Our Journey

Tae Kwon Do!

2010-11-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Andrew and Logan have earned a few belts since I last posted. They have both worked hard and have earned their low red (Logan) and high green (Andrew).

I am so proud of them!

They put in several hours of hard work a few times a week and are learning to appreciate the value of striving to reach towards a goal.

My Ultimate Support

2010-10-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Love's of My Life

2010-06-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

Joshy just being adorable (as usual).

Logan on his birthday rollerblades; he's 7!

Andrew pitching his first game; I think my heart grew ten sizes just watching him.

~Fun at the Flags~

2010-05-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

We have season passes to the local Six Flags and they have already been put to the test...a couple times. :)

With all the rides in the park, this is the one Josh wanted to go on again...and again...and again...etc. The only bad part was that a parent (me) had to ride with him...again...and again...and again. My head was spinning for an hour.

Andrew seems to have zero fear of any of the rides at the park. He rode every coaster that he was tall enough to ride (which were several!). It is a good thing Dana loves the thrill rides as I was very happy to just give moral support from the sidelines.

Seconds before I snapped this picture, someone on the sidelines had squirted Dana and the boys with a huge squirt gun just as they floated by the walkway.

Josh's first ride on a roller coaster. He looks...concerned. He loved it. :)

Grandmas!

2010-05-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

What would we do without them?

Josh and Grandma Jensen at Six Flags.

Grandma Green taking a bike ride with Andrew and Logan. It had been twenty years since her last bike ride, yet she was willing to do it- thanks Grandma!

Valentines Day

2010-05-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

This year, the kids were excited to get a great big Valentines sugar cookie. They felt loved and full at the same time...I call that a win!

School Days!

2010-05-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Logan's class celebrated Chinese New Year with a parade this year; here he is happily waving his dragon plate to the crowd.

Joshy being escorted through the crowd, he has somehow become the honorary mascot of the classroom; of course he loves every little bit of attention this brings him.

Family PE night at the school was lots of fun! The kids have a fantastic PE teacher. They played several games with this one being the game "amoeba tag." I am not sure of all the rules but apparently, it is a kid favorite. It consists of scooting around on these boards trying not to be caught by the "ameoba" scooters.

Andrew and his ameoba friend, Angelia. Andrew and Angelia take Tae Kwon Do together (with Logan of course) and were dressed and ready to go to Tae Kwon Do once the PE night was completed.

One of the best things at the kids elementary does, is called "Team Time." It is basically a pep rally held twice a week with dancing, cheering and fun songs; LOGAN LOVES TEAM TIME! It is his favorite part of the school week. I know this picture is blurry, but it is the best of all that I could capture of him. He was having so much fun dancing and jumping around!

Christmas

2010-05-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

Yep, I am that far behind.

The past several months I have really wondered if having a blog was worth the effort. Now that we aren't in Japan anymore, life just isn't very exciting; it is busy, tiring and stressful, but not exciting.

I really haven't even taken many pictures because I was so far beind in knowing what to do with what i had already taken that I just felt unorganized and cluttered and my psyche just doesn't do well with that. :)

But, I have finally come to realize (after talking to another blogging friend) that if I don't blog now, at least a little, that by the time I have a chance to catch up on all the pics I will never remember all the details of what was going on. So, the blogging will commence!

Joshy playing in the snow for the first time that he actually remembered; he loved it!

We decided to drive to Utah to spend Christmas with family...it had been 7 years since we had been home at Christmastime! Needless to say, the boys loved their time with cousins, grandmas and grandpas; here is Julianne being very well loved on.

We had to do the obligatory picture of the kids on the steps of the St. George Temple. It was a beautiful night and so much fun to see the lights and nativity while listening to Christmas music.

Bear hugs were issued often!

Logan was not feeling well while in Utah, but he was SO anxious to be in the snow. So, we bundled him up to the point that he could barely move and his eyes were just barely peeking out; he loved it and he loved the snow.

2010-01-30T00:29:00.000-08:00

~Random Sampler~

Logan with jammies filled with stuffed animals. :)

Andrew and Grandma enjoying the ride around Old Town Sacramento.

