We are nearing the end of our  Okinawa Chapter of this military life. And like many others in our position, we are soaking up the extraordinary travel opportunities while on this side of the world before we leave.

In January, we were fortunate enough to have our daughter visit one last time. Besides luxuriating in our togetherness (don’t you just love this phrase?!), exploring the island with new friends, shopping for farm goods and Daiso treasures, we ventured to Hong Kong 🇭🇰. It was truly a month of bliss!

Mik and I left on the same day, her, heading back to @foghinofarms, me, Wyoming via Alabama… it’s a military thing. Okinawa to Wyoming, in February! What was I thinking, you ask? Answer: snow days with my grandson, quiet nights hanging with him and one son, Andre, a surprise visit from the other son (from Korea!)(also a military thing), and a wonderful day spent in Denver with all three kids (Mik, Andre AND Toren!), add a girlfriend and a fiancé to the mix, some amazing food, plus some laughs and shenanigans and you’ll be closer to understanding the “wonderful day” thing❣️

This month, T and I headed to Vietnam 🇻🇳. We had both always dreamt of visiting this faraway place, but for different reasons: T: for the military history aspect; a connection with our past, to visit a country and it’s people with whom we were once enemies, to better understand ourselves, and to realize the possibilities of our future.

V: simply because I remember the stories of my childhood friend, Ha. Her’s were tales of fear, danger and escaping into the night, as her family made their way toward a new home and life in the United States 🇺🇸.

We began our journey in Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon. From a visit to Cu Chi tunnels to floating down the Mekong Delta, real life “frogger” with the traffic and a few markets in between, this noisy, bustling, no-holds barred city was a slap in the face introduction of Vietnam! We traveled all the way up to Hanoi, rounding out our trip on the waters of Ha Long Bay, a somber day at the Hanoi Hilton, and a visit to the tomb of Ho Chi Minh, Uncle Ho, as the Vietnamese fondly call him.