Reggie & Elyce's Pregnancy Announcement

Middlebrooks' Christmas 2013

Fishing in St. Augustine

Whenever our friends Marinelle and Mike invite us down to Florida to go fishing it's hard for us to say no. Even Elyce who is a self proclaimed non-fisher has become pretty fond of the trips. So on Labor Day weekend we went down to spend some time on the water.

It started off fairly mundane. A few bites here and there. But not many keepers. Mike suggested we take the boat out off shore a few miles to see what we can catch. We get about 9 miles offshore, where the water is that really pretty blue. Elyce drops a line a catches a few pretty small fish that we end up using as bait. Mike hooks one her fish onto his pole and casts it out into the water. As soon as he has it in the water, it takes off. Something big and fast took his bait. Being the gracious host that he is, he hands me the rod and reel and says "Reggie, she's all yours!". I take the rod and out from the water jumps what in my mind was a marlin or swordfish. My hearts racing as I'm trying to stay cool. Elyce pulls out her phone and begins video recording this. So I know I can't say or do anything stupid or else it will be recorded forever. After about 15 minutes of fighting with this fish I reel it in close enough to the boat for Mike to hook it and pull it into the boat. When he pulled it into the boat I admit that it wasn't the great marlin that I thought I was battling but it was a pretty big fish none the less. We guess that it's a kingfish or perhaps a great mackerel. It takes a while to get the hook out if its mouth. By this time there's a good amount of blood everywhere. I think Elyce makes her way to the front of the boat to stay clear of all the carnage. We take a few pics, perform a round of high fives and throw it in the cooler. Now I must admit, between the rocking of the boat, the massive amount of blood on the deck and a queasy stomach...I couldn't hold it in any longer. I blew chunks! I was so nauseous! Everyone just kinda turned their heads as I was heaving chum into the water. Mike decided we should probably head back to calmer waters. 

We pull up to a sandbar where Elyce and Marinelle jump out of the boat to enjoy the sand and water a bit. Mike and I pull out the fish book and quickly realize that we didn't have a kingfish like we thought. We had a barracuda! I google "are barracudas edible?". And while they are, most people agree it's probably not a good idea because of all the toxins that they may have. Especially when they are big.

We kept it in the cooler overnight. Mike and Marinelle put it back in the ocean the next day. I felt a little bad about reeling him in, not knowing that I shouldn't keep it. But I'm pretty sure I'll know next time.

Remembering the Beach in Okinawa

As we prepare for our PCS from Okinawa to our new duty station, I want to capture the essence of Okinawa, Japan. One of the main reasons we decided to move 11,000 miles away from our comfort zone, for the beach! Now that we have been here for two years, there are some memories that I want to cherish.  I want to burn the images of the beach in my mind so that I will always be able to remember, reflect and rejoice over the experience. As the East China Sea tidal waves come crashing in, 2012 is gone and the new year has arrived. What will the new year bring? I am hoping for year filled with new opportunities and no limits.  I looked out into the ocean and the sun shinned through the clouds and I could almost count the sun rays hitting the water. It was as if the spotted me on the seawall and allowed me this time of reflection.

Mornings Just Got Better...

Normally I wake up around 5:30am to the sounds of Marimba on my iPhone. I have no idea what a Marimba is or where it is...or who it is. But whatever it is, it's been cheerfully waking me up for nearly two years now. No offense to this ringtone which is just doing his or her job, but I cannot let the alarm ring for more than 1 and a half seconds before I have to turn it off. It's not that the sound is bad, it's just that it rips me away from my sleep to the reality of waking up and going to work.

But today...today is different. I'm not really sure what time I woke up this morning because my watch is buried deep in my suitcase and my iPhone which is normally on my bedside table ready to wake me up has been relegated of its duties as the morning alarm and is one of the cargo pockets of the shorts I wore the night before. This morning, the sounds of light rain and chirping birds along with the sunrise peeking through the heavy linen curtains woke me up. What alarm name is this? And how can I download it so that I wake up this pleasantly everyday?! I tried to lay in bed for a little while longer but I couldn't resist it. I got out of bed and pulled the drapes back just enough to get a glimpse of what was outside without letting too much light in, because Elyce was still asleep. Looking outside I saw the most lush landscape I've ever seen. I threw on those cargo shorts, boiled a cup of coffee, grabbed some fruit from next to the daybed and stepped outside to enjoy my first morning in Bali!

Car Washes In Okinawa

I have never been to a place where the lines at the car wash is always long! If its a nice sunny day, you can fuhgettaboutit. But even on an overcast day like today the lines are about 10 cars deep. For those of you not living in Okinawa, you may be wondering what's the big deal about washing your car. Because its not like many of us have a nice new shiny car that we're trying to keep the new cat scent in. Actually I'm still trying to get this putrid moldy smell out of my 3 door SMX. If you live off base in an apartment, like we do, then chances are you don't have access to a water spigot and water hose. Another reason washing your car is a big deal here on the island is that our cars get really dirty and salty! We've had typhoons in 3 of the last 6 weekends and the cars have taken a beating! So in an effort to not have to wash the car and then sponge it off before the soap dries, you have to go to the car wash. And wait. By the way I typed all of this with plenty of time to spare while waiting in line to get the car washed!

World's Largest Tug of War Contest, Naha Okinawa

The rope is 90,000 lbs and 200 meters long!

 The world's largest tug of war contest is held annually on the island of Okinawa in the city of Naha. Approximately 25,000 people attend this event every year. We missed it last year, but now that we are on within the last few months of our tour here on the island we are trying to make sure we get in all the things that's on our bucket list. This was one of the events. The day started with Elyce and I meeting some friends at the hospital and then driving down to Naha. We started around 1030am so that we could make it in time for the parade and to avoid any traffic. The drive was quick and easy, which is unusual, because whenever we try to get to the airport in time we get stuck behind the worlds longest string of "yellow plates". Anyway, Jason had the good idea of parking at the DFS mall and then taking the monorail to Kokusai Street. Great idea! We made it to Kokusai Street just in time to see the first group march down the street in the parade.

 So the parade wasn't exactly like the parades back in the States. Instead of floats and balloons, this parade consisted of several groups of men who carried very ornate decorations on top of a very large bamboo pole. Each group had around 20 or so men dressed in their parade garb. They would take turns trying to balance this one tall bamboo pole with the ornate decoration at the top. I know I'm not explaining this very well, that's why I have pictures!

The parade also had a lot of children performing karate or traditional dances. Their wasn't much music but there were plenty of chants, drums, bells and the intermittent pops of firecrackers. We had no idea what they were saying but we tried to mimic them as best as we could.