Sayonara too soon???

Greetings friends and readers!  Wow!  I have been terrible at blogging lately!  Here it is almost 2 months since I last wrote.  Shame on me.  Since my last blog, we spent October and November underway, sailing through typhoon after typhoon, which is not easy on the stomach!  I’m not a light-weight when it comes to seasickness — only the roughest of seas can make me green.  But let me tell you, for the better part of these past 2 months, everyone, even the saltiest of Sailors, was feeling a bit queazy!  It was good to make it to dry land for our brief stop in Hong Kong half way through.  It was a nice point to break up the underway and Hong Kong is one of my most favorite cities on earth!  So, I was quite happy to go back and spend 5 uninterrupted days of blissfully walking around one of my favorite cities, shopping, eating, drinking and sightseeing!

Of note, on my birthday, I received my transfer orders to my new assignment, which will be on a ship stationed in San Diego.  And while for the past 8 months I’ve been looking forward to nothing other than receiving my green ticket out of here.  But, seeing that I am facing that next point in my life, I’m filled with mixed emotions about leaving.  This place is most definitely not somewhere that I could spend the rest of my life, but as I look back on the past 2+ years, I can’t help but think of how amazing of an opportunity it has been, both personally and professionally, to be here in Japan.  I have definitely had my fair share of obstacles, frustrations, disappointments and utter dissatisfaction with my work environment while I’ve been out here.  That point is not debatable.  But as I analyze everything I’ve done and seen over the course of all that, I think I’m coming out a little smarter, wiser, a whole lot more tired, but having definitely experienced and accomplished a lot in life for a mere 25yr old.

Sailing around the Pacific, I’ve had the opportunity to see a multitude of countries that I’d never otherwise have visited.  Places like Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia, Australia, Malaysia, China, etc etc have opened my eyes to such a bigger world that exists beyond my own.  I’ve seen poverty like I’ve never seen before and have worked with international political and civic leaders.  I have trained for a war that could happen tomorrow or 20 years from now.  I’ve hunted submarines.  I’ve fired weapons.  I’ve driven a multi-billion dollar warship.  But I think the thing that I most proudly look upon is having had the ability to lead people and impact their lives [hopefully] for the better!

When I chose to come to Japan I wanted to experience things I had never been exposed to.  I wanted to be challenged and see life as I had never seen it before.  While there was lots of blood, tears and sweat along the way, I believe I’ve fulfilled all my goals, while making some lifetime friends along the way.  Which leads me to why my departure from Japan is more bittersweet instead of exciting to me.  My friends and co-workers have become so much more than just friends and co-workers.  These people have become my family and while I’m excited for what’s next, I can’t help but be very sad to say goodbye to them and leave them behind.

My division of AMAZING Sailors in Singapore.

This girl knows me better than myself

 

Typhoons are Terrible

Yes, typhoons are terrible.  While they may wreak irreparable damage and totally obliterate entire towns with their out of control winds and flooding….they also cause Navy ships to get underway to avoid the storm, which is, in turn, causing us to get underway for 2 months 2 days early.

But, I’m hoping and praying that this is my last ride on Cowpens.  So, I’ve accepted the underway and we’re going to try and have as much fun as possible.  Thank goodness there’s a great stop 1/2 through the underway too.  Sadly though, birthday #25 will be celebrated at sea (third one in a row), but we’ll make up for it once we’re in port!

So, to those of you land-side, enjoy your candy pumpkins, all the trick-or-treaters, pumpkin spice lattes and candy apples.  I’ll see you in November!

 

Hiatus — My Technology Troubles

Greetings trusted readers!  I know it’s been some time since we last met, but let me explain.  Correction, let me vent.  Approximately 2-3 weeks ago, I was typing away at my computer, working on my second redesignation package when my trusted Mac started freezing, making weird noises and was just giving off an abnormal vibe.  I gave her a few moments to collect herself, but in no time, I essentially got the “You have failed” screen of death and immediately I knew what had happened.  My hard drive had crashed.  Again.  This happened last summer and since then, I’ve come to terms that I don’t really use my computer for anything now other than music, movies, internet and the occasional work project.  Essentially, very little.  So, while I did pout and almost cry because, let’s be honest, I was in the middle of working on my future out of the SWO navy, I packed up the machine and trucked it up to Tokyo to turn her over to the trusted hands of the Mac magicians.

