Traveling the highway known as My Life

Mmmmm, cereal

2009-04-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

Here is Conor trying rice cereal for the first time. March 4, 2009

Appu Ghar in Kamakura, Japan

2009-04-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

If you are ever in Japan in the Kanto Plain/Kanagawa Prefecture you MUST visit Kamakura.

Things to do in Kamakura:
eat at Appu Ghar www.appughar.co.jp
visit Enoshima Island
go see the bamboo temple www.asahi-net.or.jp/~qm9t-kndu/hokokuji.htm
see the Kamakura Great Buddha - located in the grounds of Kotokuin Temple

2009-01-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

Conor wearing a bib from Mommy's alma mater -USL Ragin Cajuns-now known as University of Louisiana at Lafayette (U of L-Lafayette).

Happy New Year!

2009-01-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

We rang in the new year with good friends and had a fantastic meal. Ronan actually stayed up past midnight (thanks to a late afternoon nap). My new years resolution is to NEVER let my hair go 3 years without a good cut and color ever again.

We are headed back to the states. Most likey May. I will miss the friends we have made here, but I am ready to be closer to family and old friends. Japan is a wonderful country and I encourage anyone and everyone to try to see this side of the world. We will cherish our memories. --Cheers, Kristin

New Year Approaching

2008-12-29T21:20:00.000-08:00

Wow, it is already December 30th here in Japan. 2008 has been a great year for the Perrys due to the fact that Conor Michael joined us in September. I am awestruck. I was worried because I felt such a connection to Ronan after he was born and he is such a Momma's boy that I wondered if I could love my second child just as much. My mom told me I could and I would and she was right. I am so in love with this beautiful baby boy. He looks just like Ronan did as a baby. He looks just like his daddy. He looks like my sister did when she was a baby.

Our time here in Japan is speeding by quickly. We are waiting for confirmation as to where Josh will get stationed next. Ronan is moving into his spring semester of preschool. He absolutely loves it. Josh and I are looking forward to going back up to Gotemba, Japan for Josh's birthday, attending the NAVFAC FE Seabee Ball in March and hopefully taking a family vacation to Okinawa before we leave here.

We have so much to be thankful for this past year and in the coming new year. We look forward to visiting all of our family and close friends once we are stateside again.

Everyone have a Happy and Safe New Year celebration!
Cheers--Kristin

Rockin the Roller Park

2008-12-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas (and Rebecca's last full day here) we went to Kanazawa Park next to the Kanazawa Zoo. The roller slides are awesome. The weather was nippy, but we could not have asked for a sunnier day. Rebecca had a blast. She is flying back to snowy Portland, OR tomorrow. We will miss her, but are so happy that she made the trek back to the Far East before we leave Japan next year.

Later Christmas Day

2008-12-26T09:57:00.000-08:00

Rebecca, me, Yukiko, Kazue, Josh (holding Conor), Ronan & Addison arter eating Christmas Lunch at the O'Club [Yokosuka, Japan]

The Perrys

Ronan and Josh break open Hungry Hungry Hippo

Christmas Morning Clutter

2008-12-26T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here is Ronan opening presents while I sit with Conor in what was a clean room earlier.

Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-26T04:16:00.000-08:00

Here are Ronan and Conor on Christmas Eve. Josh's sister arrived on the 21st to spend the holidays with us in Japan.

The Holidays

2008-12-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from the Perrys. Thanksgiving just flew by and now we are 3 weeks away from Christmas. For the Turkey Day holiday, Josh's brother Michael from Spokane, WA came to visit. We took this opportunity to Baptize Conor since we had wanted Michael to be his Godfather. Our priest from Port Hueneme, CA is now stationed here. He baptized Ronan in 2004. I find it very special that both my boys were baptized by the same priest, but in two different countries.

We had a great time with Michael here. He was great with both the boys. We look forward to spending more time with him once we are back in the states. That should be sometime between January and June of 2009. Josh does not have any orders yet, so we do not know where we are going next.

We are looking forward to Josh's sister from Portland, OR coming for Christmas. Rebecca was here in the summer of 2007 so the fact that she is coming back is awesome.

Dress Blues

2008-11-17T07:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Josh holding Conor (2 months, 3 weeks). You can view the picture I have posted in 2005 of Josh, in his dress blues, holding Ronan at 4 months. Conor is so much bigger than Ronan at this age. I don't think Conor is as big as this picture seems to show him being, but I guess I see him everyday and don't notice his size as much. He is our chunk-o-monk or chunky monkey.

Conor--8 weeks

2008-11-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

Conor in his Stitch outfit given to him by Josh's co-workers. I took him by the office and Nagami-san was so pleased that it finally fit him.
Here are a couple of pictures taken today. Josh can get Conor to smile by lifting and lowering his eyebrows while smiling and laughing.

Conor exercising his vocal cords.

Daddy trying to bring out the smile we know is in there....

...there's the smile

Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

Ronan dressed as Boba Fett (the Bounty Hunter who takes the frozen Han Solo to Jabba in Star Wars Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back). Ronan is a huge Star Wars fan ever since we bought Lego Star Wars for our PS3. Now we have watched all 6 movies. Only true SW fans were able to identify his costume.

Conor went as a WeeBee. Ronan was also a Bee his first Halloween. This costume of choice stems from the fact that their dad is a Seabee.

I can't believe we are already 3 days into November. Turkey Day will be here before we know it. The Navy Exchange here in Yokosuka, Japan has had their Christmas decorations up for the last two weeks. Crazy. I remember back in the 70's when the Albertson's grocery store near my home would put Thanksgiving decorations up on Nov. 1st and Christmas Decorations went up the Friday after Turkey Day.

But all the stores around the States can decorate till the cows come home, but I believe this shopping season is going to be significantly impacted (negatively) by the current decrepit economic situation stateside. We'll have to wait and see.

For those of you who read this blog site, be sure to get out and vote on Tuesday November 4th.

Cheers
Kristin

Made in Japan

2008-10-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

Here is Conor with his new shirt from our friend Mary.

Mayuko, Kazue and me enjoying an evening out in Yokosuka. We had dinner at Bangkok Spicey. The food was good. If you are out and about in Yokosuka, and are in the mood for Thai food- check it out.

A Hiking He Will Go

2008-10-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here is Josh at 6:15 a.m. on Sunday October 12th. He is all geared up and headed out to meet our friend Mike Gabiga. They participated in the Hasetsune Cup, a 24 hour/72 km hike or race. Very extreme. I am sure Josh will blog about it and post pictures of the event on his blogsite. You can check out his blog at jperry13.blogspot.com or see the link on my blog page. Not sure when he will get to it as he is very busy with work. The only reason he was able to do this event was that it fell on the three day weekend for Columbus Day. In Japan, Monday October 13th is Sports Day.

Lashes

2008-10-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

Look at those lashes. He got his daddy's and brother's long lashes. Right now they are pretty light, but so were Ronan's when he was this little. I suspect his lashes and his hair will get darker as he gets older. What a cutie! I can look at him all day.

