It's a different world out here! Or is it?

I know I’m long over due for a post, but we’ve been busy flying!   Jake and I finally made it to the States.  We had a wonderful week in sunny California with my parents (we even got to spend an afternoon with our friends Sue and Ginger that we met in Palau) and we’re now enjoying the solitude of rural Oklahoma with Andy’s family.   

Being here is kind of surreal because in reality, it isn’t that much different from being on the boat and in some ways, its even more isolated.  The nearest grocery store is a 20-minute drive away…if I had to walk like we do in Palau, I don’t believe I would worried about these extra pounds I’ve packed on!  The new cell phone I bought doesn’t get service out here…in Palau we even get service in the Rock Islands!  There isn’t a ton of outside stimulation so for entertainment, you have to either turn inward, or get back to nature.  Jake now knows the difference between a steer, bull, heifer and a plain old cow.  There seems to be a hostile takeover going on by the grasshoppers, so we spent one afternoon counting them in the driveway (well over 60 by the way) and trying to identify all the different kinds and putting a name to them.  We even saw a pair mating.  It’s a very peaceful place and while on the surface it seems to be a lifestyle in direct opposition of our own, it actually didn’t take that much getting used to.  Instead of dinghies there are four wheelers and tractors!

Unfortunately, my time here is coming to an end.  I finally received a start date for my job in Virginia and I’ll be flying out sometime next week, leaving Jake to enjoy the rest of his summer with his cousins, aunt and uncle and grandparents.  I would love to show you some pictures of all of the little people together but I left two key items back on the boat…1) my camera charger and 2) the card reader I use to upload to my computer.  So…those will have to wait. 

This will be the first time I’ve left Jake for more than two weeks.  I’ve no doubt he’ll benefit from the experience (I’ve already seen that happen in some of the ways the he’s resolving his conflicts), but I have to say, this mommy is going to need a few extra prayers.  I’m lucky that I’ll be distracted by a job as well as some old friends.  Now I guess I’ll get a taste of what Andy went through all those years on deployment (and vice versa…I’m sure he’ll be hearing a lot more “daddy, daddy, daddy” than usual ;) ).

Change of Plans

I let the cat out of the bag on Facebook, so I guess I’ll go ahead and give the whole story here.  Plans have changed…again.  We’ve been out two years now and have done pretty good on our funds.  But as anyone who lives off of a finite amount of money can attest to, watching your savings dwindle away with little to nothing coming in is an unnerving thing.  As we’ve replaced our computers, stocked up on groceries and fuel and now, look to need a new mainsail, we’ve started to think more and more of how to step up the cruising kitty.  Andy was offered a few jobs in the Marshall Islands, none of them really lucrative and/or fitting our needs.  Until now…

Andy has accepted a short term (3-6 months?) gig with the gov’t shooting training videos in Afhganistan.  It’s supposedly in the “safe” zone so worries should be kept to a minimum.  He’s worked with almost all of the people before so it’s almost like a reunion for him.  We don’t know too much more than that as far as details go…just that it was too good to pass up.  And truth be told, Andy kind of misses things in the military.  Not often, but enough to make this interesting.  While my sugar daddy goes off to play with his old friends, Jake and I have decided to come home and tour the US for the summer!

Given all of that, we have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off here as they want Andy to leave fairly soon… First things first, getting the boat secured.  Andy has gained permission from one of the chief’s here to use a mooring outside of his village.  He put our own gear on it and now we are snug as a bug in a rug.  We decided to leave the boat here in Pohnpei as very few weather systems actually hit here.  They develop here, but don’t actually come through.  We’ve got some other people watching out for her as well, so we feel relatively safe.  All of the expensive stuff is being taken off and you can bet those new computers are coming home with us.

Second on the list of to-do’s is paperwork.  Have you ever worked for the government?  We thought there was a lot of paperwork in Kwajalein…a walk in the park compared to what was sent to Andy last week.  I would say we’re about half way through.  And I say “we” because I am Andy’s official secretary and have been the one printing, completing and scanning most of the forms…keeps me off the streets.

Another big project is getting Andy’s medical evaluations taken care of.  At least we thought this was going to be a big deal.  He went up to the private hospital last Thursday with all of the forms that needed to be filled out and tests done (blood work, xrays, shots, etc.) and was given an appointment for the next morning at 8:00.  He showed up a little early, paid $120, was seen right away and was back on the boat by 8:15 for biscuits.  He’s gone back this morning to get his tests read and to do the actual physical.  This afternoon, he’ll go into dental and take a number.  In about an hour  and $11 he’ll have a full exam and x-rays.  Amazing, right?  This kind of stuff would take weeks just to get an appointment at home.  Now, let’s just hope no one has a problem with Pohnpei doctors.

The last must do is to get our Micronesian Cruising Permit extended.  We put the request in last week and hopefully it will be done in the next day or so.  Ours was only through July as we hadn’t planned on staying here too long.  No big deal, just paperwork.

Everything else is just as you could imagine…getting rid of food in the fridge/freezer, cleaning (why, I don’t know…it’s going to be a mess when we get back with mold), packing stuff up and storing away.

Jake and I have our tickets.  Andy is waiting on his as they’re being purchased through the company, so we’re not sure yet if we’re traveling together or not.  Our first stop is Oklahoma to see Andy’s family.  Second stop is California to see my mom and dad.  Then we’ll go to Georgia to see my brother, his family and lots of friends, and head to Virginia (I’m really excited about this one as it’s never on the itinerary when we go home) and see all of my old friends and Jake’s too!  We have a lot of wiggle room and I intend on going with the flow so hopefully we’ll be able to visit everyone we want in the amount of time we have. 

So that’s it…come November, we’ll be pulling up Savannah’s mooring and heading further west.  This is by no means an end, just a little stopover to help fund the future.