Marine Wife

My Dad Retires

2010-07-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

This past Monday, my dad retired from his job as a pilot for 16 years. However, it was more significant then that because my dad earned his pilot's license about 50 years ago and has been able to fly for many of those years. At 71 he probably will not have many more opportunities to fly. My dad, Joe France, had his final flight on Monday and afterwards the company gave him a party. Over a dozen family members were in attendance, which made the time even more special. Below is the speech given by his boss Zach Riggs. I asked his permission to post his remarks in my blog. Enjoy and Congratulations to my dad!

Sheryl

A short history of Joe France in aviation:
In 1956 during Joe’s junior year of high school, five missionaries were killed in Ecuador in an effort to reach a dangerous tribe, the Waodani. One of those killed, Nate Saint, piloted a Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser for Missionary Aviation Fellowship. Several articles and books were published about this story and Joe’s initial interest came after reading such book.
After graduating high school, Joe attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara for two years. It was here that he met Helen, Joe’s wife of 50 years on August 6th! He transferred to UC Davis and received a B.S. in Agriculture Education in 1961. They then moved to Chicago where he began missionary studies and aviation the following year. And before graduating in 1965, their family expanded to 4 with the births of two daughters, Sheryl and Sandy.
God led him to Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1966 and they joined their aviation wing, JAARS, in the Philippines until 1974. Here he flew and maintained Helio Couriers and served as the chief pilot and program manager. During a year-long furlough in 1970, Joe instructed at Moody Aviation in Elizabethton, TN. And from ‘74-’75 he stepped out of the cockpit for a year in the Philippines to oversee all non-linguistic partners of Wycliffe Bible Translators in Manila, Philippines. It was also in the Philippines that their family expanded to 6 with the births of two sons, Steve and Scott.
From 1977-82, Joe instructed at the JAARS headquarters in Waxhaw, NC. He performed technical evaluations and flight recurrency training for pilots returning oversees. And after this assignment, Joe and company moved across the ocean again, but this time to Indonesia where they spent the next 4 years.
After this adventure, in 1986 Joe and Helen moved back to California and he began working in the Huntington Beach headquarters for Wycliffe Bible Translators as an administrative assistant. He was able to find some time to reenter the cockpit for 6 months in Indonesia during these years, but that just wasn’t enough.
So from present, rewind to March 1994. A new program had been recently developed and a company known as K&K Aircraft had been awarded a contract to release sterile Mediterranean fruit flies all over the LA Basin in turbine Beech-18’s. Another JAARS pilot, Paul Smith, had returned to the states on furlough from Peru several months before. Joe met him through the WBT headquarters and learned he was flying with CMF. Joe contacted Mike Stolzfus to pursue a part-time position and was hired in Mach 1994. He obtained over 4,600 hrs in the Beech 18’s before Dynamic switched to an all King Air fleet. He has flown with Dynamic all over the U.S. and Nicaragua, Panama, Jamaica, Mexico, and Afghanistan.
All in all, Joe has flown in at least eight different countries, over 14,900 hrs, and holds his A&P, CFII, MEI, Ground Instructor, airplane ATP and helicopter Commercial certificates.

I wish I could tell you what Joe prides himself in, but if there’s one thing Joe doesn’t pride himself in it is in pride itself. He is one of the most humble men I know. For instance, I had no clue he had his ATP until I researched his history for this speech! Joe’s humility speaks volumes about his character. He likes to do things that keep the show running smoothly. He likes to do things to the best of his ability. Not because he wants to be likable or recognized, but because he loves to serve.
And Joe does not let his experience create pride in his service. He has been working at Medfly since I was 9 years old, and he has not once done something without first receiving my approval. Not because I know better, but because he is humble. The first thing I think of when I think of Joe is his humility.
The other thing I think of is his pursuit of excellence. Joe wants to do things well. He wants to fly his line well. He wants to clean the flies well. He wants to land well. He wants to abide by the regs well. He wants to serve well. He is in constant pursuit of doing things well, of excellence. Again, he doesn’t do this to be recognized by his fellow co-workers. He does this because God has given him the ability, talent, and desire to serve and he does not want to use it to any potential other than his best.
Joe also has a high regard for safety. Joe has flown in many dangerous environments—one of the most dangerous being the LA Basin. He takes precautions and learns areas as best he can to maintain a high level of safety in all his operations. For instance, I learned more downtown landmarks from Joe than any other captain.
Lastly, I am a firm believer that Joe France is a key factor and constant for Dynamic Aviation to be re-awarded contracts for this operation contract after contract. His humility and integrity create transparency in his interactions with the CDFA. And his thorough communications have created strong ties with them. Several CDFA employees have mentioned that they will miss not having Joe around.

July 4th Celebration 2010

2010-07-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

We had a busy but fun 4th of July celebration. We started off with our mobile home's annual flag ceremony. This is the second year that Jon has been asked to participate. He helped change the flags and then read a statement about the widow who had donated the flag that draped her husband's coffin last year when he died. He was a veteran and so this was a very meaningful gift to our park. After saying the pledge together with others who were gathered, we sang the national anthem. Then we headed home to get ready for church while others took park in the bike parade around the park.

After church we had a restful afternoon before heading back to church for our annual 4th of July BBQ for the 1st CEB's (our adopted Marines). Jon, Joshua and I enjoyed the fabulous food and met some new friends. Then we had a great spot to watch the fireworks put on by the city of San Clemente from the pier.

Monday, Jon and I had the day off, but Joshua was signed up for a basketball camp, so we dropped him off at 9:00 and headed to the Dana Point harbor to walk, talk and enjoy brunch. After a fabulous breakfast, we did some errands and went home to work (me) and nap (Jon). We returned a little early to pick up Joshua from camp and got to watch him putting some of his new skills to practice. He is loving basketball and getting some great exercise at the same time.

I started my new job at our church this week. I am now the Director of Missional Participation. I will work 30 hours a week and have flexible hours, which will work much better for me as a mom. Today I trained our new receptionist and will be helping her out throughout the week, but I meet with the mission elders tomorrow night, so am off and running with my new job. Some mission partners from the Czech Republic are visiting this coming weekend, so plenty of folks to meet and reconnect with. It is very helpful that I was the Chair of the Mission Committee for two years from July 2007 - June 2009.

In case I don't post for a while, it may be because our family is headed to Maui next Thursday for a week. We are celebrating my parents' 50th anniversay. Should be awesome and I'll post pictures as soon as I can. Of course, if you are on Facebook, you'll probably see pictures there first.

Sheryl

18 Years Together

2010-06-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, June 13, Jon and I celebrated 18 years together. We worshipped with our church family at San Clemente Presbyterian Church and then enjoyed watching 16 of the 3rd and 4th graders at our church participate in the first ever Bible Bee. The kids did so well that the teachers/judges ran out of questions with seven children still standing (Joshua was one of those). In the end all seven got some great prizes, including Joshua who earned a MP4 player. Very cool.

Then we were off to our nephew Evan's tenth birthday party in Escondido. We had arranged to leave Joshua there and miss the party ourselves so we could have our own anniversary celebration. We enjoyed a short visit to the Wild Animal Park and then a delicious dinner at the Macaroni Grill. We got back to Steve and Sandi's house in time for cake and ice cream before heading home. My brother-in-law Sonny took this amazing picture of us while we were there. I think his camera is magic and makes people look better than we do in person. :)

All in all, a great way to celebrate 18 years of marriage.

Sheryl

Grandpa Baker Goes Home

2010-06-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

Jon's Grandpa Baker passed away last Thursday morning. Here is what his daughter Ruth Lauer wrote about his final hours.

Thursday (June 3), at 2:45 am, the telephone woke us [Ruth's husband is Jim] from a sound sleep. It was the rehab center saying that Dad was failing quickly and had asked that they call his children. My sister Donna [Jon's mom], who lives in Crossville, TN, was here [Nashville] with us so, by 3:15, the three of us were by his side. We had a precious six hours with Dad, listening to his favorite hymns on CD and expressing our love for him. At 9:03 am, he closed his eyes and peacefully took his last breath. During the 2 ½ weeks at the rehab center, Dad won the hearts of the staff with his sweet attitude and gratefulness for the tender loving care he received from them. Several mentioned to us that Dad had asked if they would be in heaven with him. After hearing that Dad had died, an aid told me that she just wanted to hide out somewhere and cry a little while. Since Dad’s condition required skilled nursing, we are so very thankful that he could spend his last days in such a beautiful & caring atmosphere, which was more like a home than a hospital.

The service will be held Wednesday evening in Nashville. The three of us were there in December to celebrate Grandpa Baker's 100th birthday, but Jon had the flue and spent most of the visit in bed in the hotel room. Joshua does not have school this coming Friday, due to teacher furlough days, and Jon had already planned to take that day off to be with him, so we decided that it probably wouldn't hurt Joshua to miss two days of school, here at the end of the year. Jon and Joshua will fly out early Wednesday morning for Nashville and will stay through Saturday with Jon's folks in Crossville, a couple hours east of Nashville. Should be a great father-son trip along with some quality time with family.

Sheryl

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

What a great day. We relaxed this morning and then headed to Seaport Village in San Diego for lunch and an afternoon of walking and enjoying the fabulous weather. Our restaurant was right next to the walkway that overlooks the harbor, so I could people-watch while Jon sail boat-watched. Joshua made origami with his cloth napkin.

Then we did some walking of our own and watched the many entertainers around the village. There were mimes, rock balancers, musicians, artists and even a sword swallower. We enjoyed some fun desserts -- frozen banana, carmel apple, candy -- and just enjoyed being together.

Then it was time to take Jon to "his" ship. In his 29 years of being a Marine he has never spent a night on a Naval ship until now. He spent last week on the USS Bonhomme Richard for a Marine/Naval Exercise and he has one more week to go.

It was so cool to get a personal tour of a Naval Ship. It is huge and we walked all over it. I couldn't get over the work-out from just going up and down all those stairs getting from one deck to the next. We checked out Jon's room, which he shares with three other Marine officers; the Ward Room, where the officers eat; the Gym, the Flight Deck, the Well Deck and the Cat Walk. I've posted a bunch of pictures and you'll have to figure out which ones are which. Enjoy!

Sheryl

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

2010-05-30T12:06:00.001-07:00

Jon, Joshua and I are enjoying the Memorial Day Weekend in San Diego. Jon was on a ship for a military exercise all last week and has to re-board Monday night. So we all came south for the long weekend and are staying in a Navy Inn at USMC/Navy Base Miramar (former home of Top Gun).

Yesterday we started a game of Euro-rails -- a fun board game that takes many hours. Took a break around noon and explored the huge PX on base. Then it was off to my brother Steve's home to celebrate my niece Elena's 8th grade graduation. We had a great time, enjoying the food and good conversation. Since we had a short drive after the party, we stayed till after 9:30 pm. Woo Hoo! Aren't we the party animals. :)

Today we finished our game of Euro-rails. Thanks to a move by Joshua, who kept Jon from winning, I pulled off the win. After Jon finishes a nap, Joshua gets through more chapters in his book and I get my Facebook and blog posts updated, then I think we'll be off to the San Diego Zoo. Our annual passes expire tomorrow, so this is our last chance to get in for "free."

Tomorrow we'll head back to downtown and see some sights before taking Jon back to his ship for another week at sea.

Being on a military base and in a county that is so full of military members (active and retired) it is easy to remember who we are honoring this weekend. I am so grateful that Jon has survived nearly 10 years of activation by the Marine Corps. God has been very good to us.

Sheryl

Busy May 1st

2010-05-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 1st was a busy day for the Morans. Joshua and I were up early so we could get ready for the final mile of the Kids Run the Orange County Marathon. Joshua's age group ran at 9:40 am, but since our school has had a running club for the last 13 weeks and the kids have run 2 miles/week, we all met a the school at 7:30 am for bagels and fruit before carpooling to the Orange County Fairgrounds.

It was cray with hundreds of kids ranging in age from 6 to 13 years old and all of their parents and some teachers. The race was well organized and all the kids were able to get their goodie bags and T-shirts. I was going to run the race with Joshua and the other 10-year olds, but after racing around to get the 11-year olds to the starting track and then doing the same thing for the 9-year olds, I decided to stand on the side lines, take pictures and cheer.

Joshua seemed a bit stressed before it started, but I encouraged him to just do his best. He told me later that he was able to run the entire mile except for a "30 second interval." :) He was tired afterwards but proud of his accomplishment.

Jon was unable to watch the race because he is still dealing with the removal of a palm tree at our house in Orange, which we think is causing problems with the sewer drain. But Jon was able to break away and meet us at our next event.

The FSEA (Future Scientists and Engineers of America) Rocket Competition is an event I used to coordinate back when I worked for FSEA, but now they are part of the Discovery Science Center and so it has grown to something much bigger than I could have ever imagined. The Boeing Company is one of the main sponsors and they host the event on a field in front of one of their Huntington Beach facilities.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed seeing a few old friends so it didn't matter that neither of the parachutes on Jon's or Joshua's rockets opened, so they didn't have a shot at winning a prize. We enjoyed watching the hundred of other rockets launched into the blue sky on a perfect afternoon in Southern California.

Unfortunately, although I made sure Joshua was drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated, I managed not to do the same thing for myself. I ended up with a horrible headache by the time we got home and stomach cramps throughout the night. I went to bed at 7:00 pm and slept fitfully through the night but was feeling better by the time we left for church this morning. I feel fine now, but learned an important lesson -- drink lots of water when you are out in the sun. I did use plenty of sun screen, so hopefully no other sun damage was done.

Back to school and work tomorrow, but we all enjoyed a great weekend.

Sheryl

Seussical Jr.

2010-04-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Had a great time on Friday night at The Classical Academy's production of Seussical Jr. These young kids did a fabulous job -- very professional. We ordered our tickets late so ended up in the front row (A1, 2 and 3), but it was fun. I actually made eye-contact with my niece Emma during one of her songs, which kind of startled her. :) It was also great fun to see my cousin's daughter Emily in her first show. She was a great Thing 2.

It was also really fun to see so many family members at the evening show. My folks went for the Saturday matinee. Good fun.

Sheryl

Update on Dick Moran

2010-04-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Just got this message from Donna regarding my father-in-law. Thank you for your prayers.

Dick just called to say that he is being released from the hospital today. The blood thinner is headed in the right direction, and he can do the rest of the waiting at home, with another check on his blood on Monday at the lab.

The prayer request now is for the clots in his lungs to dissolve so that he can be more active without shortness of breath. He has a large clot in his right lung and a smaller one in his left lung. He thinks his leg is a little less swollen today. The clots in his leg may take many weeks to dissolve.

Things have been crazy in our school district this week with the teachers striking this past Thursday and Friday. I'd appreciate prayers that the Board of Trustees and the Union would continue to talk and come to consensus this weekend (they meet again at 1:00 pm today) so the strike won't continue on Monday.

