Another week in the books in our current overseas adventure. In that week we have had a few bbq's, a tooth is finally pressing through Stone's gum-line, I made my triumphant return to amateur basketball, we confirmed ticketing for our first return trip home and Joan and I celebrated our one year anniversary (of officially being married) ...
For various reasons (including the celebration of the USA saying no thank you to Britain) there were a few bbq's this week. We hosted one, and the neighbor hosted one as well, which included that most american of traditions - blowing up chinese made fireworks. At the bbq we hosted we finally figured out where we could hang Stone's bouncing chair - that is a chair that is spring-loaded so he can send himself into the air and he is provided a soft return to the planet's surface. There is a large lip on the bottom of the garage door, and this door can be raised or lowered at varying heights - thus, we placed him in the chair and then dialed in the correct height. This brought him much joy. He bounced for the better part of an hour; jumping, twirling and flying around - all smiles. Good to know I have another babysitter.
Stone is also reaching another milestone as a tooth is pressing through the lower gum-line. It has yet to completely surface; however, it is clearly ready to sprout. We are also planning his first meal, carrots, to be eaten later today - I will be sure to get visual documentation of the orange colored feast.
One of the ARMY folks invited me (when we first arrived) to play basketball, and for various reasons the timing had not previously worked out. He recently found out that a local team practices / plays on Tuesday's and Thursday's at a local gym. We arrived (unknowingly) an hour early and were not sure if anyone was going to show ... We waited it out, and folks started trickling in. Having the time before everyone arrived allowed me to try to remember how everything worked (as far as shooting, etc.) and surprisingly it was rather effortless (as far as technique) accuracy was another issue. From what I was told, this is a local group who plays together in a tournament held every winter. Including the two gajin, there were nine total - as the locals finished warming up one walked over and let us know what team we were on, and it would be a half court game, 5 on 4 ... It appeared that the "less talented" guys were stuck with V (Javier) and I, which was fine as we had the numerical advantage. We played a couple of games, they actually brought out a tiny scoreboard that had a timer to keep track of things. I ended up distributing the ball more than shooting, as I was not too confident in my ability to actually score ... and of course I blocked a few shots and gathered a few rebounds. It was nice to get back on the court and as I expected, the next day I was sore - everywhere. I look forward to having a weekly game to join into, all based on having fun, nothing more.
Sunday we celebrated our one year anniversary, quietly as a family, relaxing at "home". Considering the arrival of Stone and a move to the other side of the planet within that year, we can only smile and look forward to the rest of our journey very optimistically.
Cheers,
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