So, let’s fast forward a week or two.  I get a call from a Mac rep, they tell me my beloved is ready for pick-up.  I say, excellent!  I’ll be there Saturday.  So we trek up to Tokyo, retrieve my beloved machine and come home.  So, while I knew that my hard drive has been wiped, I also knew that all of my trusted photos and music were securely locked away on my new iPhone.  So, a few days later I plug in said iPhone and after like 5min, I get the “You have failed” screen of death on my iPhone and all of a sudden all my years of compiling photos and music are in jeopardy.

Long story short, my computer crashed and my iPhone crashed.  And now I’m left trying to figure out how to retrieve all of my iTunes purchases from cyber-iTunes land!  Has this happened to you or anyone you might know?  How did you fix the problem?  iTunes can give me a report of all the songs I’ve purchased on iTunes since 2006!  Why can’t they just automatically download those thousand or two songs???  Why so difficult??!!!  Anyone have words of wisdom?!?!  Please help!!!!

 

Good morning! Good morning!

I’ve always wondered what a low-responsibility job is like.  And after 2 years of running literally at the speed of light and managing everything under the sun, I, ladies and gentlemen, have arrived.

After managing nearly 20 people, the associated spaces, millions of dollars of equipment and coming close to losing my mind on a daily basis, my daily tasks now consist of a daily operational check of Facebook, catching up on my favorite blogs, sending out the headlines to our shipboard news club, attending a handful of quick meetings in the morning, and oh yeah….trips to get coffee.  It’s quite the 180 from where I was just a few months ago and while I’m enjoying the break, I think I could run myself crazy being bored.

But for now, I’ll enjoy the down-time and get back to my coffee and blogging!  Have any of you had something good happen to you at work recently?

 

Things I don’t post about…..BUT.

Okay, let’s get some things straight.  I don’t post about religion, politics, sex or anything of the sort.  You know….those topics that you’re not supposed to get into in the workplace….well they have no place here at Saturday Morning Coffee (SMC).  I don’t talk politics because, well, I”m not that political of a person.  I don’t side particularly one way over the other and I’m not a staunch supporter one way or the other.  I’m more of a in-between person.  One of my favorite quotes from SATC is from Samantha Jones, “I don’t believe in the Republican party or the Democratic party.  I just believe in parties.”  And that pretty much sums up my political views.

However, I was astonished.  Nay, simply mortified to read on my iPhone right before my flight to Japan took off, that the new US ambassador to Japan, had never EVER even been to Japan before (read here for more info).  I know that there are always two sides to the story and that well, I probably only read one side of it, but let’s get serious people.  I’m probably in a more unique position to comment on this situation, seeing that I live and work for the US government/Department of Defense in Japan.  And, as the Public Affairs Officer onboard my ship, we do a lot and I mean a lot of work with the Japanese community in order to keep up relations with the local government and the local community.  The majority of our success can be attributed to the former US Ambassador to Japan, the Honorable Mr. Tom Schieffer, and the work he did in conjunction with the US military leaders in Japan and the Japanese government.  He did so much for the US-Japan relationship.  They brought US-Japan relations to a new forefront, continuing to promote our alliance and solidify our relationship with the country that we once dropped an atomic bomb on.  Oh yeah….remember that????

So, with such a pivotal country (hello, NK and China are only a hop skip and a jump away), how does one choose someone who’s never EVEN visited the country as its ambassador to the US????  I have every hope and faith that our government is doing the right thing, I’m naive and always hope for the best.  But when Mr. President chooses someone who’s not even familiar with US-Asia relations and feels that someone who’s a profitable donor to the civil service community deserves a plush assignment to somewhere such as Japan, perhaps he should consult those of us who are actually doing and living the job out here and who can benefit from strong leadership, instead of consulting his donors list.

 

And in the blink of an eye….it’s over

Three weeks that is, are over and my leave, my time in the USofA is done.  Well, it will be Thursday when I board that 747 and it takes off from the Philadelphia International Airport at 12:30pm.  It’s hard to believe that in the last three weeks I have:  1.) been to the beach 2.) been in a wedding in Pittsburgh, 3.) purchased a car, 4.) traveled to Oxford to see some very close friends, 5.) shopped till I’ve almost dropped, 6.) ran the trails, 7.) cooked like crazy, 8.) saw some new movies, 9.) saw my relatives and 10.) got my hair cut.  So, all in all a really great, relaxing, yet busy, yet great time in the States and it’s bittersweet to be saying goodbye.  I’m sad to go, but excited to return to Japan and back to my home, since I haven’t been back there really since May.  And I’m ready to get back, wrap up my remaining few months and then pack everything up and head back to the States for my next tour.  So here’s to a great family, great friends, a great 3 weeks and to an even better tour when coming back this winter!

