Today!

We are still plugging right along here.  I am amazed daily by how NICE everyone on the base is.  

Yesterday we had our appointment at housing to sign for our new home.  Turns out I know the lady that did our final paperwork.  We were stationed in La Madd together.  We enjoyed reminiscing about Italy, and how much we miss it.  She showed me pictures of a HUGE centipede she caught in her house.  We are up on the 6 Th floor, and I doubt they can climb that high!!

After housing we had to turn in our TLA paperwork.  The Navy pays for our hotel stay. Or rather they are supposed to! They seem to be having trouble getting DFAS to accept the code location for Sasebo.  For now we are OK, and I can foot the bills, but I sure hope they figure it out soon!  Ian and I are adamant that we keep a cushion in savings.  One that if need be can get all 5 of us home in an emergency.  Anyone out there priced plane tickets to Denver for a family of 5?  I could buy a small car for what the airlines want.  

Speaking of cars, let me tell you all how different things work here in Sasebo.  The day after we arrived in Yoko,  Ian's boss gave us a car. Yep, that's right, for FREE!  We drove that car for 3 years, and only had to do routine oil changes.  Oh, and I think a light bulb once.  We drove on the cheap.  It was lovely. And, that is what I was expecting moving here. Turns out people here in Sasebo are sure proud of their cars.    What we now know is here in Sasebo, JCI means just that.. The Japanese mechanics inspect the vehicle, and Japan has some of the strictest emissions in the world.  Ian and I have been told to try and buy a car that comes with at least 18 month JCI left.  So far we have had no luck.  To live here, you need a car.  Up in Yoko, you could live without a car.  We had 3 train stations right outside the base.  Here we have 1 and it's a 30 min walk.  Sasebo is much more country, and it seems that most people drive.  One other good thing about living here, we don't pay for parking.  

We decided to play it by ear, and not rush into something.  The car I buy will need to last us 3 years.  I don't want to have to pay JCI twice.  I know I am rambling, but this car thing is going to bring back my hives!!!  

After we finished at PSD, I had to run upstairs to inbound shipping.  I spent half an hour looking for the office.  When I spoke with the gentleman on the phone he said "Oh, we are next door to housing".  To me this meant, walk outside the building, and go next door.  So that is what Christopher and I did.  After walking into every single office next door. I asked someone.  She said.  "inbound, they are right next to housing".  I then asked her if they were in the same building?  She chuckled a bit, and said "no, I mean right next to, as in on the same floor.  In the same building.  Christopher and I raced back to hosing.  To get to housing you have to take the elevator to the second floor. The doors open and that is housing.  There are no walls that separate housing from the elevator.  Once the doors open you are greeted by the clerk.  And, to my surprise right there 2 feet from the housing clerk, is the inbound shipping clerk.  How on earth did I miss that???  Once I explained to the clerk that we got lost@@ He just laughed at me. He knew we had an appointment with housing.   We were out of there in less then 10 minutes.  They have set everything up to deliver our house hold goods on the 28 Th.  I can not wait to get my stuff, unpack, and get settled.  

Today we have to get the kids set up for our AOB/ICR class.  Aera Orientation Brief/ Inter Cultural Relations is a great class.  We will learn about the local area, some useful Japanese terms and even get to take a field trip.  The kids are not invited.  Noah will get to go to summer camp, Christopher will head to football camp, and Peyton will spend the week in the CDC.  I think they all need to have a bit of fun.  

I know I could sure use some fun today!!!!