Big Brother

2008-10-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Ronan is an awesome big brother. Except for the occassional reminders that he must be gentle or that he needs to wash his hands before touching the baby, Ronan does really well around Conor. From this picture, can you tell Ronan has had some professional experience in front of the camera? He has done a bit of modeling here in Japan. We got into it for grins and giggles and to make a little extra money to put into his college fund. There are some people here who are able to supplement their military income with their children's modeling careers. I think the blonde haired/blue eyed kids get more work. Ronan has been a trooper when needing to travel all over Tokyo for some of the auditions. Not sure if we will keep it up now that Conor is here and Ronan is in school three days a week since we are not as flexible as we once were.

And Conor Makes Four

2008-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here are the Perrys, in their first picture all together, in Yokosuka, Japan--October 3rd, 2008.

Precious, Precious, Precious

2008-10-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Here is Conor. What a cutie huh? And yes, his eyes are that big. I finally got a picture of him looking bright-eyed and bushy tailed versus sleeping. He is now a month old. We are enjoying watching Ronan be a big brother.
Cheers-Kristin

Our newest Angel

2008-09-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

Conor Michael Perry

Conor is here!

2008-09-06T00:50:00.000-07:00

Here I am enjoying my ice chips. Josh had just finished his dinner of hamburger, potatoes, veggies and a brownie. This is at about 6pm Wednesday September 3rd. I had been in Latent Labor since 11:00 a.m.

Here is Conor just after 2:29 a.m. when he was born.

Here I am with my two beautiful boys!

Here is Josh with his sons! I call them the triplets.

Nature Walk

2008-08-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Creatures found by Ronan when walking through our neighborhood.

While cleaning out the future baby room

2008-08-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is the pack Josh used to tow all his military gear while deployed to Iraq.

Ronan fits quite nicely.
(Photo by KP-August 2008)

Ronan is 4!

2008-08-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ronan, Josh and I celebrated Ronan's 4th birthday with cupcakes and presents at home. Check out how the number 4 is backwards for the photo. I will get these birthday photos down when baby number 2 is celebrating with cake (I hope).

Chocolate cupcake. Yummy!

Ronan LOVES Legos and Star Wars, so the fact that the two are combined commercially made his birthday.

Here, Josh and Ronan have a blast putting the Legos together.

Bean Bags

2008-08-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here is what my 4 y/o thought of the new bean bags for the Tatami Room. This was his favorite past time for a few weeks after we bought the chairs. (Photo by KP-June 2008)

Tokyo Disney

2008-08-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Disneyland in Tokyo, Japan. Ronan and I went with our friends Melissa, Ramone and Esiah Cantu.
(Photo taken by Melissa-June 2008)

2008-08-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Finally, we are able to download pictures from our camera. So I am going to be posting some pics that will not be in chronological order of when taken. I will put a blip with each photo so the details will be known. Enjoy! Kristin

Here are Josh and Ronan at the Kanazawa Zoo Roller Park. Notice the slide. There are a couple of slides like this in our area of Japan. Ronan always has a blast. (Photo by KP-Father's Day 2008)

38 weeks and counting

2008-08-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

Hello All

Well I officially surpassed the week that Ronan was born during his pregnancy. I really feel like I am going to go into labor any day now, but that is a wait and see game. I have our hospital bag packed, minus toiletries, and I have an overnight bag for Ronan ready to go. I think I will have Josh put the infant car seat in the car now.

Still no bed for this child.
Need new curtains for baby room
Still need to get the house in a cleaner state than it is in the event company comes around. We live off base, so I suspect we won't have too many people driving out this way. They'll most likely wait till I am on base. Just an assumption, so I want to have the house in decent order, just in case.
Need to renew our Costco membership and pick up some pre-made meals.

So much to do, so little time. My own fault. I am a procrastinator. Must get it from my mother as she just wrote me an email this morning proclaiming herself a procrastinator. There are worse things to inherit from a parent.

Check back in a week to see if Conor made his debut yet. Love to all my friends and family. Miss you all.

Cheers ---Kristin

36 weeks and counting

2008-08-05T15:06:00.001-07:00

Hello All

I am 36 weeks along in pregnancy #2. Feeling good. Get tired easily and I don't average a lot of sleep at night. Ronan is not a fan, but we are taking naps again to help me catch up on my sleep.
Ronan decided he wanted out of my belly at 37 weeks, so Josh and I are trying to get somewhat prepared in the event this baby comes early too. Ronan is getting super excited, but I think he will be most happy to get all of the baby items that are stored in his room out of there. Josh and I have been so lax about fixing up this kids room. Ronan had a complete room at 5 months into the pregnancy.

Ronan and I have been spending a lot time together. We went to Tokyo Disney for the day last month. It was a great time. He was big enough (or small enough) to ride many rides and he wasn't scared like I thought he would be. We went with friends. I was restricted from riding may of the rides. The park is super clean and all the staff very friendly. Typically Japan. I am sure it is part of the Disney thing too.

Ronan and I had to miss a week long trip to Hawaii with Josh because I am too far along to fly. Josh really needed us there because he did not do much in the way of fun outside of going to dinner with friends. No pool time. No beach time. Things he would have done had we been there. I really enjoyed Hawaii when we were there in 2006 and hope to get back there before we leave Asia next year.

Ronan turned 4 last month. Josh, Ronan and I celebrated with cupcakes and presents at home and then we had a party with kids his age at the park. It was hot, but all kids had a great time and we kept our guests well hydrated with water. I was glad Ronan got to have a big cake and blow out candles after friends sang happy birthday. Josh and I forgot to take photos of this event.

Speaking of photos, there are none posted because our camera is not in good shape for downloading pics. The battery died during a download and now it won't download pics. Takes all the pics you want, we just can't extract them from the camera. Hope we can get this problem worked out before baby #2 makes his appearance. May have to buy a point a click camera to have for baby boy Perry's arrival.

Well, I need to get started on my day. Cheers to all our family and friends around the world.
Kristin

Time flies

2008-07-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hello to all that reads this blog. Boring I know. I have not posted in a while and today I have no pics to load because my hubby needs to work out a kink with our computer. What's been happening in the Perry household?????

I am 33 weeks along in my pregnancy. Boy, being pregnant in Southern California for the last trimester is much more preferable to Yokosuka, Japan. It is hot hot hot here and it is not even the hottest it is going to get. I never had heat issues with Ronan, but that is Southern CA for you. Love that area, but we are enjoying our experiences here. This little one will have a neat story to tell when he is asked..."Where are you from?"

I am feeling good for the most part. Getting excellent care at the Yokosuka Naval Hospital. Ronan is now 4. We had a little family get together, just him, Josh and me on his actual birthday. Star Wars Lego set and Star Wars transformers presents ruled. Ronan got to visit with his cousin Ryan in Rogers, Arkansas this past May. Ryan was great about letting Ronan play with his Star Wars toys and now Ronan is hooked. Speaking of Rogers, AR--we had a great, but too short a visit, with my oldest brother Tim and his family (Vicki, Ryan and Sarah). We also got to visit with my other brother Rourke and family. Erin is 16 and Hayley is 13. WOW! is all I can say. I remember when they were just infants. And Ronan got to spend some quality time with his Cookie (my mom).

