Friends -- the following post will explain my blogging hiatus, and the email you are about to receive in your inbox. 

During our weekend in Thailand, I had a chance to meet some of Kyle's colleagues.  As we waited on the patio of the Hard Rock Hotel for our Elephant tour to depart, I was introduced to a Lieutenant Belt Buckle.  Upon meeting her and shaking her hand, she took one look at me and said, "Oh, so you're the one that's been leaking information to terrorists."  I had NO idea what she was talking about.  A look of confusion washed over my face.  And then, Lieutenant BB realized she had just blindsided me.  She then looked at Kyle and said, "Oh, Mattox, you didn't tell her?!?"  Kyle grabbed my hand and told me, "Oh, it's nothing baby.  It's just that the Intel and Comm guys discovered your blog.  I guess they were doing a keyword search and they found the blog." 

I couldn't even believe it.  I was mortified.  I felt horrible.  I would never, ever type, post or say something that might put Kyle or any other service member in danger.  I thought I had been so careful with what I typed on the blog.  I thought I had followed all of the rules of operational security.  I asked Kyle what I should do . . . should we take the blog down?  Should I stop blogging? 

How will our family and friends stay in touch with our life in the Far East if I can't blog?  He told me, "Jen, calm down.  It wasn't officially a security breach.  Just almost. . ."

Given that our blog was "almost a security breach," I am taking new measures to protect our information. 

I have created a blog on blogspot.  You will be required to "log in" to read our blog.  Please watch your email inbox for information about becoming a viewer of our new blog. 

I hope you'll continue to read!  Kyle and I are really having the adventure of a lifetime over here in the Far East.  We are both so thankful for the opportunities and experiences we've had over the past 15 months. 

Please email me at JenLFarrell@hotmail.com if you would like access to the new blog at http://kylejenrexandhari.blogspot.com.

Thailand is known for the many gems produced throughout the country. I think sapphires (blue, green, yellow, and pink) are very popular, in addition to rubies and other gems. My mom purchased a blue sapphire for me when visited Thailand, so I wasn’t really in the market for more Thai gems. But, one of our tours took us to the largest ISO Certified gem factory in the world. Did I mention Kyle booked all of our trips? I was unimpressed by the gem factory in Pattaya. Sure, I tried on some beautiful pieces of jewelry, but I wasn’t interested in dropping a chunk of change on a gem. Well, our last tour, on Sunday, was shopping in Bangkok. Of course the tour took us to the gem factory in Bangkok. The gem factory in Bangkok, we were told, caters to the international crowd. We would see pieces that were more “modern” and “fashionable.” The jewelry store is huge. But, I limit my browsing immediately, by telling the saleswoman that I only wear white gold, no yellow gold. She shows us a few rings, I try a few on. It was fun. But, again, I’m not planning to drop a chunk of change on a ring. We’ve had an amazing vacation – a beautiful resort, daily Thai massages, bottles of wine and champagne – memories to last a lifetime.

But, then I saw her. Ruby. Very modern. 18K white gold band.  Emerald cut ruby. Very cool diamond bling embellishing. Of course, I loved the ring. Kyle loved the ring. The salesperson loved the ring. But, I’d already had an amazing vacation. I didn’t need to spend a 20-something-thousand Thai Baht on a piece of jewelry. Kyle didn’t need to either. We had already spoiled ourselves with a wonderful vacation. So, I quickly gave Kyle the code word and we abandoned the saleswoman. 

We went straight to the bar, where they offer complimentary drinks. They might as well say, “Thank you for browsing in our gem showroom. Now, have a drink and a make a decision that you wouldn’t have made without that shot of Thai whisky.” Duh!

Kyle and I are enjoying a sip of Singha, a Thai beer, when he starts convincing me to get the ring. He says, “just hear me out.” Okay. I’ll be quiet and let the wonderful man speak. Kyle grabs my hand and tells me, “Jen, I think we should get the ring. It’s beautiful, but not too fancy. You can wear it every day and every time you look at it, you’ll remember this vacation. You’ll look at the ruby stone and think of the sunsets we watched. You’ll remember the beautiful resort. You’ll relive our elephant ride through the Thai countryside.” Wow. Great sales job. But, I was still resisting. No, no. I don’t need it. We’ve already spent enough money. And then . . . I remember my spring birthday. At which point, I drained the last of my Singha, looked at Kyle and said “Okay, but ONLY if it’s an early birthday present.”           

On Saturday we went on a trekking adventure which included an ox cart ride, a rafting trip, and an elephant ride. Kyle was really excited to ride elephants in Thailand. I was not that impressed by the prospect of riding elephants, as I rode an elephant at the Des Moines Zoo when I was about 5 years old. However, I guess the chance to ride an elephant through the jungle in Thailand is probably more interesting. When we finished the elephant ride Kyle told me he would cross that one off his bucket list. I guess “ride an elephant in Thailand” was on his bucket list. 