Logan and the "Captain" on the really cool pirate ship in Old Town. This ship looks just like the you would think a pirate/sailing ship from the 1800's should look. Touring the ship and sailing around one of the nearby ports here is on our "to-do" list while living here.

Andrew caught this fabulous shot of my dad in Old Town...I love it (he will hate it)!

Josh and Logan have come up with a new game at night. They like to see how many stuffed animals they can put in their shirts and/or pants at night while they are "sleeping" in bed. In this particular picture, Josh was so "stuffed" that he couldn't even move! Dana and I had a good chuckle when we removed 7 stuffed animals of various sizes from his shirt. :)

Dana bought me an awesome bike for Christmas! I love it and so does Josh. We are ready for warmer days to be outside and having fun peddling around our neighborhood.

Andrew has developed a love for the game of chess. Thankfully, Dana taught him how to play over the course of a weekend as I couldn't remember all the rules. He is pretty good and Logan is catching on quickly. It is fun to see the boys learn something somewhat difficult so fast and be so proud of themselves.

I know this picture is terribly blurry, but I love it! While my parents were here in November we went to the Science Museum in San Fran; it was incredible! Even though my dad was exhausted, he happily (mostly) complied with Logan's wishes of riding on grandpa's shoulders.

2010-01-30T00:18:00.000-08:00

Tae Kwon Do (and other stuff)!

So, the boys have been taking Tae Kwon Do for about 6 months now and COMPLETELY love it! Their teacher is a Korean man that taught at Berkley for many years and now has his own studio here near the base. At times he is fun and relaxed but other times he is quite serious and will make the kids toe the line. All in all, I am thrilled the kids are enjoying it as much as they do.

They earned their yellow belts a few months ago, and now next week they will be testing for their orange belts-they are excited!

The teacher seems to enjoy the boys as they give it their best effort every time .

And just because I think he is adorable, here is another picture of Josh playing baseball, he was so determined to hit that ball!

2010-01-30T00:09:00.000-08:00

Yep, it has been FOREVER! So, let me catch you up on a few happenings from the past couple of months.

In November, my parents came to visit us in our new home; we had such a great time! We decided to tour Old Town Sacramento and here are just a few of the pictures we took:

I think Andrew must have been inspired by his dad's stories about eating "bugs and such" while in Thailand because he ate his first chocolate covered bug while in a candy store in Old Town. We were all a bit grossed out but his little chest swelled with pride because his little brothers were too scared to do it themselves.

Grandpa played baseball with Josh. Josh worked very hard for his few hits and loved every minute of it!

We took a horse drawn carriage ride through Old Town and loved seeing all the sights up front and personal.

Mom and Dad are always great sports to see and do as much as possible while they are here; we always have great fun! It is such a blessing to live this "close" (15 hour drive) to family as I am sure this is the closest we will be for many years.

The Flu bug vs the Boys...

2009-12-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

The Jensen household was struck by the mean and nasty H1N1 virus this year. Andrew had it first and it was rough on him; many days of fevers, a sore throat, aches and pain and just being downright miserable. Then, about 1 day after he was finally recovered and back to school, Logan came down with it. Now of course since we are military, getting any immediate help or medicine was basically out of the question though I tried my very best. After 4 days of scary fevers and Logan being more sick than I had ever seen any of my kids be in prior years, I took him BACK to the hospital. After fighting with the Dr. about getting a more indepth look at his lungs they did find that he had pneumonia as a complication of H1N1. Thankfully, it was not too severe but enough to have him admitted to the hospital. The first 12 hours of Logan's stay, he was so out of it that he doesn't even remember any of it.

My Mom was great to take the next flight out to us to help me as we knew that Dana's schedule was not going to allow for much flexiblity to help while Logan was in the hospital. Thanks to her, we have pictures documenting this not-so-fun-and-quite-scary event for our family. So, here is Logan relaxing and finally off the IVs and oxygen and then the next picture is of Joshy visiting Logan in his room.

Hopefully I NEVER have pictures like this to post again...yikes!

Halloween

2009-11-19T23:40:00.000-08:00

Nope, I didn't forget about it...just catching up!

