First Post of 2020!

Can it really be year 2020 this soon? Time is really flying by! Shannon and the kids returned back to California after their Christmas trip to VA. It was back too school after their winter break and back into their familiar routines. LC was involved in girl scouts and gymnastics, and E was also in Gymnastics, along with dance. Staying busy is a must at the house - or else the kids turn into mischievous girls. Plus, its California, and the weather here is perfect for outdoor playing year-round. 

As for me, the ship started it long journey back to the USA from the middle east.  

It was also time for the kids to get haircuts. E's friend Emma accompanied us and even lender a helping hand during E's shampooing. 

As previously mentioned, the winter weather in SD is great and the girls keep taking advantage of our neighborhood heated pool. They usually are the only ones in there so they get free reign of the place. 

For Thanksgiving, my ship pulled into Bahrain. It was a different Bahrain then I remember 11 years ago on my first deployment. Everything was much more built-up and when I visited last, it was in the summer. The cool 80 degree temps were perfect. We set up a round of golf, purposely picking a tee time that would let us finish up the round at night. Because of the hot temps during the day, people find that playing golf at night is more comfortable. They light up the course so that you continue playing once the sun has set. It had been years since I last played, so I didn't break any scoring records, but it was fun none the less to get off the boat and hit that little white ball. 

Most of my time in Bahrain was relaxing by the pool. It was a nice 4 day port visit but back to reality once it was all over. 

After we departed the Gulf we slowly started making our way east. We were underway for Christmas and New Years which wasn't my first time being at seat for the holidays. I was able to talk to the Shannon and the kids on the phone which was nice. And nothing was scheduled for those days so that we could chill out and relax. 

The ship pulled into Hawaii for a couple days for a brief port visit. The goal was to relax some more and eat some good food. We found a really awesome ramen place near the hotel that we visited. We had to wait outside for 20-30 minutes but it was well worth the wait. I hadn't had authentic Ramen like this since leaving Japan in 2016. 

Relaxing by the pool was just what the doctor ordered. 

The weather wasn't all that great. I think it rained every day we were there. But there were a few hours of patchy sun that we were able to soak in. 

A buddy and I ran from the hotel in Waikiki up to Diamond head. It was only supposed to be a quick run to the crater and then we would grab an uber home. But the wait for an uber was too long so we ran back. I think it was a total of 7-8 miles. I wasn't able to walk well the next day, but the touring of the Hawaiian scenery was lovely. 

The obligatory picture from the top of Diamond head. 

We made it back to San Diego on January 20th. About 3.5 months after the original intended day. I was up on the flight deck for the transit in. It was great to see the SD skyline as we entered the channel. 

The homecoming celebration was incredible. There was tons of people, bands, food vendors and news/radio stations awaiting our world record around-the-world cruise. 

Shannon and the kids were up in WA the day we pulled in. They had planned this trip for a while and the date of our return was always changing and/or up in the air. So I took duty that day and let everyone get off the boat to see their families that they hadn't seen in 10+ months. The family did come back to day after we pulled in and we surprised LC and E at the airport. They didn't know that I was coming home so it was a nice surprise for them. I walked passed them a few times while they were walking towards the baggage claim and eventually they realized it was me.

Now that I am back, they wanted to show me all the things they had checked out in SD while I was away. We went to the beach a few times and climbed on the breakwater rocks at the Del. 

We got our annual passes to the zoo and tried to hit it up for a few hours each week. Here is E posing with the Chbby unicorn (Rhino). 

The tourists aren't yet here so we get free reign of the place. Its nice because we can check out different areas of the giant zoo and not have to feel obligated to see everything in one day. 

I went to the Kids' open house night at their school. 

More trips to the beach to enjoy the CA sunshine. 

And more trips to the zoo...

We even acquired a pet. LC's class raised crayfish for a school project and at the end of the project they let the kids take them home. We were "lucky" enough to get one. We named it Shelby and he stays in a tank in the kids' room. I am the only one that is brave enough to pick it up. 

More pool time!

And E started to lose more teeth!

Shannon was going through some of the kids stuff and we came across their Japanese school uniforms. So we decided to do a little fashion show and talk about our times in Japan. 

E's fit her the best between the tow girls, but it was still a bout snug. 

But LC's was outgrown, but still able to squeeze into it. 

We also made it out to the Safari Park. Its a little more open then the zoo but still offers all the exhibits and animals. E was brave enough to feed a bird in one of the aviaries. 

And Shannon (finally) got a job at CrossFit Coronado. She went there 9 years ago while pregnant with E and kind of kept in touch with the owners. And how that she is certified, she was hired as one of the trainers. Congrats and job well done. 

I found a fire pit on one of the local yard sale adds. It is nice to sit out back and watch the girls wrestle on the mats while Shannon and I sip wine and roast marshmallows.

So far, Spring is off to a good start.... 

The Holidays and a Surprise

School seems to be in full swing and the year is coming to a close. We are still really enjoying our time here in San Diego. We are enjoying the normal traffic, mail that comes to the house, being able to drink water out of the tap and all the other conveniences we missed out on over the past 5.5 years. It is crazy to think that we were living broad for just under six years! For the most part, it was very enjoyable. Being a minority in another country and trying to figure out different cultures and ways of life. It is also funny to think that the kids really don't really remember what living in the USA is like. They still ask "do they speak english at the [fill in the blank]?" We are still filling out afternoons and weekends with outdoor activities and a lot of pool time.