Washington State was another visit while stateside. We went to see our good friends, The Bowsers. Laura and I were preggers with our first in Port Hueneme, CA. She is now a mother of 3. Time flies. Ronan and Sarah played with each other as if 2 years had not passed since they last saw each other. Laura's other two are just a beautiful. I must say, her son Ben stole my heart. He is a cutie.

A visit to Portland, OR allowed us to spend much enjoyed time with Josh's sister Rebecca and her husband Peter. Josh's dad Bruce came for a few days as well. It was a good time.
We went to the Portland Zoo, got to see the big hospital where Rebecca works, and we rode a tram. Ronan enjoyed that very much.

Our stateside visit also took us to New Orleans, LA and Carencro, LA. My very best friends and I got together for Memorial Day Weekend at the Crozier House. Marie was 36 weeks along in her pregnancy at the time. We threw her a wonderful baby shower and ate some AWESOME food. I ate 3 lbs of crawfish by myself. I could have done 5 lbs, but I wasn't sure if I was going to have heartburn afterwards (like two more pounds would have made the heartburn less uncomfortable). Good news--no heartburn and the crawfish was delicious. Spending time with Jeanne, Heather and Marie and families is the best.

Well, I could gush about the trip a lot more but this blog is boring enough. I will post pics to match the info later this month. So much more going on, swim lessons, growing belly, birth of baby Morgan Crozier. Until next time--cheers, Kristin

Ronan's Cover

2008-04-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ronan has done a little modeling since we came to Japan. Here is a catalog he did back in January of this year. The company is called Combi. They are known for their strollers and car seats.

The web address is http://combimini.jp

All the information is in Japanese, but when you go to the site, you will see a catalog with a little boy standing in swim rings with goggles on his head. That's Ronan. Select that photo and you will bring up the Combi Mini Catalog. He is on the next few pages too. Just three photos inside. Above the catalog you will see a button that says 100% then next to it buttons with arrows pointing left and right. Use the arrows to move between pages. Check it out.

Cheers
Kristin

It's a...

2008-04-23T16:13:00.001-07:00

I am 5 months pregnant this week and Josh and I went to our revealing ultrasound yesterday.
The ultrasound tech is 95% sure it is a boy. Josh and I saw revealing anatomy quickly. The tech was great about showing us the umbilical cord and it's striations and then the penis to reassure us it was not the umbilical cord between the baby's legs.

We are very excited. Having a little boy already, I feel a little like I know what to do with a boy. I am mostly excited to know that all the measurements taken during the ultrasound show the baby is developing normally.

My doctor here has suggested I have an amniocentesis because I am of "advanced maternal age", but I am just not comfortable with pursuing this course of action. Had the ultrasound shown or indicate any abnormalities I would pursue further testing, but I am relieved to know that all is developing normally at this time.

Baby Boy Perry has a name already. I won't reveal his name here. All I will say is that he is getting one of his names from his uncle who is currently deployed to Kuwait right now.

Love to all our family and friends all over the world
Cheers
Kristin

2008-03-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Josh, Ronan and I went to the Enoshima Aquarium a couple of weeks ago. Here are few shots we took to capture the moment. Ronan also pointed out that he could see "mountan Fuji". Enjoy. Cheers--Kristin

Surprise

2008-02-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been three months exactly so I thought I'd spread the word to any friends and family that read this blog that I am pregnant.

All is well. Josh and I are very excited and Ronan seems to enjoy telling people he is going to be a big brother.

No idea what the sex is at this time. Hope to find out next month.

Cheers from the Perrys (+1)

2008-02-16T19:58:00.000-08:00

Wednesday February 13th was Josh's 36th birthday. Ronan and I met up with him at The New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo and had a nice dinner. Our friend Rick Cook was able to join us too. Captain Cook was Josh's commander when he was with NMCB 5 in Port Hueneme, California. It was nice to catch up with him.

Thursday was Valentine's Day AND Cindy Ludwig's birthday--Happy Belated Birthday Cindy!

On the 14th, Josh and I took Ronan to the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.
It was chilly but sunny and most of the animals were out and awake.
Ronan says his favorite thing to see was the tigers.

Hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day. Cheers--Kristin

My Super Hero

2008-02-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

Here are two adorable photos taken of Ronan when he had Josh tie his Thomas blanket around his neck so he could be a super hero. He has watched Underdog a gazillion times. The other night he even responded "Underdog" when Josh's new boss asked him, "What is your name?" Gotta love 3 year-olds. I Will post again after Josh's birthday.

Cheers--Kristin

Happy Birthday to me!

2008-02-08T23:17:00.001-08:00

Cathy, Mike and me singing away

Josh and me

Katsura, Aaron, Cathy, Werhner, me, Mike and Josh

Kazue and me

Another year has come and gone for me. February 2nd marked mine and Tweety Bird's birthdays. My mom reminded me in the card she sent that I used to think Tweety Bird and I shared a birthday. I have no idea if there is documenation to support this theory but when I was little, it was the truth. I do believe Feb. 2nd is Farah Fawcett's birthday for real though.

The Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Honorable BJ Penn, and the Chief Admiral of the Civil Engineer Corps, RADM Greg Shear, attended my birthday party along with other Admirals and various Captains stationed at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan. If you believe this, of course, then I have some ocean front property in Arizona to sell you for a bargain. Seriously, Josh and I attended a social function in honor of RADM Shear and Honorable Penn's visit to the Far East. I am sure they had no idea it was my 38th birthday.

After the military social, a few of us went out to participate in Japan's favorite social past time (other than baseball)......KARAOKE! It was a lot of fun. The Japanese do Karaoke the right way. You rent a private room sized accordingly with the number of participants. You sit around and sing all your favorites, order food and drink via telephone AND you get free sodas, tea and ice cream. It was great. Until I get their permission, I won't post the photos of those who got super into their songs and sang and danced in front of the room. I want to thank Aaron and Katsura for putting it all together.

Happy birthday to my niece Hayley on the 10th, my brother Rourke on the 11th and my hubby Josh on the 13th. Josh will be in Tokyo this week attending a conference. He is staying at the New Sanno Hotel, which is a nice place to stay if you are employed by the Government. Ronan and I will go up either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning and spend the evening with Josh on his birthday.

Love to all our friends and family stateside and other parts of this world. Cheers---Kristin

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2008-01-09T04:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas is so much fun with a 3 year old. Ronan's Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Peter sent him quite a few packages, so Josh and I were able to be genuinely excited about some of his gifts not knowing what they were ahead of time. Ronan loves Leggos. And Transformers. And any toy that makes noises. He got Edward from the Thomas the Tank Engine wooden railway series. Thank you Cookie, since every toy he picked up and shook before Christmas, he guessed it was a train and I had not bought him one.

