For Josiah on his 10th

Joe, when we got the news that you had made your arrival, we jumped in our pickup and headed for your house in Chula Vista. It took a couple of days to get there, but it just made meeting you for the first time that much more fun. I know that you may hear this a lot, but you were such a cutie. I have been digging through all of the old pictures, looking for some good ones, I'll leave out the embarrassing ones, so I'll include a few.

 Your Gramma Jan, and I spent about a week at your house helping your Mom out with your care. I got the good part, I got to hold you, and watch TV, and entertain you, my favorite part of child care.

The next time that we saw you in California you were just turning 1, and we made it for the party. As I recall it, you did not want the cake. We all went for a walk on the beach at Coronado, and I have a picture of you and I at the beach hanging on the wall here that I have been trying to find, without any luck.  We visited your family in Japan when your sister, Annika made her appearance, and you had the alphabet down pat already. When your Dad was re-assigned to Newport, I flew out to San Diego to  help her drive back

to Minnesota. We had a pretty good trip back here, arriving out at your uncle Eli's home at night. I remember laughing while you chased their dog, Bailey around in the moonlight. So, we have visited you and your family in Newport, Stuttgart, Germany, Chesapeake, and Norfolk, and now you are back in Japan. We still have a world map that you drew for us a few years back hanging on the wall. Your ability to memorize and remember facts has always floored me. Now you are 10 already, with your first ID card, and your first decade behind you. Moving around, and living all over the world will be a terrific education, not everyone gets to experience. Your folks are making sure that you get a taste of the local cultures while you are living in these different places, so don't forget it. Life can be hard at your age. When I was 10 my family moved from Minnesota to California for 3 years. I was back in this area by the time I was 14, and between 10, and 12, I grew a foot taller to about the height that I am now, so you have some changes ahead . I will put a few more photos in here before I close, but I also need to wish my brother Phil a Happy Birthday today too. Happy Birthday Phil on your 66th.