I'm going to DISNEYLAND!!!!!!

My friend lives here:

No. Not the red dot. Down and to the left: Okinawa. She's a Marine wife who talked her husband into doing an overseas tour. Me, I've moved all over these United States in the name of the Marine Corps...but I've never got to live in a place where I didn't speak the language (except Bah-ston. But that's because they're doing it wrong. It's PEA-body, not Peabdy. JERKS.).

Whateva. The wonderful thing about being part of the Marine Corps family? Going to visit friends all over the world. When my friend moved, I told her that was DEFINITELY going to come and visit, because who wouldn't want to go visit a friend whose casa es mi casa all the way in Japan? (Gimme a break. I speak Spanish, y'all. I don't know how to say "my house is your house" in Japanese)

COMPLETELY UNRELATED SIDENOTE: Have I ever mentioned The Brat's boner for ALL THINGS JAPANESE? Because she's got one. A big huge one. She listens to J-pop (and K-pop) watches anime in japanese. She decided in middle school that she wanted to learn japanese. EVEN when it involved taking a class at 7AM. And considering that she’d rather sleep until noon than eat, that's dedication. And? She’s REALLY good. And I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom and she's better than your kid at EVERYTHING. She's pretty bad ass. When she found out that I was going to go visit my friend in Okinawa, she said that I was either going to take her, or she was going to set all of my clothes on fire   hide in my suitcase.

So there I was, looking for tourist traps attractions for The Brat and me. My friend has already said she'll be taking that time off, so that she can be our tour guide.  You know how you start looking for stuff and then you just follow the random links and then you end up somewhere interesting that you didn't even know you wanted to be until you saw THAT. Guess what THAT was y'all? THAT was Disneyland in TOKYO.

YOU GUYS? I COMPLETELY FORGOT THAT THERE WAS A DISNEYLAND IN JAPAN.*

So NOW, I'm detouring to Tokyo where we're going to Disneyland with a side of Harajuku, and maybe I can even sneak in some culture and shit.

OMG, I'm going to Disneyland!!!


*I haven't even been to Disneyland in California in YEARS, but OMG, there is no way I'm not going to Disneyland in another fucking country. Also? Now that I remembered that there are Disneylands all over the world, I'm adding Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong to my list. BOO-YAH!!

** And, yes. I asked The Man did he want to go. His response: I've already been to Okinawa and I never want to go back. Have fun. Take pictures.

A Birthday Wish

This morning I had to come to work at 8AM. I am generally at work by 7-ish (I know! SO freakin’ early), but I decided to use that extra hour I could have slept in at the gym. After my not-quite-an-hour workout, I went home and got ready for work. USUALLY, as I’m walking out of the door, they’re just waking up. Because my normal routine was thrown off, I threw off everybody’s routine. The Man overslept, The Brat overslept, so he was trying to hustle her out the door for the bus.

Seems like a pretty normal-ish routine, right? It’s not though. It’s taken 20 years to get to a point where I’m waking up every night next to my husband. Because for the last 20 years, The Man has been an Active Duty Marine. What that means? It means he goes wherever the Marine Corps tells him to. Sometimes he’s home to eat cake & ice cream for one of the kids’ birthday, sometimes he’s just barely managed to squeeze in a 5 minute phone call before communication is shut down. There have been times when he was home so frequently that I WISHED he would go somewhere – anywhere, and times when I only wished he would come home. Yeah, the Marine Corps wife is a study in contradictions – we complain when they’re underfoot everyday and cry when they’re deployed.

He retired this year. So he’s home everyday now. He’s taken over getting The Brat off to school, and because he’s home, I decided to finish school, since somebody will be home with The Brat while I’m wasting away in class during the evenings. His military ID now says RETIRED. It’s different, but he is definitely getting used to not having to PT junior Marines at zero dark thirty (read: the ass crack of dawn). And I’m getting used to having him around to help with dinner. Plus, I get to call him my house bitch husband. I’m a real romantic.

As it happens, he DID manage to get her up & out on time. And before he did, I stopped him at the door, gave him a kiss and wished my Marine a Happy Birthday. 234 years old looks good on him.

Once a Marine, ALWAYS a Marine

Semper Fi

So long, farewell, Auf Weidersehen, goodbye

Or Leaving on a Jet Plane, Don't know when you'll be back again.





We met because I adopted her husband as my "other child" back when he was a single Marine. She became part of the family when she became HIS family. When she moved to the Left Coast, I was stationed in Camp Pendleton, while she was in San Diego, right next to La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya...no, you will never live that down). I had already been married for SEVERAL years at that point with the brats; and she was kind of like I was when I first married, confused about the Marine Corps Wife life, never lived away from home, and to top it off, living far, FAR from home.

And in less than 10 days, my friend is leaving the country. Free travel, courtesy of the Marine Corps. (gotta love it).

This past weekend, we had her & the fam over for a little going away party along with some of my family who has adopted her as a pesky young sister *wink*. We had a cook-out (sorry L-boogie, I forgot about the camera ‘cause I’d been drinking, but I do I hope you enjoyed some dessert) and Sunday, there was a “Girls Day out” while the Boys did their Football thing. I’d tell you ALLLLL about Sunday’s outing but 1. My friend is not as loose in the lips as I am and so may not want you to know what she was doing 2. I’d do it anyways if I didn’t know she reads my blog AND has one of her own. So I’ll just say: Did you know there are stores where you have to be 18+ to go in PERIOD. No infants, no babies who can’t even read and/or talk? Well. There are. (heh. Me & my big mouth. That’s what HE said)

She had a whole LAUNDRY list of things that she hoped to do this weekend before she left California…but there are only so many hours in a day. Maybe when you come back for a visit. You never know, it could happen.

And speaking of lists…Here are the TOP TEN things I hope for you while you are gone:

I HOPE…
10. That you get out and explore your new digs. Not just touristy stuff, I hope you get lost and get to see the coolest shit ever. Shit that is in no way on the tourist route.
9. You meet some cool broads to hang out with that know the ins and outs of your new place.
8. That you find some time away from the hubby & kids to be totally selfish and do whatever your heart desires, as long as that does NOT include your sitting on your couch.
7. You don’t take offense. LOL
6. You learn the language. Espero que aprendas el idioma (see…? I speak Angeleno)
5. You do one thing that you didn’t think you’d like, that you end up loving.
4. There are no clowns (just checking to see if you are paying attention)
3. You don’t get caught up in the B.S. because into every military base, a little B.S. will be flung.
2. You’ll miss me. ‘Cause I’ll miss you. :)

And the number 1 thing I hope for you:

1. You don’t come back with excuses about why you didn’t do it and have a SHIT LOAD of fun.

Remember how I told you the story about the mummy and the giant? (So, I was in the 'I love Lucy' museum and this mummy walks in…I make a break for the door, but due to my odd & unnatural fear of tall people, I was unable to get out because a 12 foot tall GIANT - okay..he was probably 6'5, but still - was standing by the door. Luckily, the mummy left before I went completely batshit & dug a tunnel or hit the fire alarm or something)

I also hope that when you come back, you have an equally ridiculous story that could only happen to you.

Love to you & the fam my sister/friend. Hasta Luego!