The orphan party

For the last few years, since she's been at her European duty station, Younger Daughter has been throwing what she calls "Orphan Parties" at Christmas.

These are Christmas Eve gatherings of as many service people as want to celebrate together, since so many are far away from their families. She has a spacious apartment, and the party starts on Christmas Eve evening and lasts past midnight. She is arranging car pools and designated drivers, and is also offering floor and couch space for those who just want to crash overnight rather than navigate their way home (especially helpful for those who overindulge).

Although adult beverages will be available (brought by guests, since she doesn't supply either food or alcohol), the entire party is wholesome and family-friendly. This year she is expecting 20 adults and six kids, including three babies ranging in age from seven months to eighteen months. She has gifts for each party attendee, including stockings for the older children. (She decided on just stuffed animals for the babies.)

When we last spoke a couple days ago, she said she was working on games and prizes. 

• People are encouraged to wear (modest) pajamas, so she'll have a prize for the "best dressed" nightwear.

• She plans a "hide the pickle" game, in which a pickle-shaped ornament is hidden somewhere in the apartment. The extra rule is the finder must visibly hold the pickle at all times, and others can steal it if they want.

Gifts and prizes are equally fun or goofy. She has four anonymous gifts, wrapped up, but they can only be given if the gift is identified through a series of clues.

• One of the prizes is a coupon for a free painting (she's very artistic, and apparently people hound her for artwork).

• Another prize is a very large bottle of hot sauce shaped like the Grinch’s head.

• Because (as she puts it) so many party attendees are immature, one of the prizes is a Nerf gun, which is apparently very popular among sailors.

• For caffeine addicts, she found a vintage mocha coffee set at a thrift store. She said it was a little pricey, but very handsome.

I love the idea of an Orphan Party! It's tough on military personnel to be so far away from loved ones, but she is helping forge both ties and memories by offering a place to safely celebrate.

Fast trip to California

Sorry for the silence, dear readers! I just returned from a fast trip to Southern California to visit my parents.

This trip was paid for courtesy of Younger Daughter. She had some leave from her European duty station. For the last few years, every time she asks if she should visit us, I encourage her to visit her grandparents instead, since they won't be around forever. This time she talked me into meeting her down in California and even paid for my ticket. How could I refuse?

It was a lot of hopping from flight to flight to get to my destination. Here we're landing in Seattle.

Unfortunately I have no way of knowing what lake this is. It's in California somewhere, that's all I know.

Sunset over the ocean.

Well as you can imagine, seeing my family was wonderful. My youngest brother picked me up at the airport. My oldest brother was visiting my dad. My middle brother called at one point, and we were able to catch up over the phone.

I wondered if my mom (who is now in a nursing home) would recognize me since I haven't seen her since last April. And she did! She lit up and started crying with happiness when she caught sight of me. It was lovely.

Younger Daughter arrived about 36 hours after I did. Needless to say, she had severe jet lag. Nonetheless, we took ourselves off to the beach to see the sights.

The snowy plover nesting season was over, though we found what we presumed was a plover egg shell.

All the birds were actively foraging on the shore.

Younger Daughter is fascinated by kelp.

With good reason. It's fascinating stuff.

As we walked back to the car, I noticed this graffiti spraypainted on the back of the beach signs.

Except for the beach expedition, the rest of the time was spent visiting my mom and helping my dad, including some medical appointments. On my final evening, my youngest brother (who is an excellent cook) brought dinner and we had something of a party.

Then I said my goodbyes, my youngest brother brought me back to his house, and early yesterday morning I caught the first of three flights to come home again.

Volcanic mountains dot the Cascades in Oregon. This is two of the Three Sisters.

I think this is Mt. Jefferson, but I'm not sure.

And, since we were approaching Portland, I'm assuming this is Mt. Hood.

On the second leg of the trip, I had an aisle seat, so no photos. The third leg passed over some rugged landscapes in central Idaho.