New Years was spent with friends from Japan. It was nice to experience another's culture and traditions. It is customary for the Japanese to eat noodles at midnight, unfortunately, we did not make it to the 12:00 hour. We are old farts.

We look forward to another wonderful year in Japan.

Cheers/Happy New Year!

Kristin

2nd Dinner

2007-11-30T22:39:00.000-08:00

I forgot to tell you about our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner. My friend Linda is American and married to a Japanese man. They have two beautiful children (see photo). Linda and her kids came trick or treating with us on Halloween night and then we went to her house for Thanksgiving on Friday the 23rd. Living in Japan for the last 7 years, she has not celebrated Turkey Day often. She had a couple of our mutual Japanese friends over also & ate ham instead of Turkey. Lot's of fun. Again, too much food but it was all delicious. Cheers---Kristin

November????????

2007-11-30T21:12:00.000-08:00

Wow, where did November go? I feel like the month just flew by. Ronan, Josh and I had two Thanksgiving dinners this year. On Thursday the 22nd we went to our friends Wayne and Cindy's house along with 12 others for a great dinner. Sooooooooooo much food. Karthik is from India and he brought lemon rice and spicey chicken and Kinuko, who is from Japan, brought a Japanese salad. Very nice traditional food mixed with new foods. Very Tasty.

Thanksgiving weekend was not a good football weekend for the Perrys. GA Tech fell to GA (again), and LSU lost to Arkansas. I can only hope my brother Rourke regained his voice before going back to work on Monday the 26th. He is a huge LSU fan along with my oldest brother Tim. I felt for them when I saw the score of the game ON THE INTERNET! Damn the internet and AFN. The LSU game was obviously taped and set to be televised on AFN (Armed Forces Network) at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday the 24th, but I got online and the score was right there on the Yahoo home page. Oh well, I am sure it was a great game (until the final OT of course).

Josh bought us a Cannon EOS Digital Camera. Just in time for Ronan's and my trip down to Okinawa. On November 28th, Ronan and I flew down to Okinawa, Japan. It is the southern most Island that makes up Japan. Very tropical. It rained 2 out of the 3 days we were there. Ronan was cast as model for Fuji Digial Camera photo shoot. His pics may appear in any still photo ads for Fuji Digital Camera sometime next year. The way it was explained to me, he could be on websites, billboards, buses, magazines, etc... I took pics of Ronan has he waited around to be photographed. Wow, next time (if there is a next time) I will bring a computer and let him watch movies to help pass some of the time. Entertaining him was a bit tiring. We read the same four books over and over and over, but once we got to know thewe had fun hanging out with the other models and parents. The young girl was 8 and Russian. She spoke Russian and fluent Japanese, but no English (she has lived in Japan for 7 years, I think). The 5 year-old boy was from the Ukraine and could speak fluent Russian, a little Japanese and no English. Ronan spoke only English, so they all got along, of course. The boys father could speak English so I was never left out of the loop. The Japanese production crew were great and treated us very well. I will post the pics I took, mostly of Ronan playing while waiting around to get his picture taken, later.

That brings you all up to December. Today is the first of December and Ronan and I did not get home from the airport until after midnight. I must say, that this modeling thing Ronan has going on has made me have to travel long distances by train without Josh. I have navigated my way up to and from Tokyo on three separate occassions with the need to change trains and train lines. It has helped me to increase my confidence with train travel sans Josh.

Happy Holidays to all who read this post!
Kristin

2007-11-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

Here I am getting off the plane after being away from my baby for 5 days.

2007-11-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

Here are the Smiths in Shreveport, Louisiana October 2007. From left: Rourke (older brother), Melanie (sis-in-law), Hayley (niece), Vicki (sis-in-law), Sarah (niece), Tim (older brother), Mom, Ronan, me. Kneeling: Megan (older sis) and Ryan (nephew). Missing is my 15 year-old nephew Erin, who had gone to his Byrd High School Homecoming dance the night before, so he slept in rather than eating out with the family.

2007-11-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

Here is my black suited Spiderman on Halloween night.

Hello Again!

2007-11-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

It has been 2 months since my last post. I do apologize to those who actually go to it looking for an update from time to time (Mom, Carol, Pam, Rebecca, maybe Aaron???). Much has happened. First off, Ronan and I went to the states for a month. Loved every minute of it. Did not spend enough time with friends but spent quality time with family. Mom--we love you for putting us up and putting up with us for that long--company and garbage--you know the saying.

Mom was great. She even kept my three-year-old for a week while I was in D.C.. Ronan had a great time since he was spoiled rotten with so much attention. My sister Megan from Cabo San Lucas came to the states for two weeks while we were there. This was her first time spending more than a couple of hours with Ronan. I am so glad Ronan had that time with family. Got to watch a few LSU games with my brothers. They are HUGE fans and it made watching the game so much more fun when we were with them. Let's not think about the Arkansas game. It is depressing to say the least.

I spent a fabulous two days in Lafayette, Louisiana where I went to college. Didn't know why my best friend Marie was sick but she was a trooper to go to New Orleans so we could meet up with our other two best friends Jeanne and Heather. Jeanne, thank you for hosting a fantastic weekend at your house and we will always remember that as the weekend Marie found out she was pregnant. Yeah for baby Crozier!

Got back to Japan in time to celebrate Halloween. Ronan was black suited Spider Man. He had a blast. Our friends Linda, Amanda and Henry came on base and we trick or treated for about an hour. Ronan took to it like a duck to water. He was not shy about knocking on doors knowing he would get candy thrown into his bag. Look for pics to follow this post.

I got back into the swing of things at Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society where I volunteer. This is where I get most of my adult interaction these days. I love working in the Yokosuka office. Thanksgiving came around early this year it seemed and we went over to our friends, Cindy and Wayne Ludwig for a big dinner with friends. Soooo much food. I ate way too much, but that's what you often do on Turkey Day. Then we had a second Thanksgiving meal on Friday the 23rd with my friend Linda. She has lived in Japan for almost 7 years so she has missed a few Turkey Days so we celebrated with her and had a great time.

Well, i know this post is not full of witty banter, but it will get those individuals who are interested in the Perrys up to date for the most part. Oooh I almost forgot Ronan's big news. He is going to be modeling for Fuji Digital Camera this week. We are headed to Okinawa for the three day photo shoot. I took him to the audition not knowing much about the job he was auditioning for and wow he got a big job on his first audition. Will tell you how it goes at my next post.

Cheers
Kristin

Time Zones and Blogs

2007-09-08T00:16:00.000-07:00

Hello All

I thought I would respond to my hubby's comment regarding time zones. First, I don't know how to change the time zone for my blog and he is out of town and can't do it at this moment. I will investigate after I post. But I assume that everyone who reads this blog on any regular basis knows I am half way around the world from the states, so I am really not that concerned.

