All of the lost stories

So I have pretty much let this blog go. Things have just been so busy! I am going to do the Catch-Up-On-Everything-In-One-Post post. This is going to be a fast, action-packed posting, so hold on to your hats and glasses!

I went on my first campout as a Scout Leader. I survived, the boys survived, so it was a success. We only had one kid who threw up, and the food was good (it is all about marshmallows over a camp fire in both cases). We completed our 5-mile hike the next day, with the only down side being that these two grandmas out-hiked our little troop of 11 year olds. Neither the boys or the grandmas seemed to mind, so I don't either, I guess.

After 1 year, 5 months and 17 days, I made my triumphant return to Disneyland. I don't know what I was triumphing over, but that is how it felt. It was tons of fun, not the least due to the fact that we got to go with some family that we hadn't been there with, as well as some family that we had. The fastpass acquisition went well, and we had teenagers along that stayed from dawn to dusk with me in the park. Yes, it was a success.

My boys have a new favorite card game: Killer Bunnies. It is time for the next expansion pack.

Looking over my previous posts, there was one more trip to Japan in there, but to Okinawa this time. In case you are like me and assume that since Okinawa is a part of Japan that it is physically close to Japan, you are wrong, just as I was. It is instead a little island in the middle of the ocean about 2 hours south of the main Japanese island (by air). I had high moments, like when I felt true patriotism in every person around me as we stopped in the middle of the street at 8AM to show respect for the Stars and Stripes. I had low moments, like on my final day I read an article in my daily copy of the appropriately named Marine newspaper, Stars and Stripes. The article talked about the gang culture in the military and how this guy was acquitted on a technicality even though he contributed to the death of a comrade. Overall it was a good experience and I have some goofy pictures to prove it.

We got new evidence that life isn't fair. My mother-in-law has been diagnosed with lung cancer although she has never smoked a day in her life, and while I can line up a hundred people who don't deserve this kind of experience, she is at the front of that line. We are asking that you add your prayers to ours that her fight will be successful.

So over the last few months a lot has happened, and I often find myself thinking, "I need to write about that on my blog" but time being the limiting factor, it hasn't happened very often. So rather than waiting for time to write up each of these into its own posting, we will see if this opens the floodgates. I'll try to post some pictures about all of this a little later.