Tag! Ian is it.. And, just what is the CDC?

Now that I am on the mend, it's Ian's turn.  He woke up this morning, sick.  It takes a lot for Ian to not want to run, or work out at all.  I did managed to get some lunch and Motrin into him.  Let's see if he keeps it down.  

While he was resting, the boys and I ventured out yet again to sign paperwork.  I think I have signed more paperwork this week, then required to buy a house, and car.  Everyone is set up for next week.  I still need to have the hospital sign off on paperwork saying that Peyton is not contagious.   

Still on the agenda is the cable company, setting up our phone, and I need a PO Box.   I am sure there is something I am forgetting to do.  It will come to me once we have moved in, and by then I am sure it will be important.  

The poor cleaning lady is having a field day with us.   She can not clean the sheets or towels.  Really thought she seemed OK with all of this, until she arrived today and smelled our onion!  We bought it 3 days ago and WOW is it potent.  I can smell it down the hall.  I have it double bagged in a Ziploc, and it's not really helping.   I get the impression she is ready for us to leave, so she can properly clean this room.  

I get to spend my afternoon labeling all of Peyton's things he will need for the CDC..  On military bases all children under the age 5 are quarantine... Hence the CDC.. ha, ha,.  No, CDC stands for Child Development Center.  He will get to spend a couple of days there next week, playing with all the other kids..   I think he will also go for 2 days when they deliver our house hold goods.  I am still working all of that out.  

Other than that we are plugging right along.  13 days and counting until we are out of this hotel.  When we first begin a move all of us are excited.  We look at it like an adventure.  Staying in a new hotel, swimming in the pool, and adventuring out to explore.  Now that I am more then 8 weeks into this transition I am so ready for it to be over.  At this point I just want to sleep in my own bed!  Oh, yeah, we didn't ship our bed.  So now what??

Today!

We are still plugging right along here.  I am amazed daily by how NICE everyone on the base is.  

Yesterday we had our appointment at housing to sign for our new home.  Turns out I know the lady that did our final paperwork.  We were stationed in La Madd together.  We enjoyed reminiscing about Italy, and how much we miss it.  She showed me pictures of a HUGE centipede she caught in her house.  We are up on the 6 Th floor, and I doubt they can climb that high!!

After housing we had to turn in our TLA paperwork.  The Navy pays for our hotel stay. Or rather they are supposed to! They seem to be having trouble getting DFAS to accept the code location for Sasebo.  For now we are OK, and I can foot the bills, but I sure hope they figure it out soon!  Ian and I are adamant that we keep a cushion in savings.  One that if need be can get all 5 of us home in an emergency.  Anyone out there priced plane tickets to Denver for a family of 5?  I could buy a small car for what the airlines want.  

Speaking of cars, let me tell you all how different things work here in Sasebo.  The day after we arrived in Yoko,  Ian's boss gave us a car. Yep, that's right, for FREE!  We drove that car for 3 years, and only had to do routine oil changes.  Oh, and I think a light bulb once.  We drove on the cheap.  It was lovely. And, that is what I was expecting moving here. Turns out people here in Sasebo are sure proud of their cars.    What we now know is here in Sasebo, JCI means just that.. The Japanese mechanics inspect the vehicle, and Japan has some of the strictest emissions in the world.  Ian and I have been told to try and buy a car that comes with at least 18 month JCI left.  So far we have had no luck.  To live here, you need a car.  Up in Yoko, you could live without a car.  We had 3 train stations right outside the base.  Here we have 1 and it's a 30 min walk.  Sasebo is much more country, and it seems that most people drive.  One other good thing about living here, we don't pay for parking.  

We decided to play it by ear, and not rush into something.  The car I buy will need to last us 3 years.  I don't want to have to pay JCI twice.  I know I am rambling, but this car thing is going to bring back my hives!!!  

