A Little Bit of This....A Little Bit of That......

Life moves along here in Lima. The kids and I convinced Heath that we needed a puppy. Little Pisco, or Sweet P, to her friends is very cute and does a lot of peeing, pooping and sleeping. It's like having a baby around......anyway, the cats seem to like her so all is well. The kids started school and are fairly disgusted with their new early morning schedule. They have a chaffeur who drives them to and from school named Tiofolo. He is a very nice man. My Empleada (maid), Fidela, is keeping the house spic and span and is cooking some great Peruvian food for us. I am already not looking forward to having to do all my own cooking when we move back to the states. Maybe I can bring her with me. She has a 3 year old named Kiara who has come to work with her on occassion and the kids have had a great time "taking care" of her. All in all we are doing really well. Hope all is well......

Can you say Peru????

So...the kids and I have been here for 3 weeks today. Heath is more of a local having been here for 6 weeks. We are getting situated and things are starting to feel "normal" again. Our first shipment of household goods arrived (dishes, pictures, books) and I am slowly unpacking the boxes. The more times I move, the slower I am getting my home in order. There are boxes everywhere and I am totally OK with this. We are already making travel plans.....Cali, Columbia (hopefully) in a few weeks, beach cities at Christmas and Machu Picchu in February. There's always something going on in the city so we really don't need to travel far to experience something new. Hope you enjoy the photos. We'll keep you updated. Chow chow as the Peruvians say......

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Visiting So. California before heading to Peru

From Bend we moved on to Huntington Beach, CA to stay with my parents. Heath was able to stay for about 2 weeks during which time he and I made a trip to Chicago for fun. I was able to enjoy HB through the end of June with the kids meeting me mid month after spending a few weeks in OR with their Nana. I had a really nice time in HB. I was able to see my brother and his family for my niece's highschool graduation. Also made a trip to Palm Springs with the girls for a very relaxing weekend. I had some really good, long chats with my BFFs and was able to reconnect with some old friends I had not seen in a very long time. As much as I was ready to move on and get to Peru, I was very sad to leave. It's great to have a place like that to go to.

Stop Over in Oregon

As we said our goodbyes to Okinawa....it was time to reacquaint ourselves with the United States. We flew into Seattle, WA and stayed the night in Edmunds. It was very cold as compared to Okinawa which was already getting hot and humid by the time we left. We then spent a week in Bend visiting with other family and friends after which time Heath and I flew to HB and at present are staying with my parents. The kids will be in Bend with their Nana until mid June. They will be flying by themselves to meet me in HB. Heath leaves for Peru tomorrow. I will continue to update the blog as to our progress.

So Long Okinawa

I thought this moving business would get easier the more often I did it. That said, the logistics of the move are the same, however, the emotional aspects have given me pause. On the bright side with each move I have the opportunity to meet new people. On the not so bright side, with each move I leave these new friends. I was lucky enough to find an "AWESOME" group of friends in Okinawa. So many funny, kind, helpful, smart and sassy women......(I don't know if the men will appreciate being described as such). There is something about the smaller, isolated commands that promote close and long term friendships. For this I am so.....thankful. I miss you all and look forward to seeing you in the future. As the saying goes, "Mi casa es su casa".

The Time has Come

I can't believe it's actually happening. Our time here on Okinawa is coming to a close and it's time to move on to our next adventure......Lima, Peru......This is a fairly "set in stone" schedule of our travels.

5/14/09- Leave Okinawa

5/14- Arrive in Seattle, WA- stay with Lynda and JoJo at their place in Edmunds.

5/15- Leave for Bend, OR. Drop off Heath in Long View for "Man Weekend" at Jeff Bauman's. Salley, kids, Cats, Lynda and JoJo continue on to Bend.

5/15-5/21- Hopefully catch up with good friends, drink some GREAT micro brew beer, possibly do some skiing on Mt. Bachelor, get used to driving on the right side of the road.

5/22- Salley & Heath leave for Huntington Beach with the cats. Kids stay with Nana until mid June.

5/26-5/29- Heath and Salley off to Chicago for a little R&R. Hopefully we'll get to see Jenn and Luis. Planning to meet Alex (Heath's soon to be step sister).

5/30- Back to Dave and Connie's. Planning to eat out alot (Rubios, In&Out, Buco de Beppo to mention a few). Hopefully see some Southern CA friends and extended family, go on morning walks with my parents, sit in the jacuzzi, hang out with Kim and Laura. Planning a trek to Magic Mountain.

6/5- Heath and the cats leave for Peru. Should be moving in to our house when he arrives.

6/6- Salley time....more Kim and Laura time. Plan to see to old high school friends. Relax....read, play guitar, transition to Spanish.

6/11- ?- Kids arrive in So Cal. They are flying by themselves for the first time. Planning a trip to Lego Land, Airstream camping at the Beach, body surfing with Grandpa. Crank up the math, guitar, Spanish and reading for the kids. Do some shopping at a real store instead of Internet shopping, maybe go to Costco. Kids and I don't know our exact date of departure for Peru and we are going with the flow.

Morning Exercise Japanese Style