Anyway, the trekking adventure was really fun. The ox cart ride took us through desolate landscape. We saw small Thai homes made out of tin shacks. Once the ox cart ride was over, we all boarded a large raft to cross over a human-made lagoon. As we were approaching the raft, a monkey flew out of no where and jumped on one of the tour participants. The monkey was a gibbon. He was, of course, a trained monkey, but still a lot of fun to watch and play with. Once the rafting trip was complete we hiked through the jungle for a few minutes. As we were walking I was watching Tony and trying to coax him to walk with me. Before I knew it, Tony was swinging from one tree to the next, and I had nearly face-planted in a big, muddy, puddle. Yep, I rolled my ankle during our jungle hike. Of course, my pride hurt worse than my ankle. And, I was muddy. And this mud was GROSS. A few minutes later we really got to the elephant herd. I fed our elephant a large bunch of bananas and then Kyle and I climbed the platform in preparation to board our elephant. We were off, on an hour long elephant ride. It was really hot and humid, so I used a shade umbrella most of the time. Our elephant seemed to be a little stubborn. The elephant ride concluded with the elephants walking in to a river and cooling off. It was interesting to ride on the back of an elephant while he walked through the river. For some reason, the elephant put his trunk in the water, so every time he needed to take a breath, he had to bring his trunk out of the water and exhale the dirty, gross water and elephant snot before he could take in a breath of fresh air. Ugh! 

This resort is officially the most beautiful hotel or resort I have ever stayed at. Kyle concurs. And, he lived in Hawaii for three years. He still says this is the most beautiful resort he’s ever stayed at. 

http://www.cabbagesandcondoms.co.th/Resort/Resort.asp

You might find the name kind of funny. Well, you’ll find the name of the hotel restaurant even more humorous. The restaurant is called Cabbages and Condoms. The resort is called the Birds and Bees. Do you see a trend? 

As you check in to the resort, you see a large wooden sign that reads “We Are A Business for Social Progress.” The profits from this resort support developing villages in Thailand. They provide sex education to the rural areas of Thailand. The coins we tossed in to the wishing well will help fund a school in a nearby province. The resort is run by the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) and received the Gates Award for Global Health in 2007. 

Population and Community Development Association
Both the Restaurant and Resort were created to provide financial support for the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) , Thailand's foremost non-governmental charitable organization. Money spent at our resort contributes to Thailand's rural development, education and scholarships, HIV/AIDS education and environmental protection. Our Resort is an environmentally conscious establishment and our endeavors ensure protection of the environment, by recycling wastewater for its gardens and trees. 

Now, back to the beauty of the resort. It was amazing. I really felt like I was in the jungle, as we walked from the front lobby to our Cliffside Suite. We were in Suite 812, which was on the very end of the property. The birds were making jungle noises. The humidity and mist combined to create a sense of cool, wet air. I heard the waves crashing along the shore, as we climbed the steps to our suite. As the bellman opened the door, I was enchanted by another wonderful smell. The hardwood floors made the entire suite smell fresh and natural. I couldn’t have been happier with the splurge. 

 
http://www.cabbagesandcondoms.co.th/GuestRooms/CliffBeach/CliffBeach.asp

My apologies for not blogging about our Thailand excursion prior to leaving. You see, I couldn’t. 

In order to prepare for this trip, I was required to prepare an Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Plan. My position as a Federal Department of Defense employee, as well as my status as military spouse, under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) dictates these sort of travel preparations. I’m not much for paperwork. Especially when it is required by the military and my husband has already deployed. Some military employees treat spouses like second-class citizens. I was hoping I could just fly under the radar, travel on my civilian passport, and enjoy my weekend in Thailand. My trip to Thailand was approved by Kyle’s chain of command. They knew I would be meeting him in Bangkok and then spending the weekend in Pattaya. They welcomed me to attend the “Officers Call” (a party) at the Blue Lagoon Bar in Pattaya. But, even though I’m not one for paperwork, I’m also a rule-follower. The last thing I want to do is get Kyle in trouble for something I did. 