 

WW Part Deux and Finale!

So, here we go, continuing on with the WW festivities!

I last left you with Friday night’s fetes of love of friends, love of Italian food, love of Heinz Chapel and love of well….weddings!  Saturday morning started with a bang and I was off and running at 7am.  Ok, not literally running, although I did think about it.  But, I honestly thought that running, after a while of NOT running, and the potential to be standing in some hott heels for hours on end later that night would not bode well for my health.  Instead, I got up, showered and headed to the Coffee Tree in Shadyside, my absolutely FAVORITE coffee shop in Pittsburgh.  Why?  It’s one of those things you can’t explain, it just feels so at home for me.  So I grabbed a NY Times, caught up on the healthcare crisis and banter and enjoyed my morning latte in the quiet tranquility of Shadyside before 8am.  It was fabulous and I wanted to stay there all day, every day….but again, I digress.

I then shuffled my way down to Oakland and met the woman of the day and her MOH in the Bridal Suite and we did some flower arranging for the centerpieces, alter flowers for the deceased and the flowers for the Moms.  We were finished in approximately 52 minutes and with time to spare.  Who said you can’t do your own flower arranging the day of????  The rest of the bridal brigade started filtering in ready to head to the salon with our new VB totes in tow.  So we carpooled our way back up to Shadyside.  Seriously, I think I could live in Shadyside for the rest of my life and be content.  At Capristo’s’ Salon they took such good care of us and especially the BRIDE, making sure our mimosas were never empty and we had plenty to nosh on.  It was a fantastic time and they did a bang up job on everyone’s hair and makeup.  Every single girl walking out of that salon looked DROP DEAD GORGEOUS.  Especially the bride…here are some pics to show!

Tiny Big and MOH are SUPER pumped for hair and makeup!!!

The Bride and Double D patiently waiting their turn.

The Bride looking FAN-TAN!

Again, I’m having difficulty with the orientation issue of WordPress.  Anyone have some tips?  But on with WW we go……

So, one all the maids, moms, sisters and duh….THE BRIDE had been beautified, we hustled on back to the hotel to dress and anxiously await the Sanderson’s arrival.  For those who have yet to be amazed by the Sanderson’s work, they’re a hubby and wife photographer team who have an amazing ability to take beautiful photos and look like they’re having fun while doing it!  You can check them out here!  You’ll be amazed!

While we all wait for their breathtaking photos to be released and photos….here are some of my measly pics that I took while trying to capture the moment of dressing the bride and BMs

The flowers arrived! LNRB is super stoked!

The bride gives Tink bow tying tips!

Jan's a professional bow tier. She's available for hire if you need one.

And here goes the dress!

Simply beautiful. (Please disregard my own technical insufficiencies!)

Little C and Little A -- reunited at last!

Finally Kim Sanderson arrived and I stopped taking pictures and left that up to her.  Trust me, it’s better for us all!  We then proceeded to the Cathedral of Learning, which is hands down one of the most amazing and my favorite educational buildings of all time.

The Cathedral of Learning. In all her glory.

We took photos all over the grounds of the Cathedral before the “First Look” where the then LNR and MB had their first look as the future Mr. and Mrs. Bailey, dressed in all of the wedding get-up.  It was something I had never heard of and thought it was a great idea!  Instead of waiting until the ceremony for the first time where MB saw LNR and taking bridal photos AFTER the ceremony, we did all that BEFORE the ceremony and moved onto important things like sipping champagne and eating crab stuffed mushrooms AFTER the ceremony.  Thank you LNRB and MB for thinking of more practical things.

The photos turned out to be breathtaking (they were already scrolling on an iMac at the reception) and we proceeded to the Chapel were Anita ushered us into the wedding staging area.

The future LNRB all smiles right before the ceremony.

