The Weekend



Blessed Sacrament Chapel



Today:



Our Second Divine Liturgy



A peek at the rest of the chapel

Fr. Philip had  another good opportunity to "practice" the abridged version of the Liturgy we use in the military in this new and somewhat strange setting, with the comfort and safety of just me participating.  It's a bit of a daunting task without a Deacon, Cantors,or a Reader, and all the literature and sheet music that goes along with them. But since this Liturgy is written for use in military field operations, and therefore shorter and a bit less complex to fit within the Sunday morning chapel schedule, we manage to get through it fairly well.




The one downside, so far, is that the only time slot for us to have our little Orthodox service is at 8:00 in the morning.  Which means, of course, that Papa and I are at the chapel quite a bit earlier than that. But the concern is really for those who will attend this service in the future, and if this time slot is going to be too early for them.  Hopefully not. Some Orthodox folks have already begun to surface and expressed their desire to attend. Our first new family should be with us next week!




After service



Some interesting side effects . . . the incense wafts throughout the building into the two other auditoriums where other church services go on, not only sparking interest as to what we are doing in our little corner of the building, but is most certainly affecting them with a clandestine blessing.  The Blessed Sacrament Chapel, itself, (which is a dedicated Roman Catholic space where the Sacrament is on display continually) is already starting to smell like an orthodox church all the time.

This is our pet apartment (2nd floor/right)

Yesterday:





Can you find Papa?



Papa and I looked out our window to a fine Saturday morning and thought, "This is going to be the perfect day for a football game." A clear, warm day with the sun shinning brightly in the direction of the field. By the time we arrived, the game had just begun and our friends we'd known in Japan years ago were waving us upward to the seats they'd saved for us. Their son was playing, so excitement was buzzing all around, and drove the volume of conversation to a surprisingly loud and exuberant level. Fun times on Saturday, as we joined many new friends and watched the first high school football game we've seen in many years.  

"Here we go, Naples, Here we go!" . . . "Get in there . . . Keep your head down . . . Keep go'in!"  Yeah!  Touch Down Naples!!

(Over the loud speaker) "Nine seconds left in the third quarter and Naples sscooores!!!!"



Sitting with friends



75 cents for cookies

50 cents for bottled water

$1.50 for a hot dog -- a good portion of the base, it seems, turned out to "root, root, root, for the home team!"  The Naples Wildcats won the game 39 to 0! 

Here we go, Naples, here we go!



Making the extra point

Ciao, Bella! Mimi



Awake Is The New Sleep

"What's that sound?!" say's Papa, in his groggy morning voice.  Of course, I'd been hearing it already, being the very light sleeper that I am.  At first, all I heard was this screaming noise; a high-pitched, irritating whiny sound!  As the fog of sleepiness cleared from my brain, I realized this irritating reverberation was the hair dryer from the apartment in the room directly above us ~ UGG!  The time . . . 0515!!!  Ok! That's a military base for ya!

Am I glad we're moving off-base! 

So, I'm thinking this will stop in the next little while, and then Sherman and I will be able to go back to sleep. (It woke him up too!)  Oh, no!  The drying of hair obviously was continuing on, and did so for the next, count them, 45 minutes!! Until 0600 . . .  at which time Papa's alarm was due to go off anyway ~ in just 15 more minutes. Hence, he got up, and I was awake! Oh, by-the-way, Papa slept through most of it. 

What a gift!!

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Life Is About To Get Better

This morning was our pre-contract signing. Papa and I gathered around a table in the housing office with our new landlord, Luigi, and our housing officer/interpreter. We went over each detail of the contract and each aspect of what will be expected of him and of us over the next three years (mostly him). Normally, at this point, we would've set up a final inspection of the house, but this had already been done in June so we are good to go, as you might say, and ready to move in. We have our final signing of the contract next Tuesday morning.


After that appointment, we will set up the move . . . which is a story in itself.

We had an email waiting for us just yesterday informing us that our household goods and express baggage shipment have both arrived. So now everything is here! Hurray! One step closer to moving into our Italian home.

