Anticipation

The holidays have an almost magical appeal to them. Reunion offers sweet anticipation, long-lost familiarity, and a sense of Home! Being on the road, or away from family, friends, and friendly faces presents unique challenges--mental, spiritual, and even physical. The military life is not the only one that repeatedly asks its people to be away from those that they love. Strength through adversity should be a military family motto, however, as moms, kids, and dads all learn to deal with "new normals" at each change of station. It's important to remember that your time together is precious, that the ones you love are thinking about you, too, and that the sands in the hour glass will slowly, but surely, count down until you see each other again. This holiday season, take a few deep breaths of cold air together, and express your thanks and appreciation for the family members that make you strong! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Melissa has an eye for photography and a remarkable flair for life! If not a tie with Ty, I claim biggest fan status and request that this new year, 2013, be a renewal year for the Project 52! The whirlwinds of change, moving, life speeding up and the various trappings of day-to-day business kept her away from her passion for at least 20 of the weeks of 2010 and more in 2011. Please vote yes in the comments below if you, too, would like to see a year through the lens and eyes of my talented wife!

Joe here, I realized recently that I've been negligent in my posting duties. In fact, I've allowed years of these blogs to slip by without fully capturing the electronic medium of intro/extrospection. New word, TM. Mel does so much, and I've let her run the blog all this time without even posting? Tsk Tsk. That being said, let's take a look at all of the things that've happened in the last few months. July was a mixed bag, we were sad but ready to leave Okinawa. That island was a great place; we made a number of good friends and memories but to quote Frost:

...And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back...

Ty happily skampers, leading us down our new path, to a new and different world of palm trees and pumpkins. Fall weather worthy of jeans and sweaters, "real shopping" and more training. I'm excited to try something new, and my job is certainly providing new challenges, but that's what it's all about. This winter Ty turns 2, and the time doesn't seem to be slowing down any. Mel is proudly taking on the SAHM role, and I think they are both benefitting greatly. She gets to see the little day-to-day changes, and he's got his own pre-K/primary school teacher giving him a head start on learning. Some of his new spoken words include: elephant, circle, helicopter, and many more. He can recognize and point out animals, shapes, vehicles of every size and shape and so many other things. It's fascinating how technologically savvy he is, manipulating iPhones, iPads, TV remotes and the like with great ease. 

I look forward to completing a marathon season of TDY/trainings and spending time with my family soon! The holidays are quickly approaching and being in the US affords us the opportunity to meet up with friends, family, and attend parties and gatherings that were a stretch to get to from Okinawa!

 Time for a walk! Show us the way lil guy...

Captain Reunion

This past weekend was the highly anticipated reunion with my best girlfriends from college.  We all went out to Charleston, SC for my friend Jenny's wedding! The last time we had all been together was for my wedding, back in December '08.  Needless to say, we were all SO excited to get together again!

It was also my first time leaving Ty for longer than just a few hours. I knew I was going to be sad and miss him terribly, but knew he was in good hands (thanks Grammy & Poppy) and was going to enjoy having a little "mommy vacation" with the girls.

I flew out Wednesday and met my bestie, Caitie, in Charlotte and we flew into Charleston on the same flight. Beth made it to town and we got to spend a few nights together, and meet her adorable baby girl. We all had a blast together!

There's a quote: "True friendship isn't about being inseparable, it's being separated & nothing changes."
Being together, even though it'd been years, felt just like old times. We picked up right where we left off and nothing changed... except in a strange way, everything had changed in our lives, but our friendship hadn't.  I know that not matter how much time we spend apart, the next time we're together, it'll feel like it was just yesterday we last saw each other!

We had an amazing time in the short 5 days. The wedding was beautiful - simply classic, just like Jenny. The weather held out just in time for the ceremony, and poured rain as soon as we went inside for photos and the reception. I was honored to a part of her wedding, and was thrilled to spend so much time with the girls.  Jenny made a beautiful bride and the wedding was amazing.

Caitie and I exploring downtown Charleston - Princess St. :)

Me, Emily & Caitie before the rehearsal dinner.