All for now,

Sheryl

Please pray for my father-in-law

2010-04-22T05:22:00.001-07:00

I received the following message from Donna Moran, Jon's mom yesterday. Please be in prayer for Dick and Donna during this time. Thank you so much.

A week ago today (Wed) Dick went to the doctor because he was experiencing shortness of breath whenever he walked outside. A friend suggested the high pollen count may have been the trigger, and, since his blood pressure was higher than usual, the doctor gave him an additional prescription, ordered a chest X-ray and echo cardiogram, with a follow-up in two weeks. He swam a mile on Saturday (not a hard work-out mile, but a steady swim), and it went well, but later he said he must have pulled a muscle while swimming because he had an ache in his leg. He also had considerably more swelling in his left leg that in his right leg.

Monday (the day of my cataract surgery) the pain and swelling had increased, and by Tuesday his whole left leg ached, was very swollen and stiff. The doctor said he should go to emergency, which we did just before noon. This is the same leg in which he has had cellulitis more than once, but there was no indication it was that again. A sonogram revealed a sizable blockage in that leg, and DVT, deep vein thrombosis, was diagnosed. They started heparin (intravenous blood thinner), and said he would probably be in the hospital for four or five days while establishing a regimen of coumadin.

Further tests have indicated that one or more clots have reached his lung, and he's being sent to the heart cath lab, where they are installing a filter at the lung that will screen out any clot that might approach. They're continuing to explore any other possibilities, especially since he is not a typical DVT patient. He's feeling pretty good and is as mobile as one can be with two IV's. I took his C-pap machine to him, but he's missing the opportunity to sleep on his stomach, which is natural for him.

Your prayers are much appreciated.

Injuries

2010-04-17T08:23:00.001-07:00

Joshua had his third injury at school yesterday, but since I never told you about the other ones, I'll report on them first.

On March 10 Joshua came home with the beginnings of a black eye. He had collided with his best friend on the soccer field during recess and his friend's head had impacted him just above his left eye. The next morning he woke up with a bad headache and convinced me that he needed to stay home from school. Within a couple hours he was fine and I was not too pleased about missing work and keeping him home. Oh, well.

The following Monday, March 15, Joshua came home with a swollen pinkie finger on his right hand. He had been playing football during recess and when he was trying to tag a friend, his finger was kicked and the finger was now bluish and swollen. Since he has had jammed fingers before, we iced it and I sent him to school the next day. When he arrived home on Tuesday, his finger was the same size and still causing him a lot of pain, so I called the doctor and we were able to get in that afternoon. Sure enough, Joshua broke a tiny bony in his finger. Fortunately it was not a bad break so the doctor said we just needed to tape it to his ring finger for a month till the bone had time to heal. So that is what we have done for a month.

Yesterday, April 16, I got a call at work from the school at 11:00 am letting me know that Joshua had fallen during recess (soccer again) and his left knee was really bothering him. After speaking with him, I decided that I should probably come get him, which is what the school nurse wanted me to do. Sure enough he was in a lot of pain and could not put weight on his left leg. The nurse wheeled him to the car in a wheel-chair and then I took him to work with me. Things are pretty slow at the church office on Fridays, so I knew it would not be a problem. He spent most of the time reading his Percy Jackson book while icing his knee. I also found a wheel chair so he could some mobility around the office. After a few hours his knee was still too painful to put weight on so I called the doctor and we got a 4:30 appointment. The knee was x-rayed and there was no sign of anything broken. The doctor tested the knee and didn't think there was too much soft tissue damage, so put him in a knee brace and ordered rest, no running and icing for 48 hours. The brace made it much easier for Joshua to limp-walk instead of hopping. We iced for 20 minutes every hour all evening and Joshua slept in the brace. This morning he said his knee feels much better and can walk slowly without the brace on.

I am hoping that we have moved down the body enough so there will be no more injuries -- head, finger, knee -- of course there are still ankles, toes. :) But I am glad that he can get good exercise at school during recess, so I'm not complaining too much.

Of course it changed our plans for today. I was going to get the day to myself since Jon had to go to our house in Orange to deal with the ongoing plumbing problems. He is removing a small palm tree that we think might be the source of the roots messing up the sewer lines. Joshua was excited about going up and helping Jon, but now he is home with me. Sigh! Oh, well, such is life.

Now you are all up to date with our son's injury adventures. At least none of them have been that big.

Sheryl

Cathcing up

2010-04-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted to this blog. I will blame it on Facebook. Yep, I have become hooked and post to my FB page every other week or so. I realize that those of you who read this blog don't "do" FB, so I'm sorry about that.

Jon is still working for the Marine Expeditionary Force but is not on active duty orders yet. It is a technicality but one that kept him from being able to take time off this past week while Joshua was on Spring Break. I took the week off from work to stay home with Joshua and we enjoyed ourselves, but it was a little different being home for a vacation, but you can't beat Southern California for a vacation spot.

Today we ended the week by visiting the Wild Animal Park and then stopped at Steve & Sandi's for dinner and some great conversation. Joshua had been missing his cousin Evan, so they had a few hours to play Legos and build a pillow fort in the living room.

Tomorrow it is back to work for me and back to school for Joshua. I'll try to remember to write more, but feel free to "friend me" on FB if you set up an account.

Sheryl

A Job for Jon

2010-01-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

Praise the Lord with us that Jon has a full-time job with the USMC at Camp Pendleton for sure this month (January). He is in the process of getting orders for the 18 months that the MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) want him in the RBE (Remain Behind Element). It could take a couple months for the orders to come through, but he can use Reserve time for February and March, so it looks like we have full-time income from now until July 2011. That is a big answer to our 6 months of praying. Thank you for being part of our prayer team. Please continue to pray that all the details come together and the Marine Corps doesn't change their plans as they relate to Jon's employment. Thanks.

Sheryl

Made it to Nashville

2009-12-29T10:32:00.000-08:00

We arrived safely in Nashville last night after a near touch-and-go in our Airbus as we came into Nashville International Airport. The pilot reported that a plane had not cleared the runway and so we needed to make another go around.

Please pray for Jon. He came down with a bug Sunday night and did not feel well through out our day of travel and had a bad night last night. He's up now (noon) taking a shower and hoping he'll be able to make it to dinner tonight to celebrate Grandpa Baker's 100th birthday. Joshua and I are still feeling fine, although freezing.

We walked across the street to Target this morning and couldn't believe how cold it is outside. But is beautiful -- clear, blue sky -- just cold.

Happy New Year everyone.

Sheryl

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-24T23:44:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful, worshipful time at the 5:30 pm Christmas Eve service at our church tonight. Then it was home to chicken noodle soup provided by our good friend Kris. We followed that with a showing of "White Christmas." We were all together cuddled up in the living room. I finally got Joshua to sleep at 11:00, filled the stockings and uploaded the pictures from this evening. :)

Merry Christmas. We are off to Sandy and Sonny's in the morning. We should be reachable on my cell phone, assuming I hear it ring. :)

Sheryl

Happy 10th Birthday to Joshua

2009-12-23T22:32:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Joshua's birthday in style at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor with 10 other members of my family. We had a great time and stuffed ourselves. I can't believe my baby has reached double digits. We head to Nashville next week to celebrate Jon's Grandpa Baker's 100th birthday!

Sheryl

Our church builds a home in Mexico

2009-12-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Jon spent two days in the rain building a house for a family on the outskirts of Tijuana, Mexico. He was there with a team of 23 from our church. One man took hundreds of pictures, another made a slide show with music and now it is on YouTube, so check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxyb7_05uEY

Joshua's Soccer Season Ends

2009-12-06T17:50:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Joshua's soccer team had a win and a rough loss to one of the stronger teams in their group. Today their team played the weakest team in the group and won 4 - 0, but unfortunately it was not enough for them to make it to the top two in our group, so the season ended at about noon today. The kids all played a great game today and Joshua was a forward for a quarter and a half and had some great shots on goal. Unfortunately he did not score, but he did save a goal from going in when he was playing defense, so I think he is starting to realize how important good defenders are. He is one of the best defenders on the team and so has not had a lot of opportunities to score this year. I was very proud of him and it has been a fun season to watch the boys as they have improved in their skills.

Jon had a useful first day of the job fair and will have two interview tomorrow with potential employers. We don't know when yet, so if you could pray for him throughout the day, that would be great. Thanks.

Sheryl

Jon's Job Search

2009-12-03T09:58:00.001-08:00

The Census Bureau job turned out to be a project that involves 3 days of work (1 day of training and 2 days of testing the Census Bureau computer system). Today is his 3rd and last day of work with them. He was told that they have other short project that he may be called for, but it is definitely not a 20 hour/week job, like I originally thought. But every little bit helps, so we are thankful.

For those of you in the immediate family, you have probably seen the information below, but for anyone else trying to keep up with our family, here is the latest on an interview Jon had on Tuesday for a job with US NORTH COM that will start in April and will be in San Diego. Here is Jon's report.

"The interview went well. There are four different parts to landing this job: one, the guy I'm replacing has to recommend me; two, my current commander (Reserve unit) has to agree to putting me on orders (he loses me for the duration--so I can no longer contribute to his unit as a subordinate leader--but having a Marine on Active duty is a positive for the Corps and reflects well on the unit); three, I have to pass an "administrative" screening "phone interview" to determine my qualifications and skill levels as they relate to the job at hand; four, the 2-star general who will be my boss will need to confirm the appointment following a short introduction.

As of today, we have just passed step one, and the current billet-holder will make a positive recommendation to his chain of command that I be selected for the billet (I do not believe there are any other contenders at this stage). Steps two through four will start taking place after 01 January, concluding with me potentially coming on orders during the month of March (during which time contenders may emerge, they will be considered based on merit, etc., possibly snagging the billet instead of me if they come out smelling better than me following the four step process above).

I'll keep you informed regarding how the process goes, please keep praying (as there is still much that needs to happen if I'm to get this job). Our prayer is not to land this job, necessarily, but that I will end up spending my time and effort in a place and in a way that most aligns with what God wills to accomplish through me for His Kingdom. We're currently NOT convinced that relocation would be best for our family right now, which is why we're pursuing local options--but we know relocation will quickly become necessary should doors close on local options."

Jon will be participating in a Specialized Job Fair this weekend in San Diego. He has already been told which companies will be there and what the positions are that they are looking to fill, so Jon will go prepared to interview for the specific jobs that fit his interest and ability.

Thanks for keep us in your prayers.

Oh, I should report that Joshua's soccer team will go to the AYSO Regional Championship Tournament this weekend. They have three games scheduled and depending on how well they do, they may have a 4th game. It will be a busy weekend, but lots of fun.

Sheryl

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

It was great to have Jon home for Thanksgiving this year. He shared a bit at our church's Thanksgiving Eve service last night. Half of my family joined us in our home today. We ate a fabulous meal provided by everyone and then headed out to do some geocaching. We were 5 for 6 along a bike trail in Laguna Niguel on a beautiful November day in California. It was about 80 degrees today, blue sky, light breeze -- fabulous.

I forgot to post a message last weekend congratulating Joshua and his soccer team on winning the Boys U10 championship for our region. They ended the season 6-1-3 and will play in the regional play-off next weekend. Congratulations, Assassins!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Sheryl

Marine Corps Ball

2009-11-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Jon and I were able to enjoy the Marine Corps Birthday Ball on a cruise boat in the San Diego Harbor. I had to rush south after Joshua's soccer game on Saturday to drop him off at my brother's house (Thanks, Steve & Sandi) for an overnight. Joshua had a great time with his cousin Evan. I made a quick change into my "fancy" clothes and then headed to the San Diego harbor to meet Jon, who was already down there for his reserve drill time.

Jon's unit had the entire lower deck of the boat for dinner, dancing and the program. I don't know anyone in his reserve unit, but it was fun to dress up and have a date with Jon. The program was appropriately formal and not too long, the food was delicious and the view through the windows and up on the top deck was beautiful. What was interesting to me is that the "ugly" side of the harbor where the Navy shipyards are was the most beautiful at night because of the lights everywhere, while the more beautiful Coronado Island was mostly dark, so not as interesting to view.

We spent the night at the BOQ (Bachelor's Officer's Quarters) on a Navy base in San Diego. In the morning we enjoyed some Starbucks, thanks to gift certificates from friends, and then took a leisurely stroll around the San Diego zoo, thanks to our memberships. Then it was off to pick up Joshua and head for home. It was a wonderful weekend celebration.

This week we had a little excitement when the Census Bureau called Jon and offered him a 20 hour/week job making $12.50 per hour. Now, in Southern California, that will not pay the bills for our family, so it was kind of good news/bad news. We are hoping this part-time work will allow Jon to pick up something a little higher paying or allow for future government jobs. In the near future, it messed up our plans for next week. Joshua's school district gives the kids the entire week of Thanksgiving off for the holiday, so I quickly e-mailed our friends and was blessed by e-mails from four friends willing to help. Joshua will end up spending Monday overnight through Tuesday at his good friend Maxi's house (Thanks, Karine and Klaus) and then Wednesday he'll get to go the Discovery Science Museum with his good friend Charlie (Thanks, Wyndi and Sergio). What a blessing to be a part of a community that cares for each other in such tangible ways.

Jon does have a few other full-time job possibilities that he is pursuing but it will take another couple months before those jobs are available. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Sheryl

Veteran's Day

2009-11-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend our mobile home park celebrated Veteran's Day with a chili cook-off. Jon, Joshua and I attended. It was the first community dinner we ever attended and we were the youngest in attendance by almost 20 years. :) Joshua was the only child, but did a great job. After dinner there was a game of war trivia and Joshua ran around the hall delivering the prizes (leftover Halloween candy), which many of the folks gave to him. It was a fun time and we met some nice folks in our park.

Sunday Jon wore his dress blues to church since he will be in San Diego next weekend for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball and will have to miss church. After the services we went to Costco for our traditional $1.50 hot dog and soda lunch followed by free samples throughout the store. He was a bit overdressed, to say the least, but received many, many words of thanks from strangers who wanted to thank him (and me) for his service. It was quite sweet.

That's all the news for now.

Sheryl

Student Council

2009-11-03T08:10:00.000-08:00

Joshua is running for Publicity Officer for his school's student council this year. This morning we helped all of the kids (4th & 5th graders) who are running for an office hang their posters around campus. It was fun to see their creativity and hear their excitement. Joshua, along with the other candidates, will be giving a speech to the 4th & 5th grade students (the ones allowed to vote) at an assembly on Friday. Wish I could be in there to hear him and the other kids.

Could this be the beginning of a political career? Let's hope not. :)

Sheryl

In Waiting Mode

2009-11-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Last week we had some rough news. Jon called his Census Bureau contact after returning from his trip to Europe only to be told that they had finished hiring and did not have any jobs to offer him. We were counting on Jon getting some work with the Census Bureau from November to April, but I guess that will not be the case.