I know one "boy" who will be so happy to see that day come. Sherman won't have to lay on the hard, bare, cold, tile floor anymore. We did purchase a special over-sized cushy pillow for him to lounge on, but he truly misses his own stuff! He will be so happy to see "his" rugs unfolded and "babies" unpacked! He'll be especially thrilled when our sectional sofa is put in place. Even though we don't like him to lay all over it, and do set aside one special "covered" section just for him, he seems to gravitate to the other sections of the sofa when we aren't looking. Silly Sherman! We may just overlook this for a short while and roller up the doggy hairs for the time being. It's been a tough few months for the Shermanator! Long airplane rides and hours and hours in his crate with strangers watching him; in his crate every 4th day when the cleaning crew from housekeeping come to change towels and clean our room/pet apartment, and no real place to run and fetch a ball with his favorite buddy, Johnny (We have to be careful not to say his name out loud when Sherman can hear us because he then looks around for him, sadly unable to find him. The same goes for Abbie, my mom and dad's dog), and things like that. Life is about to get better for The Sherman though.

Life is about to get better for all of us!

Ciao, Bella ~ Mimi

Murano in Naples

It was 9:30 on a Wednesday and the girls are headed out. Four of the chaplain's wives (me included) were headed out to a wholesale place where they sell Murano glass from Venice. Two of the wives are getting ready to move and wanted to pick up a few items before leaving and I just want to see for myself.


So beautiful! I wish I had taken my camera, but I just didn't think a camera and GLASS ~ together ~ were a good idea!


So, how about a little history about Murano Glass instead:


In most of the English speaking countries of the world at least, glass blowing is usually seen at carnivals, amusement parks, craft shows and festivals, where they blow glass while you watch and then can later buy in one or some of their gift shops. But there was time when glassblowing ~ actually glass making in general ~ was an elite profession dominated by craftsmen in the Venetian Republic of Italy, most notably on the island of Murano in the Venetian Lagoon.





Murano was a commercial port as far back as the 7th Century and by the 10th Century it had grown into a prosperous trading center with its own coins, police force, and commercial aristocracy. Then, in 1291, the Venetian Republic ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano because the glassworks represented a danger to the city of Venice, whose city buildings were built mostly with wood at the time.


It wasn't long until the glassmakers were the leading citizens in Murano. Artisans were granted the right to wear swords and enjoyed immunity from prosecution from the notoriously high-handed Venetian state. By the late 14th Century, the daughter's of the glassmakers were allowed to marry into Venice's blue-blood families.




This did have one catch, however. Glassmakers weren't allowed to leave the Republic. If they did, they risked assasination or having his hands cut off by the secret police. (Although, in reality, these defectors were never treated quite so harshly.)






One of the things that made these Murano glassmakers so special is that they were the only craftsmen in all of Europe that knew how to make glass mirrors. Their virtual monopoly on quality glass lasted for centuries.




New technologies developed and the colonist emigrated to the New World, so the world of glass began to change as well. Murano is still an exporter of mirrors and exquisite glassware and jewelry, and its factories produce modern items such as faucet handles, glass lampshades, and electric chandeliers.


So, even though I didn't take a trip to Venice and the glassmaking island of Murano today, I did have a little glance at the beauty of Murano "through the glass" . . . so to speak.






New friends, new places, it was lovely!



Ciao, Bella! Mimi


(PS Karis and Misha ~ see if you can find Murano on the the world map. If you can't, I know for sure that you can find Venice)

Getting Lost With A Garmin

"Bridge, this is the Captain. How can you have a "Yellow Alert" in space dock?" Like the Captain of USS Excelsior who asks this question in the movie Star Trek III, our journey today to meet with the landlord at our new house in Pozzuoli, Italy, begs a similar question, "How do you get lost with a Garmin in Italy?" Well, evidently, it's easy!

In no time at all we found ourselves in the middle of one of the adjacent bustling towns on the outskirts of Naples, with no idea where we were ~ weaving in and out as we were going down the road in the middle of these narrow little streets with cars coming from the right, coming from the left, and cars headed right at us as well . . . while the navigation system calmly said in 300 meters enter traffic roundabout, then take second exit, then turn right, then it said proceed 1.2 km and turn left. (there were far too many of these little traffic circles) Suddenly, in front of us was a construction zone and the road we were supposed to continue on was completely blocked and we had to take a detour. All the while, we couldn't read the signs because they're in Italian and we didn't know where we were, so we couldn't get our bearings. The "Garmin Girl" kept saying, "Recalculating, recalculating . . ."
Or even to just get headed in the right direction. We stopped and zoomed out on the Garmin map to see if we were even close to our destination and the best way to describe the look of the asymmetric pattern of the city roads in Naples is to say that it resembles a black widow's spider's web!! The roads follow no discernable pattern. They crisscross and fork in such a way that it even confuses the best satellite navigation. Interestingly enough though, the seemingly chaotic traffic flow on Italian roads is actually less stressful to Papa, than the rigid, regimented style of driving in the states. In America we remain stopped at a light even if there's no traffic crossing in front at the intersection, but here you never know if the Italians are going to stop for the traffic signal or just continue on through. If they see no opposing traffic they simply proceed whether the light is red or green. And then if you don't follow them through, you risk being honked at by the cars behind you. We are told to exercise caution when stopped at a stop sign because we may get rear ended, or at least nudged by the person behind us if there's no one in front of us. . . so stop can actually mean go if there's no obstructing traffic! Although this all sounds somewhat unnerving, the whole driving experience has a surreal, almost calming effect to it (that I have yet to experience). . .according to Papa, because everyone keeps moving. To quote the old beatniks from the '60's, "Crrrazzy baby!!" It is crazy over here. All we can say is we are definitely glad we didn't bring the Aspen!! With all due respect to Garmin, it's only trying to give us the shortest route. But we're learning

