count down: three weeks

I can't believe June is over already and the last rotation of volunteers will be arriving in a couple of days. The June group made my job cake the last few weeks. It really has been a joy to be a leader out here. It has given me so much opportunity to grow.

My buddy Ryan and me after church on Sunday.
We have a steady flow of friends coming to check out our church services. We are asked loads of questions and I've had fun answering them. It's fun to talk with my friends about their perceptions of Mormons and how we have turned out to be just normal people after all. And happy. 'why do you guys smile so much?'


The ship's Bos'n has hooked me up with a great project to work on in my downtime. I'm slowly painting a deck chair made of pallets. His lair is at the bow of the ship where the hull curves in and the anchor clanks around somewhere behind the bulkhead. It isn't air conditioned so I can only paint so long before I'm smearing my work and needing a saline drip.
I like hanging around in there surrounded by a gold mine of interesting supplies. The radio picks up a little bit of the local music when the ship swings in the right direction and it smells like linseed oil, one of my all time favorite smells. Bos'n puts off a don't mess with me vibe and his door doesn't exactly advertise a warm invitation to come in and visit. I quietly got wedged my way into his good graces and will be forever grateful for him allowing me access in to a space where I can go to hang low.

roving

There is always a plan around here, but it is constantly changing. A change in the plan is exactly how I found myself at a Pallet Turnover Ceremony today instead of the scheduled {and then rescheduled} meet + greet with the El Salvadorian President. The good and bad of this change of plan is that I got to go to shore. It's always good to get off the ship. The bad: heat index - somewhere around 150. Yeah, you read that right. It is hot. And that is an understatement. Luckily it was a quick thing with a few speeches, a photo op in front of the pallets with the Mayor and then we were back on the helo in time for lunch.

This is going to sound weird, especially to me, but I've lost count of my helo rides. I never thought that would happen, but it has. I'm not jaded though. I won't ever get over the thrill of riding in something that looks more like a bug than a man made machine. And it will always make me smile when they leave the doors open so I can take pictures all I want.




"America's most prestigious ship" - USNS Comfort

benjamin lee

This is one of my favorite photos of you and Grandpa Rix. And bottle pool is a favorite past time with you. Ben, you are my favorite brother, and not just because you are my only one to pick from! I'm so glad we are friends.

It's been a crazy busy week here which is good, because it keeps me from thinking too much about all the fun you guys are having without me. Pumpkin pie? Mom's cookies? So glad you could be with the family on your bday.

You know I could ramble on and on about you here but what I'd be saying {in more words} is that I love you and you are a wonderful big brother!! Happy {belated} Birthday!

making up for missing out

It is a good thing there has been plenty going on around here to keep my mind off of all the fun stuff going on at home or else I would be a wreck! It has made me focus all the more on the mission and doing my job because if I think about it for too long I start to come up with ploys on how to get sent home. My favorite one today: jump off the side of the Comfort into the water. it is strictly forbidden. It would be a great way to go {and safer since yesterday's plan was to break my leg}!

I spent some time yesterday afternoon out on the bow sitting in the shade watching the birds coast along with us and dive for flying fish.

After dinner last night Rachel, Chad {Big Rix} and I {little Rix} went out on the bow to enjoy the sunset and hopefully see the pod of dolphins who had been hanging around all day.

At one point there were more that 30 of them playing around the ship. It was so fun to watch them jump out of the water doing belly flops and enjoying the draft of the ship. It must be so much fun to be a dolphin!

After hearing in the confirmation briefs for the last few days that we would be anchored 10+ miles from the BLZ {boat landing zone - what would the military be without acronyms?}I thought we would be out in the ocean with not much by way of scenery around us. I was pleasantly surprised to walk outside this morning to find that we are surrounded on three sides by gorgeous views of volcanoes and lush green mountains. The weather has been my favorite kind all day too: big gray threatening clouds and gorgeous rolling green water. We were joking about being in Jurassic Park because it looks so primitive.

I'm counting down but enjoying every minute of it still. Even with home getting a good grip on me and pulling hard, I am still so excited to be a part of this and won't get in too big of a hurry to get back to the grind.

my friend, the great white

Happy Father's Day Daddio!!
You know I want to be there to give you a big hug today. It is a lot to ask, but collect a few extra from the kids for me instead.