After we finished at PSD, I had to run upstairs to inbound shipping.  I spent half an hour looking for the office.  When I spoke with the gentleman on the phone he said "Oh, we are next door to housing".  To me this meant, walk outside the building, and go next door.  So that is what Christopher and I did.  After walking into every single office next door. I asked someone.  She said.  "inbound, they are right next to housing".  I then asked her if they were in the same building?  She chuckled a bit, and said "no, I mean right next to, as in on the same floor.  In the same building.  Christopher and I raced back to hosing.  To get to housing you have to take the elevator to the second floor. The doors open and that is housing.  There are no walls that separate housing from the elevator.  Once the doors open you are greeted by the clerk.  And, to my surprise right there 2 feet from the housing clerk, is the inbound shipping clerk.  How on earth did I miss that???  Once I explained to the clerk that we got lost@@ He just laughed at me. He knew we had an appointment with housing.   We were out of there in less then 10 minutes.  They have set everything up to deliver our house hold goods on the 28 Th.  I can not wait to get my stuff, unpack, and get settled.  

Today we have to get the kids set up for our AOB/ICR class.  Aera Orientation Brief/ Inter Cultural Relations is a great class.  We will learn about the local area, some useful Japanese terms and even get to take a field trip.  The kids are not invited.  Noah will get to go to summer camp, Christopher will head to football camp, and Peyton will spend the week in the CDC.  I think they all need to have a bit of fun.  

I know I could sure use some fun today!!!! 

Home is where the Navy sends us!

We are having a great time, getting to know the new town we will call home for the next 3 years.  Sasebo is located in the Nagasaki, prefecture.  It's population is 252,ooo.  And, this is considered to be a small fishing village.  Right outside of our housing is Huis ten Bosch.  A famous tourist site here in Japan.   Walking around we feel the difference between Yokosuka and here.  Being so far away from Tokyo has many advantages.  I know we will be happy here for the next 3 years.  
I am still fighting off whatever I seem to be allergic to.  We thought it was caused by the bedding here in the hotel. But, after washing everything in our own soap I still seem to be blotchy.  If things persist I will call the Dr. tomorrow and see what he recommends. I can't walk around like this forever.  
Across the street and through Nimitz park is the Ginza.  A covered shopping area with many wonderful food choices.  I counted no less then 5 - 100 yen shops within the Ginza.  

Along the Ginza there are a few parks.  We walk a bit, and stop and play.  
As you cross the bridge to get to Nimitz park there is a Tori gate.  Right along the side of the road.   
This is the bridge we cross to get to Nimitz park.    We will spend a lot of time crossing this bridge.  Right now they are building the highway outside of the gate.  So walking to the Ginza sees to be the best bet.  For the life of me I can not remember the name of this bridge.  Alisa, if you are reading this help me out!!
These steps go right into the water.  For now we will admire it from afar!  That is a fast moving canal.  I could just see one of our kids trying to "go for a swim".  
Friday we were offered a house on Hario base.  It is about a 25 min drive from Main base.  Ian and I decided to load the boys up at 8 am and go take a look.  As soon as we received orders here I called the housing office and was told the wait would be 18 months.  We moved here expecting to live in a Japanese Cho (Japanese house or apartment).  I bought fans, and other things we would need to be comfortable living out in town.  When we were offered a house, we went back and forth on the decision.  Ultimately after looking at the house we knew we would accept housing.  Out list of reasons to move on base far outweighed our list to move off base.  Homes here are SMALL! I have heard they have decent sized houses but Ian and I looked at a few and they were all way to small.  Coupled with the fact that utilities here are VERY expensive, and most homes do not have central heat and air.  (Sasebo is extremely humid)  The boys are accustomed to living on base, and will be able to make friends and enjoy so many things.  We have a pool, movie theater, teen center, and youth center for Noah.  
The inside of this tower is a bit smaller then the one we lived in on Yoko.  I will trade that for the splashes of color that are throughout the house.  Even if the color is brown.  To me it is better then white walls, floors, cabinets. and base boards.   We will be able to move into our house on the 27 Th.  Tomorrow I will call the cable company, and personal property.  I know our house hold goods are here.  Now I just hope they can deliver them the day we move in.  
After a week here in Sasebo I can honestly say I am happy we decided to move here.  Life here has a slower pace, and the people spend their days fishing.  We will get to see wonderful places from here.  Kyoto, and Nagaski are top on my list.  

I am allergic!