Jon continues to look for civilian work as well as schools and short-term Marine Corps projects that he can get paid to do. So far he has only found a couple one-week USMC schools that he can be paid to attend. Please pray that he will find the right job in the next couple months. If he doesn't have anything by the new year, then we will probably need to make some major changes either in our life-style or in the location of our home. Please pray for wisdom to know when to make those changes and what they should be.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

Sheryl

Jon Home Safe and Sound

2009-10-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Jon arrived home this evening after three weeks in Europe. I had to give him a USMC regulation hair cut tonight since he heads to Miramar tomorrow morning early for the weekend drill with his reserve unit and he hasn't had a hair cut in all of that time. It is too bad that he'll miss my birthday tomorrow, but at least he is back in the same state as us this weekend. He'll be home Sunday night for good. No call from the Census Bureau yet, so looks like he'll have some time to rest, get caught up on e-mails and dive back into the job search.

Tomorrow I will celebrate my birthday with my mom, aunt Judy and Joshua over brunch followed by Joshua's soccer game and then I'm not sure what else for the late afternoon and evening. Oh, Jon did manage to squeeze two cups and saucers of Romanian china in his one bag ($50 extra to check a bag) for my birthday present. They are beautiful. He done good. :)

All for now.

Sheryl

20th Reunion for Class of 89

2009-10-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, anyone who knows me at all will realize that I did not graduate either from high school or college in 1989, but I did attend last night's 20th reunion for the class of 89. That was the last of my five-year high school teaching career. I taught many of these students both Algebra I and Algebra II/Trig. I also coached many of these "kids" in both volleyball and swimming. I was able to connect with six of the girls who were on my first freshman volleyball team in 1985 (see picture). I have become facebook friends with many of them, but it was great to sit and talk together. I can't believe that it has been 20 years since I last taught. In some ways it feels like a life-time ago and in other ways it just doesn't seem that long ago. How can I be old enough to have quit my first career 20 years ago? Oh, how time flies.

Sheryl

A Bit About the Weather

2009-10-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

Not much new to report, but I did ask Jon about the weather and this is what he reported, "The weather here has been great, maybe dropping to the high 40's for a couple nights, but mostly no colder than the low 50's. Highs during the day have been in the 70's, though the norm has been in the 60's. I have not needed my coat, and though it has rained, the rain has so far occurred at night."

Looking forward to him being home next weekend, although he'll spend most of it in San Diego, since his reserve unit will have a drill weekend. :( Oh, well, the side benefit of him not having a job yet is that he can catch up on his sleep the following week and spend some time with Joshua and me.

All for now.

Sheryl

Coffee and Pizza

2009-10-06T09:52:00.001-07:00

More from Jon:

I realized there are a couple things I have not mentioned yet about this place in general that I find interesting. I know I've mentioned the coffee, but I am still amazed at the sheer number of coffee bars here. They are everywhere, on the main drag, on side streets, in overwhelming numbers. The amazing thing is they all appear to be doing a booming business, it does not appear that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing in Romanian minds when it comes to the availability of small shots of powerful caffeine.

Only second to the cafes are the pizza shops. In fact, adjacent to practically every coffee shop is a pizza joint. Some are fast food, some are closer to restaurants, it is absolutely amazing. The appetite for pizza must be never satiated. Perhaps there is some link between the jitters of a caffeine jolt and the soothing quality of a slice of deep dish slathered-in-cheese and stuff pizza.

I'm not sure what the national dishes are "officially," but in my mind, the ingestable items of choice here are coffee and pizza.

Sheryl

A Little More from Jon

2009-10-04T19:46:00.001-07:00

Another e-mail had this description of activity in the town where Jon is right now, "There is a festival going on locally (started yesterday), it has a name, but I can't remember it. Anyway, it's basically a moonshine festival, all the local distilleries (private/family or public/corporate) showcase their hard core stuff. It is theoretically mind-blowing, I'm not going to touch the stuff, but some folks tried it out. There are also local fairs (with little carnival rides exactly the same as the rides I've seen in the States), and what appear to be swap meets and local once-a-week markets and such. This is quite a diverse town, and you don't have to go too far to get beyond the "suburbs" into agricultural communities."

Joshua and I had an enjoyable Sunday. After church we stopped at Costco for a hot dog lunch (the best deal in town even if it is not the healthiest). We finished reading "The Silver Chair" together -- me reading while Joshua played in the fort he built in the living room Friday afternoon. Then we took a bike ride out through the "country" portion of San Juan and stopped for a frozen yogurt along the way. The weather was perfect -- California fall -- I love it.

Sheryl

A Beautiful Place to be Working

2009-10-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Jon had some time to write last night, so he sent a beautiful description of the town where he currently is.

"I'll tell you a little more about my surroundings, etc. I've been getting up to run every morning, and generally hit the trail just before the sun comes up. This morning I crossed the bridge over a fairly wide placid river with a wide concrete promenade on one bank, lined the whole way with planters. The sunrise was spectacular, lighting the eastern sky with an incredible fiery glow. The river, placid at this point, acted as a reflecting pool, and the sunrise, the glowing sky, the river line, and buildings were all reflected in the river. At that moment , a large flock of birds took flight from the far river bank and wheeled through the sky--it was intensely beautiful, mysteriously peaceful, awe inspiring, and also somewhat personal (that God had prepared this moment for His pleasure and I got to sit in...). Well, I ran east following the river, and turned around to head back to the hotel. Facing west, the slightly past full moon was just off the horizon-line of the buildings in the town center. One church steeple in particular was almost silhouetted by the moon, and at the top of the steeple was an orthodox cross. Due to the back-lighting of the moon, I expected the cross to appear black; but the sun, just coming clear of the horizon behind me, lit the face of the cross with a mother-of-pearly luminescent glow. The effect was astonishing, and as I was still running along the bank of the river, it was all reflected... Truly a very visually stimulating morning, and all before the city was awake.

Of course, I should fill you in on the early morning hours prior to my run. The roosters started crowing at about 0330, not just one, but several. I don't know what happened to their body clocks, I'm sure their not suffering from jet lag like I am... Then the dogs started barking at about 0430. According to the 101 Dalmatians, the twilight bark takes place in the evening, but I can tell you that the dogs here conduct their gossip in the predawn. The city is littered with parks, the fall colors are coming in beautifully, and the smell of freshly fallen leaves (yesterday this was particularly pronounced, as it had rained during the night) permeates the air. The city is in a river valley, with gently rising ridges and peaceful valleys that seem to follow the course of the river (vice running at right angles to the river). The town is an incredible eclectic mix of buildings that were built hundreds of years ago and modern structures of steel and glass--and everything in between. The main element of sustainment here is coffee, served very strong, thick, and in small cups, generally less than 6 ounces--though there seems to be no limit to the number of cups one might drink... Being a life-time coffee lover, though having recently given it up, I just had to have a cup. It was truly good coffee, and I regret not being able to truly drown myself in it..." In case you are wondering, his blood pressure has been too high, so his doctor has told him to give up coffee. It has been about a month-long process so far, but his has noticed a drop in his blood pressure when he is not drinking lots of coffee every day. He has a portable blood pressure machine that he uses to keep track of his pressure each night.

All for now.

Sheryl

Family Birthday Party

2009-10-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

Had a great time today at Emma and Eli's birthday party. Steve and Sandi hosted all of us at their home. Sandi's sister Jamie and family were in town and David & Leslie and family came, along with all of us So Cal Frances. The four boys (Evan, Joshua, Eli and Henry) had a great time playing Legos and building a huge fort in the living room. It was a beautiful afternoon in Escondido.

Sheryl

Jon at Final Destination

2009-10-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Just heard from Jon that he has reached his final destination. He wrote, "I just wanted you to know that I'm at my final destination. The first impressions of the town are: the trams (very loud, they run all night at (it seems like) ten minute intervals past the hotel; and the bells, there must be hundreds of churches with bells throughout the city (OK, the city is not big enough for hundreds of bells, but you get the idea) that all chime on the hour, etc., and though each individual bell is of course indistinguishable, the cacophony is a delight..."

I was able to talk to Jon briefly while he was in Germany preparing for this exercise. He had dinner with good friends of ours, which was very cool. That's about all for now.

Sheryl

Jon safely in Germany

2009-09-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

I finally received an e-mail from Jon this morning letting me know in a short note that he arrived safely in Germany. He and the members of his team are meeting there for a few days to prepare for the exercise which will be in another country.

I'll try to post updates as I get them, although there probably won't be a lot of exciting news that he can pass on. All for now.

Sheryl

Soccer season

2009-09-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've posted any soccer pictures yet this year. I was amazed that my very slow camera caught this shot while Joshua was warming up for the game this morning. The team had a hard earned 2-1 win over a very fast, tough team. That puts us at 3-0 for the season. Joshua and all of the boys are improving each game -- playing better as a team, playing their positions, improving their skills. It is very fun to watch.

Jon got off okay and should be well on his way to Europe.

Sheryl

Jon off to Europe

2009-09-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

Jon has not gotten a full-time permanent job yet, but the Marine Corps has provided work via his Reserve Unit. He spent the past two weeks in San Diego and this weekend he leaves for a three week NATO exercise in Europe. It is hard to have him gone so much, but it isn't as bad as a year in Iraq and the income is good, so we are grateful.

When Jon gets home in mid October, we hope there will be a job waiting for him with the US Census Bureau. Thanks for keeping us all in your prayers.

Sheryl

First Day of School

2009-09-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Joshua had a good first day of school. Jon and I walked with him the 20 minute-walk to school. Then Jon was able to pick him up after school since Jon is currently between work projects. They had a fun afternoon, then off to soccer practice and I got to sit with Joshua this evening while he did his homework -- yep, about two pages of writing plus 30 minutes of reading. Lots of work for 4th graders.

Here are pictures of him with his two teachers: Mrs. Porter for English and Sr. Martinez for Spanish.

Tomorrow Jon leaves for two weeks of Marine Corps duty down in San Diego. We may see him one weekend, but probably not both. That means that Joshua will take a van to the Boys & Girls Club after school tomorrow. Hopefully he will get all of his homework done there before I pick him up around 4:15. Then we can have the evening to play instead of sitting at the table doing homework right up till bedtime. :)

All for now.

Sheryl

France Family Labor Day Party

2009-09-07T20:10:00.001-07:00

Had a great time with the France Clan today at Brett & Stacey's home. I think we had 35 family members in attendance ranging in age from a few weeks to many, many, many years (you know who you are). :) We had representatives from 7 of the 9 families descended from Milton and Reka Mae. And I have to say, my favorite attendee this year was Cindy France, arriving for the first time in the 20+ year history of this event. Of course, Micah was a close 2nd with Sean, Estee and Natalie tied for 3rd with there adorableness. Since this is my blog, my nephew gets the star treatment. You can go to my facebook page to see the other adorable children.

The weather was perfect -- not too hot and not humid at all. The food, as always, was delicious and plentiful, a great combination when it comes to food. The company was enjoyable and the pool was refreshing whether you chose to enter it willingly or with help from the rowdy members of the family (you know who you are).

A big thanks to Brett and Stacey for hosting all of us once again. See you all next year, if not sooner.

Sheryl

A great afternoon at the beach

2009-09-05T20:20:00.001-07:00

We are so fortunate to be so close to the beach. We spent three hours in the water this afternoon. I got this great video of Jon and Joshua enjoying the waves together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b204Fg1SvOE

Happy Labor Day everyone.

Sheryl

Job possibility and school starting

2009-09-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Well, Jon had to turn down a job offer yesterday. The bad news is that the Census Bureau finally called to offer him a part-time job in the middle of September but he already has a USMC job scheduled. The USMC job is full-time and pays much more plus he has committed to it, so he told the CB caller that he wasn't free then, but would be available after October 17. The good news is that the caller said she would make a note and Jon's name would be at the top of the list for job opportunities that come available after October 17. That is great news. Our current scheduled income will cover our 2009 scheduled expenses, so any work he gets with the CB will be a help toward next year's expenses. We don't expect a CB job to last past April 2010.

I continue to enjoy my work at San Clemente Presbyterian Church. It is great to chat on the phone or in person with the many members and guests who come to the office each day. I took Wednesday off this week to enjoy one final day of summer vacation before Joshua goes back to school. Jon is between projects this week so he has been home and the three of us enjoyed a warm, but beautiful afternoon and evening at the San Diego Zoo. Yes, the guys carried their USMC umbrellas around the zoo all afternoon and even on the top of the doubledecker tour bus.

We met Joshua's 4th grade teachers yesterday at the Meet & Greet at his school. He will have two teachers this year -- one who teaches entirely in English (Ms. Porter) and one who teaches entirely in Spanish (Sr. Martinez). The students will only be allowed to speak the appropriate language in each classroom. The entire curriculum will be divided up (odd chapters in one class and even in the other) so that every subject will be taught (and hopefully learned) in both languages. We are all excited about this creative way for Joshua to continue to learn in both English and Spanish.

Since I do not start my job until 9:00 am, I will be able to take Joshua to school each morning and will even be able to participate in the once-a-week Mom's In Touch Prayer group at our school. In the afternoons Joshua will ride the free van to the Boys & Girls Club, where he has been for about four weeks this summer. There he will do his homework and then have a little free time before I pick him up at 4:30. Wish I could pick him up after school, but hopefully he'll have all of his homework done when I do pick him up, so we can have fun the rest of the evening.

Well, I think that is a full update on the Moran family.

Sheryl

New hair cut for Joshua

2009-08-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

After not having his hair cut for 1 year, 2 months and 2 weeks, Joshua finally went under the scissors. It was his decision after a few soccer practices where his hair was bugging him too much. His new cut is quite handsome, but it is taking a while for all of us to get used to it. Joshua has enjoyed having it short on our visits to the swimming pool. So here is the old and the new look side by side.

Sheryl

Jon's Brithday

2009-08-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late in reporting, but Jon is still celebrating his birthday tonight, so that's my excuse.

Jon didn't work on his actual birthday and instead stayed home with Joshua, whom he hadn't seen for the previous week and a half due to Jon's drill weekend followed by Joshua's week at camp. They had fun doing errands and hanging out at home. That evening the three us enjoyed dinner at Sarducci's a beautiful restaurant at the train depot in downtown San Juan (Uncle Pat and Aunt Sharon Moran will know where we were).

Tonight I managed to surprise Jon with a game night birthday party for him and five other guys who he used to play board games with. The guys started arriving at 5:00 pm, right after Joshua and I had gotten Jon up from his afternoon nap (he had a late night last night at a Marine Corps function). He was completely surprised and after chatting for a while, the guys started in on a game that has been going for nearly 4 hours. These guys are all friends from our old church, Trinity Presbyterian in Santa Ana. I was able to see these guys at a pool party two weeks ago, but Jon missed it due to his drill. This was a great way for him to reconnect with good friends while enjoying a great game.

Joshua and I picked up the pizza for the guys and then headed out to see "G-Force," which we both enjoyed. It has been a great night.