Moving on. Ronan had a great time at his pre-school level swim lessons and I met a couple of parents that I now run into from time to time on base, so the effort to get to base everyday was worth it. Speaking of the effort, I enjoy living out in town in Zushi; however, I am toying with the idea of moving on base. At this time I am just thinking about it, but I will go by the Housing Office to see what it all entails. There are days when Josh leaves the house before Ronan and I wake up and does not return until after we go to bed. This is not the norm thankfully. But also, I think the convenience of living on base (especially to have an oven) is more appealing now than it was when we first got here. My laptop crashed so I do not have access to the pics of Yokosuka housing available to me so I will take some new pics and post at a later time.

Now in reference to blogs. I have a cousin, whom I have met once, who has a blog. I would check it from time to time to see what was up with her life in New York. I wrote a comment the last time I checked it. Today, there is a message saying only invited readers can see it. WTF!
I have no idea if this transpired because she now knows I was reading her blog, but I can't help but wonder. If it is, how sad. If not, whatever.

I will likely not post again for a little while. Ronan and I are going on a trip. This will be the first time we have traveled while Josh himself is not away for a long period of time. Unfortunately with the travel is doing now for work and his busy work schedule, he can't take off for leisure at the moment. But the three of us do plan to get stateside at some point.

Love to all my family and friends
Kristin

Blog Spots

2007-08-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hi All

I added a link to my sister-in-law Rebecca's blog. She and Peter just visited us this past July so you will see some pictures they took while here.

Josh is busy as ever at work and Ronan is starting preschool swim lessons today. It is hotter than H-E-double hockey sticks here, but I think it is hotter in Louisiana.

Gotta run.

Cheers
Kristin

Harry Potter

2007-07-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finished the 7th Harry Potter book. Read it in two days over a weekend. I had to know how it all ended without looking it up on the internet. I enjoyed it and am sad that the series is over. I now look forward to the last two movies. Speaking of HP movies, I was disappointed in the lack of emotion or action that went into Sirius Black's death in The Order of the Phoenix movie. But this was not my favorite book of the series thus it is not my favorite movie. For all you HP fans, enjoy the last book.

Josh, Ronan and I have completed our first of three years in Japan. Time flew and the summer is whizzing by too. Ronan and I are looking forward to going stateside this fall. Mom be ready to eat at Taco Mania a few times while we are visiting in Shreveport. I really miss TexMex Mexican food. Oh and while I am in Louisiana I plan to have to well made Bloody Marys. I need to find out if I can bring back spicy green beans, because that is what my homemade Bloody Marys are missing.

That is all for now.

Cheers---Kristin

Enoshima, Kamakura, Tokyo, etc...

2007-07-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

It is nearing the end of July. So much has gone on this month. First we welcomed Josh's sister Rebecca and her husband Peter to Japan. They visited for two weeks and we tried to pack in a lot of sight seeing. During their visit Ronan celebrated his 3rd birthday. This year he had a Thomas cake and extended family to help celebrate. This is a far cry from last year's single slice of cake from Sbarro's after eating take out Pizza in the Navy Lodge.

During R & P's time here, we went up to Gotemba at the base of Mt. Fuji. While up there we spent a day at Fuji Q Highland Amusement Park where Ronan got to see Thomasland and Rebecca, Peter and Josh rode some really hairy roller coasters. Rebecca and Peter visited an Onsen (Japanese bath) and reported that they enjoyed the experience.

We spent a few days in Tokyo, which in my opinion is just another big city. I am more partial to Kamakura. Speaking of Kamakura, we all hiked approximately 3 kilometers on a muddy trail to see the big Buddha. It was great. Peter became an expert at navigating the trains and subways while here.

We also took a day trip to Enoshima Island. It is a small island about 4 km in circumference. It is part of the city of Fujisawa. To get to it we hiked a 600 meter long bridge from the mainland to the island. While on Enoshima we ate at a restaurant called I Love NY PIZZA. This was the best pizza I have had in a long time. The owner hails from Brooklyn, NY and was most hospitable. Josh, Ronan and I will definitely be going back again and again while we are here in Japan.

Enjoy the pictures. Love to all my family and friends.

Kristin

LTJG and Son

2007-06-12T09:42:00.001-07:00

Here is Josh and Ronan after we attended Captain Honkomp's Change of Command Ceremony with Captain Kiwus on May 18th, 2007.

Whatever I did, it worked!

2007-06-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

June 13, 2007
Hello all. This quirky blogger site. Last time I blindly navigated my blogger home page as it was all displayed in Japanese. Today, I hit a few buttons and now I am able to see all my options in English. Whatever I did, it worked and I hope it stays this way until I know how to read the language. Written Japanese is very beautiful, especially Japanese caligraphy. I hope to collect a few caligraphy writings while I am here.

Anyhoo, June is almost half way over. Wow the time is flying by. Our one year anniversary is coming up, followed by a visit from Rebecca and Peter from Oregon. We are super excited and planning some fun trips.
I was so in awe of the beautiful buildings, bridges and churches we visited while in England a few years back. To be standing in a structure built hundreds of years before our own country was even in existance was amazing. So being in Japan is just as awe inspiring. There is a temple in Nara, Japan known as Askadera that was built around the year 596 I believe. I hope to visit this temple when we go to Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto was the capital of Japan prior to Edo/Tokyo, so there are many ancient sites to see.

Ronan is as wonderful as ever. Loves all things icky in my opinion. He is very interested in bugs and Japan seems to have a plethera of them for Ronan to look at and try and touch. We do caution him NOT to touch the centipedes since they are poisonous. Haven't seen one yet, but I know they are out there lurking. I hope to take advantage of the outdoors more this summer than last year. After living in sunny Southern CA for two years where it hardly rained and the weather did not reach into the high 90's while I was there, I was taken aback by the sweltering heat and high humidity of this area last year. Being a Louisiana girl, I can handle it when I am eased into it. Check back in a few months to see if we are staying in or enjoying outside activities. I hope the latter.

I hope all the Smiths, Lines', Perrys, DeFosses', Stones, Bechtas, Annulis', Breauxs and Croziers are doing well. Please keep in touch.

Cheers
Kristin

May 29th, 2007

2007-05-28T23:36:00.000-07:00

I am trying to post to my blog; however, a new development has occurred since the last time I logged on. I go to the log in page and it is in Japanese. I log in to my manager page and I blindly click until I find the right link to post. I only hope I am doing this correctly. There is no link to turn all the text to English. I have blogged from my home computer several times without this situation. Now I really need to learn how to read Japanese.

Josh, Ronan and I went to a restaurant in Yokohama on Sunday that did not offer an English menu. This is not the first time this has happened, but it still takes me back just a little. To quote my husband, "we are functionally illiterate living in Japan." This of course can be rectified by one or both of us learning how to read Hiragana and Katakana and hope to recognize a Kanji symbol or two along the way. It is a hard language to learn. Even Japanese nationals whom I have befriended say it was hard for them to learn. I must devote time to this skill if I hope to be able to read on the level of a first grader by the end of our time here.

