Dedicated to the Ones I Love...

Hi...yesterday was the one month mark for when i come home...that means that in about 30 days (Dec. 17) ill be home for christmas...yay!...so i decided to make this post a ode to you guys...dont worry, im not gonna get corny or anything...but i will be putting pics up of you guys which i had no permission to do...you're all gonna hate me..."oh, hell's no...he did not just put that picture of me on his blog for the whole world to see!"...well, i did...and i love it :-)

the top picture is hilarious...shawn and jacob are doing the weirdest dance i have ever seen...who dances like that?...and with those facial expressions?...i brought my lap top to school one day and my students saw this pic (it was on my screensaver thingy), and i was so embarassed...i think they thought my family was special ed...i had to explain that you guys were just doing the robot...and they looked at me as if that was normal...and they were confused by jacob's hat...they thought he was a pilgrim...im like, "no, he's a gangsta"...

im sure ella looks extremely tiny in this pic compared to what she looks like now...but im so excited to see her...she'll probably have no idea who i am and get scared...especially when i pick her up and kiss her and hug her...she'll cry...i'll cry...and it'll be traumatizing...ill be the scary uncle...

one thing that ive been feeling really, really guilty over is that i feel this tremendous need to go home...i dont necessarily feel sad or homesick...(i dont want to get into a grass-is-always-greener type mentality...i know if i was home right now id be wishing for a thrilling journey somewhere new)...but i feel like i came to this island to have a worldly adventure...ive always wanted to travel and ive always longed to work in an interesting, exotic (and third world) place...and ive also always felt a desire to be a indiana jones-esque globe trotter...and since im here in the south pacific, near fiji, new zealand, australia, japan, india, south america, etc., it really gives me the opportunity to explore the earth in wonderfully electrifying ways...i could see the strange, beautiful, and fascinating locales ive always wanted to see...but out of all the places in the world i could be going to, ive decided to go home...and, technically, thats the only place i really want to go to...out of all the awesome, new quests and voyages i could be going on, i have decided to spend my money and time on home...the place i got bored with in the first place...i could go on and on about why i wanted to go home (to see my friends and family cause i miss them dearly, blah, blah, blah) but i wont...i just wanted to say that i feel guilty and kinda disappointed in myself...ive dreamed of the chance to travel and see the world, and, instead, im dreaming of going home...it really does make sense when they say "theres no place like home"...nothing compares to my family and friends...the picturesque mountains of new zealand cannot replace playing with my nieces and nephews...the taj mahal in india couldnt even come close to chilling with my sisters...the glittering brilliance of tokyo is paltry to laughing with my friends...and the intriguing brilliance of chile is no comparison to recieving love from my mom...oops, i got corny, didnt i?...anyways, im planning on traveling next summer...though i want to go home then, too...but im hoping ill at least go to new zealand and fiji...and maybe tokyo...id love that...

claudia is stunning in this picture...but who's that fat guy?...he ruins the pic...i look horrid in this picture...but i just had to put it up...i only had a few pics of home and you guys on my computer...so thats why you may not see yourself on this post...like chad...sorry, i had no images of you...

awe, the drive-in...when i told my kids that theres a drive-in in wisconsin they were flabbergasted by it...they said, "like in grease!?"...and i was like, "yes, except without john travolta singing 'sandy'...but there is a hot dog jumping into a bun!"...

theres the pimp daddy joe grooving with his sexy ladies...work it girls...shake your moneymaker...and shake whatcha mama gave ya...girls gone wild: dana's wedding edition...

my students always ask if suzy's my wife...around here, you cant be friends with the opposite sex unless youre married...its very bizarre...but i like this pic cause i think we both look hot in it...especially me ;-)

holy sprawled out baby, batman!...oh, and can someone pull down that bikini top...cheese'n'rice...girls gone wild: dad's boat edition...but doesnt ella look so peaceful and fragile in this pic?...im kinda scared to see her all growed up...i feel like ive missed so much :-(

cute picture, huh?...once again, i dont want to see charlie as a mini-woman...i mean, i suppose ill be excited for her...but she better stay my little, precious niece...and innocent...please, still be childish and innocent...teenagers are frightening creatures...and adults are just as terrifying...so dont grow up charlie...for the love of god, stay young for your uncle joe joe...and never kiss boys...or have one break your heart...cause no one wants to see uncle joe joe angry...he turns green, ya know?...like the hulk...

celia...looking just as disheveled and devilish as ever...just kidding...ive heard this girl has changed a lot...and im so eager to see her...will she remember me?...we'll see...

oh my lord, i cant wait to play pokeeno with kz and pauly...though ill probably lose about two dollars and seventy-five cents...but we have such a good time...oh, and i also cant wait to see kz's 12 inch baby...yes, thats what i guessed the length of her baby would be at birth...go ahead, laugh...k, feel better now?...at least i didnt chase a bus and ask the driver if he was "going to la quinta"...now thats embarassing... ;-)

i heart the roelke family!...theyre the greatest...best...family...EVER!...but also the most odd...i mean, who enjoys having their older cousin move their arms all around and singing and talking about bloody veal?...really, what kinda strange child enjoys that?...and what kinda aunt goes horseback riding topless?...but the man in the moon lives strong in them...and i love them to death...

yeah, Y Camp rocks...and so do these friends...i think im gonna sing theyre favorite song and dedicate it to them...HOGS!...THERES HOGS IN HERE!...THERE MUST BE SOME HOGS IN THE ATMOSPHERE!...and tiffany is gonna kill me for putting this picture up...but we have some norweigian secrets...so she'll forgive me...right, tiff?...

awe, and look at this cute and happy couple...didja know theyre husband and wife?!...just kidding...but they will be some day...i will make them...but i cant wait to see danielle...she's hilarious...

k, well, like i said, this post was dedicated to you guys...there was obviously nothing about american samoa in this post...but even i get sick of this island sometimes...im sorry (though you might be happy) that i didnt put everyone's pic online...i only had a few to choose from...if your pic is not on this post, that doesnt mean i dont miss you...i miss all of you dearly, and i am so stoked to come home and see all of you...i love you guys...though we're a world a part, your guys' love and support gives me strength and inspiration...im so blessed...

love ya and miss ya,

-JOE

"A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it."

-George Moore