that the shortest route is rarely

the best one! And hardly ever the fastest! (Above is a picture of our car as we waited in it for Francesca)

We finally stopped in a fairly open area where a lot of cars were parked, across from what seemed to be a very popular cafe. I called our Italian realtor to tell her we were lost and she asked, "Where are you?" I then quickly jumped out of the car and handed the phone to a random Italian man sitting in the car next us with his window down, so that he could explain where we were to her in Italian. He said, "Italiano?" "Si," I said, and with relief on his face (glad to not have to try to speak to me in English, I'm sure) he told Francesca where we were parked. She was there to rescue us within about 10 minutes! Whew! Very reminiscent of Japan. Just able to read the signs ~ only not able to understand yet.

We went to the mall afterward and I promptly bought a very good dictionary! And Papa bought a "man purse" ~ which everyone has here in Italy! (But I will save that for another story on another day) Sherman was waiting for us, as usual, and can't wait to be in his new Italian home.

Cia0, Bella! Mimi

Strange Sunday

Sundays should never seem strange, but today did. It was the first real day celebrating the Eucharist without our Raleigh church family and our precious Pelikan family.

Papa had prepared the small Roman Catholic chapel the night before by setting up a small icon box and a prothesis table (Karis and Misha ... have Mommy and Daddy explain this to you and what it means), arranging things so that the Orthodox Divine Liturgy could be celebrated. The little chapel seats about 20 people - plenty since I was the only one in the congregation this morning. It's in the big chapel building, in a smaller room next to the main chapel hall, where all the other church services on the military base take place. Papa left earlier than me to prepare and then I arrived a little before 8:00 for the Divine Liturgy.

It's a bit problematic when there is no one else to sing or chant, no Deacon and a limited amount of time, and the fact that a different service will be starting soon in the next big room. We are working through these challenges and are very grateful to have a beautiful little space like this at all. Little by little, we will be able to set up the space to look more like what we're used to for Orthodox worship, but for now we know that this will take time.

Next week I will try to take some pictures for you to see what it's like.

For now I say . . .

Ciao, Bella ~ Mimi

Mimi's House-Hunting Trip

Doesn't it just figure that when you have something planned and you're hoping for good weather, it's raining the night before? Sherman, our dog, woke me up at 4:30 in the morning, licking my hand and waiting for some kind of movement from me. Once he saw that I was awake, he was off toward the door - his signal for, "I have to go potty real bad!" It was still raining! :-(

We went back bed quietly, so as not to wake Papa, with hopes of nice weather for our house-hunting morning. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! The alarm goes off and what do you think we see? Beautiful, puffy white clouds on a crisp sunny day. Hurray! Happiness for Mimi and Papa!

Francesca came to pick us up right on time - exactly 9:30. She was born in Naples, Italy, so she speaks perfect Italian. She is married to a Navy sailor also who works on the staff of Sixth Fleet. That means they're in charge of any Navy ships that come into the Mediterranean Sea.

The first house we were going to see, she said, has a breathtaking view and we might not want to look at any other houses after we see that house. So, it's funny. We turn on the road up to the house and it turns out to be the same road we were on this past Sunday with our new found friends who took to this amazing restaurant at the top of hill. To get to this restaurant there is only what "seems " like single lane Roman road where drivers have to pull off to one side of the road to let cars going the other direction go by. And then only when there's enough room for a turnout. Otherwise . . . someone has to BACK UP!!! It's good to have a little car on this road!