Kyle was required to create his own Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Plan in order to meet me in Bangkok. In one email, exactly one week before I was scheduled to arrive in Thailand, he casually mentioned this paperwork. He had filed all of the appropriate forms with his folks. So, in an attempt to be proactive I called the security office and spoke a civilian employee (former military) who administers this paperwork here on the island. That is where things went downhill, very quickly. This person was a very Mean Man. In order to keep my identity anonymous (and hopefully avoid opening the said can of worms) I posed the phone call as though I was calling on behalf of one of my client’s. My boss encouraged this plan. Actually, it was her idea. I guess she’s a bit rebellious herself. So, I called Mean Man and I asked if a spouse traveling to Thailand had to complete the Force Protection requirements. (****The base travel agent told me spouses WERE NOT required to do any force protection planning.) He told me yes, all spouses under the SOFA needed to complete the paperwork and then warned me, “this stuff doesn’t get done over night.” Then, Mean Man asked if the spouse was a DoD employee.  I said, “yes, she works for MCCS.” At which point Mean Man told me, “Well, she better do the paperwork, otherwise she could be fired from her DoD job.” Great. Now I am really worried about following the rules. Mean Man ends the conversation by saying, “What kind of a woman is this spouse? If she can’t even get basic paperwork in order, I don’t think we want her traveling to Thailand anyway.” Damn. That hurt. I am literally sick to my stomach at the end of our phone conversation. What a jerk. 

Remember, my husband is already deployed. He’s on a ship. I cannot pick up the phone and call the ship. Instead, I send an email that says “please call me tonight regarding the AT/FP Plan.” And, I cross my fingers that the ship’s email and phone systems are up and running. 

I head home and take the dogs for a nice long walk, where I get a chance to think through possible solutions:

1. Find a Marine in uniform to accompany to visit this Mean Man. Maybe if I have a uniformed service member with me the Mean Man won’t insult me. So, I need to borrow a husband or beg one of my active duty friends to help me. 

2. Call the Commanding Officer’s wife and explain the situation and ask how she might help. She traveled to Hong Kong to meet up with her husband a few months earlier, so she might be in the know. Plus, her husband has a bird on his collar, so maybe Mean Man will be a little bit more cordial to her.

3. Route all of the paperwork through Kyle and his chain of command (in the event said Internet is working and paperwork can be filed electronically).

4. Travel on my civilian passport and cross my fingers that the “Man” won’t catch up with me. 

5. Put on my rhino-skin and go meet with the Mean Man in order to get the paperwork done.

Well, luckily the ship’s email system was working. And, Kyle called me just a few minutes later. I had just walked in the door and I was a bit upset. But, Kyle was on the other end of the phone and assured me it would all work out. He, of course, wanted Mean Man’s real name, so he could call Mean Man and put him in his place. I told Kyle that wouldn’t help the situation. I am proud to say I didn’t overreact. But, I reacted. I told Kyle, “I can’t believe the Man can tell me if I can or can’t travel somewhere! This is ridiculous. This is NOT what I signed up for!” At this point I am crying and sniffling and Kyle is trying to comfort me through the delayed telephone connection. 

Well, the next morning Kyle routed our paperwork through the chain of command. I completed an online Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection training module. I learned how to be “safe” when I traveled abroad with my service member husband. I learned to keep a low profile, keep the details of our travel plans quiet, and try not to identify our affiliation with the military. 

Now, let me make something very clear. The examples in the training module were about a couple traveling through GERMANY. Not the Philippines or Djibouti or NORTH KOREA! This training was not required just because we were traveling to Thailand and Thailand had a recent “challenge” with the airports closing due to protestors. It’s technically training required for all military families stationed overseas.       

His unit’s AT/FP Officer signed it. All was approved.

Kyle saved the day, once again! 

"We were allowed to go run on the flight deck for half an hour this morning, but they have already put a stop to that again. Apparently we are not conserving enough water. So, we still have not been allowed to wash laundry since we have been on ship. All of my showers have been the type where you turn the water on to get wet, turn it off and get all soapy, then turn it on again to rinse. Only one shower I’ve had since being on ship was hot. And now the Captain of the ship is lecturing us over the intercom for not conserving enough water."

"I wanted to tell you that we will be in a general quarters this morning from 0830 – 1300 your time. We are going to be locked down in our rooms while the Navy runs drills. So I wont be able to email with you until your afternoon."

I thought you might appreciate some perspective about the life on ship and what Kyle is experiencing.  He bought a laptop computer before he left, and I bought an external hard drive for him.  A friend of mine loaded 416 movies on the external hard drive, so he should have plently of media to entertain him.  He also took the book Marley and Me with him on ship. 

One of the advantages to this deployment, is the opportunity for Kyle to have liberty (vacation/leave/free time) in various ports throughout the world.  We are hoping I'll be able to meet up with him in Thailand in a few weeks during the first of his port calls.  I'm also trying to plan a trip to Australia, which will coincide with his port call there. 


Kyle often describes the "hangar bay" of the ship, where the units will gather for formations (the bottom area that looks like a garage).  Last night he told me he wished Hari was on ship with him, because "Hari would be a big hit with all of the Marines."  He said, "I'd take him down to the hangar bay and throw the ball for him."  Hum . . . I don't think crazy dogs are allowed on ship!  This picture also shows the different aircraft that are on the ship.


