Hello, again

I found this handy app that lets me post from my iPhone. I'm using it in hopes that I will be able to post more frequently and add photos/video with the ultimate goal of deleting Facebook; however, social life here revolves around announcements on Facebook, so it may have to stay. [special events, new restrictions for active duty, typhoon warnings, etc. are all posted on Facebook. Kind of need to know those things]
We have been really busy these last 7 months. It has been really interesting and, for the most part, incredibly fun. We've endured a handful of typhoons and quite a few 'restrictions' placed on active duty. We've also had the opportunity to explore. We've visited the Nakagusuku Castle ruins, the Zanpa lighthouse (even Skype'd with my parents from the top), Torii beach (where the Americans landed when we invaded Okinawa), various beaches, and recently we visited the Okinawa aquarium. K even became scuba certified! Throughout the summer there were many festivals and we really enjoyed all the Eisa dancers. We especially loved that the Eisa came down our street during Obon. I will have to post photos and videos when they come around again this summer.
I visited my family in September and was able to bring Crazy dog home to Okinawa. I was back home in Oki for 2 weeks then K left for training in Missouri for 2 weeks. He returned to Oki for about 2 weeks when his father passed away. The USMC took incredible care of us and flew all 3 of us back home so K could attend the services. We returned the day before thanksgiving and then started preparing for our friends to PCS here. The M family arrived December 14th and we have been really busy catching up and helping them get settled. It's been so great to have good friends here. It's been awesome for Baby girl, too, since their little guy is only 4 months older than her. It's the first time she's had a playmate her age.
My struggle:
It's been almost 3.5 months since I've seen my family. It's the longest I've gone without seeing them since 2010. It's hard to keep in touch with the time change. But I also think I haven't been that great at keeping in touch because it's so hard to miss them. It's hard to talk to them and know I won't see them until May/June. To know baby girl will have changed so much since we saw them last. This is the hardest part of living abroad. Living in this culture, on this island is easy. I really enjoy it. My heart, however, is stretched wide as it tries to cover 6,000+ miles and sometimes I feel like its stretching to the point of exhaustion. It's all adjusting. I'm sure I'll figure it out. In the meantime, I miss them terribly.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone