I guess I can't really call my blog "Life in Iwakuni" when we are no longer there. It must be time to change the name. In the meantime, we are now here in NC. Ryan is now working on base at Camp Lejeune. Same type of work, but now he has people willing to help do the work. That is a huge change from what he has been used to for the last 6 years. I'm just excited since he has been able to take more leave in the past 5 months than he has in the past 6 years almost. We can actually spend time as a family which we have been lacking. I've tried to start up piano lessons, however, it's been a bit slow and I only have two students. I'm trying to get through this year without working a real job so I have decided to help watch kids at a local MOPS group through December. Starting in January, I am on the job hunt and starting back to school. I have 4 classes lined up for this spring. I hadn't done any of my science credits so even though I'm going to school for business and accounting, my classes this spring make me look like I'm a science major. I'll be taking Biology and a Biology lab and a Human Genetics class. Along with those, I'll be taking my second accounting class. It should be a tough semester but if I can get through it, I can get through just about anything I suppose. I have been keeping busy since we've moved with getting the house together and knitting. The kids will definitely be warm for the winter.
The kids are enjoying their time here in NC. Dominick has joined the robotics club at school. His team placed tenth out of fourteenth. His team was the youngest team and only had six weeks to prepare while everyone else had five months. I think they did really well. He's going to continue to remain in the robotics club and they'll only get better during the next couple years. He is also reading at a sixth grade level and doing well in the rest of his subjects. He is an honor student his first year in his new school. We're so proud of him. Cora is repeating second grade and doing very well. She has been put back in the classroom instead of taken out for special reading and math classes because she is doing so well. Her teacher said there is nothing that we should be worried about at this time which is the best news we've had since she was diagnosed with ADHD. Hopefully, next year will go just as smoothly. Hayden is enjoying kindergarten but he has said he is bored sometimes. I attribute that to him having been in school for the past three years in Japan. He is in the top of his class this year and is already reading. He has really surprised us all with how well he is doing with his math and reading. He is also taking Japanese lessons from a Japanese foreign exchange student. He says he doesn't want to learn but while he is in the lessons, he seems to enjoy himself. We're hoping that he can stick with it long enough to find a high school that offers Japanese. It would be wonderful if he could be fluent by the time he graduates. Only time will tell. We're coming up on Christmas time. We'll be visiting friends up in Williamsburg, VA the week before the holidays. The kids should really enjoy the colonial houses and Busch Gardens. We'll be spending New Years here at home with friends having appetizers and drinks and playing games. It will be a great way to celebrate 2012 coming!
