Grand Opening

Hi, Hunnies, I'm home. I know it's been a while but I have been on the road and/or having way too much fun to blog.

During my travels last week, I saw this scrawled in white paint on the rear window of a Nissan in South Carolina:

Justin and Melissa
Just Married
GRAND OPENING!

Made me laugh.
They were very young so yes indeed, it may have been the Grand Opening.

Here's what I am drinking tonight out of one of my infamous blue balls martini glasses. It's Raspberry Sparkletini and Grape Vodka, half and half, very cold, garnished with a cherry.



Yep, I call it Blue Balls with a Cherry on top.

A hearty welcome to all you blue balls and cherry searchers.

Anata no koto wo kangaeteiru

Daughter Kaitlin and her roomie Kim have been assigned to Negishi, a smaller base about 18 miles from Yokosuka. She started teaching swimming today and I believe this is a pic of the pool. She thinks she will be in Negishi through July and them have other assignments in August and September. They put her up in the Bachelors Officer's Quarters (BOQ). Kaitlin is very pleased that she has good digs and maid service.



She has seen her first Japanese ladies wearing kimono and eaten her first real Japanese foods. She told me "I love you," in Japanese. I think I detected just a trace of homesickness in her voice. Still no internet but she and Kim are having that set up on Wednesday. I can't wait to email her and see photos.

"Anata no koto wo kangaeteiru" means "I'm thinking of you."
Love, Momsie

KOI

Koi Pond at Ft. Lauderdale hotel

Watching fish swim is so relaxing. I would love to have a koi pond at home but I think our native raccoons, hawks and osprey might find them a little too colorful and delish to resist.

Flip Flops

It's 95 degrees.
I hate summer.



Most of the year, flip flops are my shoe of choice. I have platform ones, high heeled ones, gold, silver, decorated, plain, every color, every style. These were downright pricey at $2.84. Gotta love 'em!

Sayonara

It's been a while. Been busy running up and down the east coast of Florida for the last month in between various, sundry and expensive dental tortures. Beach pix from the length of the coast may follow if I make time. But important news first - at 5:15 this morning, we sent the kidlet through the X-ray machine to a plane bound for Japan for four months. Who says being a professional lifeguard doesn't have its perks?

First darlin' daughter flew to Atlanta from JAX (Jacksonville, Florida) and then she hopped a Boeing 777 to Narita airport serving Tokyo, Japan. You can track her here for about the next 6 or 7 hours.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL55


Click to view large

As I type, She's flying over the Bering Sea and in Alaska Terroritirial waters. I hope she looks for the crab boats featured in Deadliest Catch since that is one of Kaitlin's and my favorite TV programs. (You think she can see them from 36,000 feet?) Upon arrival, she'll take the bullet train to the Navy Command Center Base at Yokasuka, about 40 miles south of Tokyo and have three bases in Japan where she will lifeguard, teach swimming and water safety.

Our daughter comes from a long line of lifeguards: her father and I were both lifeguards as was her aunt and her grandfather. She knows a peach of a job when she finds it.

I will admit that I cried just like I left her off at kindergarten when we watched her plane take off this morning.

Kaitlin will be in Japan until October. She'll celebrate her birthday there on July 4th. I miss her already.

Well, off to watch the shuttle light up the sky here in North Florida.
Godspeed Kaitlin and Atlantis.
.