Hi, Boys and Girls!
I am Mrs. DeCou.  Let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I grew up in an Air Force family.  When I was in second grade, I lived in England.  I went to a Department of Defense school and we lived in a village.  I developed many wonderful friendships and was able to learn so much.  I also remember enjoying all the many chocolates and sweets!  My father took us to see the rest of Europe and we went on a camping trip through France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland.  Not speaking the language didn't keep us from meeting new friends; we learned that a smile works wonders!
I guess I didn't get enough of the military way of life so married a military man.  We met and were married in Ohio and then moved to San Francisco, CA where our first child was born.  From San Francisco, we moved to Colorado Springs, CO and had our second child.  We then moved to Los Angeles, CA where our third child was born.  We spent a lot of time at the beach and I worked at a local aquarium giving tours to school-age children.  I was surprised to learn that many of these children had never seen the ocean.  I was able to teach them about many of the sea creatures and they were actually able to touch them in the tide pool exhibit!  I also learned that the starfish is more properly known as the seastar.  I also did a lot of tide-pooling and helped with a study of a fish called the grunion for the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.
From there we went to Utah, Ohio, and Virginia where we still live.  We had some amazing experiences and met some wonderful people.