Weathering Another Storm

Greetings,

Well once again we had another typhoon warning. We got word on Wednesday night that a tropical storm was heading right for Sasebo. Jason was instructed to pack a bag, as the ship would most likely be pulling out sometime on Thursday to avoid any damage it would sustain in port by the storm. Michael and I dropped Jason off at the ship early Thursday morning, and then we spent the rest of the day getting ourselves ready just in case we would not be able to get out for a few days, or worse yet, if we actually lost power. We got a call on Thursday night at 7pm that the ship decided not to leave, and that Jason was coming home. We were very happy that Jason did not have to leave.

The tropical storm did hit Sasebo. We had 65mph wind gusts. When you live on a mountain and on the sixth floor of your apartment complex, the wind can be a little scary. Not to mention that we have three huge sliding glass doors that surround us, so we got front row seat as tropical storm Wukong past through. It only lasted a day, and really other than losing our satellite television reception, we were all just fine.

Other than our little scare, things here are going well. We found out that Jason is going to be promoted to Lt. Commander, so we are very proud of all his hard work. I completed my Japanese Cultural classes. It is interesting to learn the culture and history of Sasebo, and have an overview of the language. I also have my driver’s license too. It has been great being mobile once again, even though driving here is an interesting experience. They drive on the left side of the road and the roads are two feet narrower than what they are in the states.

Michael is doing well. He is getting bigger and bigger. He really does not like the local cuisine, but he really did enjoy the “meat on a stick” restaurant which surprised me. It is just grilled chicken, steak, seafood, vegetables etc. that are grilled on skewers. It is now one of our family favorites. Michael is still not walking yet, but he has been cruising on everything from the couches to our bed. Jason and I have been trying to work with him on walking, and our hard work seems to be prevailing. Hopefully it will not be long now until Michael is walking all over the place. We spend most of our days at the pool, because it has been so hot. We also meet other mom’s and their children. We also enjoy going to the library and the nice park they have right outside the main gate, and the zoo too. Our days go by pretty quickly.

Jason and I are still taking our continuing education courses. Jason is working on his leadership course for his Master’s degree. I have been continuing my post-licensing courses to renew my Florida real estate license next year. Thank god for online courses. I am able to work on my class while Michael’s sleeps. The funny thing is that most of the topics in my post-licensing course I have already covered in my training in Maryland, as well as already applied most of them in my real estate career.

We miss all of you so much, and would love to hear from you. Jason is leaving the end of August to go up to Yokosuka Naval Base, which is just outside Tokyo. Michael and I are going to go up there and spend a week with him exploring Tokyo before we head home for the states on September 7th. Take care!

Love,
Jen, Jason and Michael