One happy birthday wish to my dear husband, the Jarhed!!!

Sheryl

Joshua having fun at camp

2009-08-11T09:51:00.001-07:00

I just got this photo off the Indian Village web site. Looks like Joshua is having fun playing basketball. Its always good to see pictures of your child having fun at camp. He's the long-haired boy in the light green shirt. :)

Sheryl

Joshua off to camp

2009-08-10T15:49:00.001-07:00

Joshua left for Indian Village at Forest Home Christian Camp yesterday. He'll be gone for a week and will get to sleep in a tepee while he's there. Should be a lot of fun.

Jon was gone for a long weekend with his USMC Reserve Unit, so we are looking forward to having some date nights this week. I am also going to get a girls' night out Tuesday to see "Julie & Julia" when Jon has an association board meeting. Should be a fun week for all of us.

Jon is putting in a couple weeks of work with the USMC this week and then he'll have a couple weeks off. There might be some USMC projects and short trips that he may be able to do in September and October, but we'll see. Still no job offer, but he has had such a busy summer with family visiting and then working that he hasn't been able to focus on the job hunt, which is a full-time job in and of itself. We are trusting the Lord to provide.

Thanks to those of you who are praying for us.

Sheryl

Final camping trip

2009-08-01T11:40:00.001-07:00

Jon, Joshua, Flynn, Mary and Mercy camped at the beach for two days with 20 or so of our friends from school and church. I spent the evenings with the gang after I got off work, but enjoyed wonderful sleep in my own bed. Here are a few pictures of the fun.

Flynn, Mary and Mercy will be flying out of Orange County in a few hours (1:15 pm California time) headed for Dallas and then a couple hour drive home. I think they had a good time, although they were so busy, it might take a while to process the trip. We enjoyed having them here and look forward to seeing them again, along with the rest of the Moran/Baker clan in Nashville this December to celebrate Grandpa Baker's 100th birthday.

Sheryl

An Awesome Time in Yosemite

2009-07-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

The Joe and Helen France family, joined by Flynn, Mary and Mercy had a fabulous time in Yosemite. We were there to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday, which was a few weeks ago. He grew up in the Central Valley of California but had never experienced the Yosemite Valley. You'll have to check with each member of our crew to find out what made the camping adventure special to them. The place itself makes just about any event amazing. Here are a few random pictures for those of you who know our family and love this beautiful place.

Sheryl

Burklin kids explore Southern California

2009-07-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I don't have any new pictures to add to the page as I have been at work all week while Jon, Joshua, Flynn, Mary and Mercy have been out playing. :) They had a hot, but enjoyable visit to the San Diego Zoo, arriving home after 9:00 pm on Monday. Tuesday was a long, but exciting day at Disneyland and California Adventure and they didn't get home until nearly 11:00 pm that night. Wednesday they visited with an old friend from Texas who now lives in Long Beach. Today they have been helping Jon pack up the camping supplies so we can head to Yosemite for our family camping trip. It is hot up there, but so beautiful. I'll try to post pictures of the trip after we get home.

After we get back, the Buklin kids will get to visit with a friend who lives north of Los Angeles, camp on the beach and maybe visit Disneyland one more time before heading back home to Texas. They may need some time to recover from their vacation when they get back home.

All for now.

Sheryl (for the Moran/Burklin gang)

A visit from the Burklin kids

2009-07-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a long time since I posted on this blog, but I discovered today that some family members aren't on facebook but would like to see pictures of our time with Jon's nieces (Mary and Mercy) and nephew (Flynn) who are visiting us from Texas for two weeks. They arrived yesterday afternoon. Today they joined us for church in San Clemente and then we walked down to the pier where the Ocean Festival was going on so we got to see the surfing contest, sand sculptures, classic cars, etc. Lots of fun. Tomorrow Jon will take the kids to the San Diego Zoo, followed by Disneyland on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday the Burklin kids will get to visit with a friend of theirs who lives in Long Beach. Thursday we leave for a camping trip in Yosemite.

I'll be working this week, although I did get Friday and next Monday off to go to Yosemite with the family. If you didn't know, two weeks ago I started as receptionist at our church. I work 9:00 am - 4:00 pm and it is a great job for me.

Here are some pictures of our time with the Burklin kids so far. I'll try to post more later.

Sheryl

Job Search

2009-03-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Jon has been working hard since he got home looking for a new job. He is participating in a networking group at church that meets weekly and helps those looking for jobs to be prepared to find them and connect with those who might have openings. This week Jon is attending the Transition Assistance Program provided by the Marine Corps. It seems to be a very practical and helpful set of seminars.

There do seem to be some potential options within the Marine Corps as well as in the civilian sector. Please pray for Jon to find the right one that works for him and our family. We are so blessed that he can do this search while still receiving a pay check.

Hope you all had a fun St. Patrick's Day. Joshua discovered that a leprechaun visited our house yesterday and left a trail of clues that led to some goodies.

All for now.

Sheryl

Planting our Native Garden

2009-03-08T07:21:00.001-07:00

Saturday was a beautiful day here in Southern California -- perfect to be out doors planting our native garden. A BIG Thanks to my dad, cousin Kimberly, friend Kris and Joshua's friend Max who joined us with Reggie, from Back to Natives, to plant the 71 baby plants we have. We learned all about native plants and how to best plant and care for the ones we have. We are sore this morning, but it is a good feeling after working so hard yesterday.

Sheryl

7 March, 0900 to 1600 (Open House schedule—drop by whenever)

2009-02-24T22:25:00.000-08:00

Jon has been home for over 2 weeks now and we are going through the process of adjusting to living together as a family again. We have a big project coming up on Saturday, March 7, and if you'd like to come and help us, you can spend some quality time with Jon digging in the dirt. :) If not, I'm sure we'll schedule a more party-like Open House in the not too distant future. Read on to find out about our Landspacing Open House. I know we aren't updating the blog much these days, but you can find us on facebook, if you want to see pictures and learn other interesting facts about each of us. Sheryl

Sheryl, Joshua and I are finally getting around to adding some ground cover and foliage to our plot following the installation of our new prefabricated home back in January, 2008 (OK, we have some excuse for not doing this earlier, since I deployed two weeks after our house went in, and will have only been back about four weeks when we do this).

Our landscaping consultant is from Back to Natives Restoration, a non-profit that is focused on biodiversity and native plant landscaping benefits (to reduce water use, chemical herbicide and pesticide use--if not eliminate chemical use altogether). Our consultant will be conducting a “Do it Yourself” workshop to kick our day off, where we’ll learn about some of the benefits of restoring to California its native plants--while we immediately reinforce this learning with practical application.

Though these plants are hardy and drought tolerant, special treatment needs to be given during the planting portion to ensure a healthy acclimation process for the plants as they transition from a well watered container to our drought tolerant landscape! This process is noticeably different from the techniques taught at commercial nursery workshops or at the 'Do It Yourself Workshop' at your local big box home improvement store.

We’ll have the mulch and plants on hand, and would like our consultant to oversee our planting, but there is an hourly fee, so we’re looking for a few folks who might be interested in learning about native plant restoration as well as learning how to plant and care for them to help speed up the planting process. For more information regarding Back to Natives Restoration, you can visit their website at http://www.backtonatives.org

If you are willing to come help us, would you please drop us a note or give us a call? We'd like to plan to have adequate stuff on hand for breakfast, lunch, and/or artificial motivation and stimulants.

Jon

Home

2009-02-06T21:14:00.001-08:00

Jon is home!

Joshua and I arrived down on base at 4:40 and the buses pulled in about 2 hours later. The families were able to comfortably wait in a large hanger where hamburgers, hot dogs, cookies, chips and other goodies were provided. Joshua and I read for about half an hour. The luggage truck arrived about an hour before the Marines did so Joshua and I were able to search through the hundreds of bags and we actually found Jon's two bags. They were too heavy to take to the car but a Marine helped us move them away from the hundreds of other bags. That saved us a lot of time when Jon did arrive since it was a mad house with all the Marines looking for their bags at once.

We headed to Claim Jumper for dinner -- a family tradition (we've gone there after Jon's return from both deployments). Joshua got his wish of being able to wrestle with Jon as soon as we got home. Now he is getting to have his dad read his bed-time story and put him to bed. He is one happy boy.

Jon and I are pretty happy ourselves. Thanks for your prayers.

Sheryl

In US Airspace

2009-02-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

Jon called at 9:00 this morning to let me know that they had landed in Minnesota, their entry point to the US this time. There were only 4 phones and a long line, so we spoke for about 2 minutes, but it was great to hear his voice. As I type he should be in the air again headed toward an Air Force Base here in Southern California. He is on schedule to disembark from the bus, that will carry him to Camp Pendleton, this evening.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

Sheryl

On the Road Home

2009-02-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

After 48 hours without hearing from Jon, I finally had an e-mail from him yesterday. He had sent a few messages prior to that, but somehow they were lost in cyberspace. He has been in his "layover country" for a couple days reading, talking to colleagues, watching movies and just resting. As I type this he is preparing for the final leg of his journey home. There will be a lot of "hurry up and wait" going on for him over the next hours. Jon should be able to call once they land in CONUS (Continental United States) so I'll hear from him maybe 6 hours before he gets home. Of course many of the locations where they enter the US are on the east coast or in the northern states, so pray that the bad weather in those parts won't delay his return or if it does that we will all be patient.

Joshua and I are anxiously waiting for his arrival. Joshua commented this morning that he hates the waiting part. I completely understand.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Sheryl

The Excitement Grows

2009-02-03T11:43:00.001-08:00

I just received a call from the Family Readiness Officer (FRO) letting me know the time and place to meet Jon when he arrives. It is a new location, but I know where it is, so am ready to go. Now for the waiting. I haven't an e-mail from Jon in over 24 hours so he could already be traveling. Not sure but we are definitely in the final stretch. Trying to stay busy this week. :)

Thanks for your prayers.

Sheryl

A Beach Day in January

2009-02-02T13:05:00.001-08:00

Sorry, but I just feel a need to rub in our good weather for all of you who live where the winter is bitterly cold. Here is Joshua on Saturday, January 31, 2009. Now I must admit that the ocean water felt like ice and it only took a few minutes before my feet were numb just standing in the ankle-deep surf. But the air was in the 80s so the children and the brave played in the surf. I don't mean to make light of those who are truly suffering this winter. We hope and pray for safety and a return of electricity in areas that have lost it. Hey, my realtor friends would love it if you would like to move to our lovely state. Houses are cheaper than they've been in years, of course taxes might be going up to pay for schools and other public services.

Almost down to counting the hours,

Sheryl

Election Day in Iraq

2009-01-31T08:21:00.000-08:00

Jon sent this great report today:

"Today is the day the Sunni's have been waiting for. All their hopes are pinned on high voter turnouts so they can regain the political pre-eminence in areas with Sunni majority populations (about five provinces that since the last election in 2005 have been controlled by minority parties, in three of the provinces that has been Kurds, one of them Shia). This has the potential to be a pretty historic day, on which a truly representative election (it is expected that over 90% of Iraqis will vote) occurs that will solidify Iraq as a representative democracy. The only irony in the whole thing is that it could not be scheduled to take place on Bush's watch (so technically the "credit" goes to the current administration). As of the closing of the polls there have not been any reported attacks on polling sights thoughout Iraq. Jarhedjon"

The Replacement Has Arrived

2009-01-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

We are getting so close to the end of this deployment. Jon's replacement has arrived and the transition has begun. I just got this from him.

"My replacement is here, so that's good news, I'll have at least a week to turn over my responsibilities, which is hugely magnanimous compared to what I had last time--and the reality is I need the time much less this time due to job function than I did last time. Murphy's law, I guess--the time you have is inversely proportionate to the time you need. Oh well. Another sign that my departure is looming ever nearer. Most problematic will be that after I finish my "driver's seat" part of the turn over and transition to the "passenger seat" phase of the turnover (where I simply advise if asked), I won't have preferred access to a NIPR computer (for contact with you) or a SIPR computer (to finish up tasks related to finalizing my mission here). The good thing is that time available to complete these minor tasks will be fairly extensive, and I can accomplish them when (I'm guessing) my counterpart is not using the computer. Though this may be late at night or early in the morning, it should not be a big deal, as I'll have few demands on my time, so will be capable of flexibility. Semper Fi, JarHedJon"

Hot H2O

2009-01-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

"One of these days pretty soon I'm going to be "evicted" from my wet CHU for the incoming high ranking folks, and moved to the transient tents with the "common" masses. The real blessing in the wet CHU these last three months has been that the arrival of the MEF dramatically exceeded the hot water capacity of the shower facilities (and I was not affected). KBR (the contractor) says by contract they only have to provide one toilet and one shower for every thirty people, which is just not enough, particularly when the hot water heaters (each shower facility has eight showers) for each unit are half the size of the average residential hot water heater. Basically, about 80% of the MEF have been taking cold showers for the last 90 days. With my own shower in a wet CHU, I at least have had hot showers (though my water heater is very limited, I have to turn off the water while soaping down, or I run out of hot water in my wet CHU, too). Moving to the transient tent, I'll have to stand in line for a shower, and when I get there, it'll be cold. To be honest, I am not looking forward to this, but I don't mind bearing the same hardships that all the other troops have been enduring for the last 90 days. I AM very thankful for the hot water showers, and do not take them for granted. Semper Fi, JarHedJon"

A New US President

2009-01-20T12:11:00.000-08:00

We have a new president of the United States of America and Jon had a perspective that I asked if I could share with you all.

"It is dramatic to see the differences between the US election process and population involvement and response vice the Iraq election process and population response. I don't recall there being one politically motivated death in the US, and now that it's all over, we're gearing up for the party of this new century. Here there is much distrust, anger, doubt, and fear. There have been and continue to be acts of violence. The lack of respect for each other, the lack of tolerance, and the absence of the understanding of the impact on the international community's perspective of them (corrupt, prejudiced, indiscriminately violent, undiscerning and feudal). Much has been surmounted through education, the effects of globalization on quality of life, and the reality that the most trusted powerful and authoritative entity in their world is the Infidel military that continually assumes risk and inserts itself between danger and the populace. Though the political rhetoric at the national level is all about sovereignty, the people here (I can only speak about my immediate area) do not want us to leave, and they express their thanks to us every day we stay. Is it too much to hope that in ten years, twenty years, within our lifetime, a peaceful election such as ours could happen here? Probably, look at all of the political violence, assassinations, and attempted assassinations, that occur even in the US (even in the last fifty years), and I'd have to say it is too much to hope that humans will stop being human--in the US or here. But we have created the basis for something similar to what happens in our country during elections to take place here, eventually. Jarhedjon"

Can you find my Marine?

2009-01-19T12:34:00.000-08:00

Jon just sent a recent picture of himself with some of the folks he works with. At our house Joshua was the first to find him in the photo. See how well you can do.

