Bahrain Updates (Fall Edition)

I just realized that there are updates on Josh and I haven’t shared them. There’s a lot he can’t tell me and there’s a lot I can’t post here. But I’ll give you a general update. 

After months of working on their boat while it was in dry dock, they are finally operational! That means Josh is finally able to do the job he went all the way over there to do. But it also means that he will be gone for quite a while. So we are no longer able to Skype with his as often as before. He can still access his Coast Guard email though, so we’re not completely cut off.

Even though I wasn't expecting to see his face for several weeks, they pulled in a few days ago and we were able to Skype for a little bit. On a funny side note, I thought I was going to witness something spectacular during that call…

While we were talking, he was outside on the docks and many of his crew was “behind me” playing beach volleyball. The game kind of sounded like a party and then the music started. Pretty soon I was hearing “Call Me Maybe.” I had this vision of the entire volleyball game breaking into one of those lip-syncing dances that invaded the internet all summer long. Not having been in this country all summer, Josh thought I was losing my mind. He even turned the computer back around to prove to me that no one broke into song and dance just because that song came on. I can’t lie, it was a little disappointing. I thought I was about to see something highly entertaining happen. Oh well.

Josh hasn't gotten his leave officially approved yet, but he request dates for his R&R. If all goes well, Josh will have a very cold Christmas this year. At least there will be a little 2-yr old keeping him on his toes.

A Quick Bahrain Recap

I know it’s been forever since I wrote anything – this summer has been complete madness. Even though we’ve all been very busy, Dylan and I have been talking to Josh as often as possible. Lately, he has been putting in ridiculous work hours to help get his boat in working order. Between our busy summer, Josh’s work schedule, and the 8 hour time difference, it has been challenging. But we manage to Skype 2-3 times a week.

But don’t think that Josh is only working and not having any fun. 

He (not surprisingly) has joined up playing on a Softball team. I’m not sure how those guys tolerate sweating all day in their uniforms and then voluntarily going back out there in the evenings to sweat some more. I guess the playoffs started this week, so I'm sure they're having fun.

He has also purchased a bike for getting around over there. It's a must faster commute to the base from his apartment. He’s also gone on some day trips with some friends.

He's even getting some travel time. He headed to Kuwait on a 4-day trip last month.

On a fun side note, Josh has been enjoying the local cuisine. 

About a week before he was deployed, we went to see The Avengers. If you stayed until the very end and saw the clip after the credits, you saw the Shwarma scene. A Shawarma is a fast-food staple in the Middle East. I told him that he had to take a photo of his first one once he got over there.

While he was in his hotel room during his first week there he took the photo for me. Yay!

Josh's Apartment in Bahrain

I know I haven't written in quite a while. Between being out of town for a few days for a wedding, and preparing for that trip, I have been really busy! But I realized that I haven't given a good update on Josh lately, and that is unacceptable! So this post is all about Josh! (One of my favorite topics)

[NOTE: I'm going to share the photos he took and try to tell you about everything. I may not have all the details 100% perfect, but I'll try to remember everything and pass all the info along. If I'm messing up anything, I'm sorry. I'll try to do my best.]

The street where he lives

He moved from his hotel into his apartment during his second week and is settling in well. He isn't living on base, he is in an apartment complex that is about a 15 minute walk away. If you, like one of my friends, was imagining that he was living in a tent and eating dirt, prepare to be surprised. That is not the case at all. He shares an apartment with two other Coast Guard guys from the base.

This is his apartment:

He has his own bedroom with a King size bed. I told him that he's going to hate coming back and sharing a Queen with me. (He, of course, completely disagreed and earned himself a few extra points) 

He also has his own television in his room where he set up the PS3 that he took with him. Imagine, all the game play he wants without a nagging wife to limit his Madden time!

It's a townhouse with the Livingroom and Kitchen on the Main Floor:

Livingroom

Kitchen (View 1)

Kitchen (View 2)

There is a pool that he can see from his bedroom window.

However, I know he hasn't really been swimming much. I wonder if the water in the pool is too warm from the weather being so hot and miserable all the time? Anyway, he said that he went swimming in a pool on the other side of the complex once, but that's about it.

Well, I hope I didn't mess any details up too much. I promise to start doing better about Josh updates. He's starting to settle in and I know he's finally adjusting to the time change. We've even gotten a Skype schedule down and tend to talk around the same time almost every day. More Josh details to follow soon...

Farmer's Market Reunion

Saturday ended up being quite the day. Dylan and I woke up at Mom & Bob’s house after a much needed good night sleep. We even slept in a bit! My mom and I had planned on taking Dylan to the Farmer’s Market that morning, so we got ready and got going!

I guess Mom & Bob usually go much earlier in the morning, so it was much busier than my mom was used to. But the weather was nice, so I didn’t mind the crowds. Other than buying some fresh produce, I didn’t really have anything else on my shopping list. I hadn't been to that Farmer’s Market before so I just wanted to walk around and explore.