Rehersal dinner - Beth, me, Caitie & Emily

Captains! Beth, Jenny, me and Caitie!

Love these ladies!

Pi Phi dropouts. 

:( End of the Captain reunion. Until Vegas!

Whirlwind of change!

We've been through so much within the last few weeks, it's hard to keep track of it all!

 July 16th our house was packed up and we stayed in our empty house (with exception of the first night, sweet friends let us stay with them since we didn't have any government furniture yet) for 4 days.  Then we headed to temporary lodging on base. It was tiny since we had 6 bags, carry-ons, baby furniture, etc. stuffed in every corner possible.

Ty and I spent most of our time trying to stay busy. Taking him to different parks, the pool, playdates with friends, running errands, etc. Joe was busy running around taking care of tying up all the out processing to-do's, getting the house squared away for our final inspection, and still going in to work when he wasn't busy taking care of all said before.

July 25th we flew to Hawaii. We had a 3-hour flight to Tokyo, with a 3-hour layover. Ty got pretty restless during our layover, which conveniently turned into a 4-hour layover. He had lots of fun running around, and tuckered himself out and slept the majority of the flight to Hawaii!

We arrived in Hawaii around 9am and made it to the hotel by 10am. At that point we had been traveling for I think over 15 hours, and just wanted showers, clean clothes, and a nap. But, we couldn't check-in to our hotel until 3pm. They stored our luggage and we went off walking for some lunch and shopping. We spent the majority of our days sight seeing, getting sun at the pools/beach, and even got to catch up with friends who were on island.  Hawaii was amazing and I hope to go back one day! Ty was a trooper and seemed to love the beach and rediscovered his love for fresh pineapple!

We had two flights out of Hawaii - first stop was in Houston, TX and it was a pretty quick layover. It was nice not having to go through customs! Then we headed off to Huntsville, AL. We're staying with my parents and it's great to be back stateside and with family. Ty is having some trouble adjusting to the time difference and has been quite whiny lately. Hopefully he'll adjust soon and be back to his normal self.

We have spent the first few days trying to get reconnected to the world again. We got setup with cell phones, and bought a new (used) car for me - and since my birthday is tomorrow, happy birthday to me!  Later this week we have to drive to Atlanta to pick up our car we had in storage.

Joe will head to Maxwell next week for SOS. Ty and I plan to stay busy and next month is the kick off of our weddings marathon! I cannot wait to see my girlfriends from college, and we are equally excited to go to the other three weddings as well.

This move has been smooth so far, and fingers crossed for it to continue to do so!

17 months

I realized I didn't blog about 16 months. Life's been pretty busy lately!  I've gotten to enjoy almost a full month of being a SAHM... and I am absolutely loving it! I realized how much precious time I was missing out on.  My sweet little guy is making up for it and I get so many hugs each day... I think he enjoys having me home full-time, too.

At 17 months...

-I think he's weighing in around 30lbs... maybe a bit more!
-He's tall... I haven't measured him, but I'll try to do that before we pack up his growth chart - he is growing like a weed!
-He's in 18 month clothes, size 4 diapers still
-Sleeps 11-13 hours a night, with a 2-3 hour afternoon nap right after lunch
-Working on tooth #13 & 14 (I think... he won't exactly let me see).
-Favorite foods are Goldfish, craisins, fruit snacks, chicken nuggets, scrambled eggs, mandarain oranges, apple juice, popsicles... pretty much anything!!! :)
-completely obsessed with wheels! He loves to turn his stroller upside down and spin the wheels for what seems like hours. Anything that spins will win his heart!
-We have a climber. This little guy loves to climb all over furniture. He climbs onto the couches, plops down on the cushion, pulls down a blanket, and makes himself cozy in front of the TV. He's sneaky, and will climb into the toy chest (aka-otterman, chairs, and well just about anything else his height.)  Thankfully he hasn't tried climbing out of his crib... yet!
-Can say a few words, but mainly babbles in his own language. He goes through stages of his favorite word. Last month it was "car".
-Imitating a lot. He likes to imitates different syllables/sounds. He's working on animal sounds and his little "roarrrr" is too cute!
-He learned how to stack blocks but it didn't seem to hold his interest long. He'd rather play with wheels.
-Learning how to point to different body parts. He knows head, nose... still working on tummy, feet, ears, etc.
-He can wave "bye-bye" when he's in the mood. Sometimes he seems shy in front of strangers and does it when they're not looking.
-Finally likes the water. The first few times we tried putting him in a baby pool, he climbed right out. Now he's starting to enjoy it much more!
-Learning how to go up stairs like a big boy with his feet and not climb

A few days before he turned 17 months.