It seems I am having an allergic reaction to something in the hotel.  Ian and I think it could be the sheets and towels. Or rather what they are washed in.  I spent part of my evening at the E.R. here on base.  I think that is a record for our family.  Usually the kids and I wait until Ian has deployed to have a medical problem. Or at least until we are in a house and all checked into at the hospital. I fell asleep for a couple of hours and woke up looking like a prize fighter after loosing all 8 rounds.  (I think a fight is 8 rounds, if it's more then add that).  My arms and legs itched, and I thought my ears were going to fall off.  I tried taking a shower, and that did nothing.  

Sasebo is a small base.  We don't have a full hospital, just a tiny clinic.  (Everything here is tiny. ( Our bowling alley only has about 8 lanes).  I called the clinic to ask about Benadrly.  None of the stores were open.  Everything seems to close around 5 here.  The corpsman that I spoke with was very nice, and had the on call nurse call me right back here at the hotel.  I explained what was going on.  He asked me a few questions, to be sure I was breathing OK, and had me come right on over.  I was in and out of there within 5 min.  Mr. nice nurse, handed me a bottle of benadryl and sent me on my way.  

Today we have a meeting at housing and I still look like I was beat up in a bar fight.  My arms still itch, as do my fingers and ears.  Ian washed all of the sheets and towels.  (Yes, he really is that good).  I spoke with the front desk and asked that they NOT replace the sheets or towels in our room.  When the sweet young lady came to clean today she was not happy about our request.  It seems that changing the bedding, and providing clean crisp towels is her job!   After speaking with her and explaining the situation (as best as I could, using hand signals and bowing non stop) I think she feels OK about it all.  But, I will make sure I am here tomorrow just to be sure they don't take away my sheets.   Apart from that we have no earthly idea what it could be.  I will give it another day and if my face still looks like this I will have to go back to the doctor.  I can not walk around base looking like this.  I will scare the small children.  

One other big difference here in Sasebo seems to be the speed in which things are done.  Normally when we PCS to an overseas duty station the first few days are a blur.  Running to housing, schools, the hospital and 15 other places we are required to check in and provide a copy of our DEA to.  (remember from our previous lessons DEA means Dependent Entry Approval).  We were up at 5, and fully prepared for the onslaught of running, when the brakes were put on full stop.    Ian went to TPD, checked in, and was told to come back tomorrow.  We then walked to PSD to inquire about our pay (it seems that when we moved, they stopped paying us).  Raising 3 kids we sort of need money to pay bills and buy food.  You all understand don't you?  Good!  I knew you would.  To my amazement, so did the wonderful (way to cheerful at 8 am) gentleman at PSD.  He quickly located the issue and fixed everything.  We should once again be getting a pay check!  Yeah, us.. There will be food tonight.  Mr. happy to help even printed off copies of everything we would need for the housing office.  My troop and I headed up to the housing office, and we were told to come back Thursday!  WHAT?  For a moment there I thought it was a joke.  On every other OCONUS base we have lived on, you have a housing briefing the day you arrive. Jet lag me damned.   Nope, we were sent away to rest up for a couple of days, and get out barrings.  That scares me.  Does this mean the news we will receive today will be BAD?  We shall see... In the mean time I am going to try and shower again before our meeting in an hour.  Wish me luck on finding a house! 

Pictures of our new home!!

We have settled in a bit this morning.  Once again, the views that surround us are beautiful.  The first 2 pictures are of our view.  The water and ship are right outside our window.  Listening to the water rushing is relaxing.  For the foreseeable future we will be living in a hotel.  Luckily we are entitled to 2 hotel rooms.  We all have plenty of space. Take note of our ITTY BITTY kitchen.  2 burners and no oven will have to suffice for now.  As long as I can soak in my HUGE tub... OH, and the best part!! Someone else comes in to clean everyday.  Yep, that is right. Fresh towels and coffee are delivered daily.  Add one more burner and I just might live here until we transfer.... 

Coming to you live from....

The USO in Dallas. We are already tired and this is just the first layover. The USO here is great! The big boys are playing X-Box, and Peyton is having a grand ol' time in the toddler play area. They have food, a place for us to rest, and a HUGE TV! What more could a family ask for when traveling.

Have a great day.. I will update when we land in Narita (if I can)!!!!

My kid totally rocks!!!

  Watching Christopher and Ye,Ye was fun.. My kids rocks!