Sheryl

Recognize I am Not Alone

2009-01-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

The military categorizes those unable to deal "normally" with the results of deployments as having PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). It is generally acknowledged that all personnel are effected to some extent, though the actual point where PTSD requires treatment depends on the person subjected to the stress and person conducting the diagnosis. Military training is designed to prepare the individual to deal with a variety of possible environments in which they might have to survive. The rigors of military training, often taken to extremes, are generally forgiven due to drastic differences between the civilian environment of Any Place, USA, and Specific Battlefield, Deployed. However, I’d like to propose that any such “change factor” can be traumatic, either in experience or effect, to any person, not just someone in the military, and these effects are magnified by the duration they eclipse. Just as it is expected that certain experiences on the battlefield or during a deployment are outside of the individual’s ability to assimilate, so it is that experiences can (and generally do) happen, even while “just walking down the street,” that can startle, stress, shock, or traumatize because there is no “device” that will fit a particular event within a “normal” framework. Using this reasoning, Joshua's two week experience at camp could be of greater impact to his life than a year of deployment might be to my life—it just depends on how dramatic the difference between the environment one is used to and calls “normal” vice the environment that is or provides the vehicle of change.

My conclusion, then, is to acknowledge that all of us are natives in the land of stress, and I find this an encouragement. First, it puts me and my year long deployment in a category of experience not far removed from each person—lest I give myself a little bit too much room to tarry in the “Woe is me” place. Secondly, since stress is such a universal experience, those with whom I share my life will not consider me an alien should I discuss my experience of stress in a controlled setting. Thirdly, I have a Savior whose Mercy and Grace sustained me throughout, Who is certainly intimately familiar with every moment of my life, and Who eternally invites me to permit the incremental sanctification of my life to His Way.

Semper Fi, JarHedJon

The Impact the Deployment Makes

2009-01-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

Another report from Jarhedjon.

"The antidote to the weariness from a deployment extends beyond achieving a few extended nights’ sleep in a comfortable bed. Not that those holding down the fort at home don't know this. In many cases, their lives have been even more dramatically impacted and/or affected than the one deployed. The longer the duration of the absence of the deployed, the less the "positive" nature or "positive" results that were the reason for the separation have any relevance—to either the deployed individual or those left behind. For instance, is it harder to leave one’s family for a deployment where the mission is understood, the tasking continuous, the routine aspects of life provided for and/or taken care of, and in the context of career progression amid accolades and support? Or is it harder to be left behind, half of a couple or more difficult yet, a single parent, handling all the requirements of living in what was reasonably expected to be a shared experience, aware every day of a specific vacuum in life—a half empty bed, an empty place at the dinner table, a missing social companion and friend. Having been the one deployed, though I recognize that it is no fun, my money is on the left-behind folks as having a more difficult time. Regardless, allowances are made for me, and all sorts of support mechanisms are not only available, I am required several times during “warrior transition” to specifically deny the requirement for follow-on support if I elect not to receive it. Unfortunately, such care is a little more distant from my family than it is to me, though there is a growing awareness of the necessity for this, and there are limited programs available.The most difficult thing for relationships, however, is not the separation—it is “re-entry” following the separation. The deployed (speaking for myself, here) will tend to believe relationships can be “checked out of” when deployed and “checked back into” when the deployment is over, believing little change has occurred personally over the deployment and the bigger challenge will be “catching up” with changes in others. Those left behind (my perceptions here) have long since learned to deal with the vacuum, developed coping mechanisms, and “moved on”—their “place” relative to the “place” where the deployed person expects to “check back in to” are now very different “locations,” a gap which will require tremendous effort and significant time (several months or more) on the part of BOTH parties to close. Semper Fi, JarHedJon"

I agree with what Jon says above about the re-entry time. Joshua and I have been praying about that time already. We talk about the fact that Joshua will need to share me with Dad and vice versa. Joshua is at an age where justice is quite important so he has already said, "Mom, if you and Dad go on a date, then I'll get to go to breakfast at Ruby's with Dad, cause that's fair." :) Initially we'll plan quite a bit of family time so all three of us will be together. Jon will have a lot of days off, so hopefully he and I will have some quality time together during the day while Joshua's in school. Of course, my life has "gone on" and I have lots going on with PTA and the church, so I'll need to rearrange my schedule to make that time. I don't, and I don't think Jon means to sound like we are complaining. We just want to let you know a bit of the complicated nature of coming together after a year of separation and we would greatly appreciate your prayers. Thanks.

Sheryl

Nearing the end of another deployment

2009-01-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

Jon sums up his thoughts and feelings as this deployment nears an end.

"I recall the last two months of my deployment in 2006, and I have a vague memory that any variation from the routine seemed like a cataclysmic crisis, energy levels had sunk to the level where walking and talking seemed about all I could do, forget about creative thought. That's sort of how it is now. It's not that life is so tough; it's just that many of the fundamental meaningfulnesses of every day life (the preservation of which is why we're here in the first place) cannot be felt here. This is not a negative judgment on the country to which we are deployed, this is an acknowledgement that wherever it is, it is not “home,” it is not where our hearts reside. Over time, this distance from our “hearts” attacks the very center of individual significance, and simultaneously degrades any confidence that what we are accomplishing is of any note. This bludgeoning effect to the psyche appears to more dramatically impact the staffs (who are less physically engaged) than those who are actively executing the missions; a wearying of the body that in turn grinds down the capacity to overcome complacency is the sentence on those tasked with a more physical mission. The strength of character that drives individuals forward in this environment, so that they overcome these and many other impediments to excellence in accomplishing mundane, arduous, and downright almost impossible tasks, is today fairly rare--though providentially, corporately and against significant odds, success here is more universal than the rarity of strength of character would suggest. Whether one has this strength of character within them or not, it can still be observed and noted in others. I think back to previous conflicts, where individuals were in physical confrontation with the enemy and/or the enemies' devices for years at a time, and their accomplishments, in the absence of technology, often without popular support, and little enough of the very essentials of life, seem to throw much of what we've done here into a somewhat pale light. It is not without reason that the generation that persevered to achieve victory in WWII is called "great." Even greater, in many ways, though less acknowledged, were those engaged in the Vietnamese and Korean conflicts, who lacked the support of their own nation, in fact faced adversity from the enemy and at home, and yet achieved victory in almost every tactical conflict in which they were engaged (the conflicts were lost operationally and strategically). This, then, is the state I'm in as my deployment nears its end. Semper Fi, Jarhedjon"

First game of pool

2008-12-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

We have pool tables in our club house, but in the nearly 4 years of living hear none of us have ever played on them. Joshua started begging to play his first game of pool over the holidays, so yesterday we tried them out. I am not a very good player, but could explain the basics of the game to him and give him some tips on how to hit the ball. Sure enough, after a couple games he was beating me and I was trying. We had a lot of fun and I imagine there will be many more games of pool in the future. Here is Joshua holding the first ball he ever hit into a pocket.

Today my brother's family is headed to the Discovery Science Center (DSC), about 30 miles north of us, and have invited Joshua to join them. As an employee of DSC I was able to get them all free tickets, so they can enjoy their day without the added cost. I will enjoy the day doing projects here at home without Joshua begging me to do something else (often something I do not want to do).

Still waiting for a note from Jarhedjon that I can post for you all. He is not as busy as previously this deployment but still has those "fun" meetings to attend either in person or via his computer.

Happy New Year!

Sheryl

Post Christmas Activities

2008-12-27T16:04:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Joshua and I didn't do much. Joshua spent most of his day building Legos. I didn't do much of anything, which was nice.

Today I have been working on a PTA project and this afternoon we spent three hours walking to Costco and geocaching along the way. We were three for four, which is great for us. The weather was gorgeous and we had fun walking and scootering (Joshua was on the scooter) along the bike trail and some side streets.

Jon continues to have meetings and work to do, so keeps himself busy. But his schedule seems to be slowing down a bit. He mentioned getting 10 hours of sleep Christmas Eve which is a huge blessing for him. Those of you who know Jon know how much he loves to sleep and that has been something he has not gotten enough (as much as he wants) during this deployment. Hopefully he will be fully rested by the time he gets home.

Counting down the days

Sheryl

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

Joshua and I celebrated Christmas with eleven other family members at our home. We were up around 7:30 (not bad) after Joshua stayed up till about midnight waiting to see Santa. He told me that he was 96% sure there isn't a Santa, but needed proof. Well the stockings were full when he woke up, so not sure where he stands on that issue right now.

My folks arrived around 9:30 with orange rolls (a France family recipe my mom got from my Grandma France). Mmmm The rest of the family arrived over the next hour or so. We opened gifts while we waited for the turkey and other dishes to finish baking. Then we had a fabulous meal around a long table with all 13 of us together -- Sean (7 months old) sat on Grandpa Joe's lap most of the time. After dinner we cleaned up and played games until each family had to leave and head for home. Fortunately we had enough room inside since it rained off and on most of the day.

I hope you were able to enjoy Christmas with family and loved ones. Jon was not able to get through on the phone Christmas day, but we did talk to him on Joshua's birthday and then again this morning. He is doing well and we are all counting down the days now.

Today we made a trip to Toys R Us to exchange the one duplicate Lego set Joshua received. The return line was very short -- I was shocked -- and the store was not busy at all. I guess it is a sign of the economic times. Joshua found another Lego set that he really liked and actually cost a little less and we were in and out of the store in about 15 minutes. Not bad for the day after Christmas.

Not sure what we'll be doing for the rest of the Christmas holiday, but it is nice not to have any plans. The weather is beautiful today -- blue sky and a cool 58 degrees.

Merry Christmas.

Sheryl

Joshua's 9th Birthday

2008-12-24T13:40:00.001-08:00

Okay, what mother gets so busy that she forgets to post a birthday announcement for her son on his birthday. I guess a mom who has been a single parent for almost a year and is preparing for her family to come to her house for Christmas while she is also delivering cookies (made about 15 different kinds this year) to the neighbors and friends. So here it is!

Happy 9th Birthday to my favorite son Joshua who was born on December 23! He started and ended the day opening gifts. In between he built Legos (his favorite toy these days), played computer games and ran some errands with me. We had an early dinner at Red Robin, a fun restaurant, where he had a corn dog with french fries and a Shirley Temple to drink. My folks met us at the restaurant and so he had a couple more gifts to open there. When we got home, "Ice Age" the movie was on TV so we watched that until bed time.

It is amazing to think back to that Christmas 9 years ago when this wonderful tiny person arrived in our lives. I remember being a bit panicky when we went home from the hospital with him on Christmas Eve. But then I had a thought and I remember looking at him and saying, "Hey, you don't even know who you are yet, so we'll just get to know each other as we go along." I think that is an awesome way to approach parenting -- getting to know my child each day, month and year, as he grows and changes. I can honestly say that I truly enjoy who my little boy has turned out to be at 9 years of age.

Merry Christmas everyone,

Sheryl

Christmas Dinner in a Combat Zone

2008-12-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

In case anyone is feeling sorry for me (at least, as it pertains to creature comforts, etc.), attached is the Christmas Day fare at the chowhall... Of course, I may not go to the chowhall during the noon meal, I tend to eat my meal at suppertime. However, that's a personal choice, which makes it a personal problem... For a meal like this, I'll probably make an exception, if only for the eggnog (imagine, eggnog in a combat zone...). Of course, it's still not like home, though in all seriousness, I realize I am very fortunate--among the many Service personnel deployed this Christmas, I am one of the most blessed. Merry Christmas, and may the Advent of our Lord find you ready and waiting!

Semper Fi, JarHedJon

Church Christmas Concert

2008-12-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Last night and again tonight, Joshua will be participating in our church Christmas concert. He is a member of the youth chorus where he and Conor are the only boys, but he loves to sing, so it doesn't seem to matter to him. The kids did a great job last night, as did the adult singers, readers, bell ringers, orchestra members and all others who made the concert happen.

I volunteered with our youth ministry in putting on La Posada for the younger children who couldn't sit through the hour and a half long concert. La Posada is a Mexican tradition where (when we do it) the children dress up as angels, shepherds, wisemen, and the "leading parts" of the Christmas story. We then act it out together -- all who attend participate. We walk around the church campus where adults acting as inn keepers turn away Joseph and Mary. Finally, they come back to the chapel where one inn keeper lets them in to stay in the stable. After the story has been acted out we have a fiesta with pinata, cocoa and oreos (probably not part of the Mexican tradition). After a couple years of being the "mean" inn keeper, last night I got to be the kind inn keeper and one of the wisemen.

I hope you all are enjoying wonderful Christmas and Advent celebrations that help you remember the birth of our Lord Jesus. Blessings.

Sheryl

Health and Welfare

2008-12-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

Thank you for praying for my health. I continue to have congestion but feel okay. We'll see how long this bug hangs on. Joshua has stayed healthy so far. Here is the latest on Jon's health and welfare.

"Well, a week or two makes a HUGE difference out here in terms of weather, at least in the transitional "seasons," as there is such a dramatic difference between summer temperatures and winter temperatures. We're now down to highs in the upper 50's, and low's in the lower 30's. No kidding. And the wind chill (it's almost always blowing here) works something fierce, I guess the only plus is the humidity is low (so at least our bones aren't aching). It actually snowed out here the week before I arrived in early 2008, and though there was no long term accumulation (the ground was not frozen), it serves as an indication of potential things to come.
My health is holding steady, I had a low grade cold that moved from my chest into my head, but very little impact. My tooth has been remarkable in the fact that I don't notice it, and all else is status quo. The reality is that the intensive nature of the staff work and other jobs I've had here have pretty much precluded the exercise I would have liked to be getting more regularly, it'll take a little while following my redeployment to re-achieve a base line of conditioning. It's hard to believe that 13 months ago I completed a marathon. Though 50's are a nice temperature range to run a marathon in, it's a little chilly for three mile stints, so that is another deterrent, even if I had the time.
It appears we may have a few more organizational holiday events this deployment than were permissible back in 2006, partly due to the operational environment. Generally, attendance is expected (that means "mandatory" for officers), though time off work to attend secular events is not what I'd prefer. On the plus side, there is usually free food (OK, I'm reaching here, we don't pay for any of our food over here, thanks to the taxpayers...).

Semper Fi, JarHedJon"

Catching up with our family

2008-12-08T06:44:00.000-08:00

I have been fighting a head cold since Thursday and this morning it feels like it might be moving into my chest. I would appreciate prayers for healing.

Joshua finally had his last soccer games of the season. Most AYSO teams in our region finished the season November 8, but since his team won their championship, they went on to play other regional winners. The team had a rough day Saturday, but came back to play well and win on Sunday, so they were pleased. Of course now he wants to play winter soccer, which goes from January through February.

