Rocklin Rocks! Part 1: Meet the Cousins

Thanks to the only commercial airline that travels to/from GITMO, we avoided the Space A route, and getting back to Cali took half the time as getting there. We first flew 3 hrs in a small twin-engine propeller plane of about 10 passengers, stretched out on the last row of seats with nothing but the luggage piled behind us (no lavatory), earplugs in our ears (but a challenge to keep in Leyna's while she was awake), and soda cans in a small cooler sitting near the pilot (thanks, but again there's no lavatory). Surprisingly the flight into Florida was smooth with little turbulence. The most uncomfortable it got was enduring the thick heat in the cabin before take-off, the freezing cold air while up in the sky, and dodging the sun peering through the windowshade-less windows (I chose the wrong side of the plane to get comfy on!) Finally, the remaining 3 legs of flights via Southwest brought us safely into Sacramento where fun with my brother and his family began!

This was the first time they all met Leyna so it was her first time to mingle with her cousins. It's great they are all close in age, EJ is few months shy of 3 yrs and Matthias recently turned 1. Leyna had a lot of toughening up to do though since she's typically surrounded by so many girls back in Oki. Girls just don't unpredictably "rooaar" at you like boys do, so sure enough our lil Princess came crying to me many times! Nevertheless, they had plenty of happy playtime together. The clear skies and cool air in Rocklin made for a perfect day at the park.

At the start, they were more interested in playing in the ground cover and grass rather than the actual playground. It's nice how kids can be so easily entertained.Leyna takes a moment to practice her Tai Chi!

...and a quick ride on a seahorse...

Then onto the big stuff. Leyna followed the boys up to the slide...then realizes she doesn't know what to do next. haha. She wanted to walk down it instead of sit......walking up could be easier... ...or not!...the boys show her how its done...and Matthias (a climbing expert since before he could even walk) wins the race back up again.

Swing time! EJ loved running around trying to push them......soon they will grow out of these baskets *sigh*...

Nothing like the air flowing through your hair...and your mouth!

What joy!

Up Next...good times at Apple Hills!

It don't GTMO better than this!

After a series of commercial and "Space-A" flights (free flights via military), a quick trip in a smart car and a ferry ride...24 hours later since departing CA Leyna and I finally made it to see Danno. What a journey it was to get to the "Pearl of the Antilles," but well worth it! Thanks to his light workload at the time, we were able to spend a large amount of time together. We kept busy with frequent trips to the library where Leyna could run books back n forth and wrestle with huge stuffed animals...watching free movies under the stars at the outdoor theater...trips to the various beaches around the island...bowling...and it wouldn't be base life without killing time at the Exchange practically everyday. Dan also finished his scuba certification while we were there (so I'll catch up with him and get mine once we return to Oki). The clear, warm water makes so many great diving and snorkeling spots. Leyna enjoyed trying on daddy's snorkeling gear. Here's pics of our first visit to one of GTMO's beaches. This was actually Leyna's first time to play on the beach and get in the ocean! It's so hot there, this is Leyna before she even got into the water!

Gimme gimme the ocean!

Surprisingly she didnt eat the sand.

In between the fun, we feasted. I actually grew to love the food at the galley (cafeteria). I'll never forget the day lunch was steak and gigantic king crab legs, and all for the same everyday low price of $4.25! As for Leyna, she enjoyed packing her belly with unlimited fruit and her favorite green veggies! With wildlife everywhere, you just look around and find things. Each day we saw at least a handful of big iguanas, vultures always soaring overhead (if not feasting on something), lizards big n small, large land crabs congregating by the road at dusk, tarantulas (though not the funnest thing to find near the front porch!), and banana rats at night (giant furry rodents the size of cats!).Iguanas hang out with us everywhere...including our favorite beach spot.

Overall it was a great lil adventure and I'm happy to know Danno is surrounded by such nice people out there. We're so fortunate to see him during this deployment and especially thankful he got to spend ample time with Leyna while she's growing so fast and learning so many new things. We don't expect to see Danno again until he's done and there's still many more months to go, so we'll miss him tons!

Leyna's Crazy Trick

Lil ones are surprisingly flexible. We discovered Leyna has a crazy trick up her sleeve...or better yet, over her head!

Locks of Love

I really expected to chop my hair short once I got in Okinawa...now a year and a half later I finally got it done, but funny thing is I got it done in SoCal! Well at least I got it cut at a reliable Japanese hair salon which is a place I've been to a couple times before moving to Oki. Once you experience Japanese customer service, it's hard to settle for anything less! This place reminds me of a dental office...there's several people who will be working on you, but one main guy comes around later to do the critical stuff and the other people just follow his instruction, hand him tools and whatnot whenever he needs it. It's not a big deal in a dental office, but sure is a neat feeling when that happens at a salon! haha.

Well I'm surprised I've lasted this long with a lil one that can tug at my hair at any moment. I can kiss these days goodbye...So here's what went down (thanks to Ila for taking the pics and running after Leyna in between). Since I wanted to donate my hair to the Locks of Love charity, it meant cutting at least 10 inches off. A bunch of people ponytail/braid my hair so it all stays put when I mail it.
..and the chopping begins! Dun, dun, dun......the resulting donation pile. And a lil more gets cut as they style... ...and voila!Feels good to get all that weight off my head!

Fun with the Grandparents

Leyna's been enjoying all the attention, toys and time with the grandparents. What baby wouldn't. Aside from the daily grind filled with playtime, exploring, babbling, singing, and enjoying all the fresh fruit possible (like mangos that would be outrageously priced in Okinawa), it was nice Leyna could be around just in time to attend Grandma Alice's graduation ceremony (for a Masters in Nursing).

...look at them checkin each other out! haha

this is my favorite! Leyna just couldn't stop running around and cheering.

And a quick trip to the L.A. Zoo was also something new. We enjoyed as much as we could in the CA heat!Good times & more to come...

Farewell & Birthday BBQ

It's felt like a slow month since we left Oki, especially since Danno left CA just a few days after we arrived. At least it was just enough time to throw a last minute shindig to bid him farewell and wish him an early birthday. It was nice to reunite with some friends, and for friends to meet Leyna for the first time. Thanks Howie for hosting in your home and for the wonderful photos!

...Nothing like bbq, lumpia, & pancit!...

...July is birthday month for the both of them. As always, we had to get JJ Babkery cake!...

...Leyna gets in on some guy chat with Danny, Danno, & Doug...

...More good times with Auntie Ila......Nice to finally meet you cutie Calvin!......Leyna looved all the fruit Auntie Esther gave her to eat...
...Leyna's Cousin Zach. Last time I saw him he was just a baby sleeping in my arms and Leyna was still in my belly......Playin peek-a-boo with the curtains......4 generations together for the first time!...

...Ah, enjoying being in Daddy's arms. We miss you!

Pass the Mic

Leyna enjoyed singin and dancin to her cousins singing karaoke at grandparents' house. She must have been itching to participate. The following day, she sure had no trouble reaching for that karaoke mic and trying it out for herself! Take a listen at the video below...