After landing, it was another 2.5 hour drive from the airport to home, so a total of 12 hours of traveling. Whew, I'm wiped! Nonetheless, it was a wonderful trip.

And that, dear readers, explains my silence.

Happy birthday, Younger Daughter!

Today is Younger Daughter's birthday.

Happy birthday, dear daughter!

The orphan party

Younger Daughter is currently at her overseas duty station in Europe. Like many military personnel, she finds herself far away from family during the festive season of Christmas.

Her solution? She's throwing an "Orphan Party" on Christmas Eve, which will continue at least until midnight and probably later. She has a spacious apartment and large terrace, so lots of people who have no other family nearby will join together and make merry. She did this last year as well, and apparently it was a wonderful success.

We talked to her a couple days ago, and she explained the plans. Apparently the guest list is now up to 23 (including some children and, no kidding, two German shepherd puppies). She's offering the space, including a portable fire pit on the terrace, and the guests are bringing everything else

Besides decorating her apartment, she's assembling themed flowers consisting of bundles of pine branches, berries, and white flowers, some of which will be suspended from the ceiling to make fake mistletoe.

Even more fun, it's a pajama party, so everyone will show up in (modest) sleep wear. There will be a prize for the best pajamas.

All food, all beverages (alcoholic and otherwise), all snacks and treats, are being brought by the various guests. (Her words: "I'm not making a damned thing.") Younger Daughter has personalized gifts for everyone – everyone! – and she splurged a bit for these, including stockings for the kids. (The kids' stockings will contain candy, chocolate, small toys, and – just to annoy the parents – harmonicas.) The packages under the Christmas tree shown above are just some of the gifts she's wrapped for her guests.

Someone is bringing a hot chocolate bar, where the beverage can be enjoyed plain or mixed with Kahlua or Irish cream or other modifiers. Someone else is bringing all the necessary ingredients for s'mores, to be toasted over the fire pit. Yet someone else is bringing a karaoke machine so people can sing Christmas carols.

Above all, the guests are cognizant that children will be present, so everyone plans to keep things fairly wholesome. For those choosing to indulge in adult beverages, Younger Daughter is making sure everyone has designated drivers, and in a few instances she's offering spare beds and floor space for those who just want to sleep it off.

Oddly enough, a card game I used to play with the girls when they were young – called King's Corner – has become quite the sensation among Younger Daughter's cohorts. Apparently they're planning a King's Corner playoff during the party, with a Nerf gun prize.

Last year's party had about 20 people and just by chance there were no children present. She said everyone had a blast. Weirdly enough, one of the highlights was the cigars and chestnuts one guest brought. At the time, Younger Daughter was living in a different apartment with a massive patio, so people assembled around the fire pit smoking cigars and playing a game in which they tried to toss chestnuts into others' drinks. Sounds odd, but apparently it was a smashing success.

I simply love the idea of an Orphan Party. If Younger Daughter, like so many of her fellow military personnel, are forced to be far away from loved ones over the holidays, I'm glad they're celebrating together.

Alternative strawberries

Our strawberries are starting to bloom.

We don't expect ripe fruit for a while yet, but it's yet another sure sign of spring.

At her European duty station, Younger Daughter has a balcony off her apartment where she keeps a few potted strawberry plants. Interestingly, though, many of the flowers aren't white.

Some are light pink.

Some are dark pink.

Some are dark red.

And yes, some are white.

They're all strawberries – she regularly gets fruit – but I have no idea why the blossoms vary in color to such a degree. Does anyone know?

Younger Daughter's bookshelves

If you recall, I shipped out Younger Daughter's library to her European duty station a couple months ago.

At the time, she was engaged in adding a dramatic splash of color to her apartment to alleviate the stark white walls. She did this by painting some IKEA shelves a dark blue, then wallpapering the backs. At first glance, the wallpaper choice seems garish, but as you'll see it turned out splendid.