And then that was it.  Anita came down, told us it was time and lined us up just as we had rehearsed the night before.  And in the blink of an eye.  They were married in one of the most thoughtful, creative and loving wedding ceremonies I have ever attended.  From the readings, to the vows, to the minister’s words, the entire ceremony had LNR and MB monogrammed all OVER it and it was lovely.  As I stood there, before their entire guest list of 150ish attendees, I thought to myself how amazing that they asked ME to be there for this important event in their lives and I felt so blessed to have them in mine.  I had never thought of how big a deal it is to be a bridesmaid and the honor that it entails.  Ok, time to stop tear-ing up….it’s not even noon!!!

As soon as the ceremony was over and all of us in the bridal brigade recessed, we headed straight over to the Pittsburgh Athletic Association (PAA) where the reception was held and we danced, drank and ate our butts off.  If there was anything I was certain about, it was that this reception was going to be a PAR-TAY and it totally lived up to my expectations.  Everything from the cupcake tier to the candy buffet to the 1500 cookies that every single Reighard woman had baked in J-Town, to the PA Dollar Dance, it was a splendid evening and an awesome way to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Mark Bailey into the world.

Sunday morning was spent recounting the evening’s fete over brunch and saying goodbyes as we all had to get back on the road and return to normalcy, while Mr. and Mrs. Bailey are only just beginning!

The Bride and Groom toasting each table -- an old Chinese tradition

Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Bailey, we're glad you've (finally) arrived!!!!!!

 

Wedding Weekend….WW for short!……Part Uno

It came and went in the blink of an eye. And before you knew it, they were married. And it was beautiful.

LNR and MB are no longer two entities (well, they are still two people), but rather they are one union as man and wife. They are now Mr. and Mrs. Bailey and I had the honor and pleasure of being a part of the celebration of their love together.

Let me preface this that for the majority of this wedding planning and preparing, I have been more than 8,000 miles away from either of them, but despite the distance, they still asked me to stand before 150ish guests as a bridesmaid as they said “I do” to one another.  It was an awesome experience and I’m so happy that I was there to be a part of everything.

I’m going to attempt to recap the wedding, but I know neither my slim photographic skills and my memory of the whirlwind weekend will recount all of the details. So if you’re curious, head over to LNRB’s blog.  So here goes……

I arrived on Thursday night, just because and stayed with another sorority sister.  Let me first admit that I got lost for the very first time coming into Pittsburgh and I was quite literally mortified.  That has NEVER happened.  But it did and I guess I just need to get over that and accept that it’s essentially been 2 years since I’ve been to Pittsburgh.  So, I finally got to her apartment and with her were a few other sisters still in the Pburgh area and we walked to a local favorite locale for dinner and enjoyed good food, good drinks and good company.  It felt great to be back.  If only it were for good……I digress.

So, on with WW.  I got up early and had a breakfast date with an old NROTC friend at one of my very favorite local coffee shops in Pittsburgh.  After driving him to the airport, I made my way back to Oakland, parked and headed to Panera to rendez-vous with the BRIDE, her maid of honor (MOH) and MSheed (another BM).  I don’t think Panera had ever experienced high pitched screaming before 9am like it did that morning.  It was fantastic to be back in the presence of one of the most amazing women I know and to meet her other BMs (BM=bridesmaid).  We finished some last minute agenda planning and headed back to the Holiday Inn and to the BM Luncheon, along with both Moms and Grammy.  As we all made our way to the table, we saw these at each of the places (of course not everyone’s said Ali…duh)…..

We squealed with delight.  Once we got over oggling at how pretty they were, we opened the gifts to find 1.) Gift coupons (hand crafted) for our mani/pedis (which we had known about….but weren’t expecting to see on a cute card) 2.) Handkerchiefs embroidered with our first name initial, in case we got teary eyed during the ceremony and 3.) Vera Bradley bags that matched the wedding colors and were the perfect size to carry flip flops, cameras, deodorant, lip gloss, breath mints and more for the Big Day.  They were amazing!  And following the gifts we dove into an amazing lunch that was followed by…..a cupcake dessert like these!

Following the traditional Southern cake-pull, each cupcake came with a charm inside the cake.  We pulled on the ribbons and found a lucky charm on the other side.  Each girl received a different charm….each one meaning good luck, good fortune, the next to be engaged, good luck in love, etc etc.  It was a super cute way to end a super cute luncheon….where once we finished we quickly hopped in our assigned cars and carpooled down to the Waterfront for our mani/pedis, which were fabulous.  Once we had our nails did, we all made our way back to the hotel to change/prep for the rehearsal and head over to Heinz Chapel.  Seriously, there could not be a more beautiful place to get married.  I mean, COME ON PEOPLE, does it get more gorgeous than this?????

