Typhoon Chaba

Here we are 4 days before the end of typhoon season and we have one right next door!! This is our 3rd scare of the season and we are waiting to see how it will turn out. The 2 previous ones have been much less serious than predicted. Now that this one is supposed to miss us, we'll see how it really goes! It is due to hit some time Thursday evening or Friday morning. Let's see what Chaba has in store??

For the time being, we have everything weighed down with sandbags, the grill is in the living room, and Mike isn't working until further notice. We are sharing a bottle of wine and having a Dexter marathon waiting for this to pass!!

We live on the tiny island directly north of the eye of the storm.

Congratulations to Dave and Catherine

Dave and Catherine are about to celebrate their 3 month anniversary. I figure, it's about time they had a full post just about them and their wedding!!

On July 30th, 2010, Dave and Catherine walked down the isle of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Indianapolis, IN and said, "I do." It was a beautiful day with perfect weather. It was sunny but not too hot. There was a breeze but it wasn't too windy. All of their favorite people had gathered in this one place to celebrate their new lives together with singing, dancing, drinking, picture taking, and pants dropping (don't ask me about this one, it's a Sigma Nu tradition. I don't get it.) What could be more perfect?

Mr. and Mrs. Taylor!!

The day started early for the ladies with hair and make-up at my parents' house in downtown Indy. Once ready, the girls took pictures in the courtyard to document all that was right about the day. Catherine was a stunning bride in a white gown with unique floral details! Her blue bouquet stood out against her dress perfectly. The bridesmaid dresses were a shocking cobalt blue that complimented everyone's shape and shade. The orange flowers accented it all just perfectly. It honestly all went together so well, I thought I was in a magazine photo shoot!!

Catherine and her mom, Mary Jane, put her lace from her grandmother's wedding dress around the stem of her bouquet.

Bride and future mother-in-law

The four sisters watching Catherine take her photos.

Unfortunately, Mike was unable to make it to the wedding. He was leaving a few days later for Korea and couldn't make it there and back in time. So, to make sure he was represented at the wedding, we made Mike faces! We printed large pictures of his face, cut them out and put them on sticks. During the photo shoots, one of the groomsmen would hold a Mike Face in front of his. At times it was even believable!! Mike's face even made an appearance at the church for family photos with Dave before the ceremony.

Mike and his many faces.

Left: Ceremony Mike, Middle: Reception Mike, Right: Party Bus Mike

What about this picture doesn't look right?!?!

The Taylor girls are ready to watch our brother get married.

I love my brother!

The ceremony was beautiful. They had a full Catholic mass and included all of their favorite people in the ceremony. Father Michael O'Mara said the mass. He is the same priest who witnessed our wedding and has become a good family friend since.

With some help, Catherine takes her place to begin the ceremony.

Following the ceremony, the wedding party took pictures along the Canal near the NCAA Hall of Fame. I have not seen the photos, but I can't wait until they come out. The setting was stunning, relaxed, and perfectly picturesque. We had a lot of fun with different poses, flare, and Mike faces.

On the party bus, Dave and Catherine enjoy a drink and the company of friends.

Love the ring, DT!!

But that fun can't last forever. We had to rush back to Marian for the reception. We spent a little time in The Fort sipping more adult beverages and preparing our entrance skits. We went with a randomly extreme sport theme this wedding. There was everything from karate board chopping to tetherball to luging. Catherine's brother, Tim, and I entered together. We mocked curling but our stone was a Keystone Lite!! As the 5th Taylor Family wedding, I'd have to say this was quite possibly the most creative and well prepared entrance of them all!!

In The Fort, we take our traditional photo.

The rest of the night went smoothly. The speeches were a hit! Tim Jones, Catherine's brother, gave a welcome speech from the heart, and then handed it over to Dad who gave another one of his classic Phil Taylor talks. People laughed. People cried. People wished he too was their dad. Kevin Koke, Dave best friend and brother-in-law, was the best man. His speech was both funny and touching. I even teared up a little on this one!! Carolyn Jones, Catherine's sister, spoke about her first time meeting Dave and some of her favorite times with him since. It was a great maid of honor speech. Then, Dave and Catherine were nice enough to let us sisters talk. We had to have a chance to talk about our brother on this important day!!

Dave and Catherine danced to a Dave Matthew's song. It was the song that happened to be on the radio the day he proposed. Only Dave would remember something like that! Mom finally got her chance to dance in a spotlight at a wedding. And Catherine and her father danced as well. Then we all got the chance to dance! Even Mike's Face!! The rest of the night was a blast filled with more adult beverages, lots of dancing, and loads of laughter.