On our way back down this steep road from the restaurant on Sunday, our friends said there was a house up there that we might be interested in renting and that maybe we should check it out. We didn't follow through with this for some reason, but here we were again going back up this road - huh, go figure!



From the moment we saw it, we loved it! The neighbors have 4 young children and they asked us, "Do you like children?" So cute!I said that we love children and we have 4 grandchildren of our own and that I was going to be writing to them today about this house-hunting trip. But, I said to them, I do have a dog!! They were really happy about that! They said that at least if we didn't have kids, second best would be having a dog!






There's a nice little wall and fenced in front yard with grass and fruit trees leading up the marble walkway and steps to the front door.





Once you're inside there are beautiful Italian white tile floors with a marble staircase leading up to rooms with shuddered windows opening up to the fresh air outside and a view of the Bay of Naples from each one. Downstairs is one large living room with a fireplace









and a kitchen and bathroom in the back of the house. When you walk out of the kitchen, you experience the first of three large terraces - one from the front yard, one just out side of the kitchen in the back, and one on the very top of the house that has the spectacular view you see in the picture.


Just behind us is the town of Bacoli and there are two little islands behind that. The biggest one is Ischia and Procida is there as well.
The panorama is of the entire Gulf of Napoli with Capri on the other side. (Why didn't I take a picture of Capri?)





Then the landlord took us down to the garage!! What a shock! It was at least three times the size of our garage in America, with places for storage, cars, games, and there's even a third bathroom down there! It was amazing! Very secure. We took a stroll down the street to look at the surrounding neighborhood and saw the roads and vineyards - so very lovely! How could we not say yes to this house?!















Ciao, Bella! ~ Mimi

Tomorrow

Tomorrow should be interesting . . .



We're going on our first "actual" house viewing tour with a real estate agent. Her name is Francesca and she happens to be from Naples and married to someone in the Navy stationed here - the best of both worlds, it seems. She will pick us up in the morning (Saturday) at 0930, and will have lined up quite a number of houses for us to see. My goal is to take pictures of the houses to share with "you all" (especially you two, Karis and Misha ) so that you can see the pictures and get an idea of what it's like for us when we're out driving around and catching our first glimpses of our future life over here.



It should be a little slower pace tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to take some notes to remind myself where we are/were, and then I can relay that to you!



It should be fun!


Ciao, Bella ~ Mimi




PS. . .

These lemons and tangerines are huge - the size of a baseball - filled with some kind of heavenly tasting filling. Just wanted to take a picture because it was so surprising. This picture didn't do it justice, however, since there wasn't anything to compare with and see just how large they are. Three times as big as regular lemons, I think.

Ella at 6 months! "Now this is love . . . hmm hmm hmm, la la la, hmm mmm mmm." Too cute for words.

Pictures, at last!

It's late in the evening, but I finally uploaded a few pictures and wanted to post a few of them, at least, before calling it a night. I wish I would have taken a notebook with me to jot down the names of the places we were when we took pictures . . . as it was, I was "the" only person with a camera out of I don't even know how many people . . . dozens! We were zooming around like crazy scoping out the lay of the land and trying to get our barings - two big busloads of us! All newcomers to Italy. It was quite the tourist day!

Although it was not a very clear day, it was still breathtaking to see Mt. Vesuvius jetting up near the edge of the city of Naples. There are over 200 old churches in the city of Naples and we saw almost all of them at once from this stone wall viewing site. It was marvelous!

We also had our very first world-famous Naples pizza. All I can say is it is like no other pizza I have ever tasted! YUM!! I commented that it was like the difference between a taco shell from Taco Bell and handmade tortillas in Mexico - there's just no comparison! This is a picture of our guide, Terri, just before she ate hers.

Well, enough for tonight. If I don't go to sleep soon I will be back on North Carolina time.

I've learned now that a sweet way to say good-bye to friends and family is "Ciao, bella!" It basically means (at least I was told), "so long, my dear friend." I thought it meant "good-bye, beautiful", but ciao can mean "hello", "hi", "good-bye", or just a casual "bye."

So, I bid you . . .

Ciao . . . bella!

Facebook Posts

For my non-fb buddies,

From time-to-time, I've promised to post the fb posts here on my blog for those of you that don't have fb. Here is the first of that installment:



August 25th ~

Just and update as promised. We made it. We are in Naples!
Sherman did very well during the flight and is staying with one of the chaplains until we get a
pet apartment on Friday. We are tired! The end of a very long day (really two days rolled into one) we'll keep you posted as we get more settled. ~


August 27th ~

We're in our Navy Lodge pet apartment. So Sherman is back with us now... hurray! Very busy with area orientation (AO). But happy to all be together. All is well!