She sent me photos after the shelves were set up. Unquestionably the end result was a vast improvement over a start white room.

She finally got the shipment of books in, and was able to populate the shelves somewhat.

She also bit the bullet and purchased a couch to replace the battered old one she had.

Her apartment is looking very homey! There's nothing like books to dress up a room, in my opinion.

Shipping a library

When Younger Daughter (who, as you know, is in the Navy) was home visiting us last May, one of the things she did was sort and inventory her extensive collection of books.

We moved out of our old house while she was overseas in Japan, so we boxed all the books she had left behind in her bedroom. We made sure to identify her books, as we had thousands of our own books boxed up as well.

When we moved into our new home, Younger Daughter's books got stored up in the new loft Don built above his "man cave." Last May, she was just heading for her European duty station and didn't know what her living situation would be. So she sorted her books and labeled some for quasi-permanent storage with us, but a large selection she wanted shipped overseas whenever she got her own place.

She's now settled into her apartment where she'll be for several years, and asked for her books. In late December, I shipped her the first batch, which she just received. But she had nowhere to put them ... yet.

Because one wall of her apartment is an enormous blank white space, and because she's not allowed to paint it a different color, she came up with a clever idea.

She went to IKEA (of course there's an IKEA not far away from her!) and purchased enough bookshelves to fit the entire length of the wall. Then, to add a dramatic splash of color, she's papering the inside of each bookshelf with wallpaper, as well as painting the shelves a darker color to offset the stark white walls.

She admits the blue-and-yellow theme may look strange, but I have a feeling she'll be able to pull it off (unlike me, both our daughters developed excellent taste in interior design).

Meanwhile, I boxed up the remainder of her library and shipped it off to her.

She said she'll send pictures when the whole thing is complete. As I told the nice lady in the post office who was processing the customs forms, there are worse things to have than kids who are crazy about their books.

A note on Younger Daughter

In light of the developing conflict in the Middle East, several readers have expressed concern for our Navy daughter, who is currently stationed in Europe.

We just talked with her today, and she's fine. Since she's on shore duty for the next few years, we're praying she won't be directly involved in this horrible situation. She's confident she's not in immediate physical danger.

The same can't be said for other members of the military. And, of course, things can change in a moment as the political winds shift and the conflict involves more and more nations and people.

It breaks my heart to read about so many innocent lives lost. Please continue to pray that this conflict can be resolved without further escalation.

Advice for boot camp

I received a comment as follows: "We have a family friend (one of our sons' buddies) who will be joining the Navy next month. He is a great young man – a solid Christian and very driven in whatever he sets his focus on. I wondered if you might ask your Navy daughter what items she wished she had had or were useful when she went off to boot camp? Or if not practical during basic, what sorts of things would be good for a care box later when he is deployed or in special training? (I believe he is going "nuclear reactor school" to learn how to maintain the power plants on large aircraft carriers and/or subs.) Any feedback would be most appreciated! Best Regards, TimfromOhio"

The photo above is a screenshot from Younger Daughter's boot camp graduation in 2017. I also put up a blog post about the things recruits were restricted to bringing when going to boot camp (here).

Anyway, I sent the query from "TimfromOhio" to Younger Daughter, and this is her response:

"Don't send anything while he's in boot camp, except letters – care packages will get him in trouble. He'll be in school for a long time, so he won't really need much since he'll be at a shore command, but nice socks are always a plus, homemade snacks, etc. I'd say maybe a nice boot camp graduation gift like a watch or a wallet, something small that he can take with him while he travels."

Oh, and I remember Younger Daughter saying when she got her penicillin shot in boot camp, she spent some time scooting around on her rear end, sort of rubbing it in. Apparently it's a lot more painful if you don't do this. (Further advice along these lines can be found online at various forums, apparently.)

Hope this helps!

A nice surprise for Younger Daughter

Younger Daughter had barely arrived at her overseas duty station in Europe when she received a call from the Base Commander.

