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Writer's pictureKatie Johnson

New Year, New Deployment

It's been a crazy few months, and I realized I haven't shared some of the everyday happenings in Sasebo, so here's a quick update on what happens between the big trips and deployments!



December 6, 2022: Sign Painting Party


Back in December, Jaime organized a USS America Wardroom Spouse sign painting party! A fellow spouse has her own wooden sign design company, Timber Expressions, and she designed each of our signs prior to the event. Then, we showed up and enjoyed a few glasses of wine while painting our chosen creations!


This was so much fun! Yasmine joined us for the first time and created a lovely welcome sign for her front door! I also met Shana, who just moved to Sasebo and whose husband joined the ship last month, and she created a Christmas countdown sign. I always enjoy getting together with Tomo, Julia, Jaime and Meg as well, and we were happy to have some new spouses join the fun!


I created a wooden stove cover with handles that doubles as a giant serving tray! I love that it covers my coiled stovetop and will double as a great serving tray for the next Book Club gathering I host!



December 10, 2022: Perry Going Away Outing


Julia and Dave Perry are officially moving and there's no time to be sad when their last night involves beer, chu hais, and karaoke! Julia makes the second close-knit friend of mine to move. Julia was actually the first spouse I met: she reached out when I was still living in the lodge and invited me to crash her 4th of July outing! From then on, Julia was always a welcoming friend to me and the best dog-mom to Hugo and Reynolds's BFF, Kota!


From doggy playdates that turned into chu hai breaks in her backyard, to long nights at Kaiti Castillo's house for Bachelor/Bachelorette marathons, Julia has always been there. There was no way her last day in Sasebo was going to end any other way than a night out on the town!


With old friends leaving, new friends arrive. Nick joined our gang! As the new safety department head, Nick joined Bryan and Stego as their third roommate on the ship! Now we get to show him around Sasebo a little before they leave on the big deployment!



January 8, 2023: Goodbye LHA6


Quickly after our amazing Winter Trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand with Ryan and Cady, we were sucked back into the real world with another long deployment. I dropped Bryan off at 5 am on January 8th with his bag packed for another three-to-four-month deployment.


What are those pool noodles for? Rumor has it the ship will be doing a swim call during the coming months, where they will jump off the side of the ship and swim in the open ocean! Bryan's swimming has improved since moving to Sasebo, but I figured those trusty pool noodles would help him stand out in the photos that are sure to be taken! (Plus, I just wanted the pool noodles out of my storage closet, as I begin downsizing again for the coming move. so it was a win-win!)



The night of the 8th, I got a phone call that the ship was not leaving that day, so I headed back to pick him up for one more night at home together. Then the morning of the 9th, we headed back to the ship for a round two drop off! This time, the ship was ready to go!


To start off my time as a single dog-mom, Huis Ten Bosch decided that January 9th was the perfect day for a huge fireworks show. We all know how worked-up Reynolds gets when it comes to the loud shots! By the end of it, though, both Hugo and Reynolds were tucked in for our first night without dad!



Jan 14, 2023: Dinner at Syabuyo


To celebrate our first week without the guys, some of the wardroom spouses met up for a lunch date! Jenna, the XO's wife, recommended Syabuyo, a shabu shabu restaurant that was new to me!


Shabu shabu, しゃぶしゃぶ, is a Japanese hotpot dish, where you cook thinly sliced meat and vegetables in boiling broth. The name "shabu shabu" comes from the sound the veggies and meat make as you "swish, swish" them through the boiling broths to cook them instantly!


It was a really fun meal, and quite filling! From the awesome salad bar, to the robot kitty machine that delivered our raw meat slices, we had a great time catching up and visiting over a good lunch! As we finished eating, I mentally added this place as a "must-do" when Bryan gets back! He would love it!



Jan 24: Snow Day in Sasebo!


After returning from a spur-of-the-moment trip to Okinawa to see Bryan during a short port call, things got icy!


Again, everything "fun" happens when Bryan is gone (or so he says!) It began snowing on Tuesday, which led to canceled school on Wednesday! While the pups enjoyed the snow during our night walk, I was quick to remind Bryan that "fun" doesn't even begin to encompass my feelings of frozen fingers and nose in blistering cold winds, as I potty the pups every night! (Man, I miss having a yard!)


Like North Carolina, the "snow" was mainly ice; the city of Sasebo had the highway shut down by 4 pm and most other roads closed by 6 pm. I appreciate the lack of chemicals doused all over town to prevent ice, but Sasebo should really look into salting their roads in the future...it was like Armageddon to those who got stuck on the roads after 2 pm!



I will say, I enjoyed the snow day curled up on the couch with these two love bugs keeping me warm! We enjoyed the lounge day, while wishing B was back home with us too.


Since our big snow day, it continued to sporatically snow every day the following week! While it didn't stick, it was still a pretty sight every day. Hugo and Reynolds enjoyed the extra cuddles, while I enjoyed doodling while on the phone with Bryan. Luckily he was able to call several days in a row! Small victories!



If you wonder how tough life has been, just watch Hugo's struggle. It took everything in me not to bust out laughing while I caught his sleep cycle on camera!



We still have two-to-three months left in this deployment, but at least it's moving in the right direction and we have the chance of possible port calls between now and then! Keep your fingers crossed and be on the lookout for blog posts regarding the rest of our time before Bryan comes home!


--Katie

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