Working for the Weekend

Kyle just returned from his most recent deployment. He spent about a month in the Philippines, supporting a multi-national, joint force exercise called Baliktan. He was at Clark Air Base near Manila most of the time, but he did have a chance to travel to a few other areas of the PI.

He returned on Tuesday afternoon and then had a full day of work on Wednesday. On Thursday he was granted a "96" which means he gets 96 hours of liberty, or a long weekend for those of us that speak civilian and not military.

We spent Thursday morning kayaking in the East China Sea, Thursday afternoon scuba diving at Diamond Beach and Thursday evening swimming with the dogs at Sunabe Baba Park. It was a fun-filled day.

We were diving with a couple of Kyle's friends, who are very experienced divers. They found this puffer fish and then "scared" him so he would puff up. Then, we all took a minute to pose for the cool underwater photos. These are actually the first pictures I have of us underwater and they are already some of my favorites.

On Friday we had to do a few chores around the house. We returned some government issued furniture to one of the warehouses and we made a run to the PX. We got home just in time to spend a few hours at Araha Beach. Friday night we crashed a going away party for a cool guy named Brian. Brian is headed off the Kansas City, MO to recruit new Marine Corps officers in Missouri and Iowa. We ended up at a fun establishment called Seabees, where we sang karaoke for a couple of hours. Stay tuned for a detailed explanation of singing karaoke in Japan.

Saturday and Sunday were both beach days. On Sunday we took a ferry to one of the outer island with a few friends. We went to Zamami Island in the Kerama Islands. The beach was absolutely gorgeous and the snorkeling was amazing. Kyle grew up and SoCal and spent three years in Hawaii, but he swears Furuzamami Beach is the most beautiful beach he's ever seen. The water was crystal clear and the sea shells were amazing. When the tide went out we walked from one island to another. We are already planning another trip to this pristine tropical island.

The Boys

As you might know, Rex and Hari are very dear to our hearts. Kyle and I seem to be the happiest when we are curled up on the couch (with a nice glass of wine) and the dogs are nearby. It really does feel like our family. After petting both dogs on the head, Kyle will look at me and say "Jen, I love our family." It is a great feeling. You probably know, I've been very connected to Rex since the day I saved him from the pound. He's an emotional dog and really loves people. He senses the energy in the room and always adapts to it. If I am sad, Rex gives me a hug. We've been calling Rex "velcro dog" lately, because he always wants to be near people. Hari has become a much better dog. I'm sure it's a combination of the fact that he's now 1 year old, he's been neutered, and I decided to love him. He must have sensed I had a beef with him before, because he and I just didn't see eye to eye. Well, in early January (after almost giving him away) I decided I loved Hari and he was part of our family. He really is a good dog and has positive traits that Rex doesn't have.

Well, a few weeks ago my friend Kari posted about her dog Boomer and doggie ice cream treats she had picked up at the grocery store. http://kariandbrad.blogspot.com/search/label/Boomer I was so excited to see Purina was making doggie ice cream, but I didn't figure we'd be able to find it at the Commissary in Japan.

Low and behold, last week when I was shopping for slumber party supplies, I spotted the Frosty Paws in the freezer section.

The boys loved the ice cream!

Friday Nights

When Kyle was at TBS I told him Friday nights were the worst. I always missed him so much on Friday nights. I'm not sure why -- maybe because a lot of people are "coupled up" on Friday nights or maybe because he and I spent so many Friday nights at Olde Main playing shuffleboard. Well, don't get me wrong . . . I still miss Kyle when he's not here to spend a nice Friday night with me. But, I have had some great Friday night plans recently.

Last Friday the girls got together to attend Margaritaville. The event was hosted at the Officers' Club and was complete with a Jimmy Buffet cover band. We had so much fun!

Tomorrow night I am hosting a slumber party for my next door neighbors. Christian (5), Connor (4), Caden (2) and their Mom (Amy) will be having a sleepover at the Farrell-Mattox household. We already have plans to sponge paint, plant tomatoes and herbs, watch movies, and make a fort on the living room floor. I'll post pictures soon.

Kristina, Jen, Stacee

Mary and Chrissy

Jen . . . I'm not really sure about this pose

This guy got to know Jose a little too well

Chrissy and Jen

World Clock

Wow, I'm already in love with Blogger . . . check out the World Clock I installed at the bottom of the page. This is will everyone figure out the time difference between wherever you are in the world and Okinawa!

Security Breach

Friends -- the following post will explain my blogging hiatus, and the email you are about to receive in your inbox.

During our weekend in Thailand, I had a chance to meet some of Kyle's colleagues. As we waited on the patio of the Hard Rock Hotel for our Elephant tour to depart, I was introduced to a Lieutenant Belt Buckle. Upon meeting her and shaking her hand, she took one look at me and said, "Oh, so you're the one that's been leaking information to terrorists." I had NO idea what she was talking about. A look of confusion washed over my face. And then, Lieutenant BB realized she had just blindsided me. She then looked at Kyle and said, "Oh, Mattox, you didn't tell her?!?"

Kyle grabbed my hand and told me, "Oh, it's nothing baby. It's just that the Intel and Comm guys discovered your blog. I guess they were doing a keyword search and they found the blog." I couldn't even believe it. I was mortified. I felt horrible. I would never, ever type, post or say something that might put Kyle or any other service member in danger. I thought I had been so careful with what I typed on the blog. I thought I had followed all of the rules of operational security.

I asked Kyle what I should do . . . should we take the blog down? Should I stop blogging? How will our family and friends stay in touch with our life in the Far East if I can't blog? He told me, "Jen, calm down. It wasn't officially a security breach. Just almost. . ."

Given that our blog was "almost a security breach," I am taking new measures to protect our information. I have created a blog on blogspot. You will be required to "log in" to read our blog. Please watch your email inbox for information about becoming a viewer of our new blog.

I hope you'll continue to read! Kyle and I are really having the adventure of a lifetime over here in the Far East. We are both so thankful for the opportunities and experiences we've had over the past 15 months. Please email me at JenLFarrell@hotmail.com if you would like access to the new blog at http://kylejenrexandhari.blogspot.com.