There are so many qualities I love about you Dad. I have tried and failed for the last hour to put it all into words. I've shed a few tears, and smiled as I remembered a lot of fun memories. It has been a great chance to think about how blessed I am to be your daughter. You are an exceptional person. Full of strength, genuine and selfless love for others, a quiet way about teaching and sharing the gospel, and a sense of humor that is so fun to be around. Your sense of humor is especially patient with my sense of humor since making you think I don't think your jokes are funny is something I've taken it on as personal mission in life. You are a patient man.

How many kitties have you let me {with the help of mom} talk you into keeping over the years? {not this spotted bad boy, unfortunately} Even though you didn't want them, you ended up loving them anyway. You are a big softy with a heart of gold.

I am so proud to be your daughter. Love you endlessly Daddio.
I'll eat an extra spoonful of pb today and think of you.

underway to El Salvador

Being underway is so alluring. Down time, endless blue in every direction, stars at night like nothing I've ever seen before.
The Pacific has a way of making walking in a straight line feel like something of an accomplishment.

I think we are all ready to be there already though.

goodbye Tumaco

We arrived at the clinic yesterday morning for the closing ceremonies and I was a little surprised at how many people were still in line to be seen. I don't know why I was surprised, it has been this way in every country. Tumaco is right behind Haiti in terms of the level of need that we have seen on this mission. It is a very poor city with a lot of unrest and terrible things going on there.
I can see how it would be easy to feel like there is too much need in the world to even begin to try, but it is cool to be a part of group who is trying anyway. The people here are happy. That is what surprises me and it shouldn't. We talk about the fact that they don't know anything else so they don't know what they are missing. I don't know if that is the reason, but I guess it might have something to do with it.
It is also hard to not be cynical or wonder if things will ever change. I was impressed with the President of Colombia. He came and toured the ship and while he was here he spoke to a group of us about his hopes for his country. He didn't strike me as a politician type, just a man with the future of his country in mind. He was very grateful for the USNS Comfort, and the good people on board.

I had the pleasure of meeting some great people here. I've been intimidated by the language barrier, but it doesn't seem to be a problem when smiles, high fives and hugs make us instant friends.


Since we can't walk around outside of the protected sites and the bus drivers don't mess around taking a leisurely tourist paced drive through town, I have resorted to holding my camera outside the window and doing my version of photography in motion. I like seeing what surprises I have when I get back to the ship.

The closing ceremonies were really great. Another Latino rock star and his group performed and the crowd went nuts. Commodore Lineberry also spoke about the success we had here. More than 60,000 health care services provided! The Seabee's built 3 schools and a kitchen, the biggest engineering project yet for CP09. 70 pallets were donated {many of those from LDS Charities} and I heard from a vet, and friend, SGT Rix {no relation} that he saw some of the donated items being given to the people who were driven from their homes recently in a raid.


The ride back to the ship was a nice relief from the humid heat. I stood in my favorite place next to the captain and got soaked by the giant swells we were diving through. The seas get really rough later in the day and while some people fight over the few spots on the boat you can sit in to stay dry, it was nice to close my eyes and get soaked on purpose.
When I got back to the ship I had an email asking me if I wanted to go on a helo ride. This isn't a normal thing. Getting emails with questions like that, or having chances to get a ride without a purpose. The pilots are busy transferring patients, pallets and important visitors.
I'd mentioned to my friend Landon {a pilot} a couple of days ago that I was really homesick and so I guess this is what he did to cheer me up. Very cool right? I'm lucky to have such fantastic friends on board. We challenge each other every other night on the ramps. I have never run so much in my life. So they are both good for my soul AND good for keeping me in shape after all the big meals around here.

