Abbigail

On the last day of July we lost a member of the Eckerberg clan. Our cat Abbigail lost her battle with Asthma and old age. She lived a long life and brought a lot of happiness to all of us. Before she got sick Abbigail ran our house and was a big part of our lives. Niki adopted Abbigail long before we were married and she helped Niki through some tough years. They had a special bond that made the two inseparable when we were home. Abbigail’s affection did not end there. She quickly accepted me and anyone else that came to visit. Most of all she quickly became close to Taylor and Madison. They both loved her and she accepted their rough love with open paws. The void she has left in our family will not be filled soon. We will all miss her.

Please see my new link Titled "SPCA International" to check out the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. There are some good links on how to better care for your pet, how to volunteer your time at the local SPCA, how to make a donation or, if you are looking for a new meber of your family, how to locate the nearest animal shelter to adopt.

Lesson in History and Geography

While I never intended for our site to be a medium for scholarly advancement, my friend Kourosh (see comment on previous post) has afforded me the perfect opportunity to educate us all on a region of the world that has an affect on our every day lives. In my previous post I refered to the body of water that we had gone through as "the Arabian Gulf or Persian Gulf". Kourosh is correct when he says that the historical (and proper) name of the Gulf is the Persian Gulf, and I have added a link under my favorites that explains that. It also gives a good historical explanation of why this is the case. Please take the time to read the link and educate yourself on why Kourosh is so passionate about this.

To Kourosh: Thank you for taking an interest in our family site. I love the fact that we have gone international! I hope we get the chance to meet soon.

Cute as a button!

Some recent pictures of Taylor and Madison.

Long way from Paradise!

It has been a long time since my last post. Work here has been very busy. The good thing is that makes time fly and I’m almost half way done with this deployment and two months closer to seeing my family. I wanted to catch everyone up on my travels since Hawaii. We steamed across the Pacific and did some training near the Island of Guam. Then we headed northwest to Singapore and spent some time in port there. Then we weathered high winds and heavy seas crossing the Indian Ocean on the way to the Arabian Gulf or Persian Gulf (depending on what side of the gulf you live on). After a quick port call in Bahrain, we went north and offloaded the entire MEU in Kuwait for sustainment training. Their, the Marines got a great opportunity to hone their skills. For me that meant sitting behind my computer developing presentations, typing e-mails, making phone calls and occasionally getting out to liaise with the host nation military. We are now back on ship and heading for another country for more training. I have included pictures of some of the training we have done while underway, and I hope to be posting some pictures soon of our training in the desert. Hope all is well on the home front.

Paradise!

Aloha, Hawaii, what can I say, it's Hawaii! We had a good time, but on the way out it is a constant reminder that we are really leaving the states. In a way it is harder than leaving the lower 48. I went to dinner at a great sushi restaurant, had a few Mai Tais, but mostly relaxed. I bought the obligatory Lais, Macadamia nut chocolates that Niki loves, some Kona coffee, and sent home some post cards and stickers for the girls. The best part was the two hour nap I took under a palm tree on Waikiki Beach. All in all it was a good time, but too short. I pray this post finds you all happy and healthy. Mahalo!

First Week at Sea

Leaving port was a new experience for me. On my first deployment I was with the squadron and we flew on to the ship after it had left port. It was fun to see the Marines and Sailors "manning the rails". Very ceremonial, and tough for some to see their families fading away as we left. Niki and I decided that we would say our goodbyes and home. I got a ride to the peer with a friend and was able to get to work right away. My boss flew ahead for meetings so I have been trying to fill his shoes all week. This has proved to be challenging and time consuming. Hopefully I will be able to update the blog more once he arrives back on the ship. I should have an update from our first port in the near future. I hope that everyone is starting to enjoy their summer. Be safe.

Ahoy

Just before I left for deployment Grandpa Robert (Papi), Taylor and I went down to tour the ship. The USS Peleliu was a big eye opener for Taylor… and Papi. She immediately felt right at home and proclaimed “I’m going with you daddy!” I explained that we just didn’t have a ticket for her. Her logical response was “Well, you will just have to get one.” I showed her my room, the Ward Room (where we eat), the gym and of course the flight deck. She didn’t want to leave when we were done. It was fun for all of us, and hopefully a way to answer some of her questions while I’m gone.