Here's the latest from Jon: "I'd like to thank Joe and Helen for the great box they sent, M&M's really should be one of the staple food groups, along with peanut butter cups (PBC)... I was able to share the carrot/banana bread with a comrade who had just returned from two weeks of eating packaged rations (MRE) in the "field", both of us enjoyed it immensely. Unfortunately, we've had a vector control problem, and four of the PBC were sampled by a rodent (mouse) and had to be discarded. I've since moved my stash into a plastic bag and to a higher elevation, and in the meantime, we've disbursed sticky pad traps in various places. The sticky pad traps are effective, we've caught eight mice so far in this building since September--the problem comes in the dispatch following the trapping. We've developed a humane, efficient method, but I won't go into detail (application of the Marine slogan, "Nobody likes to do it, but somebody has to know how" seems to fit).

I appreciate your prayer regarding my tooth (ache), since the posting (and your prayers), I've had no recurrence of the pain, nor have I had to change my eating/chewing patterns to avoid pain. My guess is it's still a little cold-temperature-liquid sensitive, but not being an Iceman (I generally prefer "cold" beverages at just slightly above room temperature), it's not been a problem. I was able to down the B&R (caramel and pralines?) at the chowhall the other night with no problem, that's the main thing... Oorah. Semper Fi, Jon G."

Thank you for keeping all of us in your prayers.

Sheryl

Marine Hymn History and Other Songs

2008-12-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

Jon sent this to me and I thought you all would get a kick out of it. Enjoy!

The U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force all have their own songs. For the U.S. Navy, Anchors Aweigh was written in 1906 by Lt. Charles Zimmerman and midshipman Alfred Miles. Initially the song was a tribute to the Naval Academy Class of 1907. Various people revised it later, trying to weed out the nonsense. Another midshipman, Royal Lovell, penned the final stanza in 1926. Anchors Aweigh has a snappy little tune, but no one knows what the words imply. The original first stanza in 1906 had dealt solely with the game of football. Even today, the song offers a bittersweet "farewell to college joys." The lyrics end by "wishing you a happy voyage home." Many musical experts think that Anchors Aweigh is a ballad for football players who like sailboats. But, no one really knows for sure.

The U.S Army adopted a snazzy tune for The Caisson Song. Unlike the words in the Navy's song, the words of the Army's song make sense. According to the words of each stanza, The Caisson Song clearly is a melody for rural motorists. Edmund Gruber wrote the original lyrics in the Philippines during World War I. Naturally, since most of the fighting was 8000 miles away in Europe, Gruber made only a passing reference to warfare. Yet, he was careful to be "politically correct." He apparently sought the help of first grade students in composing the lyrics. The banal "Hi, hi, hee" is a dead giveaway. No one has a clue as to what it might mean. Still, at least it rhymes.

The U.S. Air Force did not exist in 1938. But, that year Liberty Magazine sponsored a contest for an official song for the Army Air Corps. The magazine received 757 entries. A group of Army Air Corps wives (yes, believe it or not, wives) selected the entry from Robert Crawford, Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder. After World War II the Army Air Corps evolved into the U.S. Air Force. This fledgling flying club adopted Off We Go' as their official song. It suited the illusionary nature of the new Wild-Blue-Yonder-Wonders with references to "those who love the vastness of the sky" and the fictitious "rainbow's pot of gold." The final stanza speaks of the "gray haired wonder," an admirable gesture of non-discrimination for the new civilianized Air Force.

These three songs, Anchors Aweigh, The Caisson Song, and Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder, are often played at public events. They obviously delight the members and advocates of the affected service: Navy, Army, or Air Force. When their song is played, sailors, soldiers, and zoomies leap to their feet and shout, cheer, clap their hands, and jive with the music. They have a jolly time, almost like a high school pep rally.

The U.S. Marine Corps is the United States' military band of brothers dedicated to warfighting. The proud Brotherhood of Marines is guided by principles, values, virtues, love of country, and its Warrior Culture. This brotherhood of American Patriots has no song. Instead, Marine Warriors have a hymn. When The Marines' Hymn is played, United States Marines stand at attention. They silently show their pride in their fellow Marines, their Corps, their Country, their heritage, and their hymn. The Marines' Hymn is a tribute to Warriors. Marine Warriors stormed fortress Derna, raised the American flag, and gave us "the shores of Tripoli ." Marines fought their way into the castle at Chapultepec and gave us the "Halls of Montezuma." Marines exist for the purpose of warfighting. Fighting is their role in life. They "fight for right and freedom" and "to keep our honor clean." They fight "in the air, on land, and sea." The Marine Corps is Valhalla for Warriors. U.S. Marines need no song. They have a hymn. Ironically, no one knows who wrote the hymn, which was in widespread use by the mid-1800s. Col. A.S. McLemore, USMC, spent several years trying to identify the origin of the tune. In 1878 he told the leader of the Marine Band that the tune had been adopted from the comic opera Genevieve de Barbant, by Jacques Offenbach. Yet others believe the tune originated from a Spanish folk song. Whatever! Regardless of its origin, The Marines' Hymn has remained a revered icon of the United States Marine Corps for almost 200 years. In 1929 The Marines' Hymn became the official hymn of the Corps. Thirteen years later in November 1942 the Commandant approved a change in the words of the first verse, fourth line. Because of the increasing use of aircraft in the Corps, the words were changed to "In the air, on land, and sea." No other changes have been made since that time. When you have attained absolute perfection, there is no need for further modification.

Sir Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister, became an ardent admirer of the U.S. Marine Corps. In the company of guests of state, he often demonstrated his respect for U.S. Marines by reciting, from memory, all three verses of The Marines' Hymn.

THE MARINES HYMN

From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of UNITED STATES MARINES.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze,
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job --
The UNITED STATES MARINES

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By UNITED STATES MARINES.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-30T19:57:00.000-08:00

Here are a few tidbits from Jon. He worked all day and well into the night on Thanksgiving day. He is grateful that his busy schedule is helping to make the time go by faster.

"The weather is making it less enjoyable [here], it is cold and blustery (highs are mid 60's, lows are mid 40's, winds up to 25mph), the last 48 hours or so have been rainy, though not the downpour we need, just a smattering, enough moisture to muddy things up a bit (literally--this mud here is like sticky glue)."

He also asked for prayer about that tooth that first bothered him early in 2006. "I have in the last week become aware of a pretty acute level of sensitivity to the ingestion of cold food on my one tooth (that gave me problems during my deployment in 2006). There are no other problems associated with it, but my life could quickly become beyond miserable if this thing goes south quickly." Thanks for keeping him in your prayers.

Joshua and I had a fabulous Thanksgiving. We enjoyed turkey, ham and ALL the fixings with a group of 18 extended family members, including 4 grandmas and 1 grandpa. Oh, yes, there were many fights over precious baby Sean. This picture is compliments of my photographically talented brother-in-law Sonny (also known as the father of Sean). Joshua and I spent the night at Steve and Sandi's and I enjoyed a relaxing day while Joshua played with his cousins. We even found a couple geocaches on our way home Friday afternoon.

We spent Saturday putting up our Advent and Christmas decorations, having a soccer practice in preparation for those regional playoffs next weekend, and then went to see "Bolt" with some friends from school.

Today was a restful day as we finished up our Christmas decorations, talked to Jon on the phone, decorated a store-bought gingerbread house and found 3 of the 6 geocaches we were looking for. We even ran into a man who was geocaching when he found us behind a bush and called out, "Are you guys geocaching." :) Caught! The three of us together couldn't find the next cache on our list, but it was fun to share the search.

I hope that this advent season is full of many new discoveries as you "wait" and anticipate what God's coming into the world means for you.

Sheryl

Gratitude

2008-11-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for so many things this year.
* My husband is safe, able to e-mail me almost every day and call me weekly.
* I have immensely enjoyed the time I've spent with my son this year.
* God has blessed me with friends through my church and Joshua's school who love me in so many ways.
* I have a new home (not quite a year old) that is lovely, spacious and keeps me warm and protected from the elements.
* I have more than enough food and take clean water for granted.
* God has opened my eyes to amazing opportunities to serve his body and the world around me.
* Our family has been healthy this year -- a few colds and stomach flue really don't count on the spectrum of health struggles.
* I live in a country where I can worship when and where I want with other believers.
* I live in a diverse country where people with diametrically opposing views can argue and debate openly without going to war and killing each other.
* Today I will be able to join with most of my extended family to celebrate a holiday that reminds us all to stop and express our gratitude.

I am blessed in so many ways. I hope you have a wonderful day expressing your gratitude for the life you have with people you love.

As you begin this advent season (November 30), I'd encourage you to check out the video on this website http://www.adventconspiracy.org/ and think about how you might make Advent and Christmas more meaningful this year.

Blessings,

Sheryl

More Mail Arrives

2008-11-24T22:31:00.000-08:00

Once again, a BIG thanks to all of you who have taken the time to write to Jon or send him packages. They are a huge blessing and encouragement to him. This just in from him.

The mail, though I don't think it's completely on track yet, is at least starting to function in a limited fashion. To illustrate, I just received a Moto Mail from Joe dated 09 October, and one from Lina dated 26 September. Moto Mails are basically teletype messages that are electronically delivered to the postal address closest to my unit in less than 24 hours from submission, so obviously something is still "broken" here, but at least I received them :) I also received a heart-warming envelope from Tiffany and the Star Wars cast, thanks, you guys, for thinking of me... Barbara, thanks so much for the card and the picture taken above the San Clemente pier, it reminds me that Marines actually have a uniform besides MARPATDDCU (Marine Corps Pattern Digital Desert Combat Utilities); I also have your picture of the Pilgrim entering Dana Point on my desk (which I received from Sheryl). I also received an encouraging note from Al and Enid, a card and some newsy letters from Helen, and inspiring and supportive card/letter from Dick and Doris, a card from Uncle Pat and Aunt Sharon (thanks so much for the encouraging Scripture references), and certainly not least, a card from Sheryl :)

This will be my first full week since returning from R&R in which I will be fully plugged back into the Battle Rhythm (I've been functioning as a member of the Command Element--CE-- Advanced Echelon--ADVON--for my unit up until now). "Battle Rhythm" is the military staff buzz word that really means "all the meetings you have to go to, all the administrative deadlines you have to meet, and to whom all your deliverables are due." So far, halfway into my busiest day (Mondays, as Murphy's Law would have it), things are actually on track. Thanks so much, all of you, for your prayers and support. Semper Fi, Jon G.

A Fun Thanksgiving Week

2008-11-24T07:19:00.000-08:00

Joshua and I had a wonderful Saturday to start off his week-long Thanksgiving holiday from school. After doing our chores around the house, we headed to the South Coast Repertory to see the play "Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing" with a group of 17 friends from Joshua's school. The South Coast Rep is a great theater, especially for children since it is not too big and every seat has an excellent view of the stage. After the play the 6 adults and 11 children took about a half mile walk across a few bridges, threw a couple malls to grab lunch and then back. It was a beautiful fall day in Southern California -- blue skies and low 70s.

After saying good bye to our friends, Joshua and I drove a few blocks north to visit my cousin Richard France, who we haven't seen in years. He has his own locksmith shop and can't get away very often. It was great to chat with him while Joshua was entertained by the cockatiel Richard was pet sitting for a friend.

Then we headed further north to visit my parents who were babysitting my nephew Sean for the weekend. Joshua and I enjoyed visiting with Sean (and my parents too, of course). Joshua fed Sean and had a great time playing with him. Then we stayed for dinner to top off a great Saturday.

Last night to top off the weekend, Joshua's friend Charlie came for a sleep over. The boys played soccer on the porch, touch football in the living room, board games and watched a video before heading to bed at 9:00. Of course when I went to bed at 10:30 they were still whispering in their fort (under their beds). Not sure when they fell asleep but they were up before 6:30 this morning. Yawn!

Joshua and I have fun plans for this week of no school. Today we will join some school friends for bowling in the morning and soccer practice in the afternoon. Tomorrow we will join members of our church as we host hundreds of Marines for a Thanksgiving dinner down at Camp Pendleton. Wednesday evening Joshua will sing with the Youth Choir at our church's Thanksgiving Eve service. Thursday we'll drive to Escondido to spend the day with our family. It looks to be a wonderful week that we are very thankful for.

Blessings to you this Thanksgiving week. I hope you will be aware of the many ways God has blessed your life this year.

Sheryl

Joshua's Soccer Team Wins Championship

2008-11-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an exciting day for the Blue Smashing Warriors and their parents. We met the #1 team in our league for an 8:00 am game. It was a tough game, but the boys played so well together. We had great saves by the goalies, excellent defense and outstanding offense. In the end we won and headed home to rest for our 3:30 championship game.

Joshua started getting a cold Friday night and after the game Saturday morning, he was pretty exhausted. He rested on the couch and took a nap during the few hours of down time. I was able to e-mail Jon and ask him to call Joshua to find out the news. Jon was still up at 11:00 pm his time and called Joshua, which was a thrill for him to share the great news of their win with his dad.

Up until this year every child who plays AYSO soccer has gotten a small trophy, but this year the only children to get trophies are those who place 1st - 3rd during the season or 1st - 3rd in the playoffs, so the boys were "playing for trophies" and by winning that morning, they knew they'd get a trophy.

It was back to the field at 2:45 to warm up for the game. Of course it was in the high 80s or low 90s so the boys were warm soon enough. We were facing the Tsunamis who had beaten us in a practice game and then we had beaten in one of the season games. The Tsunamis started off strong and scored two goals in the first quarter. We came back and tied the game in the second quarter. The final half our boys were in great form and scored two more goals to win 4-2.

Our season started the last week in August when these 12 boys came together for the first time. Very few of them even knew each other, but coaches Ajay and Chris, did a great job of training them and bringing them together as a team. By our final games every boy was playing as part of the team. It was fun to watch them work together and winning was icing on the cake.

The surprising news, that we got just before the championship game, is that the winning team will probably go on to play other AYSO Region champs, so maybe we'll have another game. We enjoyed a fun pizza party last night to celebrate the season but it would be fun to get together again with these great new friends.

Sheryl

Thank you from Al Asad

2008-11-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

Jon finally has had enough time to write an update for the blog. The picture is of him and a group of Marines celebrating the Marine Corps' 233rd birthday.

Greetings from Al Asad:

It is a matter of public record now that my unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force, is headquartered at this air base in western Iraq (Al Anbar Province). The mail has finally been fixed, and over the next few days they should be able to get all the mail correctly routed. I'd like to especially thank Steve and Carolyn, my Mom and Dad, Wyndi and her K-class (your Birthday Greetings on the Corps' 233rd birthday are very special) and Sheryl and Joshua for their packages (as I type this message, I'm listening to music because I received the batteries I needed for my MP3 player; I'm eating candy and grub I'm sure I need to supplement my diet--I've dropped to around 175; and I've got a couple good books to read...).