This gives a good perspective of the flight deck where Kyle mentioned going running. 

These ships look pretty amazing, even surreal, up close.  I was able to visit Kyle at the Naval Base  right before they shipped out.  As I drove to the pier I was almost taken aback by the size and stature of the ships.  There were three ships in port and Marines and Sailors were loading all three ships.  I watched the loading process for a few minutes while I waited for Kyle.  Once he was finished with his job and all of his cash was deposited safely, he was able to join me for dinner.  We had a picnic by candlelight on the beach.  We listened to the waves, gazed at the moon, and reveled in the enormity of these ships. 

I have purchased a pre-paid cell phone for my time in the States.

Please call me at 310 658 4816 if you are interested in catching up. 

Jen
 

It was exactly one year ago today that we received orders to Okinawa, Japan.  I have the most vivid memory of the moments when Kyle called to share the news.  I was at the Country Inn and Suites in Stafford, VA.   I'd flown to Quantico to attend the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.  I was also able to attend some classes about moving with the military as Kyle approached his graduation from TBS.  Anyway, it was a brisk fall afternoon and Kyle was busy with TBS requirements, so he was still at the base, while I waited for him at the hotel.  I had drifted off for a late afternoon nap when my cell phone started ringing.  I quickly grabbed the phone and answered as soon as I saw Kyle's number on the caller ID.  Kyle's exact statement was, "Baby, we got orders."  He didn't sound very excited, just matter of fact.  Of course I was elated, because we had been waiting MONTHS to find out where our path would lead.  I don't remember what I said, but I remember being thrilled to learn we would be going to Okinawa, Japan.  I immediately started making phone calls, so I could tell people where the Marine Corps would take us for the first three years of Kyle's career as an Officer.  

I'm such a nostalgic person, and my mind is like a steel trap.  Whenever a monumental "year" mark comes around, I always think about what I was doing the year before.  

In the one year since we got orders we've experienced the following:
 

• The USMC's 232nd Birthday Ball in Richmond, VA.  We enjoyed attending the Ball and talking with other Marines who had been stationed in Okinawa.  They all told us to use our time in Okinawa to "see the Orient." 
• We celebrated a mini-honeymoon at Shenandoah National Park.
• My Mom turned 50.
• Our orders were modified (aka CHANGED) forcing us to fasttrack our move to Japan.
• Kyle graduated from The Basic School, one of the most challenging courses in his Marine Corps career.
• Kyle shot a 9 point buck in Southern Iowa, while hunting with my Dad.
• Kyle and I, as a team, successfully orchestrated an international move, in less than six weeks.
• I resigned from my position as Destination Iowa State Coordinator, and took a leap, not knowing where my career would lead. 
• We traveled from Des Moines, IA to Okinawa, Japan.  It snowed eight inches the day we left Des Moines.  I will always remember our drive to the airport.  My Dad had to fire up the four-wheel drive truck, just to ensure we would make it from the northside of Des Moines to the airport.  We loaded up the bed with all of our luggage and Rex's crate.  But, Rex got to ride in the backseat with me and Kyle.  I'm quite sure Rex is the first and only dog that has been allowed in the cab of my Dad's truck.  Anyway, we all loaded in the truck and headed south on 6th Avenue.  Rex knew something was going on.  He was acting very docile and even a bit scared as we drove to the airport.  The experts always say animals can feel our energy.  Anyway, Rex keep giving me and Kyle "hugs."  He would lean in to us and then put his head right next to ours.  What a great dog.
• We were certified at Open Water Scuba Divers.  Diving has allowed me to see turtles, an octopus, clown fish, coral, bat fish and sea snakes in their natural habitat.  Amazing.
• I was a member of 2008 Navy Women's Dragon Boat team
• Kyle shot expert on the riffle range and pistol range. 
• Kyle graduated from the Financial Management Officers Course
• I became employed with the Federal Government.
• We got Hari, our crazy little Oki-mix puppy.
• I enjoyed the best summer of my life, when my sister flew to Okinawa to spend six weeks with me.
• I climbed Mt. Fuji.
• Kyle and I celebrated our one year anniversary.  Although we have only been in the same physical location for five of those 12 months.  I'm planning another one year anniversary celebration once we've spent 12 months living together.
• Kyle got assigned to the MEU, a great springboard for his career. 
• Wendy and Rachel visited Okinawa.

If you'd like to read about Wendy's visit, from her perspective, please visit her blog http://wendyf4.blogspot.com/.  She is a great writer and lives life from one adventure to the next.  For those of you that follow blogs, just for the fun of following blogs, I highly encourage you to bookmark Wendy's.