TCCOR Levels

So my Mother-In-Law pointed out earlier that she had no idea what a TCCOR level was. I realized I automatically assumed that my readers would know this, though I had no idea what this was prior to being stationed here. So for those of you who love weather (and/or want to know what is drilled into the head of every active duty and family member when we arrive here), here is a list of TCCOR Levels and what they mean. :)

Typhoon Update

Well I think I can safely announce Typhoon Vong Fong has officially blown past us, and I am so thankful it was not as fierce as we were told it would be. Neoguri set our entire house to vibrating, and I was so nervous that would happen again. However as the eye of the storm slowly approached, it quickly began losing velocity and diminished from a category 5 to a category 1. I have read various weather updates calling it a "magic trick" or a "disappearing act". But I'm sure it was all the prayers from our safety that did it. A friend of mine quoted this verse, and I believe it fits this typhoon perfectly "And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" Mark 4:41 We are currently still in TCCOR 1-E, but are expected to go into TCCOR 1 Recovery sometime this morning, and Storm Watch (when we come out of lockdown), sometime this afternoon. Thank you all for the prayers and loving concern!!! <3

Typhoon Vong Fong

Well, we have been in lock down all day with Typhoon Vong Fong. I will admit, there have been some tense moments today. But ultimately, all is overshadowed by God's provision for our every need (like our electricity coming back on after being out all afternoon...right before dinner time). I know the worst is yet to come, as we are in the pocket between the outer rings, and the main typhoon body. But one thing I KNOW, and that is that God is bigger then this storm, and has got this all under control. So while I still have my freak out moments (like when we get a tornado warning in the middle of a typhoon!), and while we are still having a "typhoon party" in the kids room, it is not impossible for my high strung self to stay calm (even in the middle of a natural disaster that really does remind a person of how NOT in control they are). I will update the blog with more news on the storm as it comes. For now, I think I am going to take advantage of the quiet outside to get some sleep. :)

Long Time No See

So I have been terrible about updating this blog, as y'all can clearly see. However...I am going to endeavor to be better. When I started this blog, I wanted to share with my family at home all the wonders of a different culture, and let them know what was going on in my life. However, with four kids and a fifth on the way, describing the wonders of "good" ramen, or the intricacies of bull fighting (think sumo wrestling with animals) has not been a high priority. In fact to be quite honest, I completely forgot about this blog till today. So...instead of trying to make this site into some sort of cultural geography report (which could MAYBE double as a resource/citation for a high school paper), I am going to just blog about us. My thoughts, what goes on in our days, and all the amazing things God is doing in our life. I hope you all enjoy my ramblings, and updates. :)

I know I have been bad about updating the blog, and I promise I will get around to it (eventually...lol!).  We have been very busy moving in, getting adjusted, and establishing friendships.  We have been very blessed with a couple friends right off the bat...two other Marine Corps families that flew in to Okinawa the same day we did.  One of these friends just posted this on her facebook, and I wanted to share it as many ways as I possibly could.  This girl has managed to maintain her faith, her sweetness, and her smile through the most difficult of circumstances...losing a child. I can't even begin to imagine what their family has gone through over the last year or so. PLEASE at least read this link, and pray about what you can do to support this family. Whether it's a donation, or prayers, this family has been through a lot and I would love for them to be at very least lifted up in prayer by brothers and sisters around the globe.  Romans 12:15 comes to my mind right now. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn." - Romans 12:15  My heart aches even imagining what it must feel like to have an angel taken back to Heaven.  And while they will see their sweet little boy again some day his absence leaves a huge hole of grief in their hearts. Please join us in prayer and (if you are so lead) supporting this amazing cause.

 

http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?team_id=28274&fr_id=3631&pg=team

A long overdue update

Well we have been here for ten days, and I am just finding time to update the blog.  Last Monday we went to the housing office on Camp Courtney and got told that they were almost at capacity (due to massive renovations in housing, to get asbestos out of the homes. Seems like this renovation would have been long overdue, right?) and that we would have to go find a place to live out in town. While this news was very overwhelming and not at all what we wanted to hear.  After three or four looong days of looking we found a house, which has relieved a lot of pressure.  It is really small, with all Japanese appliances which should make for an interesting adjustment period. But it is really nice, in a safe neighborhood and relatively central to all the bases around here. The other location is also great because it is one of the safest places on the island when it comes to natural disasters. 

The second thing we did last week was go to our Welcome Aboard Brief, and get our SOFA driver’s license.  The brief was very informative.  Since it was all day, we left the kids with our sponsor’s wife and eldest daughter, and they had a blast and we were able to focus on everything we were getting inundated with.  I made a few new friends, and after getting our licenses we went and bought a car.  Our sponsor took us to a little car dealership that they had used.  Everyone there spoke English very well, but buying a car here is a definite culture shock experience.  First of all, the price of their car will automatically come down, without haggling, by 1200 yen.  Don’t ask me how that works, but you start haggling with the price of the car minus 1200 yen as your max price.  Prices of cars aren’t even CLOSE to being as crazy expensive as they are back in the states, but I think part of that is because they aren’t built to the same safety regulations we have in the US, and also because they gouge you with various yearly taxes!  Road tax, sticker tax…you pay more the bigger your engine is, it’s crazy!!!!  Anyway once you buy a car and do the paperwork, you can’t pick it up for a few days!!!  I think part of that (if not all of it) is because they need that time to get the vehicle out of the jenga like maize they have it in!  So while we bought the car Wednesday after our Welcome Aboard, we only got to pick it up on Friday (right before the typhoon hit). It was one of the VERY few cars that could fit all of us, and the monster stroller.  Which for me is a necessity, and will make days at the aquarium or zoo much more enjoyable.  I will post pictures of the “Buff Mobile” a little later, as I should run right now.

Oki...finally!

Ok well we are finally here in Okinawa.  We got in at about 8 something Friday night after a long and arduous day of travel.  The kids were really good considering they only slept for MAYBE two hours of the approximately 22 hours we were traveling.  To make matters worse they had only gotten a few hours sleep the night prior (because we had to be up so early) and they were starting to not feel well (and I’m sure head congestion made the three ups and downs VERY difficult on their little ears).  I was fully prepared for the long flight, and even expected some dirty looks (though I got remarkably few of those.  There were a LOT of little ones on our flight, and as to be expected other parents are very understanding) but the layovers and stops were what killed.  We had to get off, unload most of our bags, and wait for two to three hours at each stop.  I learned something very important through this experience, though.  As much as it is nice for everyone to have their own entertainment bag, in the future all entertainment will be lugged around by me.  It’s just WAY too much work to be juggling back packs, a diaper bag, a purse, and little entertainment bags along with one or two babies as you walk down stairs and across a tarmac!  But all in all the experience was not as terrible as it could have been, the flights were really pretty smooth, the kids were awesome, and we are healthy so I am thankful.  I think the most frustrations were from seemingly illogically long layovers, and the fact that three of our suitcases, and one of the awnings for the stroller were broken due to carelessness.  But that cannot be helped and I have some new ideas on how to make the whole flying experience more enjoyable in the future. J  Jet lag has not been as bad as I had expected, but we were up at 0430 this morning so I’m ready for a nap and the kids are sleeping so I will sign off for now.  We will be posting about our last few days in Seattle, and our experiences here (it’s still pretty surreal.  Our sponsors are WONDERFUL though!!! We were really blessed!) so stay tuned. J  We love you all and thank you for all of the prayers for our travels!