I'd like to thank the folks who took the trouble to actually pen snail mail, in today's convenient world I view this as an intentional commitment to communicate (for which I am the grateful recipient): Uncle Dan and Aunt Glenda, Uncle Ron and Aunt Marcia, Uncle Jim and Aunt Ruth, Joshua who sent me his school picture (he looks SO handsome), Dave and Cathy and their family, Sonny and Sandy, Joe and Helen, Steve and Claire, Chris (I totally dig your photographs!), and Ryan (talk to me about being a Jr. High volunteer when I get back, it sounds like more fun than just being an elder).

Finally, I'd like to thank those whom I consider the most "self-less" writers, whose correspondence cannot possibly be answered in kind--Moto Mailers: Bruce (more than one!), Lina, and Joe.

My life is truly enriched by all of you, and I certainly appreciate your support and your prayers. Oorah and Semper Fi.

Plumbing problem repaired

2008-11-11T08:47:00.001-08:00

Thanks for your prayers. The plumbing problem at our house in Orange has been repaired. It wasn't cheap, but it is done.

The pipes for the downstairs portion of our house all go through the floor. The leak was in the hot water line under the master bathroom. The plumber was able to reroute the pipe and took it up through the attic and down the wall behind the sink. The plumber used a machine to check for dampness under the house but could not detect any. He said the soil must be really sandy and rocky. Yippee! Finally a benefit to the horrible soil for planting and digging trenches for sprinkler lines. The company sent out an extra worker so they finished before 4:00 pm, which was nice since I had plans last night.

The plumber discovered that the water pressure coming into our house is at 90 psi instead of the recommended 60 psi. I'm sure the high pressure is not helping our 40+ year old pipes, so we will probably spend a little more to have a regulator installed to control the water pressure into the house.

Hey, at least we are investing in the local economy. I'd highly recommend that if you have a few dollars to invest (we don't), you put it in plumbing companies. No matter how bad the economy is, if you have a leak in your pipes or your toilet won't flush, you are going to call a plumber.

Jon celebrated the Marine Corps Birthday yesterday. Maybe he'll be able to send some pictures and a little write up later this week.

Joshua had a fabulous time with his friends yesterday. He got to play with Max and Maxie most of the day, had soccer practice and then played Wii with his friend Noah during the evening. I owe a big thanks to my friends Kris M. and Jim H. for helping me out with childcare.

Sheryl

A day at the Zoo

2008-11-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

Since today I will be up at our house in Orange with the plumber, I decided to take Joshua to the San Diego Zoo yesterday after church. We were able to meet up with my cousin Kimberly and her daughter Natalie and enjoyed a couple hours cruising the beautiful park-like setting of the zoo. Most of the big cats were up and about so that is always exciting. Of course Natalie was thrilled to find a leaf while visiting the hippo tank.

Joshua and I searched for 4 geocaches around the Zoo in Balboa Park, but we were only successful in finding one, which Joshua discovered. Oh, well, it is a beautiful place to walk and hike and be outside together. Joshua is sitting on the "waterfall roots" of two huge trees in the park.

On our way home we stopped at Kimberly & Nate's home so we could at least say "Hi!" to Nate. He is hard at work on a Masters at UCSD and so he couldn't join us at the Zoo. These are the cousins our extended family surprised a couple months ago by setting up their apartment for them when they moved here from Minnesota. It was fun to be in their home again now that it is all set up and warm and cozy. Natalie was intrigued by Joshua and me and we loved playing with her.

I'm off to the house in Orange shortly. Thank you for your prayers.

Sheryl

This just in from Jarhedjon

2008-11-09T07:23:00.001-08:00

As I enter the final one fourth of my deployment, I thought it symbolic to provide a snapshot of a sunset. This was taken by a fellow Service member who takes better pictures than I, though I was there at the time. Mail is still very messed up (I have not recieved any mail per the "normal" channels that was mailed since I arrived back from R&R), though there are promises to resolve all these difficulties shortly. My health continues to be sufficient to the task, and I am continually reminded of God's blessing and provision in the midst of a time of pretty concerted industry. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers.

A busy October

2008-11-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

I would appreciate your prayers regarding what could be a huge plumbing problem at our house in Orange. I received an e-mail from one of our friends who rents from us describing what sounds like a leak under the house. As I mentioned a month or so ago, we are starting to have a few plumbing problems with our 40+ year old home and those tend to be expensive. I guess the good news is that we will be supporting the economy by investing in a plumbing company. Please pray that I will stay calm and think clearly when meeting with the plumber next week. Joshua has Monday and Tuesday off from school, so I have arranged a play date for him so I can be at the house with the plumber.

Since I am finally back on the blog, I might as well update you on all of our lives. Jon's life has continued to be very busy as the transition of his unit to the new base has had many problems which were beyond his control. By the end of the month he expects to be back to his "old" job, which may or may not cause him to be busier than he is now. Please continue to pray for him to stay healthy. He fought off a cold this past month but he often does not get enough sleep, so that doesn't help. We have heard the first (I know it will change) date for his departure from his current location. It is what we have been anticipating. The encouraging thing is that we are getting close enough to his departure that they are starting to pick dates.

Last week Joshua had a couple days off from school due to parent/teacher conferences. He and I enjoyed some time at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and he was able to spend an overnight with his cousin Evan. Joshua chose to dress up as Harry Potter for Halloween, which was great for me as it was a very inexpensive costume and he looked quite cute. He was thrilled when neighbors who were handing out candy recognized him.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that his photos and video were selected to move up to the next level of the PTA Reflections contest. There will be an art show at our local high school in a couple weeks displaying his work and all of the other students in our district whose work was advanced. He is quite excited about adding to his medal count. We'll see what happens. In the mean time, he has had a number of opportunities to participate in after-school art programs at our school.

This weekend the soccer playoffs begin. Joshua's team, the Blue Smashing Warriors have a game this morning. It is single elimination, so we'll see if we are playing next week or not. Their team ended up tied for 4th among the 8 teams in their AYSO league of "under 9 year old" players. They were 3-3-1. I have been pleased that Joshua has gotten to experience winning, losing and even a tie. Lots of great learning experiences for him this year.

I continue to stay busy with PTA activities, meetings at church and have even put in 5 hours of work with FSEA (Future Scientists and Engineers of America) each of the past three weeks. It definitely keeps life moving.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

Sheryl

How the Weeks Fly

2008-10-26T20:07:00.001-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it has been another week since I posted anything to the blog. I have finally finished having birthday parties -- the last one was last night with dear friends from church. Thanks, Claire, Nanci and Cyndi.

Last Friday, the San Juan Elementary winners of the PTA Reflections Art Competition were announced at the school assembly. One of Joshua's photographs won and his video as well, although he was the only student to enter a video. He was quite proud of the medals he received.

We had a busy week at school and are ready for a little break this coming week. We will have plenty of activities at the beginning of the week but it is Parent/Teacher Conference week, so Joshua has short days on Tuesday and Wednesday and no school at all on Thursday and Friday.

Today we continued a new Sunday tradition that Joshua and I started last week. We went geocaching. If you are new to my blog and haven't heard of this wonderful activity, check out www.geocaching.com or visit my sister and brother-in-law's podcast (see links to the left). Sandy and Sonny gave me a GPS for my birthday and Joshua and I are having such a good time exploring our neighborhood as we search for caches hidden in places that we pass each day. Today we were three for four in our searches. If you like walking, hiking and exploring, let me know and you can join us on one of our Sunday explorations of South Orange County.

Jon continues to be very busy, but is hopeful that things will slow down in the near future. Thanks for keeping him in your prayers. I am hopeful that he will have a update that I can share with you soon.

Sheryl

Good News from the Front

2008-10-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

I received this e-mail from Jon today. "This article gives you a little more "public" word on what my command is doing, I'm at the heart of the move to Al Asad Air Base (AAAB) for my section." You can find the article at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,439612,00.html

If you cannot open the link for some reason, I have copied the article from the Fox News website:

Last One Turn Out the Lights: Marines Quietly Begin Leaving Bases in Iraqi Cities
Friday, October 17, 2008
By Jennifer Griffin

WASHINGTON — When Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly deployed to Iraq in February, the violence had fallen so low in Anbar province that he began figuring out how to start closing bases and prepare to go home.

In the last 10 months the Marines in Fallujah have done what was unthinkable before the surge began — they have quietly transferred out of one of Anbar province's largest cities. FOX News has learned in an exclusive interview with Kelly from Fallujah that 80 percent of the move is complete. In February there were 8,000 Marines living at Fallujah base. Now there are about 3,000 left. By Nov. 14 there will be none.

"We will shut down the command function here and I will move; my staff has already started to move," Kelly, the commander of Multinational Force-West, told FOX News in an exclusive interview via satellite. "We will turn the lights off here."

They will hand the Fallujah base over to their Iraqi counterparts on Nov. 14, having relocated themselves and thousands of combat vehicles to the desert base of Al Asad to the west. Marines will no longer be seen in city centers such as Fallujah — a major step toward leaving Iraq, and one step closer to Iraq's goal of having U.S. troops out of its population centers by mid-2009 — one of the key points enshrined in the Status of Forces Agreement being reviewed on Capitol Hill today.

On Wednesday, to little fanfare, the Marines quietly closed down Al Qaim base near the Syrian border. Now it is run by Iraqis.

In Fallujah, where the U.S. Marines once had three large mess halls to feed troops, they are now down to one. The Marines have quietly disassembled the entire infrastructure of the base.

"We probably had several thousand of those large metal containers — tractor-trailer containers," Kelly said. "I bet we don't have 200 of them here now."

Of the thousands of vehicles once parked at the base, now there are only 300 left. Their transfer occurred at night, between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., over the past 10 months so as not to disturb Iraqi drivers and clog the roads.

They dubbed it "Operation Rudy Giuliani" because they were cleaning the streets up and returning Fallujah to normalcy — taking down barbed wire and tearing down checkpoints and Jersey walls that made Anbar look like a war zone.

"There is almost no barbed wire left anywhere in Fallujah," Kelly said. An Iraqi no longer sees barbed wire when traveling in and around the city.

Between 300 and 400 concrete barriers that divided the city were removed by Navy Seabees.

One of the big changes Kelly made when he took command in Anbar was to remove fixed checkpoints, and Iraqi vehicles no longer had to pull off to the side when a military convoy was on the road. His troops risked car bombs, but the gamble paid off in what had once been Iraq's most dangerous province. The new road rules instantly lowered the tension between military and locals. Soon he transitioned to moving military convoys only at night, so they would not encounter locals. This also stymied many of the insurgents laying IEDs or roadside bombs, which they often had done at night.

Another change for the better since Kelly arrived in February: He pushed the central government to provide more fuel to the people of Anbar, so the mostly Sunni population is now happier. In February, Anbaris were receiving only 8 percent of their allocation of fuel from the central government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Now it's 90 percent — eliminating one of their main gripes.

But perhaps the biggest sign that the situation has changed for the better for Sunnis living in Anbar: With the help of the Marines and the Iraqi police, nearly 100 percent of the eligible voting population were registered a month ago to vote in upcoming provincial elections.

"They seem to add another political party every day," Kelly said. "We didn't have a single security violation of any kind. They're at least going to give the electoral process a shot … at least going to give democracy a chance."

The Sunnis, who fueled a large part of Iraq's insurgency, boycotted the last election for Parliament with only 3 percent of Sunnis participating. Now they feel they have a stake in the government.

"This is an amazing indicator as to where this province is," Kelly said.

He and the Marines no longer use violence as an indicator of how much progress they have made. Two years ago they had 400 attacks — roadside bombs or shootings — at U.S. forces every week. In February it was down to 30 attacks per week. Now it is down to under 12 attacks per week. There hasn't been a Marine death in a few months.

Troop numbers have dropped, as well — down by 40 percent since February. About 26,000 Marines still serve in Anbar.

"In Anbar there is no longer an insurgency," Kelly said. "Unless someone does something stupid (for instance, if the Coalition were to accidentally kill a large number of civilians), this place will not go back to the way it was."

In football terms, Kelly says, the Marines are "in the last 10 yards of this fight."

"Could it go back? I don't think so," he said firmly. "We are winning this thing."

Thanks, Mom

2008-10-17T14:33:00.001-07:00

Forty-seven years ago my mother had a long, hard labor after being told she should expect me to arrive 3 weeks earlier. Yikes! I arrived at 1:26 am on a Tuesday morning in Chicago, Illinois, a 7 lb. 5 oz little bundle. This picture is of me at 2 months old -- my first Christmas -- close enough.

After I had my son Joshua, almost 9 years ago, I started thinking that birthdays should really be a celebration for the mom. I mean really, what did we do the day we were born? We don't even remember the trauma. But Moms, now they are the ones who work hard the day they give birth and that is just the beginning of the work they will do the rest of their lives.

So, Mom, thank you for all you did that day 47 years ago and all of the days since. Happy Birthday from your first born!

Sheryl

Getting caught up again

2008-10-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that I have used this title for previous posts. Hmmmm I think that says something, but ah, well.

Since I last wrote, we have had plumbing and various other problems with our house in Orange. Fortunately our tenants are patient and I was able to get a trusted plumber up to the house quickly. It cost us a small fortune, but such is life with a 40+ year old house. Everything is settling down now.

Joshua has continued to have a great soccer season with many wins and a couple loses, which are always good for the parents. :) He is also busy with school and doing quite well with his Spanish and English. Last night our school had our annual Fall Art Festival. Students are encouraged to create art -- visual, photographic, video, literature and music -- and Joshua created entries in four of the categories. As you know, I posted his poems last time. Here is a picture of him posing in front of his three photos. The theme for this year's art contest was "Wow!" Joshua even entered a short video of a polar bear that he took at the San Diego Zoo. He was taping the bear while he rested and then suddenly it sat up and stretched. You can hear Joshua say, with awe in his voice, "Wow!" It was very cool and perfect for this year's competition. Winners will be announced at the school in the next week or two, but just having Joshua express himself is the prize for me.

Last weekend Joshua was invited to have an overnight with his friend Alex (Thanks, Mr. Ken) and so I had the evening to myself. Some dear girlfriends came over for dinner and I had my first birthday party. I am one who enjoys celebrating my birthday Month! Tomorrow is the big day. Looking forward to being with family, including my Aunt Judy who will be down this Saturday for a birthday gathering.

Jon continues to be very busy with work. He works so late some nights that he sleeps in his office. Please pray that he will get enough sleep and will not get sick. The weather is getting cooler over there, which is funny because Southern California is experiencing Santa Ana Winds so we have had highs in the 90s the past couple weeks.

Okay, I think that gets you caught up on our lives.

Sheryl

A New Poet in the Family

2008-10-04T10:27:00.001-07:00

This week Joshua participated in an after-school creative writing class designed to help students write something that they can submit to the PTA Reflections Competition. Joshua did not initially want to participate but since I had a meeting to attend at the same time and one of his friends was in the class, he agreed to try it out. Here are the two poems he wrote during the class and he has submitted for the competition.

Oh, My, the Trainer has Died

This dolphin looks like it is going to jump.
And it will land on the ground and go thump.
Then the trainer died.
Then the dolphin cried.
And then a bird said, “coo.”