• It's a bit strange for Sherman. No cozy rugs yet and only one "baby" of his that we brought along with us, but he's happy just to be with us and waits patiently for our return - always! We should find a permanent place to live within a month or two.

August 28th ~

We ventured out today with one of the chaplains and his wife to a nearby shopping mall. We tasted gelato for the first time. Yum! And had a good chance to just sit and watch the Italian people. Beautiful! Such lovely families! We went to a big WalMart type store, also incredibly amazing! Bought fresh mozzarella cheese lifted from a vat of water. Very fun! And saw what must be the longest pasta aisle in the world.

August 30th ~

Monday~0700~**Fireworks**3rd day in a row!! . . . and first thing in the morning no less! Something to do with August being a festival month throughout Italy (I'm sure we'll find out more about this later), and fireworks go off every time there's a birthday, a wedding, a birth, a wedding, etc. . . poor Sherman!! It's very close and sounds like we're under attack! ~1500 **Fireworks** again on the same day!! Same story. It doesn't seem to matter that it's daylight outside . . . who knew!

August 31st ~

Back to the "pet apartment" to let Sherman out of his crate during our lunch break from our orientation class. Every 4th day we have to lock him up so the housekeeping team can clean, or they won't do it. We've both passed our driving tests and can now drive in Italy. Yay! Next step . . . buy a car. All this walking and lugging groceries, etc... for many blocks/miles is really wearing us out!

September 2nd ~

Yes! 38 years ago today we said "we will."

The Happy Couple

Happy Anniversary to our son, Jesse, and our daughter-in-law, Elina - married 6 years today! May God grant them many more wonderful years together!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Naples . . . at last!

So it begins . . .
We arrived after 4 and 1/2 hour flight from Norfolk to the Portuguese Islands known as the Azores, where we took a break and saw Sherman for just under two hours. There were 9 other dogs on the flight and all the dog owners were able to let there dogs out of their crates to go potty and get drinks and then spend some time together where we reassured each other that everything would be just fine! We all boarded the same plane again (a military charter) and headed to our final destination for Naples, Italy, which took another 4 and 1/2 hours. Put it all together and our trip was about 11 hours.
We had a posse of two chaplains and their wives sitting in a row of chairs waiting to greet and welcome us right as we walked out of the customs area. And even the CO of base had a personal welcome as he headed out to visit some of our folks in Bahrain. The "posse" had gifts for us and Sherman too! So incredibly kind! They swept up our luggage and Sherman's crate and we all headed back to the base to our room to unload and take Sherman over to Chaplain Luff and Paula's house. They kindly offered to take care of him until today (Friday), which is when a temporary "pet apartment" became available at the Navy Lodge, and I'm writing this first blog entry from my computer in this apartment. We are so blessed!
Since Wednesday we have met a number of the chaplains here; we've had dinner a few times with new-found friends and today we began the long process of Area Orientation, Intercultural Relations, and House Hunting. This includes things like getting a driver's license in this country, learning the laws here; pay changes, when to expect our furniture, medical coverage, mail, etc. The classes and paperwork take a week - all day long . . . each day! One of the days we take a tour of the area; getting to know how to use the transportation system, shop in the stores, buy gasoline for our car, and so on.
We still have vet appointments and a driver's test to take; a car to buy and so much more! But all is well!
The weather is nice. The people are lovely. And most importantly, "Papa" and I get to spend every day together! We're walking all over the place and bone tired because of the time change and jetlag, but no complaints here!
It's great!

Naples, Italy - Here We Come!

It's a strange dichotomy - this Navy life of ours - wanting to do our job, yet feeling the strong tug of the love of family, friends and church; yearning for life at "home" - especially now that most of our family is in one part of the country! We feel it too! Yet, nevertheless, in just a few short weeks we are moving to Naples, Italy, where we will be living for the next three years. "Papa" will be the Command Chaplain at Naval Support Activity Naples [ https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Naples/index.htm ].
Here is a little more of what we have to think about as we prepare for moving to this new country:

"Duty in Italy offers opportunities of a lifetime. This goes for travel, recreation, professional development, education, and a whole lot more. The key to enjoying a successful tour lies in remembering that living in Italy is not like living in the United States. The customs, culture and way of life here are significantly different than what you are accustomed to. Houses and apartments are constructed differently; electric power and utilities are different; shopping, driving and dining are all different. Some people find this adjustment a hard one to make, but embracing the food and the warmth of the people you meet will help you make the transition. Our improvement projects have taken giant steps in improving the quality of life for those assigned here, but remember, the key to a successful tour in Italy lies in your willingness to learn and adapt to the differences you will encounter here.
Any move is filled with stress and distractions, and your move here will be no different. Culture shock, jet lag, and many other things will likely be a part of your PCS experience. Your command and your sponsor will help you adjust and get settled. Coming prepared will minimize your worries. Follow guidelines in the this book, and you can smooth out many of the potential wrinkles in your upcoming move."


