kisses...

kissing auntie byssa...

kissing sweet baby owen!!!

getting love from aunt lori!!!

best buddies... can you tell that c is twice owen's size???  he is.

snugs with uncle dd and sarah...

loving on biff...

nora and byssa...

loving on biff...

oh, and nora got into the kindergarten.  well, at least far enough that we have to do the testing day!  such an answer to prayer!!!  (ironically, my plan was to wait at least until we got back from the mainland to start thinking about/dealing with it!!

david got his first package from us!!  they pulled in to guam this weekend for some gas.  so, this time, it only took 10 days to get!!  not bad.  (not sure how you figure in the loss of a day...  the one they lost going across the date line!)

the day before (i think?  i can't quite keep track of what days his track for mine... at any given minute i can figure out what time/day it is for him, but i can't keep it straight...)  david got to jump off the ship (supervised, of course) and swim in the water.  it was 23,000 feet deep!  how cool is that??  i am waiting for pics to go up on the facebook page... and for david to email me his pics!

speaking of david... he is going to do some guest blogging for me, sharing his adventures.  he is able to share a lot of his adventures after the fact.  i forget if i put this on here already, and some may have seen it on facebook.  but for those of you non-military types, there is a reason i don't share dates/times/locations beforehand...  mostly, i am not allowed!  if i even know at all!!  i like this poem that cleared it up a bit...

we had friends, on their last ship a bunch of wives were going to visit the ship in port.  but, someone put it on facebook where they were going.  and so, the port visit got cancelled.  you can imagine, the wives who had plane tickets, NOT TO MENTION the sailors, who may only get to be in port for 3-4 days every 2 months, were a little mad!  so, if i am vague or cagey about things...  it's for safety and security!!!  

I am Sam. Sam I am. Do you like OPSEC and ham? I do not get it, Sam I am. I do not get OPSEC and ham. We must use it here and there. We must use it everywhere. You CAN share it in a car. But you CANNOT in a bar. You CANNOT share it in a text. You CANNOT share it at the NEX. You CAN say it in your house. But should NOT tell a random spouse. You CAN say it in the shower. But do NOT go sharing at happy hour. DON'T make the Ombudsman sweat. DON'T post it on the internet. You CANNOT share it in a tweet. That would not be very sweet. Beware of Facebook and Myspace too. It's tempting to let your feelings through. You Cannot tell it to a friend. NOT even at the very end. It is a privilege to know a date. DON'T tell ANYONE or they may be late! Oh, I get it, Sam I am. Now I get OPSEC and ham! I will not tell anyone. I will keep hushed until they're done! I will not tell him or her. I will not tell my dog with fur. I will not tell my child's teacher. I will not tell any creature. Thank you, THANK YOU, Sam I am. Thank you for clearing up OPSEC and Ham!!!