Tsunami Evacuation


Rocks are exposed in our bay 20 mins before our first wave of the tsunami reaches shore.  The extremely low tide and our fringing reef prevented damage to Guam.



Biding our time outside the gate of the Naval Hospital.  Gates were locked, so all we could do was park and wait it out.  The beach ball made for a bit of family soccer fun, with 3 hours to kill, we were glad to have it in the car.



We took every precaution and drove to higher ground to wait out the tsunami warning period.  Kids were bouncing off the car walls in no time, but great sports about it all.  It's good for them to know that in an emergency, you do what you have to do, and do it quickly.



Our hearts go out to our island neighbors in Japan.  A 9.0 magnitude earthquake, a devastating tsunami, followed by a nuclear crisis that has us checking the news headlines daily, even two weeks later, is simply heart-breaking.  



The sheer magnitude of the devastation has left millions homeless, rescue workers exhausted, and entire cities in a crippling state of emergency.  Some of the elderly who remember desperate WWII conditions are experiencing a haunting sense of deja vu. 



Despite continued "no human health risk" press releases, from our government as well as Japan's, and a completely voluntary, "overly-cautious" evacuation of US military spouses and children (many of whom are now in Guam), Tokyo's water supply is contaminated, more and more foods are reading positive for radiation, and Moms are desperate to find bottled water for their children and babies, while store-keepers explain that they have no idea when their next supplies will arrive. 



All the while, radioactive smoke continues to billow from the damaged reactors, sending plumes who-knows-where.  As Japan's neighbor, I do wish that the winds would stop blowing south-east, towards Guam!!!  As we hear of higher-than-normal radiation readings in California, so far away, I can't help but worry about us, much, much closer to Fukushima.  If the reactors were in Perth, and we were in Adelaide or Darwin, would I be concerned about winds blowing our way?  Heck, yes.  And that's the distance we are from Fukushima.



Also worrying is the government's concern that fear of radiation exposure causes more damage than actual exposure.  Really?  Can I just re-read that?  So would they tell us if Guam was at risk?  What happens when you tell the population of a small island that there may be radioactive particles in their wind or rain, in the air they are breathing and their children are breathing.  What happens if the population of an island panics?  You have 8 miles one way, and 22 miles the other way to run.  I imagine the people of Fukushima and surrounding prefectures are feeling are feeling all of that with so much more intensity; not really sure if the government is being transparent in it's facts, not really sure if their health is at risk, and no-where to run anyway. 



So, as much as I wanted this blog to be about our evacuation during the tsunami warning period, and focused on our little family, my heart is really heavy with concern for our neighbors in Japan. 

How brave are the workers who are working day in and day out to prevent the meltdown that would worsen the current radioactive risk into a worldwide catastrophe?  How strong are the rescue teams working with lack of food, water, fuel, and warmth, through snow drifts, searching for trapped victims with hope in their hearts?  How admirable are the people of Japan as they face their darkest hour with calm resolve? 



I had to google the quote below... I have heard it so many times, and I wondered if it was from a bible verse.  It turns out that it is not, it is a quote from Mother Theresa:
"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much". 
It turns out, God trusts Japan. 

Valentine's Day Wake-up Call
 

Jana proudly wrote her own name for all her preschool friends



12:08 a.m. Kai, in my room:  "Mommy, I can't sleep.  Can you snuggle me?". 
Me: "Okay, Kai, I'll come sleep in your room".

5:04 a.m. Kai, in Kai's room:  "Mommy, is it morning yet?"
Me: "No, Kai.  Not even the roosters are awake yet.  Go back to sleep."

5:05 a.m. Kai: "Mommy, can I get up yet?"
"No.  Go back to sleep."

5:06 a.m. Kai: "Is Daddy up yet?"


"My kindy friends are going to LOVE these!"



"I don't know.  It's too early.  You need to sleep. GO TO SLEEP."

5:07 a.m. Kai: Can I just go and see if Daddy's up yet?"