We are looking forward to our first visitor this week. Josh's cousin from Montana will be here one night before he flies back to the U.S.. And Rebecca and Peter (Josh's sister and her husband) are headed our way this summer. Lot's of things planned for their trip here, but the most important (in Ronan's almost 3 year-old opinion) is going to Fuji-Q to visit ThomasLand. Ronan has been asking to go to Thomasland since he learned of it's existance from another child at his daycare center. Josh, Rebecca and Peter also will most likely climb Mt. Fuji. Since Ronan is not of hiking age, he and I will pass the time elsewhere while they are on the mountain.

Well, I will sign off now and see if this information posts and if so, does it post in English.

Love to all our family and Friends!--Kristin

2007-02-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

2007-02-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

2007-02-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

Hakuba

2007-02-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Josh, Ronan and I took a wonderful trip up to Hakuba, Japan and stayed at Hakuba Cortina Ski Resort. Ronan loved the snow and sledding. Josh and I got a couple of days skiing under our belts and we had a great time with our friends. Our trip started Saturday morning when we took the Japan Railway from our neighborhood up to Tokyo. From there we got on the Shinkansen otherwise known as the Bullet Train. Ronan was very excited. The Bullet train ended at Nagano where we caught a bus to the resort in Hakuba. Check out the photos of the hotel and slopes as well as Ronan on the trains.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

2007-02-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

Well, another year of my life as come and gone. My sweet self was born 30-something years ago on Ground Hogs Day. In Zushi, Japan I saw my shadow. Does that mean 6 more weeks of winter? I can never remember. No big plans today. I grew up in a family where birthdays were special. My mom always cooked our favorite food and then we would have ice cream cake from Baskin Robins. Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Mint. Since my older sister's birthday is the 31st of January and mine is on the 2nd of February, my parents usually had us celebrate together on February 1st. My mom would make spaghetti pie. It was delicious. I hope to start something traditional and special for Ronan and his birthday now that he understands that he has one. He can tell you the month and what cake he wants (A blue Thomas the Tank Engine cake of course). I will settle today for a great day with my son. --Cheers, Kristin

The Super Toilet

2007-01-16T23:38:00.000-08:00

The pictures to the right is of our Super Toilet. The majority of homes off base in Japan have at least one in the home. We have two "water closets", but only one Super Toilet. So, Ronan is in the throws of potty training right now. He is also a two-year-old boy who likes to push buttons. Needless to say, when he pushed the bedet button and water squirted on his booty, he was a little traumatized. So much so that when I would pick him up to put him on the potty, he wanted to be taken to the upstairs water closet, wanting NOTHING to do with the Super Toilet. But alas, a breakthrough today. He pushed the far right button, which blows air to dry the bum and after some coaxing to have him turn it off himself, he realized that it was not such a terrible thing. Now he can't go to the potty without pushing the air button on the Super Toilet. I am trying to figure out a way to use this new discovery to my advantage with teaching him to initiate telling me he wants/needs to go potty. I'll keep you posted. ----Kristin

Gotemba, Japan

2007-01-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

Hi again,

What a rarity that I would post twice in one month. I am happy to say that Josh, Ronan and I returned to Gotemba over the MLK holiday weekend. We went to Gotemba back in September of 2006, but we had only been in Japan for 2 1/2 months and I did not know the other people we went with that well and was feeling homesick for the United States at the time. So I felt a little out of place that trip. This time, those us of us traveling together knew each other and I am enjoying Japan much better these days. The link to check out where we stayed is

http://www.gotembakogenresort.jp/access.html

I will try to post a picture. Since the blog setup has changed a bit I am still learning how to navigate this site. Cheers--Kristin

It's 2007 Already?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

2007-01-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

HI Family and Friends

Sorry to those of you who check in on a semi-regular basis to see whether I have updated this site or not. As you can see I have given my blog a new look to make up for the lack of posts. I hope to be better with keeping this site current, but I will make no New Year's Resolutions regarding the subject.

Well, 2007 is here. Josh, Ronan and I hung out with friends playing Trivial Pursuit. For those of you who know me, know that this is one of my favorite games so I had a good time ringing in the new year. Plus, Trivial Pursuit does not leave you with a hang over (unless you are Josh and drink lots of red wine while playing this long game).

I wish you all a very Happy New Year!
Kristin

Josh's Blog

2006-10-06T23:46:00.000-07:00

Josh's Blog
Check this out!

2006-10-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

Kamakura, Japan

Kamakura

2006-10-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ronan and me in Kamakura, Japan

October 2006

2006-10-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody

It is now the second day in October. Sorry it has taken me so long to post. Just trying to get my bearings in a new country. At first I felt excitement about being in another country, then the newness of everything was fun and adventurous. Now I am in the stage of the newness wearing off and missing all things familiar to me. I've had my "blue" days but Ronan and Josh keep me sane. I have started volunteering at the Yokosuka Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS). This is a great organization that is set up to assist those service members and their families with financial needs. The people I work with are great and this give me an opportunity to put Ronan in daycare so he can be around kids his own age. The downside is he got the sniffles after Friday's daycare visit. I expect he'll bring various viruses home. It's inevitable.

So Josh, Ronan and I have done little exploring since our arrival. We have tons of time. I am sure the previous statement will come back to haunt me when we only have a couple of months left in Japan and are scrambling to see the sites. That is what happened to us in Port Hueneme, California. We were discovering restaurants and beach parks in the last few months we were there.

So here are my likes and dislikes of living in Japan thus far. We'll start with the positives.

The area seems very safe.
The streets are clean and mostly litter free.
The speed limits are low.
When out shopping, riding the trains or eating out in restaurants, the Japanese person is very polite and bends over backwards to communicate with you.
There is no tipping in Japan. That was hard to get used to when we first started eating out. Of course you should tip at restaurants on base.

A few negatives are:

The Japanese people love their cigarettes and there are few NON-smoking facilities. If there is a non-smoking section in a restaurant, it is usually right next to the smoking section so you can still smell the smoke. Or some restaurants don't allow smoking until after 5 pm but because they allow smoking at all the place retains that smokers odor.
The Japanese do not seem to "let you in" if you are trying to merge into traffic. If you come upon a closed lane and need to get into the other lane, forget it.
And the typical Japanese woman is much smaller than me so it is hard to shop for clothes out in town. But these are all points that can be gotten over easily.

Josh, Ronan and I took a train ride to Kamakura this past Sunday. It rained but it was still a nice trip. Check out some photos I will post after this message. I miss all my friends and family terribly. I hope some of you can come visit. Everyone is welcome. And Josh and I hope to make stateside at some point next year.

Love,
Kristin

Ronan's 2nd Birthday!

2006-08-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Street Festival Food-Yummy!