The boys were SO excited about Halloween this year. Sadly for all of us, Andrew and Logan were also very sick during October. It was a rough month with lots of missed school, medicine and rocking in the chair with mom. Hopefully next year we can have a little more fun.

But, we DID get to do a few fun activities. :)

The kids couldn't believe how big this pumpkin was...Josh is in utter shock (or something).

These pumpkins were less than $5! Bargain!

Teamwork was the lesson learned that day.

See, one works and the others learn from his perspiration. We are all about learning real life skills here.

Freedom!

Fear!

They went through it twice. Once with Mom to make sure nothing was going to jump out and get them (with Josh's face buried in my shoulder with me shouting "DON'T look Josh!" poor kid) and once just to prove to themselves that they are brave (they are).

These two were able to do some trick-0r-treating on Halloween...

This one sadly did not get to partake in the festivities. He was fevering at 104 (with meds) in this picture. Four days later he was hospitalized; but that is a story for another time.

Anything but dull!

Muir Woods

2009-11-13T22:15:00.001-08:00

So far, Muir Woods has been our favorite place that we have visited. It is almost like stepping into a forest that only exists in fantasy. The paths are perfectly groomed, it is damp, dark and ethereal. The small stream that runs through the woods is crystal clear and alive with small fish. The explorers of the woods are quiet with a reverance for the beauty.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures:

The boys with Grandma Jensen and Aunt Candice.

Joshy posing with his favorite carved bear.

A rare moment of quiet reflection (see, it does happen!).

The beauty encircled us...it was hard to know which direction to look first!

Oddly enough, even the spider webs were beautiful (is that even possible in my world?!).

Snuggling Aunt Candice, they loved spending time with her.

Where is my camera?

2009-11-12T08:55:00.001-08:00

The boys and I made a quick weekend trip to Utah in September. It was fast and furious and OF COURSE we all became sick out of it (happens every.single.time. we go home) but it was still worth it.

It seems that more and more often, one of the boys has my camera in hand taking pictures as fast as possible to document every possible second of fun. :) Here are a few of my top faves from this past Utah trip. It was really fun to look through and see what (and who) captured their interest over and over again.

So, enjoy the pictures! I think all three boys had an opportunity to capture some of these fun moments:

My brother Mike.

My uncle Pat or as my boys affectionately call him, "Uncle Hat."

David's wife and son~Heather will love this one.

My Mom and Julianne

Denise and Tristin

Jennifer

Kayla

My Dad and Josh and Logan.

Why is being a mother to boys so fun? Let me show you!

2009-10-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

You just never know what to expect next with little boys. There are times when you are scared to see what they have been up too, but the majority of the time it is sweetness and laughter. I wouldn't change a thing, I love it just the way it is.

So, one day I can't find Josh for a few minutes. Now, this is rare, because the child is glued to my side most of the time (as all my boys have been). I am calling him and looking around the house and can't find him. We had recently purchased a DS and the child has staked his claim on this toy...it is HIS or you will pay (death by whining). Games are under strict control and time allowances. Anyway after a frantic few minutes and thinking Josh was either a professional "hide and seeker" or had been lost for good...I found him. Sitting in the bathroom with the lights off having a little personal time. I laughed hard and then reminded him about the game rules. :)

Josh also thinks it is SOOO funny to try and find some, umm...under clothing of mine...and put it on. He can also be found harassing his kind mother (ME!) in the lingere department of a store telling me which bra he wants and "can I please put it on?!" (NOOOO!) I don't know if I should be more disturbed at Josh's love affair with womens' underwear or the fact that one of the cup sizes of my bra is half the size of my son's torso. Yikes. Double Yikes.

Oh, and apparently, these guys are "watching me" to make sure I don't have to go into "time-out." Don't mess with the squishy reptiles.

Sacramento Air Show

2009-10-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

After working a 24 hour shift a month or so ago, Dana indulged us by taking us all to an airshow in Sacramento...we loved it!

You would think that after leaving our last residence we would never want to hear another loud jet again, but we are glutons for (audible) punishment, I guess!

Our ferry ride.

2009-10-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Dana jamming to tunes on the boat (just kidding, it was an audio tour). He looks great though, doesn't he? Love him.

