Jeff. Because who else could be at fault right? Certainly not me. We have a great lunch, look at a few shops, and head back to Jeff's house. I walk into the computer room to check the address and the folder with the misinformation is right on the desk. I walk over to it ready to show Jeff where he has done me wrong and I look at the number and realize that Jeff's small handwriting was actually a 6 not a 0 like I had originally thought. OUCH! I was wrong. I had looked at the folder in the dark at the hotel and made the postcards on line. I was sure I had typed it correctly. I was wrong. It was a 6 not a zero. In my attempt to be efficient and ahead of things I actually made more work for myself. So in case you're wondering I apologized to Jeff for assuming it was his fault. But in fairness to me it usually is. I think this is preparation for all the mistakes, trials, and misunderstandings that are sure to find us as we navigate another country. So for all of you who want our correct address please change the zip code to 96362 instead of 90362. I really am starting to feel like I'm driving upside down on the world.

A Home For the Homeless

Thusday after Owen got out of school we pulled out of Jacksonville and drove about 9 hours to Richmond. After 2 stops for gas, a stop for dinner, and a stop for a tantrum we arrived to my parents house around 1am. It was a long trip. I didn't even take a turn at driving and I was exhausted when we arrived. It is very emotionally taxing for me when we move. I guess I shouldn't take that as a sign of weakness but rather know that it just reflects the love I've had for the people I've spent the last 2 years with. Jacksonville was a tough place for me. It took me a long time to connect, to the town and to the people. But I did. And I have some great friends to leave behind. It hurts to leave people behind. But I think I would always rather have that hurt than to not have invested in the lives of others and have them be invested in mine. I will always be thankful for the way God used people in my life in Florida. We have been truly blessed by the friends God put in our lives. Especially in the last month, with so many dinner parties and play dates, and airplane goodies for the kids etc. etc. etc. Thank you for loving us with your words and actions.

So now we're in limbo. It's a strange place to be. Everything we own is packed. We have no real address. Even my parents will live in a new home when we return for a visit next year. So we have memories of what "home" is. Thursday as we were driving to pick Owen up from school there was a song on the radio and one of the lines mentioned the day of Jesus' return. And for the first time I realized I'm really ready for my eternal home. Don't get me wrong I like being here too, but If Jesus came back today I'd be fine with that. So I don't have a "home" right now but I have one in heaven. I may feel homeless, but I'm not. And God willing I will get a "home" when we arrive in Okinawa that I will do my best to make "our home".

We're Moving on up...To a Deluxe apartment in the sky!

It's here. After 4 months of denial, excitement, denial, fear, denial, stress, and some more denial our moving day has arrived. Today the express shipment will be packed and taken away. This is a totally new process for me. I have done the conus move several times but trying to sort all of my things into 3 categories has proved a bit tedious. I think I have detached from most of my things and really I think I can be comfortable as long as I have my bed and the kids have everything that makes it feel like they haven't been completely uprooted. Pray for my sweet little ones. I think they are starting to realize that things are getting a little bit crazy. Owen is starting to realize that he won't see his friends again. That is not necessarily true, but many of them he won't. This is the hardest part of being in the Navy. Good bye's have never been easy for me but now that I have to watch Owen say goodbye I think I would leave everyone I know just so he wouldn't have to hurt like that. He will be fine. God has blessed him with a very silly and outgoing spirit. You can't help but like my O. That little girl of mine is another story. She reels you in with those eyes and cute smile, but boy can she scream. I told her it is not very becoming. She doesn't care. She is definitely her own woman.

Anyway, here we are at the first of 4 moving days and the beginning of our journey to Japan. So many unknowns, so much uncharted territory. I trust that God is going to write a beautiful story through all of this. His hand has been on every preparation. He is good. He has blessed us with so many wonderful family members and friends. We look forward in sharing our journey with you.

Caution, You're about to Enter the Spin Zone

I am a FOX News junkie. I admit it. I love me some Fox and Friends in the morning and I enjoy the "No Spin Zone" too. However, I've recently realized that although I don't enjoy the various political parties and news pundits spinning the latest news I do enjoy some spin in my personal life. I have noticed that in particular when it comes to the military part of my life sometimes I need some serious spin on my circumstances. For instance, "We have orders to Timbuktu", most people would respond with "oh my god, how will you do that?" ( thanks for the support), but a military friend would say "oh, at least it's not never never land". "Think of all the adventure and your kids will learn Timbuktuese". On the other hand if my orders were to never never land my military friends would respond with "Oh, that is great you didn't get Timbuktu".

Another example would be "Jeff is on call for the 37th night in a row". This is when Nisha, wife of a Navy doctor would say "I know it, this residency thing "s-u-x's" (we spell because we have 4 year olds that pick up every word we say, especially the ones we don't want them to hear) but at least you don't have to cook dinner, you can get the kids to bed early and watch tv or have a glass of wine".

When Jeff got orders to deploy I think my response was something like "Oh my gosh, the squadron is going to Iraq in 3 weeks and I have no idea what to do". My civilian friends were certainly supportive but my military friends were the ones who really got me through. They said things like "You're going to do great!" "All that extra pay is nice" "At least he's not on a ship, he'll be on the ground and probably won't leave the base" "But he's not missing any major holidays, it's a really "good" time for him to go".

There are countless examples of how my sweet military wife friends have encouraged me and spun my circumstances into something more positive than I could have imagined they'd be. But the other thing I love about these sweet people is that they know that there is a time when things just cannot be spun. For instance when Jeff missed his only brother's wedding, Kristin said "all the extra pay doesn't really make up for missed family events, I know that is hard". Or when Arica drove her self to the hospital, her water broken, in labor with her first baby and her husband was half a world away. There was nothing I could say that would make that better. I will never forget the tears in her eyes when I walked in that room. Oh, but she was strong and she adjusted to being a first time 'single' mom better than I did, both times.

Again, there are countless examples of these experiences. This Navy life is fun, crazy, and hard. I am so thankful for those women who have come beside and me and loved me, taught me, and sent me on. I'm also thankful for how they are helping me prepare for this next adventure. God has certainly blessed me!

I've Been Outed

I had intended to wait until I was much more savvy at this blogging thing before I revealed the address to everyone but since my father in law gave the site to everyone I thought I had better at least try to write something.

It's 8:00am Sunday morning and my children's internal clock had them springing to action right at 7am. It's the rule in our house that they cannot get up before 7am. This is a nice thing for regular days, unfortunately they don't see the need to sleep in when we're on vacation. GramZ is cooking breakfast, I think it's pancakes and sausage. We'll be missing that home cooking when we're gone. It's always good to be home with your mom!

I want to thank everyone who made the trip to come to our dinner last night. It was so fun to be together with family and friends. I hope you all had as much fun as we did. We truly appreciate the encouragement and influence you've been in our lives.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Look Who's Blogging!

This is my first post. I am brand new to blogging and have no idea where this will lead. I am somewhat certain that the only people who read this will be my parents. And that won't be for the writing but for the updates and pictures of the grand kids. Well, my creativity seems to have escaped me so I will write a real post soon. I can't believe we're finally in the blog world!