2006-08-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

July 7, 2006

2006-08-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

Japan/August 2006

2006-08-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

So we have been here for 2 months. The weather is still hot, but I know my family and friends down south Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia are feeling the heat more than me. Josh is getting settled at his new job and Ronan and I are attending MOMMY and ME swim classes on base everyday. He loves jumping in water. Hates floating on his back. Tolerates getting dunked under water. Josh is hoping to make it to our last class to video tape and take pictures. We have not taken any ITT trips. My hope is to go up to Tokyo for a couple of days and see what it is like. Driving has been an experience but I am now comfortable driving on the left side of the road while seated on the right side of the vehicle. Check out the photos. Cheers-Kristin

Hello from Japan

2006-06-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

Hi all

So much as happened since the middle of April that I think it would be tiring to recount it all in detail. In a brief update, we moved out of our home in Port Hueneme, CA. I had to say goodbye to some good friends, but I know I will see them again soon. I quit my job. Ronan and I got to travel back to Gulfport, MS to visit my best friends and then we went to Shreveport to see Family. Then Josh checked out of the battalion and we spent two and half weeks with his sister Rebecca and her husband Peter and of course Rosie Dog too. Josh's mom and stepdad drove down from Spokane. It was great to see them and for them to spend time with us and especially Ronan before we left. Rebecca graduated from Oregon State University's School of Pharmacy on the 17th of June. Then Josh, Ronan and I flew to Japan on the 22nd. We have not done much exploring but that will all change soon. Look for pictures of mine and Ronan's trips, our time in Portland and our first week in Japan. But that will be a little while since we do not have internet access in our room at the Navy Lodge. I have to wait until I can use my own computer to get online. Keep checking back.
Love, Kristin

April 2006

2006-04-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hello all
It is now the middle of April and we will be in Japan in about 2 months. Time is flying! We've got our pack out dates set. I am taking Ronan to Gulfport, MS to visit my 3 best friends then we are off to Shreveport, LA (by way of Dallas, TX) to visit Cookie, Timbo, Vicki, Rourke, Melly, Erin, Hayley, Ryan and Sarah. More pics to come. Ronan got All his hair cut off and it is now starting to grow back (thank goodness). He looks even more like Josh than ever with his mini military buzz cut. Stay tuned for more detailed posts.

Cheers
Kristin

Seabee Ball 2006

2006-03-29T16:22:00.000-08:00

Hi again

2006-03-29T16:14:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

It is now the last week of March and Josh, Ronan and I will be moving out of the country in two months. It still seems so very far away. It most likely won't hit me until we are loaded on the plane headed to Japan. We have tons to do, but we are making progress. Got some big things out of the way such as our medical clearances and passports. We are very excited about this next chapter in our lives. We will do our best to keep our blogs updated. I hope any or all of my family and friends can make it to Asia. What a potential wonderful opportunity for us all. New photos of Ronan and family to be posted soon. ~~~Cheers! Kristin

Radio Flyer Wagon

2006-02-27T11:19:00.000-08:00

Here is Ronan in his new Radio Flyer ATW Wagon. He loves riding in it. I'll pull him to the post office and the grocery store and he stays in the whole way there and back.

Weeeeeee!

2006-02-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

Ronan at Busy Bee park on the Port Hueneme Base inCalifornia. Jan. '06

Ronan's bike

2006-02-27T10:59:00.000-08:00

How many engineers does it take to put together a tricycle on Christmas Eve? Apparently 2. Rebecca, Peter and Rosie dog came down from Portland for the week of Christmas.

2006-02-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

Josh and Ronan in San Fransico, CA (Nov. '05)

2006-02-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

Visiting Marcia in Palo Alto, CA (Nov '05)

New Post. FINALLY1

2006-02-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

Hi to all who may check this site from time to time only to find I have been slacking in my updates. I apologize for the lack of upkeep but now I have collected many pictures of Ronan since the last post and will send them to this blog shortly. Here is a quick update for all who keep are interested. Josh got orders for his next duty station and we will be moving to Yokosuka, Japan in June. We are very excited to embark on our next Navy adventure. As Josh and I wind down at work and try to figure out what we are going to pack, toss and store for our move we will be very busy but i'll try to keep this site more updated. Cheers--Kristin

The Chariot

2005-11-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of me on my new (used) bike pulling Ronan in the Chariot. Ronan is still getting used to wearing the helmet but otherwise he enjoys our rides.

Halloween 2005

2005-11-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

Here are the spouses of the deployed officers of NMCB Five. For those of you born in the mid to late 80's and later, we went as Robert Palmer's video "Addicted to Love." Those of you who grew up watching MTV from it's start recognized this immediately. I am dressed as Robert Palmer.
--Kristin

2005-10-16T05:56:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the Great Pumpkin. Linus and Sally are around here somewhere.

2005-10-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

Visiting the Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkin Time

2005-10-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

It is now October and Ronan and I are into our 7th month of Josh's deployment. If Katrina had not happened, NMCB 5 Seabees may have all been home by now, but alas, as the world knows, Katrina did happen and the effects of her devastation reached all the way to Port Hueneme, California. But the deployment extension was needed so other Seabees could get their wrecked homes and scattered families taken care of before heading off for their own deployment.

Well, Ronan and I stay busy. Just this past weekend we went to a local pumpkin patch with friends. Ronan loved it.

Love to all
Kristin

So Big!

2005-09-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Ronan is getting so big. His Memere in Washington just bought him a ton of 18 month size pants and shirts and its a good thing too. I can't believe there was a time that 0-3 month onsies were to big for him. Right now we are awaiting the results of some blood work done on Ronan to see if he has the gene for Thalasemia Minor. His last couple of blood tests have shown low iron and so we want to confirm or rule out this genetic issue before proceeding with continued iron drops because no amount of iron drops will bring up his iron levels is he does in fact have Thalasemia Minor.

Other than that, we are also awaiting the return of Daddy. Ronan is able to look at a picture or video of Josh and say "daddy", so I am now ready for Ronan to get to know his daddy again and for Josh to get to know Ronan. Ronan has changed A LOT since Josh left 6 months ago. We hope is won't be too much longer. --- Cheers, Kristin.

2005-09-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

Look at me, I am 14 months old

2005-09-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Ronan and his Godparents-Rebecca and Peter. That's Rosie in the back.

Family and Friends

2005-09-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

Hello

It has been a while since I have updated my blog site and after recent requests from both my husband and my mother, I decided to skip house cleaning and sit at the computer this evening. As you can see I have put some new photos up. My aunt passed away recently and I realized that I did not have any pictures of my family other than Josh and Ronan posted. So I went digging for some and found some of my best friends too.

A lot has gone down since my last post. Hurricane Katrina and the levee issues in New Orleans happened. My friends Jeanne (Pommie) and Heather (Petal) had to evacuate their homes due to Katrina. Heather has luckily been able to return to her home in Gulfport, but Jeanne has been transferred to Houston temporarily. Heidi (Veronica) is in Houston temporarily, but may be moving to Birmingham until she is able to return to New Orleans. What a mess! The Morning Glories partied many times in New Orleans.

More photos of Ronan to follow also. He is getting so big. He is 14 months old and running around everywhere. It is hard to believe that this little fella used to be stationary. He is starting to say some words and he understands so much. I was telling him today that I needed to clean the wax out of his ears and he reached up and touched his ear. We have not worked on identifying the ear yet. He's amazing an awesome.