Josh being adorable. Don't grow up, k?

Alcatraz! I am really looking forward to touring this place; I bet it had a thousand stories to tell.

Downtown San Fran. Did I tell you that my van became wedged in Ghiradelli's parking garage? Yeah, it took a beating. Tiny passage way + van= scraped paint. The upside is that it is on the passenger side of the van so I don't ever see it, out of sight out of mind right?!

A few fun things we have done...

2009-10-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

We played in the Air Museum on the base...

We visited the Oakland Zoo, but someone forgot to put any animals there. Seriously. We saw two lions and only because we rode the sky tram right over the top of them. We did pet a nice little sheep. I think we caught a glimpse of some elephant poop. Fun times. :)

We enjoyed the visitors center at the Oakland Temple. It is so nice to go and visit a temple again with the family.

We took a slightly breezy (the wind could have blown Josh off the bow of the boat) and mildly chilly (FREEZING!) ferry under the Golden Gate Bridge. Loved it!

More to come...

Bike Riding!

2009-10-20T11:23:00.001-07:00

Let me just note right now that I have no idea what has happened to my picture quality on blogger. My pictures are crisp and nice when I download them, but they are not great when I upload them here onto this blog. Sorry!

But, onto the fun! It has been great to live somewhere that my boys can ride their bikes! It just wasn't that easy in Japan. We lived in an apartment and down below us was a busy street. Bike rides on the seawall were fun but a bit dangerous getting there with all of the traffic.

ANYWAY...

We can ride our bikes now!

Logan was so proud to finally be able to ride without training wheels. He didn't really have any safe place to practice in Japan, but after an hour out in front of the house he had it down. Yay!!

The Many Faces of Josh...

2009-10-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

These pictures were all taken within about a 5 second time frame. Josh is so full of fun personality! He is constantly doing something silly for attention or if that doesn't work he just walks around the house "squeaking" and having us guess as to what he is saying in his new language.

Thanks Josh for making our household just a little more fun!

Randomness

2009-10-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Dana surprised me with a fantastic bouquet of deliciousness for my birthday, the boys and I enjoyed this for days! I will take an edible arrangement of yumminess over flowers any time!

Logan loves to go to his primary class at church. He also loves the process of getting all dressed up to look nice. One Sunday he was up in his room for an extra long time getting ready for church. He finally came downstairs and was so proud of his new look. He had found church pants that were too long (Andrew's) so he figured he would just roll them up and that would work fine. He also found a nice big white shirt (Andrew's again), a tie, belt and church socks. I love this kid (and his brothers of course!).

Andrew doing some reading for homework. I just thought it was cute that he had my watch on his leg to keep track of his time...inventive!

They really did start school...

2009-10-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

They started school about two months ago...it isn't too late to post 1st day of school pics yet right?

Andrew was feeling the first day jitters and not all that thrilled to get his picture taken. He just wanted to get into the car and get this first day over with! Can't say that I blame him as this is his third elementary to attend and he is just starting third grade this year.

Logan was absolutely thrilled to have his first day of school as a first grader...the boy was beaming.

Joshy started his new preschool a few weeks after the boys were already going to school. He was so excited as he was very much missing his best friends, mom just doesn't have the stamina to play "guys" and "boxing" and "chase" and "swords" like they do...though I am VERY good at playing "dead" on the floor for long periods of time. :)

Pier 39 Sub Tour

2009-09-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what the name of the sub is, but the kids loved it!

Mom, well...not so much. Who knew she was claustrophobic.

Josh seemed to be particularly happy down there in the kitchen.

1 item on our "things to do while we live in the area" list has now been checked off...1 down, 1000 to go. Think we will get them all done?!

Jelly Belly

2009-09-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is not a very exciting post, but it IS a post.
Oh, and the buttered popcorn jelly belly is the one and only flavor that really matters.
The End.

Birthday Boys!

2009-09-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yep, still catching up!

This summer, my three boys celebrated their birthdays. It was fun to be with family and have them all feel so special!