Dylan was really riding in style. We brought his wagon and some snacks, so he was happy. Well, he was happy until we were going down the last row. Then he wanted to “alk.” We compromised with getting out of the wagon, but I carried him. He’s too much of a runner/explorer to be trusted in a crowd that large. 

Little did I know that fate was about to take over…

We stopped at a produce tent so I could buy some fruit and corn. There was a lady buying huge bags full of corn so I was waiting behind her looking around. I saw these 20something girls waiting to the left holding huge plants. I didn’t even look at their faces, I just thought, “wow, those are huge plants” and then looked away. When the corn lady reached down to get her bags, I realized that it was Patty! Patty, who I haven’t seen in years! Patty, the mom of one of my best friends in high school. Patty, who always follows all the photos I put of Dylan on Facebook. Patty, who always tells me she can’t wait to meet the little man.

 “Patty! Patty! Patty!” She turned and instantly got as excited as I was! Then she said, “Did you see Elizabeth?” Liz, who I haven’t seen in, literally, years. Liz, who has been moving around the country almost as much as me. Liz, who I’ve been emailing and talking to but we never seem to visit the Quad Cities at the same time. Liz, who I was expecting to see at the end of June when we were finally going to be in the same town at the same time. I started frantically searching the huge crowd for my long lost friend. She was one of the 20somethings hidden behind those huge plants!

Her sister (another one of the 20somethings) got her attention and pointed her in our direction. As soon as she spotted us, she dropped everything she was holding and came running at us. (Good thing I didn’t drop what I was holding…Dylan would’ve been pissed!) So Dylan was smushed between us in the middle of the Farmer’s Market while we fiercely hugged and while I got all teary and emotional. I swear, with the week I've had, my emotions are living right under the surface and it doesn’t take much scratching to get them to show.

Later when we were talking about our reunion we were sharing our initial reactions. When Patty asked if I saw Elizabeth, I thought, “Well, that’s just a cruel joke! Wait…maybe she’s serious!” When Liz first saw us she thought, “I didn’t know Anika was visiting Moline this weekend! Wait…she moved here!”

Once we calmed down, and there was some time for Liz & Patty to fawn over Dylan, they invited Dylan and me over that afternoon to go swimming. After finally buying my fruit and corn, we left so Dylan could take a nap before our new afternoon plans.

Immediately after I got Dylan asleep Josh was wanting to Skype. (Yay for me, sad for Dylan)  Although, it might be better that Dylan didn’t see Josh that time because our internet connection was funky and Josh looked more like an acid trip video of an 80’s robot. I could see the outline of him but everything was splotchy and blurry. But at least we were talking and he could see me.

Josh told me about the All-You-Can-Eat place he had gone to the day before and how he had walked over to American Alley (A street in Bahrain with all American places, like Fridays, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Planet Hollywood and more).  He said it’s awfully hot, but not as miserably humid as it was in Florida.

He had to work on Sunday morning, but was then going to a BBQ/Cookout that the base was throwing for Memorial Day. He should be moving into his apartment sometime this week (I think) so I hope to have a mailing address for him sometime soon. I’ll let you know…

Not even two minutes after I hung up with Josh, Dylan woke up from his nap. (So close!) So Dylan and I got pool ready and headed over to visit with the Jones Family. It was great. Dylan was a little nervous at first. I think it was a little much - all new people and a huge pool. But he warmed up after a while and we had some pool fun. He only fell off his raft twice. One time he got a face full of water and the second time I landed a pretty spectacular upside-down catch. But we had fun.

Seeing Liz was exactly the thing I needed to snap me out of my funk. Fate works in funny ways. I can’t tell you how happy I am that lady fate decided that I needed to see my friend. Anybody know lady fate’s address so I can send her a thank you note? I think she deserves one. I’ve also decided that anytime Jon shows up unexpectedly at my door, something amazing will happen within the next 24 hours. Ooo, did you hear that? I’m pretty sure I just heard the Universe whisper, “Challenge accepted!”

Eating Out & A Cocktail Party

Life is just chugging along with Dylan and me. I didn’t hear from Josh on Friday, although I feel like we are still trying to get used to the time difference and how to deal with it. We’ll get the hang of it, I’m sure.  I did get to talk to him on Saturday and he told me about his busy day on Friday.

He had one day of intro training on Thurs, followed by a day off on Friday. The work week starts on Sunday there, so his weekends will be Fridays-Saturdays. He said that on Friday, he went around town with the other people from his boat. I guess they went to an all-you-can-eat place where it was $45(converted roughly) for 4 hours of all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink. I guess they were there for a long time and took advantage.  

On the other side of the world, Dylan and I went down to Friday’s by the river and had dinner with Grandma Cathie and Grandpa Ben. Dylan was being a ham (as usual) so they really enjoyed him. When we were leaving I thought Dylan was going to knock them over with how forcefully he threw himself at them for a goodbye hug! Yikes!

When we left Fridays, we headed to Mom & Bob’s house. They were having a cocktail night at their house for the neighbors. A couple of the neighbors are teachers and wanted to celebrate the end of the school year. Mom went all out with snacks, treats, and Patriotic Décor. Mike & Liz, Jon, Dylan, and I all crashed their neighborhood party...I hope they don’t mind!

