7/5/06 - 6th Letter

6th letter
I skipped writing last week. I’m sure you were all just devastated.
I wish I could say we were moving in, in 2 days, but I can’t. our move-in date was pushed back to tues., july 18th, because they want to replace the carpet. Sheesh they must be busy if it takes THAT long. We figured it was worth waiting for, for new carpet. And I know it’s been repainted too, so that’ll be nice. But DANG, 55 days / 8 WEEKS, is a LONG time to live in a hotel room. I’m getting pretty sick of it. I could be painting walls and doing all sorts of stuff if we were in our dang place. I really needed the maternity clothes that are coming too. My belly is popping out and I don’t really have any pants to wear. But by the time we can finally get our stuff I won’t need them because it will probably finally be hot. Ploka. (for those of you who don’t know, that’s Russian for bad). But it’s pretty cramped living space right now and I can’t wait to get out of here! Just today we were approved to extend our stay in the hotel room from the 7th to the 18th. Always at the last minute.
I got another ultrasound done last Friday. Yes, apparently it’s different in the states cuz they told me I only got 1, and I got that done at my first appt at 10 wks. I was just over 25 wks when the ultrasound was done but the baby is currently measuring more like a 27-week-er. The radiology tech said based on that my due date would be oct. 5 (currently it’s oct. 12), plus or minus 13 days. The baby was 2 lbs. 2 ounces, +/- 5 ounces. The tech said it was clear as day that it’s a boy. So it’s been confirmed. Last Wednesday they did a 3-hr orientation with about 10 other pregnant girls and the OB nurse. That was kinda cool. This Friday is my actual first OB appt here. Finally. I should be 26 wks today. Brock has been busy playing in my belly. We think we’ve decided on a middle name, too. Brock Taylor. Bryan suggested it.
We finally got to see X-Men 3 last weekend – it was awesome. Superman comes here on base in about 2-3 wks.
For the 4th of july people got off work Monday and Tuesday. They have a lot of days off here it seems. We went to the major mall about 15 min from the base and I was finally able to get some decent soft-serve ice cream I was so excited. And, JACQUIE, I checked out the movies at their theater there, and “Deathnote” isn’t playing. We also went to a store called “Homac” off base, and I guess it’s like a smaller home depot – with a lot less stuff. We went to a place called Cheese Roll last Friday and the food was so-so, but their cheese rolls awesome. It’s like a fried spring roll, but sweeter, with just cheese inside. I got yakisoba and it was those sweet noodles – gross. Before that we had tried to find a thai restaurant that was on the map, but instead walked into some place that looked like a menu of expensive seafood. When bryan told them we wanted to be seated they informed us only reservations – good thing – I didn’t want to eat there after seeing the pictures and prices on the menu.
Sunday we went and ate dinner at josh & tiffany’s house in north area. They are the ones that just had a baby girl – she’s almost 4 wks now I guess (Arlie). He has been in the navy for 7 yrs – joined right out of high school. We like them and hope to hang out w/them more. The ward (or I guess I should say branch) campout Monday night got cancelled because of the rain, but they still held a patriotic FHE (family home evening)/fireside at the church house. What was kinda funny is one of the speakers was Shelagh, a bishopric member’s wife, who is from ENGLAND. she’s cool, we actually went to her house last Monday for dinner and FHE.
So there’s this single guy, Jerome, in our branch. Last Sunday he asked bryan about us coming to dinner and bryan accepted. Then Jerome leaned over and proceeded to ask the guy next to him (bro. stamm) if me and bryan could go to bro. stamm’s house for dinner!! Bryan had never talked to this guy Stamm before and as Priesthood was ending just barely had enough time to ask the guy where he lived, who just rattled off the house # and that was it. When bryan tells me this on our way home I was horrified! We couldn’t figure out if Jerome had been invited to their house for dinner, and then he just took it upon himself to invite us as well, or what. We just felt dumb, and decided not to show up, figuring the stamms had no idea anyway. Well the next day when we were at shelagh’s house for dinner, another guy, mike, who was there, said he had gone to dinner at the stamm’s the previous night and they had been waiting for us! But that Jerome had done the same thing to mike as he did to us – but another shock was that he picked mike up and then dropped him off at the stamm’s cuz he was eating at someone else’s house!! Ahh sheesh. Well we talked to the stamms and apologized and all is well. Apparently Jerome does that to them all the time. --Jerome: you are crazy! lol
I signed up for this New Parent Support thing and I guess they give you a bunch of stuff and have “baby” classes on all sorts of things. It’s cool, they have a lot of programs here.
Also, apparently I was given wrong information from Finance and the money they give us for food per diem is half of what we were expecting. Crappy, because we were excited about that. Oh well, it’s still a lot, just not as much as we were originally told it was gonna be.
I also felt another earthquake, last Saturday morning I think it was, at 2:25am. Bryan was asleep and the slight rocking/squeaking of the bed didn’t wake him. It was cool.

So I just got back from work. That’s right, work. At a tanning salon off base. A girl I know from going to the boys’ softball games, the wife of a guy bryan works with (the ones that just had a little boy), called me Sunday cuz the tanning salon she goes to needed a person to fill in for a week. I’ll work about 30 hrs between today and next Wednesday, and I don’t have to work Sunday. But most of the customers speak Japanese, so it’s quite awkward! The owner, kumi, usually has another American work there but she’s on leave/vacation and they weren’t sure when she’d be back so that’s where I come in. but she (the American) called while I was working tonight and she’s flying in tomorrow night I think she said, so that might be it for me. I don’t really mind if it is though, cuz the pay is only $5/hour!! Blah.
So it’s hard to find a parking spot when you go off base, yet if you’re parked in a non-parking area, it’s a $500 ticket! So you have to look for a big “P,” since the rest of the signs are in freakin’ Japanese. AND, bryan said he heard a guy in his squadron was caught speeding off base and they gave him an $800 ticket! – OUCH
Last week I went to a commissioning briefing for bryan, where they discussed all the different programs they have in place to become an officer. Without going on and on about it all, he said they’re barely taking anyone into OTS (officer training school – which is the way bryan needs to go), except pilots and navigators – so it looks like we’ll be ok there. He said last year they had such a need for them that they held 3 boards for selection. He said they always need more pilots and navigators. So that’s encouraging. But it doesn’t mean it’s easy. They don’t even really want to start helping you put your packet together until you’ve take the officer test (AFOQT) because if you can’t do well on that… well, then there’s not much they can do for you. And apparently it’s a killer test, w/16 timed sections.
Bryan’s summer semester for his online UVSC classes ends aug. 11. soon he’ll probably get his CDC’s (upgrade training – 5 different major tests), and he’ll have to get those done quicker than the month/each time-period they give you. Then he’ll start studying for the AFOQT while finishing his last semester of school online. Plus I’ve been trying to get a hold of the foreign language proficiency lady (for the last MONTH!!) so bryan can take the Russian test and get paid more every month. I’m pretty irritated with her. Ridiculous that I can’t ever seem to get a hold of her, no matter if I email, leave messages, or call at all different times of the day. At the officer briefing they said she had been gone but that now she was back, yet still I can’t get a hold of her and it’s making me pretty mad. We’re talking MONEY here!! Amongst bryan’s busy schedule this year, he’s got to get into volunteering – not just to be any volunteer, but to lead the volunteers. Besides having to excel at work. All the things that need to be done so he can hit his ultimate goal of being an officer so that he can fly. He’s a hard worker!
Well I think this thing is plenty long so I’m done for today/this week.
Love you all, hope all is well.
Julie and Bryan