alpha bravo charlie

ABC Tag: {thanx Amy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY yesterday!}
A: Addiction ~ peanut butter and ping pong
B: Breakfast (what you eat) ~ cereal, peanut butter, fruit
C: Chocolate or Chips ~ chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate {it can be in chip form, so long as it is chocolate}
D: Dessert or Appetizers ~ dessert for sure {above question should answer the specifics}
E: Essential Items ~ camera and doxy {malaria pill}
F: Favorite Color ~ blue
G: Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms ~ Swedish fish
H: Hometown ~ Bountiful, UT
I: Indulgence ~ sleeping in, wearing flip flops, soft serve ice cream, internet connection
J: January or July ~ July! {July 20th!}
K: Kids ~ nope, but I hugged a bunch of really cute ones today
L: Life isn’t complete without ~ family, faith,adventure
M: Most exciting memory ~ most days on board the USNS Comfort. Helicopter ride in Haiti sticks out for sure if I had to pick just one.
N: Number of brothers & sisters ~ 1 big army brother and a super sweet sister in law {tho I like to drop the 'in law' off when I think of Kwona}
O: Oranges or Apples ~ right now I'll take any fresh fruit I can get
P: Phobias or Fears ~ missing my life and looking back and realizing it too late. I have nightmares where I miss a big chunk of life and I am too aware of the gap
Q: Quote ~ When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself. - Wayne Dyer
R: Reading currently:
My Husband, My Friend - Neille McQueen
Preach My Gospel/BoM
Angels and Demon's - Dan Brown
Lapse Into a Comma {writing style guide}
The Path Between the Seas, David Mccullough's book on the Panama Canal
I'm a librarian, I'm taking full advantage of the variety available!!
S: Summer or Spring ~ Summer
T: Tag 6 People ~ Jenny, Jax, Cara, Heather, Devry, Caty {don't hate me!}
U: Unknown fact about me ~ I have a blog, there are no unknowns...
V: Vacation I want to go on ~ really, I just want to get off the ship and see something surprising. But not right this minute. Surprising + Colombia probably wouldn't be a good combination. Australia/New Zealand are on the top of my list for far away adventure but I would take a couple of days camping right about now too.
W: Walking or Running ~ Running - up the ramps, not so much down the ramps.. up is way more fun.
X: X-Ray or Ultrasound ~ What a weird question. I don't even know how to answer this one.
Y: Your favorite Food ~ Gotta break this one down a bit: Favorite food available in the mess line - peanut butter, peanut butter cookies, pears, apple sauce {I've been told I eat like a 6 year old}
Favorite food I can't wait to have ~ granola/yogurt, Cafe Rio's pork salad, kimchi and rice, veggies, bananas, popcorn
Z: Zoo or Bowling ~ Zoo

90 years of Awesome

From the time I was 'knee high to a grasshopper' Grandma would take me out on the trails around the cabin in the beautiful mountains east of Heber City and show me things. It could be any simple thing at all really; but she would make it very interesting. Rocks became dinosaur eggs, leaves were prettier when she picked them up to show me the details, I saw more creatures in the pond when she pointed them out for me. I would beg her to walk down to the creek with me. I could go by myself, but I liked it better if she would take me. Squirrels, bugs, the color of the sunsets and the moss on the rocks were all details I got to see through her eyes because she was excited to see them too. The trails we used to discover these beautiful things became ancient paths in her imagination used by Indian women and I would creep along behind her wondering if these Indian women would be happy to share their trail with us? I didn't worry too much with Grandma along to get us out of trouble.

She showed me a flower called 'Indian Paintbrush', still one of my favorite plants to spot. The one pictured above isn't the real deal I don't think, it is bushier, but when I spotted this a couple summers ago I thought of her and took a picture anyway because it sparked the memory of these walks with grandma.

I was intrigued by her paint supplies and the way she could recreate the scenes around us. I liked to poke around in her things, smelling the paints and wishing I could paint like her. She would be forever patient with me when I would paint with her. She would pull out the supplies and give me a little lesson, then let me experiment with the colors and water.



I consider myself a lucky grand kid for growing up close enough to Grandma and Grandpa so I could get dropped off there when my parents went out at night, or just to stop by when we were out running errands. It is something I still love to do. If I'm out n about I know I can drop in for a minute. {except right now, and believe me, I miss it!}



I love sitting at the table with her and hearing the family news she collects with her Sunday evening calls. She has a tap on everything, the source of as many details as can be found on all our blogs combined it seems. I enjoy her fun sense of humor. She has an insatiable love for life that draws people to her.

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma!! I love you very much and wish I could be there for the big celebration!

the Pacific side of Colombia

If you remember, we spent 3 days in Cartagena at the end of last month on the Caribbean side of Colombia. Now we are in the middle of our stay in Tumaco on the Pacific side. From my one day on shore so far I liked what I saw. Jungle, lots of buildings on stilts with tsunami evacuation signs pointing inland, and gorgeous flowering trees.

I really wish I could know where these people were going on their scooter with their furniture in tow. Were they moving? Shopping? There are so many things I want to know about these places we've been. I read about them, and hear the briefs given by embassy officials, and I see the people at the clinics. But as far as really getting a good idea of what the culture is like? There isn't a good way of doing this with out getting myself in a lot of trouble. I wish I was a vet or a Seabee {construction battalion} because they really get out there and get immersed. It really has been an interesting way to travel through these countries with the Navy and on such a tight leash. I'm not complaining about that leash, it is a good thing. I get it that we are in dangerous places and force protection is an important part of our day to day life. But what I wouldn't give though to wander down some of the roads I've seen just to see what is out there.