Logan turned 6 this year, I can't believe how fast he is growing up (STOP!). A few of my favorite things about Logan:
*He is the "glue" that holds the brothers together. Logan is both Andrew's and Josh's bestfriend and they would both be lost without him.
*He is his dad all over again, in EVERY way...of course I love this.
*He loves to snuggle with mom and have his back tickled. We love to watch movies this way.
*He LOVES fruit and vegetables; I will not be suprised if he evolves into a vegetarian someday.
*He loves art projects and writing/drawing.
*He loves to sing and go to primary.
*He needs food every 2 hours and LOTS of sleep to be a fully functioning and happy little boy.
*He loves school and all the learning that goes with it.

Andrew is 9 this year...yikes! When did I say that my first born could get so old? Here are a few things about Andrew:
*He is all about science-yes, ALL about science.
*He LOVES to play sports and generally does really well.
*He loves computer games and talks tactic and strategy with his dad (all of which I have no idea what they are saying).
*He has a heart of pure gold, but sometimes it is bossy-to-little-brothers pure gold.
*He rarely disobeys, and if he does it is because he genuinely forgot the rule.
*He always tries to CTR.
*He cannot resist jumping in the middle of a hug mom and dad are giving each other...his eyes twinkle with anticipation and it is his happy place, right in the middle.
*He thinks music with the electric guitar and drums is "really cool." Thanks to the 80's we can all enjoy some "really cool" music.

Joshy is all of 4 this year but is SURE that he is really 10. MUST.STOP.GROWING.
*He is a complete character...you want drama? He is always willing to provide.
*He is down-right funny and has us all laughing on a daily basis.
*He loves to be with his brothers and is completely lost without them.
*He is Mr. Social and talks to everyone-EVERYONE.
*He has very animated discussions between his stuffed animals on a daily basis.
*He could live on "chicken tenders, fries and ketchup" (but doesn't).
*He thinks Andrew's DS is his and will battle for it.
*He LOVES to be the "baby" and milks that position in the family. We love it (usually).

A little hard work...

2009-09-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

Who says a little hard work never hurt anyone? Mom, that's who!

Our back yard was really just a big dirt and weed fest when we first moved into our home (we have grass now). Sadly, my boys really don't know the value of hard work. Sure, I have them do chores IN the house but in Okinawa we lived in a nice apartment on the ocean that didn't require work.

But, moving into our new home their have been LOTS of "fun" opportunities for work.

Sure, they were excited to use the rake...

and the shovel the FIRST time...

But, it didn't take long for the novelty of "hard work" to wear off. *wink*

Summer Re-cap

2009-09-06T13:19:00.001-07:00

We DID have a great summer...let me show you a few of the activities the boys did:

Rock climbing at the Washington Rec Center; the boys loved it! The first time they climbed, they were intimidated and didn't think they could get all the way to the top...but, they did it! They were so proud of themselves.

What summer would be complete without baseball? They played on a small city league in Enoch Utah and had a blast. It was low key and just plain fun. Most nights, the kids used pizza boxes for bases and tennis balls to hit-love it!

Andrew getting in a great hit!

Logan was so much more confident this year. He hit, he ran and he would field the balls for all his worth. I was very proud of his accomplishments and improvements.

Run boy, RUN!

My sister in law, Alisha, talked me into doing a Biggest Loser bootcamp this summer with Filipe and Sione (sp?). Honestly, I just wasn't in the mood to have my butt kicked and really didn't want to do it, but Alisha talked me into it and I am SO GLAD she did. It was fun, painful and exhausting. We learned a lot and had a great time. The cute little girls in the picture are 3 of my nieces that came to support Alisha and I on our last work-out night. Thanks Alisha!

Yes, I realize I look completely wiped out...and I was exactly that.

We had LOTS of fun cousin time. The boys missed their cousins so much while we were in Japan and now I think they miss them even more since we have come to California. The kids had a great time on the farm, at the pool, at the park, in the mountains and everywhere inbetween.

Logan is a born fisherman. This is his "I am deleriously happy" smile.

Joshy loved the fishing as well...though he is dangerous with that hook while casting.

Back Online!

2009-09-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's hard you know, to say goodbye to a land you love, to people you adore and to a culture that you have come to admire.