Me:  "Oh, gosh, Kai!  YES!  Get up, get out of here.  I want to sleep."

Kai:  " Okay," and coming over to hug me, "Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy.  I love you."

Oh boy.  What a sweetheart.  I love my kids!!!  Thank you, Kai, for reminding me what Valentine's Day is all about, even if that means getting woken up before the roosters start.



Poor sick boy...

By 5:30a.m. it was clear that poor Kai was going to miss out on his cool day at McCool School (yes, that is really its name).  He was completely under the weather with runny nose and fever.  I did consider sending him anyway, but then I can no longer whine about those bad Moms who send their sick kids to school and spread the joy around, so I had no choice.  He had to stay home. 

He was really happy about it, as you can see (yes, he got one of the hearts for posing for the shot) (okay, he got three, and before breakfast, too!).





Ask and Ye Shall Receive.... MOET!!!!

This Valentine's Day finds me on day four of my "lose 22lbs by April 29th" challenge.  So I took the bull by the horns and abandoned all hint-dropping.  It went pretty well something like this: "Jed, if you bring me chocolates, I'll kill you. But I would LOVE a bottle of Moet".  And..............      voila!                                                   

Next year I'm going to ask for a leer jet and gold Amex card.            Since I don't have a champagne glass in the house, I custom-decorated this fine crystal goblet, standing ready for the teeny golden bubbles of joy.  Cheers!                                                                Big hugs and sloppy Valentine's Day kisses to all of our amazing family and friends.  We love and miss you.                                    xoxoxoxo  Peta

Another Anniversary, Another Promotion



Marine Corps Ball, Japan, 2003 (Just married)

From meeting in Japan, marrying in Australia, honeymooning in Mexico, back to Okinawa, we eventually headed to Southern California, and then Northern California.  Now we find ourselves in Guam, part of the Marianas Island chain in the Pacific.  I need a world globe on my car dashboard just so I remember my way home each day. 






As Jed and I celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary, and tenth year together, we also celebrate a promotion.  Nine years ago, in Okinawa, I popped off Jed's Marine Corps single bars and pinned on his double ones as he promoted to Lieutenant.  This week Kai and Jana had the privilege, and this time slid on his shiny new double gold bars at a Coast Guard promotion ceremony in Guam.  Woo-hoo. 

I realize we have done a lot together, seen a lot together, and travelled a lot together. We have such a crazy, mixed up, mobile military lifestyle.

As of today, we have slept on airbeds for 5 months and 25 days, while all of our "worldly possessions" are probably baked into a melted glob in Pacific Island Movers' hot, humid storage shed somewhere here on the island.  To know that my sewing machine and art supplies, the kids' bikes and toys, the pots, pans, knives, forks, and dishes are so near and yet so far, while we continue to eat from paper plates and use plastic cutlery, and "do without" for yet another week, is challenging.  But we have each other and we have our kids.  We have our cars and our kayaks.  Jed has his surfboards.  One day I'm thinking "what more could we want?" and the next day I'm thinking I'll go crazy living like this.  But I'm grateful that we are together.  Many a military spouse has spent her wedding anniversary alone.  While we have our little family intact, we'll do without our toys, bells, and whistles a little longer.  Oh, and hey, we will definitely enjoy that pay-raise!!

Oh my gosh. My blog is so neglected.

Jana, that cute little newborn bug in a blanket in my last post, can dress herself (sometimes rather colorfully), brush her own teeth, and open and close the fridge. She does that around 567 times a day, just to prove the point.

So it's time this blog got with the times.

Kai is now six, and traded his dummy-slash-pacifier (depending on your hemisphere) for a Nintendo-Wii-Mario Bros-Sonic Colors-handheld-computer-gadgety-thingy. When we fear we've really lost him to the dark side, we head to the beach.

He must be so surprised to look up and see that Mario and Luigi have been replaced by a real, human family, and a world that is no longer made up of pixels, levels, several worlds, and mushrooms that give him special powers.