Due to the lateness of finding out about this assignment (mid-June), we've been working like crazy to get everything ready for such a big move. And now it's crunch time! Our pack-out (which consists of household goods, long-term storage, and an express shipment - as well as professional books, etc. ), starts a week from today . . . then we move in with Mom and Dad who live just a few miles away. That's another grouping of suitcases and clothing that need to last for about two months or so . . . careful not to let passports, vet records for Sherman, pass-codes to everything, etc. . . get packed . . . and so on! This is military life! The part I don't like very much! Too stressful.

One time a friend of ours living a few doors down on the base in Japan was getting ready to go to the airport for their flight home and discovered all of their passports (hers, her husbands, and their two kids), had just been packed that day in their express shipment! GONE!! It was a terrible feeling! All their plans had to be changed. They had two labrador retrievers scheduled on the flight as well! What a mess! They had to go Tokyo the next day and get expedited passports and visas, then try and get it all done before the paperwork for their dogs expired. It was a disaster!

These kinds of stories "float" (haha) around the Navy all the time, as a warning to those of us who follow after. Be careful to keep your important documents and paperwork away from the movers!!! Usually we try and clear out a bathroom or something and put all the important stuff in there and tape it shut and don't even let the movers walk in to it. Anyway, all of that is happening next week.






We'll stay with Mom and Dad until we leave, Lord willing, at the end of next month, and then off we go, hopefully together! My part (visa, passport, etc.) is very complicated to get worked out in such a short time).





I plan to write more and more often now here on my blog. Lots of pictures and great recipes to follow!!

Love to all my family and friends,

Tamera

Home At Last

A friend of mine did me a big favor today! She wrote me an email and here is what she had to say:

Hi Tamera,

I was going through the websites, etc. that I have saved in my favorites and came across The Pelikan Brief and realized that I haven’t looked at it in an extremely long time. When I saw that the last entry was November 2009 that worried me. Please tell me that you and all your loved ones are fine and that you’ve just given up the blog.

Hugs, Irene


To put someone through this worry needlessly just isn't right! It's the kick-in-the-pants I needed to get me blogging again, as well as to clear up any concern about possible "troubles abroad" or some other reason for not blogging! No such concern, however! Just no desire, is all! It's funny what happens on a long deployment . . . you think you'll be one way, but you find yourself turning into an entirely different creature all-together! I wanted to come across as one way, I guess, but couldn't bring myself to write "me" as that way - so - I didn't write at all. Silly, really. Time went by and weeks turned into months and here I am - at the end instead of the middle! Thank God!!

For now, I know a few things: My husband is home - we are together! We're getting to know each other again, and after almost 38 years of marriage - that's easy and it's not! I have a lot of things going on inside my head that I'd love to share - but I don't know how yet. So many things are changing in our lives right now that it feels like a tangled necklace - it's going to take quite a bit of doing to untangle them all ... new assignment, different living setup, catching up with a year-in-the-life . . . of everyone!

It all takes . . . TIME! And time we have! :) So, no worries, Irene!!

(((hugs))) and smiles,

Tamera

The Downhill Side

Fr. Philip, or Chappie as he is sometimes fondly called, has finally settled into a "life" at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. He and I were talking just today about how he isn't quite sure what he's going to do to actually find all the time needed to get everything done on his very long "To Do" list before it's time for him to return home!

Funny . . . it doesn't feel the same for me! Although, I must admit, this side of our long 12 months apart is going by a bit faster than I'd thought it would.

Thank you, God!!

I think I may actually be able to get a bit of a handle on my life during this "downhill side:"

• Our boat is in the water!

Now, for many reasons, this is a real miracle!!

First or all, there were months and months of repair after a terrible accident while the boat was being shipped across the country; followed by battles with the insurance company(s); schedules and weather delays . . . need I say more? The list goes on and on!!

