Passport Diaries

Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing

baby

Back to the Future

This has been a really weird year. Chris finally got some time off in conjunction with a conference he has to attend in San Diego, but in yet another twist of irony American Airlines won’t let my layover last more than seven days. That means I’m stuck in Texas for his first three days Stateside. So frustrating. The good news is, it’s possible we may get to fly back to Japan together at the end of that week. Maybe. The REALLY good news is: Chris will drive up to Los Angeles and collect me from the airport exactly three months after I dropped him off at the squadron to deploy north for post-tsunami search and rescue…the day before our fifth anniversary!! I’m not holding my breath yet since Chris is flying out Tuesday but does not yet have a ticket; still, it’s one thing that might actually work out. In other irony, we got verbal orders to our next duty station…and we’re headed to…drum roll please…

Pensacola?! …Was that on our list?? (The above photo is Pensacola Beach 2007) Well, as always, nothing is certain until we arrive, but that’s the general direction anyway. I’m spending lots of time mapping out real estate online. Then I read that El Nino or La Nina, that wench, whichever one is causing the extraordinary drought conditions here in Texas and fueling the watery chaos and tornadoes east of here, is also setting conditions that will create a bumper crop of hurricanes this summer. I just hope something is still standing when/if we arrive in Florida. Our previous 18 months in sunny Pensacola were overshadowed by our dismal one-bedroom apartment, which offered the only accommodations we could find so soon after 2004’s Hurricane Ivan and the storms that mauled the Gulf Coast in 2005.

So this is all rather surprising. At the same time, Houston is broiling under record heat—100 degrees the first day of June. When my dad was interviewing down here 20 years ago he brought us all t-shirts that said, “Houston Hot.” That is correct. My mom and I enjoyed some time in the uptown Galleria area one morning, and recently my parents and I visited Hannah and Justin in the hospital. This is the last picture of Justin with his appendix. As Han said, “RIP, Justin’s appendix.” He’s feeling much better.
Chris’ little sister, Melissa, is all grown up and headed off to college. She sang in her commencement ceremony and graduated with a ton of scholarships. Congrats, Melissa!! And happy birthday! Beyond that, the evacu-cation (irony…I prefer to vacation with Chris and without my will and important documents) has proceeded pretty normally. Luke and Amber threw a fun half birthday party for their kids with December birthdays, Hannie and Justin moved into their first house, a light fixture in their new digs attacked Daddy and chipped his two front teeth—earning him the new nickname ‘Fang’—and I have gained 24 pounds plus one pound of Bean. The kitties now spend the night and most mornings outside and just come in to nap and snarf. Mouse does not bat at wasps anymore. Pounce put on his big boy pants and started chasing away neighborhood tomcats. I’m so proud. And all of a sudden, so happy—less than one week until Chris and I are back together!! It’s been way too long!!!!! It was a completely unexpected and unique privilege to get to spend so much time with the fam in general and with my sister while we’re both pregnant, and that’s been really ideal. But never knowing when exactly I’d see Chris again—especially with so many circumstances and expectations constantly changing—has been difficult. As of yesterday I have a ticket back to Japan (the kitties are staying in Texas), so I’m setting aside my reservations and looking forward to: 1. time with Chris! (maybe I hope I hope I hope), 2. seeing my friends from base and church again! 3. back to work at Ichiban Collectibles, 4. Bon Odori dancing, 5. decorating the house for summer, 6. BABY!!!!!

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  1. Gizelle&Chris says

    Congrats on Pcola! I'll send a long a list of my favorite restaurants if you like. Also, feel free to ask about neighborhoods. If I were you, I'd live in downtown or off Scenic. A bit of a drive but worth the perks of being in town. (Keep in mind, where Pcola is located, we get a hurricane about every 10 years. We aren't quite due for one yet.)

  3. Laurie says

    Yay! Let me know if you need anything if/when you get Pensacola for your orders–like a place to hang out with the baby while your stuff is unpacked???

  4. McKay says

    I hope I hope too!! And I did LOVE our time in Panama City and am plotting some way to get back there. So, a little jealous of your return to the beach.