One of my favorite details about the night was the photo booth! They had hired a photo booth to take pictures of the guests and all their funny faces! It was a great way to capture their guest book as well as the document the progression of the evening. The later into the night it got, the more people they crammed into that space, and the more inappropriate the poses became! It was all very fun though.

Looking back on the night, it was very bitter sweet. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy for Dave and Catherine. They will be good together. But I am sad to have the "wedding phase" of our family pass. Weddings, though stressful and expensive, are a great way and really the only way to have that many people you know and love in one place at the same time!! They have all been fun, and now I regret not spending more time visiting with family and friends during those weekends.

Thank you to Dave and Catherine for including me and Mike's faces in your big weekend. Thank you to all the family and friends and loved ones who made it there to celebrate with Dave and Catherine. And thank you to all the family and friends who have come to all of the Taylor weddings to celebrate with our family. You are truly special to us!!

Na na na na na na na na na... BATMAN!!

It seems that there has been quite the internet uproar about our squadron building!! In the last few months someone has noticed that on Google Earth, you can see the large bat painted on the roof of the 44th Fighter Squadron. It was posted on a techie blog and took off from there!! It's now a bit on the local San Diego news. the military publication Star and Stripes has written a piece about it, and it's been discussed in endless blogs and articles. The comments that follow are also equally entertaining.

Most of articles and comments are completely wrong; some are angry with words about waisted tax dollars and some are supportive. Some talk about showing China that we are "super heros." Others discuss the egos of fighter pilots. But the fact is that it's painted there simply out of squadron pride and spirit. The Vampire Bats (and their wives the Bat Babes) are very proud of their squadron, the job that they do, and the way that they serve their country.

I hope that you enjoy a little but of our world here at Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan. It's funny to see how something so silly as roof paint can cause such a stink worldwide!! Have a bat-tastic day!!

In Loving Memory...

Of my Gramps

On September 29, 2010, my grandfather, John "Jack" Flanagan passed away in Indianapolis. He had taken a bad fall about two weeks earlier while walking his beloved dog, Sushi. After breaking an arm, several ribs, and his eye socket, he was in a great deal of pain. Within a week, he come down with pneumonia which eventually took his life.

My mom had called a few hours before he passed to tell me about the situation. Though I was really sad, I was thankful for the opportunity to say goodbye to him over the phone. He was not speaking at the time, but I know he heard me in one sense or another. He was surrounded by many family members who love him and will miss him.

To make things a little more hectic, this all happened the day before I left for a 10 day trip to China. The viewing and funeral were to be held in Indianapolis a few days later on October 1st and 2nd respectively. Even without this trip, I would not have been able to make it home in time for the funeral. Mom convinced me that Gramps would want me to go to China. He would rather be in China than in church anyways. So to China I went, but I took Gramps with me.

The day of Gramps' funeral, I was going to the Great Wall of China. Because I couldn't be in Indy to say goodbye with my family, I said goodbye in my own way, at the one of the most awe-inspiring and peaceful places on earth.

At one point, while standing on a ridge overlooking this breathtaking view, the clouds parted, rays of sun shone through the clouds, and birds took flight over an ancient watch tower. I might have been looking for something that wasn't really there, but I felt a spirit stir. Maybe it was just my own spirit or nostalgic heart but I think it was Gramps up in heaven, getting as far away from church as possible to show me the true power of God! Thanks for the show, Gramps!!

Gramps taught me to fish and to golf, neither of which I am any good at but not for a lack of trying on his part. Gramps taught me who's the boss: "Lynn says Gramps is the Boss!" "I'm Gramps and I'm the boss!" Gramps showed me how to start a camp fire and how to enjoy a hammock on a hot summers day. He taught me how to row a boat and how to tell a true Irish tale.

I will really miss Gramps. I will miss his guttural laugh, the way he could completely express his enjoyment or approval with a few hearty "Ha ha ha"'s that came from somewhere between his belly and his heart. I will miss the way he would suck his teeth when he was thinking. I will miss his swishy walk: jacket slung over one shoulder, other hand on hip, and sashes across the room. I will miss the way he could come up with a nickname for any waitress, nurse, or sales associate within 30 seconds of meeting her. I will miss the way he and his wife, Marion, would talk back and forth together. They would have made a better sitcom than Lucy and Ricky. You could see how much they love each other. I will miss the way he would put his hand on my shoulder and give me a two second deep tissue message followed by a few pats on the back before telling me how much he loved me.

I love you too, Gramps. I will miss you!!