She was informed she had achieved the rank of E6 (Petty Officer First Class). The Base Commander congratulated her, then passed the phone to the Base Operations Officer and the Base Executive Officer, who also offered their congratulations.

Not a bad advancement for five and a half years in the Navy!

Update on Younger Daughter

Whew, what a schedule our poor Younger Daughter has endured over the past couple of days.

After her flight from Denver to Norfolk was canceled, the airline put her up in a hotel. A very nice hotel.

Here are some of her messages:

"So I finally got in touch with everybody [in Europe], although I got almost NO sleep. Right now I'm waiting to hear back from the travel organization to see if they'll authorize me a commercial flight, because the next military flight isn't until June 12th. Meh, it's all part of the grand adventure, I guess."

Then later: "I will say this hotel is a much nicer place than I normally stay at!"

In the evening: "I have a flight booked now! I get to Norfolk at 1500 tomorrow, early morning flight. Hopefully it goes smooth from there. I'll get to Europe eventually - either wait until the 12th [of June] for a military flight or they'll pay to fly me commercial. I won't find out which one until tomorrow."

Then later: "I had just JUUUUST started to fall asleep when I got a call from Japan. So yeah, I'm flying early to Norfolk tomorrow morning, and they're going to try and get me on a commercial flight to [her duty station] on either the 30th or the 31st from Norfolk. I'm starting to think this is a big conspiracy to keep me from getting sleep. I have to be up by 0230. Flight is at 0530, but the shuttle times leave on the hour so the 0300 shuttle is my best option. I don't get in until 3PM though, I have a layover in Newark."

Then later: "I have a flight! It's super inefficient. But I go from Denver to Newark, to Norfolk, to JFK in NY, to Paris, to [the duty station]. The Newark to Norfolk to JFK seems stupid too, but ah well. They're all paid for by the military. Actually the Norfolk to [Europe] flight is only $600. The Navy knows how to get a good deal, especially since the flight is tomorrow. I made over 70 phone calls to figure all this out."

Early this morning she wrote: "I feel like I've been at the airport for a decade. I'm actively getting older. The precious remnants of my 20s are slipping away. Not to be dramatic or anything."

She then proceeded to update us throughout the day, hopping through various airports: Newark, JFK, and finally Norfolk. She should be boarding a commercial flight shortly to Paris, and from there will transfer to her duty station.

Yowza, that's a lot of hassle for one canceled flight!

How we spent our Memorial Day weekend

We spent our Memorial Day weekend saying goodbye to our military daughter.

We had a wonderful time during her visit, packing in as much as we could. Not just visits with old friends and taking a hiking trip, but engaging in endless conversations. She also fell in love with her parrot again.

On Saturday, I drove her to Spokane, where we spent the night in a hotel near the airport. On Sunday morning, still at the hotel, she made sure her dress-white uniform was neatly ironed.

Then I dropped her off at the airport, hugged her fiercely, and said goodbye.

The plan was for her to fly to the huge naval base in Norfolk, Virginia (with a layover in Denver), then take a military flight from Norfolk to Europe to report to her next duty station. But things went south in Denver when the flight to Norfolk was canceled.

Suddenly she's not only in limbo in Denver, but she's unable to fulfill her orders by reporting for duty. She's been trying to reach her Chain of Command in Europe (keeping in mind the time changes as well as the holiday, which U.S. service people observe even in other countries). The airline is only providing a single night's stay and two meals to compensate for the delay, even though the next flight to Norfolk isn't until Tuesday ... and the next military flight to Europe isn't until June 12!!

Anyway, the poor kid is trying to work through the entire mess. One of the things she's trying to do is contact the military travel organization to see if they'll authorize her a commercial flight to Europe.

So yeah, that's how we spent our Memorial Day weekend.

Meanwhile, a mighty "thank you" to our past and present veterans, whose sacrifices too many of us are willing to overlook, dismiss, or forget.