Our boat - renamed "Pelikan Cliff's" - was finally ready to go back into the water during "Papa's" R&R last month (October). The weather was still really nice, and thanks to a lot of effort on many a family member's part, everything worked out beautifully!

It was a beautiful time together! I thought it might be too hard this time to be together and then say good-bye again . . . and maybe it wouldn't be worth it.

But it was! It was totally worth it!

Blogging Blues

I'm blogging in more than one place now and it takes up a lot of my time - so, here's part of my solution: while Papa (a.k.a. Dad, Fr. Philip, Phil, Chaps) is in Afghanistan, I'm going to do a lot of my blogging on the MEB (Marine Expeditionary Brigade) blog which I've created as the new MEB Parent Advisor. I'll continue some of the family blogging here when I can. If I refer everyone to the MEB Parents blog, then you'll be able to read that blog and I'll be "killing two birds with one stone" so-to-speak and you'll get the added benefit of a bunch of really cool information along the way.

That blog address is: http://mebparents.blogspot.com/

Once you've navigated to the other blog, be sure to check out all the links to the different websites I've put up. There are neat articles - there's one right now where they are interviewing the MEB Command Chaplain - our very own Chaplain Pelikan. You gotta check it out! That article is on the 2nd MEB website.

We had a wonderful time together before the deployment when we went to Disney World for 6 days - just the two of us. Once the grand-kids are a little older, we must take them . . . but this trip was just for the two of us and all of those special days we won't be celebrating together over the next 10 months - all rolled into one week! It was a blast!

The staff gave us the first class treatment and even gave us special stuffed animal gifts and complimentary drinks and food. This one says "I miss you!" and isn't even sold in most stores. We stayed inside the park at one of the resorts for the first time in our lives and had one of the best experiences ever!

Shortly after coming home from Disney World, Phil left for Afghanistan! He's been gone almost six weeks now.

Sherman came along! We got a hotel room the night before so that Phil could check out of his quarters. We made sure it was a dog-friendly hotel, so that we could all be together and he could say goodbye to Sherman too! Here we are just before loading the bus and driving away!

Bye, Honey! See you in 10 months!

Con't . . . A New Day

Ok, well, it worked! For those of you keeping up with my blog, you'll now be able to catch up and read about my precious Uncle Cliff's passing and the beginning of the Lenten Season (A Big Cleaning), which was actually posted about February 25th or so. (Not January as it states)


















It's time to talk about Dad for a bit (a.k.a., my husband, Fr. Philip, Fr. Dad, Papa, Chaps, etc.), and his eminent deployment to Afghanistan. He will leave toward the end of April and return sometime around the beginning of next March! (ugg!) We are in the middle of designing lots of ways to keep in touch with him, but because of where he's going in Afghanistan there's nothing there but sand right now! The Marines are building a base there from scratch, so there won't even be a lot of communication in the beginning. Everyone will be sleeping and working in tents and eating MRE's. It's going to be a bit old-fashioned - we'll have to actually (oh my goodness!!) send MAIL!! And who knows how long it could take to make it from here to there. No one knows at this point. For those of us writing a lot of letters, it'll be like the early days and we'll need to number our letters again so as not to get them all mixed up. Sometimes a whole bunch could arrive at once after not getting any mail for weeks, etc.

Chaps (as I will call Dad for the duration) is the Command Chaplain for the entire operation that you're hearing about all over the news lately and is ultimately responsible for over 8,000 Marines and 15 Chaplains from many different denominations. He's the only Eastern Orthodox Chaplain, however. Interestingly, he once asked the Commanding General what level of involvement he was expecting of him, especially with regard to the civil affairs piece of this operation? And he looked right at him and said, "I expect you to be very involved!" Pretty amazing choice of words in our world!

What does this mean, exactly? Chaps will find out a little bit more today as he goes to a class on government and economics of Afghanistan! Whew!


So, it is really happening! He's really going! As many of us wives so often say in the military, "Here we go again!"

A New Day

This is a test to see if my post will work an actually post with today's date???

A Big Cleaning

(I wanted to write about cleaning at the beginning of the Lenten Season, but I was having trouble posting to my blog at that time. I'm trying again to post today and will then add a new post if this works)





Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Japanese do o-souji, cleaning that is!

