Update

Hello wonderful family of mine!!! I hope that everyone is doing well this holiday season. I am enjoying life in Guam.  I spent my Thanksgiving weekend in Chuuk.  It is a small island that is part of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).  This island has a lot of WWII history.  It was a dive trip, so I spent 4 days going on 11 dives and saw 9 different wrecks.  We explored all aspects of these ships---inside and out. It was an awesome experience and something that I don't think I will forget too soon.  I have included some pictures to give a taste of what I saw.

We dove the Fujikawa, Heian, Yamigiri, Shinkoku, Rio, Sankisan, Nippo, Gosei, and Kansho.  The lagoon holds over 60 wrecks that range in depths from snorkeling to well over 200 feet.  These ships were Japanese ships and were anchored inside the lagoon when Allied forces bombed them in February of 1944 in what is known as Hailstorm.  Some of these ships were still anchored at the time they sank.  All of them hold a variety of artifacts, some bones, and awesome interior engine rooms, machine rooms, and a variety of other parts of the ship are still well intact, especially for being close to 70 years old.  A large part in why the ships are still in the shape they are in is because they are protected.  If a diver comes up with any artifact from the ship, they face major reprecussions.  Unfortunately, that is not the same here in Guam, so a lot of the wrecks here have been stripped of their artifacts.  It was awesome to be able to see the variety between the wrecks and the different things each wreck is known for.  I was very impressed, and had an amazing time with a pretty cool group of people.  People fly from all over the world to come to this place.  I ran across a group of people that were from Texas, Colorado, Oregon, as well as from Germany, England and Australia.  It was so cool to see that so many people spend thousands of dollars to come to this small island, and it is just an hour away from Guam.  There are many more pictures, but these are just a few fun shots.  One is of me sitting on an old car inside one of the wrecks, one is an operating table with some femurs, one is of me free diving through one of the wrecks, and the other is my roommate and I attempting a handstand on one of the smoke stacks.

As far as everything else. Things here in Guam are going well. I am staying pretty busy with work, but also finding time to have plenty of fun.  I am slated to move this coming June. I will be heading to Mayport, Florida to do some defense work.  I will hate leaving this island behind, but I am excited about the fact that I will be back in the States and closer (at least closer than Guam) to family. 

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays in their own special way.  Can't wait to see pictures and hear stories of everyones' Christmas adventures.

Love to you all.
Jen

Joey's List

My list (per John's request) is pretty simple this year:

iTunes Gift Card
Target Gift Card
Donation to Carroll College

That's about it.  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and that this holiday season is blessed and full of cheer.

Frankenturkey

Post Script

Okay ... not a lot of response so far. Here's an important p.s. -- when posting your Christmas wish list, please make it a main post, NOT a comment to an existing post. Putting up a main post makes it a lot easier for folks to see it and to find it later. And above all, post it!

Posting post Thanksgiving

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. And you definitely should have, because everyone who's part of this blog has so much to be thankful for. First of all -- family. Second -- each of you has made the effort to find your way in life for the betterment of self and others. Not only family, but your local communities and the world at large. There's a lot of good in that, and the world needs all the good we can give it. Being able to do that is grounds for gratitude. Ann and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Maurika and family. Everyone else in in the immediate family (by accounts over the phone) also had a helluva holiday. Even Abe and Dez with the Frankenturkey. We (and that includes you) are blessed. Now ... as we move on with a song in our hearts, a couple of action items. Number one, post your Christmas lists. Your grandparents and siblings and cousins want to know what you know you want -- even if it's a golden leaf. Number two, post more on this blog. Be part of the Four F Club -- Forget Facebook and Focus on Family. Or another Four F -- Family, Fun, Fotos, and Future. Happy holidays!

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY, WILL!

A very happy birthday to our wonderful first born.  Seven years ago Kelly and I were blessed with a healthy, happy (albeit slightly late) 8lb 14 oz boy.  Now we are still blessed with a wonderful soccer player,

big cousin,

and big brother!

That you for being such a wonderful blessing to us, Willboy!  We love you!

Love,
Mom and Dad

John Rubin update...

CLICK HERE for a few pictures of his first week.

Happy Belated Birthday, Mikey!

Well, I dropped the ball as the mother of the birthday boy!!  I got lots of grief for not posting something for Michael's birthday!  I am sorry, son!  It sounds like you had a great birthday!  Next year maybe you will get a cake on your actual birthday!  This is Mike celebrating last summer with a banana cream pie - his favorite!!  Mama Knows made him a special one and it was good!  Love your laid back attitude and your loving older brother ways!!  You are special!!

John Rubin Moore

 

Yesterday, on Halloween and Mike Buyske's birthday, John Rubin joined our family.  He was born at about 6:30 p.m., weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz, and is 20 inches long.  He is named John after my grandfather and father and Rubin after Desiree's grandfather.  His state is Maryland, which he shares with Jim. Desiree and John are doing very well and we are both quite overwhelmed with emotion.