Josh is still in Iraq. His estimated homecoming was supposed to be mid October sometime, but that has changed due to the damage to the Seabee Navy Base in Gulfport, MS. He is to be delayed approximately 4 weeks or so. This news was not unexpected nor is it upsetting because many of our Seabee families in Gulfport lost everything and I would be a selfish, horrible person if I expected the men and women of those battalions to pick up and leave for their deployment on time. I am truly sorry for everyone's loss due to the hurricane and hope that the support from the Seabee families at Naval Base Ventura County and all across the U.S. is far reaching.

2005-09-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

The Morning Glories--Veronica, Petal, FiFi, Pommie and Krittybell

2005-09-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

In loving memory of my dad, James "Jimbo" Smith (1935-2002). We miss you!

2005-09-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

In loving memory of my Aunt Cathie (1939-2005)

2005-09-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

The Smith's--Ryan, Tim, Megan, Connie, Kristin, Jim and Rourke (2000)

2005-09-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

Kristin, Rourke and Megan in Cabo San Lucas, MX

Louisiana

2005-07-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Hi All
Still out of town visiting family in Louisiana. Shreveport to be exact. Shreveport is in the Northwest corner of the state nowhere near New Olreans, which is the city most people think of when they hear of Louisiana. But it is hot like New Orleans. Louisiana is experiencing a hot hot summer. I forgot how hot and uncomfortable it could be down here. My California baby sweats daily and has gotten heat rash. But since being here a month, he has adapted well. Speaking of my baby, he is now one year old and is getting his top front teeth right now. Poor little guy is tough but you can tell the teeth breaking the gums is uncomfortable to him. He is toddling around all over the place. So many people stop in amazement that he is walking just because (I think) because he is little so it seems like he shouldn't be walking.

Well, we have one more week in Louisiana with family then its back to sunny CA. I have to say I am looking forward to getting back home, but we'll be traveling again before Josh gets home. Ronan and I are going to go up to Portland, OR to visit Josh's sister and her husband, who are also Ronan's God Parents. Pictures to be posted when we get back to Port Hueneme. Cheers!

Traveling

2005-07-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

tHello to all our family and friends
Ronan and I have been out of touch because we are traveling in the south and don't have as much access to the internet as we would like. I am unable to access my main account resulting in a loss of many email addresses while on the road. I will be back in touch on a more regular basis upon our return to California.

Our travels first took us to Gulfport, Mississippi. Can you say "hello Hurricane Dennis"? That is exactly what we were saying as we were glued to the weather channel. Our trip was cut short by 2 1/2 days because we fled to Lafayette, Louisiana to miss Dennis and you know he didn't even strike Mississippi? I am glad for my friends who live there and also for Pennsacola, FL. That poor town (as are others) is still trying to recover from the last onslaught of hurricanes. Anyway, Ronan and I went to Lafayette and visited with Marie and Eric (college friends-Geaux Cajuns!) and got to go eat at Cafe Des Amis in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Can I tell you that this is my favorite restaurant in LA? If you ever get the chance to visit Acadiana go to Breaux Bridge and eat at Cafe Des Amis. You will not regret it. We did not make it to Tsunami in downtown Lafayette this trip, but I have eaten there before and it is delicious too.

My mother, who originally wanted Ronan to call her C.C. but is now going to be called Cookie, drove down with her friend and picked us up and drove us up to Shreveport. This is the city I grew up in. Lot's of business growth in Shreveport or S'Port for short. I got in touch with some friends and then Cookie, nan and I drove up to Rogers, Arkansas to visit with my oldest brother and his family. They have a pool in the backyard that we swam in all day today and tomorrow we will go out on their boat on Beaver Lake. Tim said he'll bring his camera along and snap some photos and I will try and post one if I can.

More of our travels in the south later.

Splish Splash!

2005-07-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Ronan LOVES to play in the water at bathtime.

2005-07-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

Well, Ronan is not 1 yet, but he will be on July 8th. Since a lot of our battalion friends are leaving this summer we had a prebirthday celebration. The party was also for Ronan's friends Sarah (born 7/4/04) and Justin (born 7/8/04). Their mothers and I were pregnant at the same time. Justin and Ronan were even born at the same hospital, right next door to each other.

Daddy is still in Southwest Asia and is missing another "first" in Ronan's life, but I have decided that no matter how long Ronan's hair might get I am not going to cut it. That way Josh can take him for his first haircut. Now if you look closely at the photo of Ronan, the likelyhood of him having super long hair when daddy returns is pretty slim. But we'll see. I'll be sure and post a photo of Ronan a day or two before Josh's scheduled return.

All is well with us. Enjoying the delightful Southern California summer. Josh reports temps as high as 122 degrees where he is and C.C. (my mom) reports hot and humid temps in Louisiana.

That's all for now. Love to all our family and friends.
Kristin and Ronan

1st Birthday Celebration

2005-07-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!

Milestones

2005-06-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ronan is 11 months and 5 days old today and this evening he took his first three steps. We were visiting with a friend who's daughter is only 4 days older than Ronan, and this little girl is walking all over the place. She looks like a drunken sailor when she does walk, but she's walking just the same. Anyway, I think that Ronan took a look at her and thought he could do the same thing and he did! This has been a week of firsts for our little guy because he also got his first tooth this week. I'll try and capture these things with the digital camera, but I can't promise anything.

June Gloom

2005-05-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Here in Southern California a strange thing happens to the weather around June. It's called June Gloom and for whatever the meterological reasoning (I am too lazy to look it up) the weather here gets overcast and gloomy. The days start off gloomy and maybe late in the afternoon the sun will peak through a bit, but for the most part the days are gray. Well, June Gloom is starting here in Port Hueneme a little bit early this year. Today was the first day. One day this week I'll take a picture outside so you can compare it with the sunny outdoor photos on my blog.

But June doesn't just brings the gloomy weather. June 1st will mark the 2nd month of Josh's deployment to Iraq. Only 5 more months to go. Whoo hoo! (You have to celebrate the little things). The spouses of the other battalions and departments on this base have been very supportive of Ronan and me. It makes the time go by faster.

Well, that's it for now. To my family and Morning Glory friends -- We love you and can't wait to see you all! To my husband Josh -- Ronan and I love and miss you very much. Stay safe.

My First Mother's Day

2005-05-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone that visits this Blog. Today is Sunday May 8th, and it is my first Mother's Day. I am so happy to finally be able to celebrate this day as a new mother. I look forward to many more in the future, but this one will always be special. I would also like to send out a very special Mother's Day message to my own mom. Connie is the mother of 4, grandmother to 5 and is loved dearly by her family. I am so glad that she has been able to spend time with Ronan and look forward to her being able to spend time with him this summer now that she has retired. Happy Mother's Day C.C., Ronan and I love you very much.

2005-05-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Why I get to be called "a mommy."