Hello to our wonderful family and friends!
We’re finishing up our second year here in Misawa and are having a blast! We started 2010 by sending John off to a 5-month deployment in Qatar. Angela and Annelise went back to the States for February and March to see family, they spent time in both Texas and Indiana, and they were even able to meet up with John in San Angelo for a week! The Air Force sent him there for a little while to help rewrite an Intelligence course, so Angela and Annelise picked him up from the DFW airport and extended their trip to spend some time with him. It was a nice break for all of us in the middle of the deployment.
Not long after John got home, we all left Japan on another trip. John went to Las Vegas for work and then met Angela and Annelise in Ennis for a wedding. Angela’s baby sister got married and all three of us were in the wedding, Annelise was an adorable flower girl! We took a quick trip up to Oklahoma City for an air show on Father’s Day and got to see some of our friends fly with the Thunderbirds. While we were in Texas, we also made a day trip down to College Station so we could show Annelise around and buy her some new Aggie clothes. We had a lot of fun in Indiana this summer, too, we took Annelise to see the wolves and she learned to howl and then we took her to two different zoos! She also went to her first water park and we introduced her to the wonderful world of Barbie at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.
The best part of our trips was seeing Annelise interact with her cousins. Annelise had a great time with Angela’s little cousins in Texas, she followed Carleigh and Carsyn around like a puppy, and she loved having older cousins in Indiana to play with. John’s cousin Claire even pulled Annelise in a wagon in a Fourth of July parade! We are so blessed to be able to spend time with our families and to see them on Skype.
In July, John and Angela tried to climb Mount Fuji while Annelise stayed in Misawa with her Auntie Kim and Uncle Ron. Due to bad weather, we didn’t end up climbing the mountain, but we enjoyed the time together and are going to try again next year. John spent August in Alaska and Guam on work trips and then got home just in time for the Air Force Ball and a great air show. Annelise loves airplanes and John was so proud the first time she said ‘airplane’ back in July.
In October, we made a short trip to South Korea for some shopping while John was there for work, and we also helped out with the annual Far East Bazaar that the Officers’ Spouses’ Club puts on. John missed Halloween because he was on his way to Alabama, but Annelise and Angela braved the wind and rain to Trick or Treat on base. Annelise was an adorable cat, and had fun as long as we were inside. She was not a fan of the scary costumes, especially a little boy dressed as a wolf.
John spent November and part of December in Alabama for Squadron Officer School and will have just gotten home as we mail this out. He had to miss Annelise’s birthday, but was able to visit his family in Indiana for Thanksgiving and Angela’s family in Texas for a weekend. Angela and Annelise went back to swim lessons at the base pool in October and November and spent Thanksgiving with friends. Annelise had a wonderful second birthday on the day after Thanksgiving and is growing more every day.
Annelise has grown and changed so much over the last year. She’s still very friendly, but has become a little more shy lately. Her vocabulary grows every day and we have to watch what we say around her. She loves to watch Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go and Handy Manny. Cookie Monster is still her favorite toy, but I think she’d give it all up to be able to play on the playground every day.
Our plans for the next year are to explore Japan as much as possible (and hopefully South Korea) and then make a trip back to the States at the end of the summer to meet our new nieces/nephews. Both of Angela’s sisters are pregnant and we are really looking forward to having new babies to spoil. We hope this letter finds you all in happiness and good health and we miss you very much!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
John, Angela and Annelise
We’re finishing up our second year here in Misawa and are having a blast! We started 2010 by sending John off to a 5-month deployment in Qatar. Angela and Annelise went back to the States for February and March to see family, they spent time in both Texas and Indiana, and they were even able to meet up with John in San Angelo for a week! The Air Force sent him there for a little while to help rewrite an Intelligence course, so Angela and Annelise picked him up from the DFW airport and extended their trip to spend some time with him. It was a nice break for all of us in the middle of the deployment.
Not long after John got home, we all left Japan on another trip. John went to Las Vegas for work and then met Angela and Annelise in Ennis for a wedding. Angela’s baby sister got married and all three of us were in the wedding, Annelise was an adorable flower girl! We took a quick trip up to Oklahoma City for an air show on Father’s Day and got to see some of our friends fly with the Thunderbirds. While we were in Texas, we also made a day trip down to College Station so we could show Annelise around and buy her some new Aggie clothes. We had a lot of fun in Indiana this summer, too, we took Annelise to see the wolves and she learned to howl and then we took her to two different zoos! She also went to her first water park and we introduced her to the wonderful world of Barbie at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.
The best part of our trips was seeing Annelise interact with her cousins. Annelise had a great time with Angela’s little cousins in Texas, she followed Carleigh and Carsyn around like a puppy, and she loved having older cousins in Indiana to play with. John’s cousin Claire even pulled Annelise in a wagon in a Fourth of July parade! We are so blessed to be able to spend time with our families and to see them on Skype.
In July, John and Angela tried to climb Mount Fuji while Annelise stayed in Misawa with her Auntie Kim and Uncle Ron. Due to bad weather, we didn’t end up climbing the mountain, but we enjoyed the time together and are going to try again next year. John spent August in Alaska and Guam on work trips and then got home just in time for the Air Force Ball and a great air show. Annelise loves airplanes and John was so proud the first time she said ‘airplane’ back in July.
In October, we made a short trip to South Korea for some shopping while John was there for work, and we also helped out with the annual Far East Bazaar that the Officers’ Spouses’ Club puts on. John missed Halloween because he was on his way to Alabama, but Annelise and Angela braved the wind and rain to Trick or Treat on base. Annelise was an adorable cat, and had fun as long as we were inside. She was not a fan of the scary costumes, especially a little boy dressed as a wolf.
John spent November and part of December in Alabama for Squadron Officer School and will have just gotten home as we mail this out. He had to miss Annelise’s birthday, but was able to visit his family in Indiana for Thanksgiving and Angela’s family in Texas for a weekend. Angela and Annelise went back to swim lessons at the base pool in October and November and spent Thanksgiving with friends. Annelise had a wonderful second birthday on the day after Thanksgiving and is growing more every day.
Annelise has grown and changed so much over the last year. She’s still very friendly, but has become a little more shy lately. Her vocabulary grows every day and we have to watch what we say around her. She loves to watch Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go and Handy Manny. Cookie Monster is still her favorite toy, but I think she’d give it all up to be able to play on the playground every day.
Our plans for the next year are to explore Japan as much as possible (and hopefully South Korea) and then make a trip back to the States at the end of the summer to meet our new nieces/nephews. Both of Angela’s sisters are pregnant and we are really looking forward to having new babies to spoil. We hope this letter finds you all in happiness and good health and we miss you very much!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
John, Angela and Annelise