Now, regarding "the surprise".... while I was away at Dahlgren, VA for my 5-week school, I found out that the ship wants me to meet them at sea. This isn't anything out of the ordinary, but it looks like they are getting extended over in the middle east with all the recent tensions. Every week or so my sponsor would give me an update from the boat saying they didn't need me to come out.... then he would say things have changed and they want me to come out. Eventually they settled on me meeting them at sea to ride them back home. I anticipated about a month and a half with them, and then I would be home for Christmas... and maybe Thanksgiving. Obviously, I had no say in the matter, so after my final school in SD, I packed up and shipped out to Bahrain. I guess we weren't too shocked from this news... the Navy has always found a way to keep things interesting. I left SD just after LC's 9th birthday.

LC and E received matching unicorn onsies for their birthdays that were big hits! 

The first weekend I was away, Shannon threw a little get-together for the girls' birthday at the pool down the road. All the neighborhood friends came over and it was a good time. 

To stay busy with me being gone, Shannon tried to find things to burn time. She took them to the neighborhood in Coronado that we used to live and and they walked Tidelands park. This was the park that we would take the girls to every day, and every night we would walk Sasha and let the girls roll/run around the park. We also took some family photos one year at this pond that the girls are sitting in front of. Only LC remember.... E was too young. 

This is the pathway we would walk a couple times a day. The never disappoints. 

Shannon signed the kids up for a few different activities to assist with the staying busy theme. LC joined the school choir club that meets Friday mornings. They do various performances around town and also sing to their school every friday morning when all the school meets for "Friday at the Flagpole."

LC and E both wanted to get involved with gymnastics at the community center. LC has done it now for a few quarters but E wanted to try something different and now she is in Jazz and Contemporary Dance. Of course, what is gymnastics without the proper attire?

I remember Halloween being a highlight to our previous Coronado living. The main Coronado street, Orange, is where all the businesses are and they pass out candy to the hoards of trick-or-treaters. The kids dressed up as a witch (E) and a devil (LC). They even were able to dress up for school.  Needless to say, they both made out with a lot/too much candy. 

LC dressed up as a devil. 

E dressed up as a witch with pink teeth. 

Strolls on the beach also help with passing the time. Here are the kids admiring a sand sculpture someone built. 

The kids dont remember too many of the places we used to go when we were here back in 2011. But Moo time Creamery was always a personal favorite of mine. I think this photo was taken in front of moo time. Shannon and I also used to go to the local frozen yogurt place, and secretly eat fro-yo from the cup while pushing the kids in the stroller or wagon. They now ask for it all the time and love being able to choose between the 8-10 different flavors and the numerous toppings. 

Here are the kids climbing on the rocks at the beach. Another beautiful fall day in CA.

Of note, once I got to the boat in October, we received word a few days later that we would be extended another 3 months. That news was very hard on the crew since it would put them at 10 months of deployment. For me, it was sad knowing that I would be missing all of the holidays, but knew 3 months was still better then 10 months! sigh.... the life of the Navy.

Both kids are also in local Girl Scout troops. They were both in GS in Italy and seemed to enjoy it so we thought it was a no-brainer to get them involved here. LC's troop had a camp out at Balboa park one weekend. Here she is practicing archery. They camped next door to the zoo, which they thought was pretty cool. 

With me being gone, the only time I really get to talk to them is when we pull into port somewhere. We pulled into Bahrain for Thanksgiving which was nice. It was especially nice for the crew on the boat who'd been at sea for over 60 days straight. The girls like to bring up the various filters on FaceTime instead of talking.... sigh...  Shannon and the kids flew up to WA for Thanksgiving to see our good friends from Italy. 

The girls' Girl Scout troops participated in the Coronado  Christmas Parade. Here is E with one of her friends. 

And here is LC's troop marching in the parade.

LC's choir club also had a bunch of lovely Christmas performances around town and at school over Christmas. 

No words to describe this picture..... 

More of LC's choir performances. 

For Christmas, Shannon and the girls flew to VA. We were always kind of planning on flying out east for Christmas this year, but once we heard I wasn't going to be home, they bought tickets for them to head east once the kids got out of school. They decorated the house with most of our Christmas decorations to get into the Christmas spirit. Here they are opening up their lava lamps. 

LC asked for a skateboard for Christmas and here she is showing it off. 

Shannon had a great time in VA over Christmas break -- they were able to see all the family and cousins and they loved opening presents!

Thumbs down for having to go back home!

Both kids love the dogs over at Poppy and BB's, E especially. E will spend hours outside petting and talking to the dogs. 

Ellis also started losing teeth. Both of her upper fronts became loose at the same time, but this was the first one to fall out. 

My second and last port visit of the deployment was to Hawaii. Unfortunetly, the weather was very rainy but it was still great to be on land and to be able to FaceTime with the kids. Here is LC showing me her freshly chalked hair color. 

Shannon signed up for a Rowing event in WA (w/ our good friends in) and her and the girls flew up the WA to participate in that. It was a 24 hour event, where you row for 10 min every hour on the hour, and then rest for 50 minutes. So you stay up 24 hours straight.... sounds awful.... 

Staying busy was the name of the game. Between Christmas and the short trip to WA, it was stating busy with all the activities back home coupled with lots of trip to the neighborhoods (heated) pool.