(Ok, I can’t figure out how to rotate the image….darn WordPress, but you get the idea!)  So we did the whole process, recess thing.  Anita, the wedding coordinator and the most sought after woman to any engaged female in the greater Pittsburgh area totally ran the show and we were in and out of the chapel in just an hour and before we knew it we were off and on our way across the Smithfield Bridge to Bucca di Beppo for a fabulous rehearsal dinner hosted by MB’s parents.  It was totally a celebration of love and friendship and it was an amazing meal, too!

Next up…..the BIG DAY!  Stay tuned because there’s more to report and pictures (hopefully oriented correctly) to post!

oxoxoxo

 

Eastern Pennsylvania and Things…

I have never EVER considered myself a Philly girl. I mean, if you analyze my childhood, I spent my formative years (4th — 9th grades) living in the South. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that we moved north and even then, I moved out to Pittsburgh for college shortly after I graduated from high school. So, all in all, I only spent 3-ish years living in the Philly area. There are, however, certain things native to the Philly area that make me feel at home…one of them being “The Shore”. We just back from 3 days at “The Shore” with the whole family, yes, even Jamie came home to make it a family event, which sent my mother through the roof. She was in heaven the entire time. But I digress.

I would venture to guess that “The Shore” would refer to any of the major beaches spanning the coastlines of Delaware, New Jersey and maybe even down to Maryland and Virginia, commonly referred to as DElawareMArylandVirginA (DELMARVA). But, unlike the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, with water crystal clear you can see your feet. The beaches of the Northeast characteristically have been dredged and have coastlines full of shells and cloudy water. The Shore is also known worldwide for its boardwalks….just like you see in the movies or hear in songs….this wooden sidewalk is THE place to be once the sun goes down. Lined with fudge and salt water taffey shops, popcorn stands, sandwich shops, pizza joints, Italian restaurants, arcades and kiddie zones, ferris wheels, corny t-shirt shops and more….and while I may jest at the corniness of these things…I really do secretly love the fudge, popcorn and ice cream and the ever-traditional walking the Boardwalk that in my mind are the equivalent to my lost high school days

And while I may live half way around the world, nothing felt more like home than a Kohr’s Brothers’ ice cream cone on the Boardwalk the other night with my family as we walked the Boardwalk. More on Philly Cheesesteaks, the Liberty Bell, Phillies and other Philadelphia icons in future posts!

Until then, I’m off to the city of Black and Gold….PITTSBURGH…for the wedding of the century (I’m super pumped)! A city and place that I feel even more connected to and at home in when I’m there!

Much love, one love, Pittsburgh love….
xoxox

 

Homeward Bound

I have shamefully fallen behind in my blogging duties and have failed at providing insightful updates to my life (which is not that exciting)…I blame it on the sketchy internet connection at sea.  But since my last post from our first port visit of the summer underway, which was Australia, we have pulled into Singapore and are now in Manila, Republic of the Philippines. 

Singapore was hands down, one of the best ports I’ve been to.  It was clean, safe and there was TONS to do and lots to EAT.  The Philippines have been nice, a little different, but it’s been a busier port visit that is of higher visibility on the embassy/ambassador’s radar and we’re doing a lot of outreach while we’re here.  So I’m pretty busy doing ship/PAO things, but I did get out into town yesterday.

However, the most exciting thing that is on my mind right now is that tomorrow morning at 6:45 I will be taxi-ing down the runway of the Manila International Airport and flying out with my final destination being the Philadelphia International Airport, where I will be on leave for 3 whole weeks. 

While I’m on leave to see my family and friends and enjoy some well-deserved (some say that’s debatable) time off, the whole motivation for this particular time of year is that the wedding of the YEAR is in only 8 days, and I have the honor and pleasure of being a part of it.  I’ve loved tracking the progress of building the wedding over the past year (check out the bride’s blog) and am absolutely THRILLED to make it to Pittsburgh for the Wedding Weekend, reunite with old friends and see two people who mean so much to me begin the next phase of their lives together as husband and wife!!!  Well….that and the bangin’ party that they planned!!!  I CANNOT wait!  Pittsburgh won’t know what hit it!