Bald Eagle Driver

It is amazing what a group of men will do when stuck on a base in the desert without any women around. At first it was just the mustache, now it's this!!

They are calling themselves the "Bald Eagle Drivers."

Of course, my response was, "NOOOOOOOO!" He's been informed that he is not allowed in the delivery room looking like this. So he has 4 months to grow it back. I think he'll be back to his regular handsome self by then! But to remind us all of what that handsome man looks like, here is a pic of him by the jet!

SHOT: Stay safe, fly well, and know that I still love you, bald head and all!

One Month Down...

... And several more months to go, but who's counting?

Here are a few highlights from this first month on the deployment:

• Mike has settled in to his tent and set up his new "home." He get's a full bunkbed set so he can sleep on the bed below and use the top bed for storage. It's not Okinawa, but it gets the job done. They've been keeping him so busy that he doesn't spend much time here anyway.

• He has had one opportunity to go off base for some fun and relaxation. They went to an entertainment complex where they offer horseback riding, waterskiing, and some serious go-carting among other activities!

Wrath, Shot, and Wizz were very serious about their driving. The experience was pretty impressive, from what he tells me. They gave them fire retardant suits and helmets to wear!

• Shot has also had time to start his deployment 'stache. That lip sweater is only going to get more impressive as the months go on.

• I have done some growing of my own! Since he left I've nearly outgrown most of my pants and am certainly feeling larger.

• I've set several goals for myself and continue to work toward them. Every now and then I add another to the list. I may not have completed all of them, but I continue to make steps toward each one. Currently, my goals are:

1. Try a new recipe each week.
2. Acquire a new skill.
3. Create and manage a baby registry.
4. Complete Half Pint's nursery.

• I've also been very active with the squadron. Our social calendar has filled up quickly!

This keeps me busy and makes time pass quickly. It's also helps me to help others. It

reminds me that life could certainly be worse. Plus doing nice things makes you feel good!

Some of the things I've been working on are:

- Bringing dinner to families in need. One woman in our squadron is pregnant but is

having complications. She is on bed rest so I took dinner to her and her husband last

week.

- My neighbor gave birth to her 4th child 2 weeks ago but found out she needed

emergency gallbladder surgery this week. I took dinner to their family too.
- There are several women who have young children. So my friend, Andrea and I are

starting Give a Bat Babe a Break. The first and third Friday of the month we offer free

childcare for 3 hours so the moms can go to the store, clean the house, get a pedicure,

or take a nap! It's a great opportunity for them to take a much needed break.

- I've also been to visit friends, Blaze and Christie Whelan, in the hospital after the arrival

of their little girl, Lillie. She is so sweet!!

So as you can see, we have both then keeping busy. The first month has gone by quickly,

but not fast enough if you ask me. We get the chance to talk about once a week over

FaceTime but email more often than that. It's been frustrating at times when the internet

is slow or our schedules don't cooperate. But we are making it through. Thanks to all for

your love and support.

Deployment Goal #2

I've talked about setting goals for myself during this deployment to help time pass quickly. My first goal was to try to new recipes each week. My second goal is to acquire new skills by taking classes and trying new things.

For the last 2 weeks I've been taking a pottery class at the craft center on base. It's not just any pottery class though, it's an Okinawan style pottery class. It took 2 classes and lots of patience, but I successfully made 2 shisa faces to hang in our home!!

The Shishi, or in the Okinawan dialect shisa, is originally a traditional Chinese symbol but has been fully adopted by the Okinawan people. It's argued that you will see more shisas in Okinawa than you will in China nowadays! They are a pair of lion type dogs that sit at the front door or on the eves of an establishment. The male sits on the right with his mouth open. The female on the left has her mouth closed. It's traditionally believed that the shisa with an open mouth lets bad spirits out of the building while the closed mouth shisa keeps good spirits in. Regardless of the specifics, they are a prominent symbol of protection on the island. I've been looking for the prefect pair of shisas but have not been able to find them. Why not make them?!

The instructor walked us through step by step but we did all the work. I took a picture of each step to show my progress. You can literally watch them grow! The instructor will take them to the kiln to be fired so I will have to post the final product later. But you can get a sense of what they will look like!

I'm very excited to hang my new shisa faces when they come back!!

Rusty's Day at the Pool

Every year, before they drain to the pool for the winter, they open it to dogs for an afternoon of swimming! Rusty and I went this afternoon and he LOVED it! I'm telling you, perma-smile plastered on his face for an hour!

I was going to meet some friends there, but Tom, Stephanie and Koda Wentrazc were running a little late. So Rusty and I hung out just the two of us for about 15 minutes. He did really well until something on the other side of the pool caught his attention and off he went. Of course, I had to throw off my clothes, jump in after him, chase him down, and make sure we didn't get kicked out! Once the Wentrazc's arrived, Tom got in the water while Stephanie and I stayed poolside to throw the balls and assist the dogs out of the pool.

Rusty is very good at the long jump. When a ball is thrown in, he will take a running leap and make it across the first lane before entering the water!! Check out the video below to see it first hand. You can also see my fat stomach in a swimsuit. Don't judge please.

We were only there for an hour, but Rusty and Koda got plenty of swim time. I now have one pooped pup! This is by far the best day of his entire year!!