We look a bit goofy, but I can't get enough of his hugs!

My little guy is becoming such a world traveler! After school let out, we were lucky enough to catch a Space-A hop to Guam with Joe for a typhoon evacuation. It was a lot of work, but I can't complain since it was free, and it was a beautiful place to visit!  In 2 weeks we will travel to Hawaii, then all over the states. We're looking forward to being back home closer to family and friends!


I absolutely love this stage and having a toddler is a lot of fun!  He's starting to enjoy play dates with other kids his age.  He is a bundle of fun and I love this little guy so much!

Schoooooool's out for-EVER!

Okay, not FOREVER, but for the unforeseeable future!  Today was the last day with the kids (half day) and I gotta admit, it's bittersweet!  My kids/parents showered me with sweet gifts, cards & flowers and I got too many hugs too count.

I can't believe I survived this week with no major hiccups!  Most people thought I was crazy to have be putting on a big awards ceremony and then doing a carnival the last few days of school when I'm trying to pack up my classroom. It was a stretch and I barely was able to do it all, but I'm proud of myself for pushing myself to make it extra special for my students and parents.

I have to admit, I got lucky and had AMAZING parent support this year! I gave 12 parent volunteers tokens of my appreciation.  Several of them came to help me decorate and prepare for the big events. The room looked amazing, such a transformation (pictures soon).  It was decked out with a Hollywood theme, and the kids came dressed up like little movie stars! Some were in suits and the girls were cute as ever in their pretty dresses.  I called each student, they got to walk down the red carpet aisle (parents were seated on both sides of the carpet) and I awarded them with their individualized awards. They loved it!  I showed the slideshow. I was nervous something would go wrong, but thankfully I was able to get it to play and it worked! That dang slideshow stressed me out so much!  It was nearly 11 minutes, and that was after a lot of editing. I apparently took a ton of pictures this year and had like 30 minutes worth of pictures. Cutting it down to 11 was hard! I figured the kids wouldn't mind it being so long because it was pictures of themselves and their friends. I was right, they absolutely loved watching it. The parents loved it, some even cried (okay, I admit, I put a sappy song at the end - "Let Them Be Little" by Billie Dean) and it makes me tear up too.  They liked it so much, I got talked into burning them all copies to send home so they could enjoy it over, and over, and over. Not like I have anything else going on... but I obliged and was flattered they all liked it that much.

I got a really nice farewell gift from the staff, my teammates also got me a super cute gift, and then I spent the rest of the day packing/cleaning and running around getting my clearance checklist completed. Tomorrow is a teacher work day and I still have soooo much to do.  Reading folders, cleaning out all the closets/cabinets, inventory checklists, yada yada yada.  I'll be running around like a chicken with their head cut off all.day.long.

I had my final appointment with the principal.  She had all good things to say, and I asked if she had any feedback of areas where I could grow in, reminding her I'm still a newbie and she looked at me puzzled and asked how long had I been teaching, and I answered her saying, "This is just my 2nd year" and she was stunned.  She said she would had never known it was only my 2nd year and she's going to miss having the "Bisson touch" around the school when I leave. That made me feel great.

Anyway, it's all said and done and I'm proud I pulled it all off... but I'm exhausted.  As one door closes, another opens, and now I begin my new full-time job of being a stay at home mommy to the sweetest little boy ever - I am SO excited!  Everyone keeps asking when I plan to teach again, and I honestly don't know what the future holds. School's out for me, not just for the summer, but for quite some time... and I'm okay with that! :)