Literally, it means free and clean. It refers to the year-end cleaning Japanese do. Not just a little neatening up. Hands-and-knees, sweat-equity scrubbing, sweeping, waxing and buffing so they enter the new year ready for whatever awaits them. It's big business too! In the month of December, even Hello Kitty gets in the picture! More broadly, it refers to the custom of getting your affairs squared away before Dec. 31. That means paying all overdue bills, performing any obligations yet unmet and metaphorically purifying yourself. We move, if we follow the Oriental calendar, from one Year to the next.

"Hungry for Words" writes: In the west, at the start of spring is the time to do a big cleaning. In Japan, (o-souji), which literally does mean ‘big cleaning’, is at the end of the year. O-souji is not just about getting the house in order before relatives and friends come over on New Year’s Day. It has a spiritual and religious significance.

I was talking with a friend yesterday, explaining a little bit of this to her, and how after living in Japan for so many years I began to look at spring cleaning more as my o-souji! Meaning that I have found more spiritual and religious significance to it than just the spring cleaning I was brought up with stateside. I've blended it a bit more with my Christian life and here is the outcome:

Liturgically, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Clean Monday marks the beginning of Lent—and thus Lent itself—begins on the preceding (Sunday) night, at a very moving and special service called Forgiveness Vespers, which culminates with the Ceremony of Mutual Forgiveness, where all present will bow down before one another and ask forgiveness. In this way, the faithful begin Lent with a clean conscience, with forgiveness, and with renewed Christian love. This first day of Great Lent is called “Clean Monday” because Christians are called upon to begin the holy season with “clean hearts and good intentions.” It is also because the season of Lent is regarded as a time when Christians should clean up their spiritual house; coming to terms with their lives and rededicating themselves to a more holy and righteous way of living. The entire first week of Great Lent is often referred to as "Clean Week," and it is customary to go to Confession during this week, and to clean their own home thoroughly. The theme of Clean Monday is set by the Old Testament reading appointed to be read at the Sixth Hour on this day (Isaiah 1:1-20), which says in part:"Wash yourselves and ye shall be clean; put away the wicked ways from your souls before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well. Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, consider the fatherless, and plead for the widow. Come then, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, I will make them white as wool (v. 16-18).

Clean Monday is a public holiday in some countries such as Greece and Cyprus, where it is celebrated with outdoor excursions, the consumption of shellfish and other fasting food, and the widespread custom of flying kites. Eating meat, eggs and dairy products is traditionally forbidden to Orthodox Christians throughout Lent, with fish being eaten only on major feast days, but shellfish is permitted. This has created the tradition of eating elaborate dishes based on seafood (shellfish, mollusks, fish roe etc). The happy, springtime atmosphere of Clean Monday may seem at odds with the Lenten spirit of repentance and self-control, but this seeming contradiction is a marked aspect of the Orthodox approach to fasting, in accordance with the Gospel lesson (Matthew 6:14-21) read on the morning before, which admonishes:"When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret... (v. 16-18)."In this manner, the Orthodox celebrate the fact that "The springtime of the Fast has dawned, the flower of repentance has begun to open..."

Ideally, what I like to do is begin cleaning just as soon as Meat Fare Week begins and have a final "big cleaning" during the first week of Lent. This helps to set the tone for Lent and keep me free of the distraction for needing to do a lot of housework during the Lenten Season. Once the Paschal (Easter) Season begins, my home is fresh and clean, ready for the new year and all that awaits me. (This is the goal) One day (or year, as it were) I will fully succeed in my quest!

Will you join me this year in "A Big Cleaning?"

Cliff Tyner - Of Blessed Memory

Blessed Memory:


Yesterday morning, our precious Uncle Cliff ended his six-year long battle with colon/liver cancer, and went home to be with the Lord! His family was by his side.

My earliest memories of him are when I was 14 years old and I was in his and Auntie Karen's wedding in Flaggstaff, Arizona. Not long after that, I stayed with Auntie Karen when Uncle Cliff was away with the Navy when I was 15 years old; their twin girls, Christy and Cathy, were born when I was engaged to Phil, and they were a year old when we were married and moved to Japan . . . and the list goes on and on . . . ! Many of our families memories are shared memories, and Uncle Cliff was always there - the stable rock!

He was a brilliant engineer, inventor, faithful friend, and gentle leader of his family.



















These pictures were taken two years ago when he and Auntie Karen were visiting us in Japan. He was very sick then too and wasn't even sure he was going to make the one-month trip. But he had a wonderful time - as did we all! Mom and Dad were with us for a two-month stay too, at the same time. I love the sweet expressions on his face. It was a trip of a lifetime and chalked full of preciously sustaining memories!




May his memory be eternal!