*Side note: Once again, Jon surprised me that afternoon my not telling me he was coming to town and then just showing up at my door. It was a really nice surprise. So, we made plans for him to crash the neighborhood party with me.  (The last time Jon surprised me, Josh showed up later that day. It didn’t happen that way this time)

Teamwork

The neighbors brought more treats and Ron, our bartender brought martini supplies. We had some really fantastic martinis that night. (I had a Cosmo and a chocolate Martini - yummy!) One of my mom’s drinks was so full to the brim that we had to drain a little bit before she could carry it out to the deck. It was a rough job, but somebody had to help her! Thank goodness I was there for her!

Dylan & Aunt Liz

Dylan completely bonded with Aunt Liz. She got down on the ground and played with him for quite a while. They were climbing under the table like it was their fort and playing all kinds of crazy games. At one point, someone’s reusable shopping bag became the toy of choice for almost 20 minutes! It doesn’t take much to keep him occupied! Aunt Liz was so wonderful and I was able to sit down and relax for a while. Everyone was happy!

Dylan and I both stayed the night at Mom & Bob’s house that night. It was a great move!  It was the first night that Dylan had a decent night of sleep since Josh left. I think it was because he knew where he was, and he knows that it’s always Grandma or Grandpa that comes into his room there, not Daddy. I think it got him out of his funk he was in. And I actually got more than 4-5 hours of sleep for the first time all week! Yay!

I am so grateful to have my parents so close while Josh is away. And I am so lucky that they want to hang out with us so much. They are really there for Dylan and me.  I’m definitely not feeling alone. Maybe a little lonely, but that is a completely different thing.

Fantastic Flights & Park Adventures

I talked to Josh! He arrived in Bahrain safely and called me at about 11pm his time from his hotel. He told me that his extremely long flight from D.C to Kuwait was the best flight he's ever had.

Having watched the flight tracker, I already knew that he flew up through the North Eastern part of America and then continued North through Canada before crossing the water. He told me that he could clearly see New York City (which he had never seen before) all lit up at night. He could see Boston's lights off in the distance, but wasn't close enough to see anything. Then, once above Canada, he said he saw an amazing display of the Northern Lights. I was, of course, very jealous because I've never seen them. It's one of the things on my bucket list! He's seen them before, but he said this one was really awesome. After sunrise, they crossed the Southern border of Greenland (which he said looked nothing but white). He finally got about 5 hours a sleep and woke up around Germany.

Where is Bahrain?

His flight landed in Kuwait and then made the short trip over the water to Bahrain. Okay, are you asking yourself, "Where is Bahrain?" I sure did when Josh first talked about going overseas. You don't hear about Bahrain the way you do about it's surrounding countries (like Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen). So, here's the map. Now you can get the idea. It's the little country in the Persian Gulf.

By the time I talked to Josh he had checked into his hotel, met with his sponsor (the guy who is about to leave and Josh is taking his spot), and grabbed something to eat. Funny side note: Josh's first meal in Bahrain was at a Bennigan's.

He was about to get ready for bed and his first day on the job. He'll be going to his first morning of work at just about the time I'm going to bed tonight. This is going to take some getting used to!

But before he called, I was trying to keep my mind occupied. My mom suggested a walk around the pond at Prospect Park. So Dylan and I went with Grandma Linda before naptime today.

Dylan & Grandma Linda at Prospect Park

Dylan is an absolute boy and just loves being outside. I swear, he could stay outside all day long. When he's been cooped up in the house for too long, he'll take my hand and go to the front door saying, "alk. alk." Yes, Dylan, I know you want to go outside for a walk. Please don't compare my son to a dog...even though that's what that story would be if dogs could speak English.

Anyway...My boy is all nature, all the time. He loves to lead the way on a hike, pick up sticks and make a drum out of anything.

He climbed a pretty steep incline to reach a tree stump so he could play a drum solo. Once the drumming was over, he picked up some sticks, pretended like he was biting them, and then set them on the stump while saying, "Eat! Eat!" Who needs toys when you have an awesome imagination and nature all around?

We walked around the lake twice and climbed the hill so Dylan could play at the playground for a while. He loved every minute. 

Dylan and Mommy

I have to share this photo because Dylan makes this face at me all the time. I swear I'm getting glimpse of my  son during his teenage years.

A glimpse into the future

Some of the minor highlights of my day (All highlights are minor after getting to talk to Josh this afternoon): 

~Dylan seeing a frog on tv which made him point and say "Grog! Grog!" over and over. When I looked at him and said, "Did you see a frog?" He smiled, laughed, said yes and then proceeded to start hopping like a frog on all fours around the livingroom. One hop was so intense that it was followed by a somersault!

~My daily "Kiss" from my Kiss Jar had caramel in it! Thanks to my hubby for little, sweet, unexpected surprises.

~Nice calls from Connie and Andrew today.

~A quick chat online with Josh while writing this blog. By the way, he says it is HOT there!