It is probably a really good thing I am mainly on the ship. I wouldn't want to be held accountable for wandering off to see what the jungle looks like just 10' feet in... or maybe 50'... or maybe just up over that...

a thought for tuesday

I feel to invite women everywhere to rise to the great potential within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. I hope you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure. I hope you will not try to set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. I hope you will simply do what you can do in the best way you know. If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass. - President Hinckley

Colombia

Some random photos for you today. That is my bed {rack} and I love it. I like crawling in there and shutting the curtains at the end of the day {or in the middle of the day for a nap!} It is like a tree house, under the sea. Very cozy. Even with close to 100 roommates!

I'm excited for a new week. Sunday nights are the hardest for me to sleep through because I like the feeling of a new week with all its possibilities. We had opening ceremonies for Tumaco, Colombia yesterday. We'll be here for ten more days. Juanes came and did a concert on board the USNS Comfort last night. I'm a big fan of his now. Google him, you could be a fan too. Apparently he is a super star in South/Central America and I believe it after the throng of people following him around yesterday. Very cool that he came on board, stood in the mess line like everyone else and is a humanitarian as well.

After the concert I was eating pb and cereal in the wardroom and getting harassed for my six year old diet when the next thing I know I'm shaking Juane's hand with my mouth full of peanut butter. Talk about a lasting impression right?

intoxicating

After dinner last night I was out on the bow of the ship enjoying the last part of the sunset and watching the flying fish do there thing. Flying fish are about the coolest creatures I have seen in awhile. They look like tiny birds and slice through the waves making me wish I could join them. The color of the Pacific is such a wild change from the Caribbean. Like liquid onyx instead of matching the sapphire ring I wear from my big brother. I want to slow down time some how, enjoy each moment twice if I could. I know life will always be an adventure, but I've got the sailor's salty blood running through me now. Life on a ship is intoxicating.

Slimmy Wog no more!

I think I'm about as salty as I'm ever going to be! We just crossed the equator, and with this, an old Navy initiation was brought down upon us wee lowly wogs.

The festivities began with signing a release form last night{what ever happened to good old fashion hazing?} a lot of smack talk, and being sent to our racks at 2000 to go to bed. Of course we couldn't stay in our berthing, so we had a few Wog uprisings and ran around trying for a combination of being problematic and going unnoticed by the scarier Shell backs roaming the decks looking for misbehaving wogs. The highpoint of our nighttime adventures was getting yelled at by the Commodore {all in good fun of course, but it felt real and he really did look mean for about a second!}

It was like Christmas, I couldn't sleep! I was too wound up about what was in store for us! People used to get seriously hurt doing this rite of passage. I told one of the Shell backs last night while we were playing ping pong {and smoked him I'll add} that I would be disappointed if I walked away without a scar, and possibly a tattoo.

0500 came quick once I finally fell asleep and we were woken up by people screaming at us, banging on our lockers and generally making a lot of noise.

I slept in my clothes ready to go, contacts in, and sass running through my veins. We were taken upstairs to CAS REC where we had to 'duck walk' {walk and squat at the same time} and sing songs like Row Row Row Your Boat and Anchors Aweigh. We did some PT to wake up, got sprayed down so the flour we rolled in next would stick, and bear crawled up the ramps to the Mess Decks where we enjoyed green eggs, pink pancakes and purple rice for breakfast. Silverware was out of the question and eating with our hands was prohibited. If caught, it was more singing, or any other form of madness, like ice cubes down our backs.

Back to CAS REC for more PT stuff, lots of rolling around and getting yelled at by the Shell backs. We were blindfolded at this point and lead outside where we crawled through garbage on our hands and knees, got hosed down while we did more push ups, jumping jacks, and my favorite: blowing the water out of the holes in the flight deck used to strap the helicopters down.

I decided against slipping gracefully into the huge box full of florescent green water and did a canon ball instead. This reigned down on me more push ups and more yelling. I loved it! Bring it on! On to dance for the 'baby' {Jacey is a giant more than a man} and had my face smeared in his Crisco covered belly.

From here I dunked my head in a toilet full of who knows what, did more PT, then finally just when I'd about had enough I was hosed down by the fire hoses once more so I could be presented to King Neptune where I was declared a Shell back!