It has been SO LONG since my last post. It has taken me this long to finally feel a bit settled and into the "groove." It has been a whirlwind! The first month back we spent with family in Utah trying to reaquaint ourselves with loved ones. The second month we unpacked boxes, painted, moved furniture around and back and put in a backyard. And now the third? Well, the third is shaping up to be just as busy with the boys back in school, Scouts, TaeKwonDo and tracking down dad in the hospital for our Thursday night family dinner date in the cafeteria.

I also did a very baaad thing this summer...I didn't take pictures. Why? I am not even sure. I think I was just out of sorts and trying to find my place again in the family. Anyway, I have repented of my slothfulness and once again will have my camera with me at all (ok, most) times.

So, I have LOTS of small items to catch up on with the blog; but for now, I will post the last of my favorite pics from our last few days in Japan.

Joshy running at the beach. It took two years, but he finally overcame his fear of the crashing waves and rising tide and would run and play in the water with the best of them.

We had to find sleep where (and when) ever we could get it. Have I mentioned that making an across the planet move is exhausting? Well, it is. We were grateful to those who had us for dinner, helped us with the last of the packing, came and said their goodbyes and most of all to the Deaver family that allowed us to bunk with them for a week. We love you (even though you won't ever read this) and miss you terribly.

This was the Shisa I passed everymorning while walking my kids to the bus. I miss it.

Josh and I took a last walk to "our" vending machine for our favorite drink, peach water! Happily, Josh and I have found that propel's mango/tangerine water taste just about the same so all is well in the world.

Did I mention that they had to use a crane to get the stuff OUT of our apartment? They didn't need one to get the items in...just out. Apparently, the elevator had shrunk in size in the two years we lived there. Josh and I camped out and watched the crane while I inwardly chanted "don't drop that...don't drop that....DON"T DROP THAT!" a hundred times while watching my favorite purchased asian antiques be lowered to the ground. I am happy to report that the Okinawan movers are magic and not ONE ITEM was broken.

We miss you Okinawa!

But, on to another life...another adventure...and in the end, what I know will become another tearful goodbye when we eventually leave our home here.

I have lots to update you on, so stay tuned I will be back online...soon!

Time to say goodbye...

2009-05-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is going to be my last post for a while. The time has come for us to move back to the US! We will have movers here Monday and Tuesday. We are also staying with our dear friends, the Deavers, on Monday and Tuesday. Then, we will go into the TLF (on base hotel) for 10 nights until we fly out on the 16th. When we did the numbers, it was cheaper for us to go to the TLF than to pay rent everyday. :)

The computer is being packed up tomorrow, so I won't be able to blog though I plan to still take MANY more pictures in the days (weeks) to come. I will have a lot to catch up on!

We have truly loved our time here on this wonderful island. We really had no idea what to expect, but we have been pleasantly suprised. Of course, it had its challenges. I realized today that even after two years, I still can't figure out the lint catcher on my Japanese dryer. I can't read the buttons on my dishwasher or AC. I never realized how much I am in love with having a garbage disposal, as it is one of those items that you miss once you haven't had it for a while. We have missed family terribly, but we found a special closeness within our own little family and that has made home quite the haven. The boys have only had themselves to be with for the majority of the time and they have formed such a strong bond of brotherhood.

We will miss the people here and their gentle, kind and humble personalities. We will miss the simpleness here. The Okinawan's are not into having to have lots of "stuff" and that has been such an eye opening and wonderful lesson for us. We will miss the way that this culture always treats everyone with respect and kindness. The way that everyone here just obeys the law, because it is the law.

We are looking forward to our new adventure in California; to being able to be with family once again on a more (hopefully!) regular basis. But, we will have a warm place in our hearts for this wonderful little island out in the East China Sea.

Family Pictures

2009-05-03T05:43:00.001-07:00

A few girls from the branch offered to take a few family pictures of us on the beach here in Oki. It was just perfect for pictures...and by that I mean the sun was far too bright in our eyes, it was raining AND is was horribly windy. :)

But, with lots of patience from everyone, we were able to go to two different locations and take a few pictures. Thank you so much to Bambi and Fayette for taking these for us!