The Two Rattle Snakes

Once I saw two rattle snakes in the middle of the road
And we could only cross if we got the right code.
When we got 2/4 of the code, then my mom got bitten.
And that’s the part when I started hittin’.
And that was the end of us both.

Text for the Dust Storm pictures

2008-09-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

This just in from our lovable Jarhed.

As you can see by these graphic snapshots, I was in a bad dust storm recently. However, this was some weeks ago, and the temperatures have actually moderated a good bit since then, as has the wind and dust--though I expect there to be a relapse into hot and windy weather before it turns fallish for good. My days are hectic here, I'm organizing and supervising projects, doing physical labor (I was out shoveling, sledge-hammering, and otherwise trying to remove some concrete aberrations that are scarring the landscape around the building where I work, call it garrison beautification), and coordinating the activities of a small team that is working to accomplish a specific mission for our staff section. Obviously, my days are much less chair and desk bound nowadays, and though that is good, I must say that it is more frustrating. My days went from being fairly clearly defined and scheduled (generally predictable) to having to deal with people--who of course are not clearly defined, have their own schedule, and are not predictable in the least. I am very busy, actually have less time to myself than I did before (I didn't really think that was possible, but I guess it was), but as always, absence of boredom means time is flying. There's a flu bug going around, but so far I have escaped infection (I can often sense God's hand of protection on me, thanks for your continued prayers for me).

An indicator of the success of the military aspects of our mission in GWOT in this theatre is the apparent and almost dramatic diminishment of this topic in the lead-up to the election. Of course, this is also an indication, perhaps, of the extent of the domestic economic crisis. GWOT, of course, can be blamed for this as well, depending on your view: the international community and some of the domestic crowd do not view the US investment in GWOT to be an investment at all, which has contributed to the decline of the dollar against almost all other currencies, which in turn has contributed to an economic down turn in the US, which has impacted the real estate market, etc. I for one firmly believe our commitment actively counter terrorists wherever they operate, deny them safe-haven and the means to attack us, and to provide war-torn and oppressed people groups with hope, freedom, and choice to be a very positive investment wherever such efforts have been expended. Oorah.

Semper Fi, JarHedJon

A Dust Storm

2008-09-28T13:52:00.001-07:00

I was hoping Jon would have time today to send an update, but something must have come up. He did send me these pictures of a recent dust storm. The pictures were taken "between 1500 and 1600, normally the hottest and brightest time of the day. The picture of me was taken from about 8 feet away."

A full Saturday

2008-09-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday turned out to be one of those full, fun days. It started with the annual San Juan Creek Cleanup which is the creek within walking distance of our home. Joshua really wanted to help but we had soccer pictures and a game and would need to leave the clean up at 9:00. So he woke up early and was ready to go by 7:45, so we got to creek cleanup at 8:00. We signed in only to find out we weren't supposed to go into the creek to start picking up trash until 9:00, after the mayor came and spoke, etc. I explained our situation to the organizer and he said Joshua and I could clean up along the edge of the creek. So we picked up trash for about 20 minutes along the path above the creek. Then we went into the creek when we heard the mayor start speaking. We found a car tire half full of water, and managed to drag it to the top of the creek wall just as everyone was heading into the creek at 8:45. Then we tackled the great treasure that Joshua has been begging to remove for weeks -- the Vons shopping cart. A man who was picking up trash gave us a hand and we got it up the steep wall of the creek and rolled it, on two wheels, to the park where we deposited our two bags of trash as well. A good job for one hour of work.

Then we were off to the sports park with hundreds of other little munchkins all dressed in matching soccer uniforms for the annual photos. Joshua's game was 45 minutes later, so I prepared to sit in the shade and enjoy my magazine until I noticed my friend Rosa whose son Jamie is a good friend of Joshua's from school. So I enjoyed a nice long chat with Rosa while her son's game finished up.

Joshua's team was playing a rematch against the team that beat them 3 to 1 last Friday night. The game last Friday night didn't count because it was the second game of the season and the first two games don't count. Yesterday's game was the first game that "counts" this season. The boys were geared up to to play a better game. Plus two of our stronger players who had missed Friday's game were back. Our boys turned out to be the better team on Saturday, winning 6 to 1.

We had about an hour and a half at home to do chores and homework before heading down to Escondido for my niece Emma's 11th birthday party. We had a fun gathering with about 20 family members in attendance. Emma received a brand new sewing machine, which many of us pitched in on and before the evening was over my mom had helped her get it started and Emma was practicing on it. In our family, the desire to sew has definitely skipped a generation. Joshua and Evan are good buddies and played well with Evan's other cousin Eli. In fact they spent hours building a fort out of palm fronds. We headed home at 7:30 pm and of course Joshua was asleep half way home.

It was just one of those great days where you feel like you've accomplished something and enjoyed yourself at the same time.

Jon's visit from the big wigs went well and he should be a little less busy for a few days. I'm hoping he'll be able to write an update that we can share.

Happy Fall,

Sheryl

On the mend

2008-09-18T10:06:00.001-07:00

Thank you to those of you who prayed, sent e-mails, brought food and took over my PTA responsibilities.

I was able to get into the doctor on Tuesday. He told me I had "what's going around." My doctor was actually getting over it, and thus the mask he wore. No one is immune from germs. He prescribed some medicine that would help my symptoms and could cause drowsiness. I was hoping it would help me sleep, but last night it worked just the opposite and I was awake tossing and turning for hours. Oh, well, so much for drugs.

The good news came from Joshua's pediatrician who assured us the red in his eye was caused by allergies and not the awful pink eye. He gave us a bottle of sample eye drop that cleared the pink up immediately and helped with the itchiness. So Joshua was back at school yesterday.

I'm trying to take it a little slower. My amazing PTA Team (especially Melissa H. and Rhonda) took charge of the 1st PTA meeting of the year and led like champs. I owe them and all of my PTA Board a huge thanks!

Jon is staying healthy, although sometimes a little short on sleep. He is preparing for important visitors soon and so is busy with various projects as well as plans for the VIPs. Thanks for keeping all of us in your prayers.

Sheryl

First sickness of the season

2008-09-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

I have been sick with a sore throat and runny nose since Sunday morning. I kept Joshua home from school today because he complained that his throat hurt bad when he woke up. But most of the day he seemed fine. This evening I notice one of his eyes is looking pink. No discharge, but we'll see in the morning. I have my first PTA General Meeting tomorrow night so I am hoping and praying I'll be able to lead it. Talking hurts so I have 24 hours for my throat to recover. I'd appreciate your prayers.

Sheryl

Update on Donna Moran

2008-09-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

I just received this update from my father-in-law on my mother-in-law Donna.

"Again, thanks for your prayers. Although Donna is still very tired she continues to heal rapidly. The partial plate is working though she can't really put any bite pressure on it as yet. The Navy blue, purple, gold and pea green colors have faded significantly since yesterday. Still applying intermittent cold packs and topical salve to the bruises. Both seem to be helping. Oh, got word from Medicare yesterday afternoon. The definitely will not cover anything in any way that involves oral surgery and teeth...sigh."

Thank you all for keeping Donna in your prayers.

Sheryl

Assembly of a Table

2008-09-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

While Jon was home, we tried to find a bar table that would go with the three bar stools we had. I finally found what we wanted online, but of course it came today, long after Jon had left. But with Joshua's help I am proud to report that I assembled it and it works great. I even got out Jon's power drill, found the correct attachment and got the screws in all the way. What a feeling of accomplishment. Of course Joshua had to take poor Bristles outside so he wouldn't have a panic attack.

You may notice in the picture another table in the kitchen. My work table has been in the kitchen almost the entire time Jon has been deployed because Joshua and I love puzzles and we usually have one that we are working on. The current one is too large to transfer to any other surface, so we'll just have two tables for a while.

Sheryl

Flat and Sandy

2008-09-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

A little news about Jon's new post along with a picture of the flat, sandy landscape.

"I'm trying to get on a schedule at my new location that will permit me to get up early enough in the morning to run (days are around 118 degrees now, so it is too hot to run after about 0630, peaks by 1500, and is usually above 90 degrees even an hour after the sun goes down). There is a Episcopal/Lutheran Eucharist Sunday at the chapel near me at 0900 tomorrow, I should be able to make that. I hope I'm not gaining weight, the food is good here at the MOACH (mother of all chow halls, this building is about the square footage of two football fields)."

Sheryl

Soccer Begins

2008-09-06T21:27:00.001-07:00

Today was Joshua's first AYSO soccer game with this year's team, the Blue Smashing Warriors. There were a number of changes from last year's U8 (under 8 years old) to this year's U9 (under 9 years old), not the least of which is the much larger field. But our team has been prepared well by volunteer coaches and so they played quite well in their first game. They did win (2-1), but the first few games of the season don't "count." But that is another change -- this year the games will count and there will be play offs at the end of the season (if our team can find another volunteer referee). Jon is a trained AYSO referee but unfortunately his commanding officer doesn't seem to think Jon should be sent home early to fill our need for another volunteer ref. Go figure!

Soccer Mom, Sheryl

Prayer Request for my Mother-in-Law

2008-09-05T20:09:00.001-07:00

I received news from my father-in-law on Thursday that my mother-in-law Donna had experienced a bad fall.

"Donna tripped on a curb around 12:00 noon today. She hit the ground face first. I got her up and off to the emergency room for 3 1/2 hrs. Then to the dentist's office. Upshot is that she will have oral surgery tomorrow. In addition, her lower lip and left hand where scraped and bruised quite badly. They are suspicious of a fracture in the facial bone as there is air in the sinuses. Won't know until the oral surgeon checks that out. Meantime, she is on pain pills and antibiotics and a liquid diet."

Then came the update today:

"We got home from the oral surgeon. At this point Donna is sleeping albeit with much soreness and pain as well as substantial swelling across her face. The oral surgeon found that in addition to four broken teeth that her upper jaw bone was also broken.
He was able to get the teeth out and the jaw bone together and positioned correctly. However it will be about 2 weeks before any chance of getting a temporary bridge. She is not able to talk at this point and her diet for 24 hours is restricted to ice cream & such. We would appreciate your continued prayers for her rapid recovery and healing as she is planning on meeting with her former high school student for their 50th class reunion -- in TWO WEEKS."

I echo my father-in-law's request for prayer. Thank you for joining us in praying for Donna's healing and recovery.

Sheryl

First Day of Third Grade

2008-09-02T21:05:00.001-07:00

Joshua started 3rd grade on Tuesday, September 2. His teacher is Sra. Garcia-Serrato and we have heard wonderful things about her from the parents whose children had her last year. Joshua is the class helper this week and so spent a good portion of his day handing out papers that needed to go home and be read and signed by the parents (my homework). He even had homework, although not much. He needed to read 30 minutes in a Spanish chapter book and then do an activity with his family and write a paragraph about it in Spanish. I thought that was a pretty creative idea. We had a new puzzle, so Joshua insisted that I help him get it started since it was his homework. This year he will stay with Sra. Garcia-Serrato all day. In the past the 2-way immersion students went to a different teacher for 20 - 50 minutes a day for English class, but in third grade they will spend the morning studying in Spanish (reading, writing and math) and spend the afternoon studying in English (social studies and science). We continue to be thrilled with the 2-way immersion program and the way Joshua is excelling in all subjects as he has been learning them in Spanish. Now of course he is very excited that he will get to read in English.

My PTA work started weeks ago with planning for the new year, but my first official board meeting is Wednesday, so I am off and running. I appreciate that my busy schedule will help the next 6 months move by a little quicker.

Blessings to you all.

Sheryl

Jon's move

2008-09-02T10:59:00.001-07:00

Just got this update from Jon regarding his move.

"Well, I'm here safely, it was quite a trip (more exhausting than I thought it would be), but things are going well. I had a long day (was at work before 0900), and then rode to the landing zone (LZ) for the chopper ride at 2330. We waited for a little less than the expected 2 hours, and were in the terminal at our destination by 0330 or so. The thing that made it exhausting (besides the late hour) was lugging my sea bag and carry on, wearing my full body armor, across about 100 yards of heavy gravel to get on the bird, and the same thing getting off the bird -- and it was still over 90 degrees. Needless to say, I was dripping sweat the whole way (as was everybody), and the sweat that gets trapped by your clothes under the body armor does not have a chance to evaporate, so it can get pretty miserable. I was in bed by 0430, the containerized housing units (CHU) are fairly decent (I'm in my own CHU for now, though it is a two man CHU, and I'm slated for a room mate when everyone else gets here. Also, I'm not in my "final" CHU, as there is some shuffling of personnel going on; I should be moved to my final CHU sometime in early October).

I woke up around 1130 after I crashed (slept, no aerial mishap), and I had a BAD head ache, so I took some aspirin and went back to bed for an hour. I got up at 1230, and it was a little better, but didn't truly fade away until a couple hours later after some food, some more hydration, and some caffeine. I rearranged my room, I think my head might have been downhill (I don't think my CHU is exactly level), so hopefully I won't wake up with a head ache tomorrow. I fixed it so I can do my sit ups and exercises in my room, that's a good thing (the mechanism will be portable to my new room when I move). I feel fine now, but am taking extra care to stay hydrated."

Thank you for your continued prayers. Today was Joshua's first day of school, so I'll post something about that tomorrow.

Sheryl

An update from the front

2008-08-31T08:00:00.001-07:00

Hope you had a relaxing Labor Day. I did! My extended family has been having a Labor Day BBQ together in Southern California for about 21 years with very few skipped years. Joshua and I enjoyed the pool, great company and delicious food at my cousin's home in North San Diego County. But Jon did not have the day off. He sent this information a couple days ago.

"Sheryl was forwarded a couple news article from one of my unit's Key Volunteers (Sheryl can tell you more about Key Volunteers than I can). Penned by Robert Burns and Jonathan Steele in two separate articles, the following paragraph is representative of the success that deployed service members and civilians have achieved in GWOT...

"Fewer Marines needed...
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Marine commandant said Wednesday that forces can be reduced, as the military moves to hand over control of the region. Conway said Marines told him, "There aren't a whole heck of a lot of bad guys there left to fight." Driving through once-dangerous cities, he said, "Our vehicles seemed to go largely unnoticed as there was much construction and rebuilding taking place." Toward the end of 2006, the Arabs who were leading the insurgency decided to join hands with U.S. forces to jointly fight the extremists, and violence levels plunged. The father of a family who drove through said: "It is safe. I had no fear about bringing my wife and children."

To say things have changed dramatically since I first deployed here in early 2006 would be the epitome of understatement. It will doubtless take decades for the full nature of the changes that have been wrought, with impact across the globe, due to the vision and initial guidance of our politicians, the determined and adapting leadership of our military, and the steadfast and brilliant execution by all those "in the field"--some in uniform and some not, but all warriors, none the less--for the greater good.

Semper Fi,
Jon G."