I won't give a running commetary on all of these pictures but if are wondering what we are all looking at in our hands it is hermit crabs. The beach was crawling with them and we all had fun catching them and comparing whose was best.

Mona Kids Jungle

2009-04-30T03:43:00.001-07:00

Mona Kids Jungle= Kid Heaven

It is an indoor playplace that is...actually....downright....CLEAN!! (my germaphobe fears did not rear its ugly head even once! Yay!)

They could fly...

play drums...

and even lounge in a ball pit (without getting stuck by hypodermic needles, eaten by scary creatures, or attacked by some unknown virus).

Easter

2009-04-30T03:31:00.001-07:00

Better late than never right?

We enjoyed a fun Easter with our dear friends, the Deavers. What will my kids (and me!) do without them when we leave?

After much convincing (of Josh) we did finally get a picture with the Easter bunny. Josh is so ready to bolt and not happy to have the creature touching him in any way. Good thing Logan has a nice strangle hold on him to keep him steady. :)

After a delicious dinner, we enjoyed an evening Easter egg hunt. I love seeing the East China Sea in the background here!

Logan and his almost full basket!

Andrew and his best friend Lucy.

It was serious business for Josh. He was not wasting any time getting to the "goods" laying wait inside the egg. He loves his chocolate!

The kids searching for the last of the eggs.

Finally Done

2009-04-26T04:45:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished the last of my quilt squares! I am glad that I didn't know how much time overall that doing these squares would take because that would have really made me hesitate. But, I am happy with the finished product. All in all, I made 20 of the sanshin square, 5 (and thank heavens ONLY 5) of the Shisa square and 2 of the sugar cane and rice hat. Overall, I will have 25 different squares (from the others in my groups) for a wonderful memory quilt.

Now to find some nice quilting lady that would like to piece together all of these squares for me. There is NO WAY I am going to learn to piece a quilt on something that has this much "sweat equity" put into it.

I am trying not to panic...

2009-04-26T04:29:00.000-07:00

But, I only have 1 week left in my house! Here I am thinking I am getting all prepared in plenty of time and then it hits me- YOU HAVE 1 WEEK TO GET YOUR LIFE IN ORDER, ack! I gotta tell ya, there is nothing like an organizational kick in the pants than trying to move your life across the planet (again).

On another note, my kids have said and done a few things that have been so cute and sweet that I knew I would need to "blog" about them before they are lost from my mind forever.

I'll start with Andrew:
Andrew is my scientist at heart. If he isn't learning about anatomy then it is natural/earth sciences. If it isn't either of those, it is astronomy or marine biology; and if those aren't floating his boat at the moment it is chemistry. And right now, we are talking a LOT about chemistry in this house. Andrew's favorite evening pastime is to go onto youtube (WITH mom and dad of course) and watch chemisty experiments (how would I have even guessed that I would be trying to explain the periodic chart of elements with my 8 year old?). His favorite experiment at the moment, is one of a college professor putting some sulfur into water and watching the "explosive" reaction...good times I tell ya. Anyway he is always asking how old he has to be until he can go into THAT college class and talk to THAT professor about chemistry. Love it. He said to me the other day as I was driving the boys to school "Mom, when I am in college and you come and help in my class (I help out in his class a lot) I will get to show you all of MY experiments." Ahh, it makes a moms' heart melt to hear that my son wants his mommy to come to his college class to see his work. I know it will pass but I will relish it for the moment.

Next is my Logan. He is my creative little one that craves learning and projects. He is such a little Dana in the fact that he is a perfectionist and just seems to intuitively "get" how things work. He is so loving and loves to project his love in works of art. If I am gone for even just a little bit and he is home with Dad, I always find a picture taped to the door that Logan has made for me. Of course, I save every one and have quite a stack built up now; such sweetness.

Another little habit he has picked up is that he meticulously folds his pjs each morning and gently places them into his drawer before getting dressed. I really need to get this on tape. He lays the shirt down on the bed, smooths out the wrinkles, folds in the sleeves and then folds the shirts in to thirds. Then, the same routine with the pants. EVERYDAY. Where did he get this? Should I be worried?! I am more of a stuff and grab kind of a girl and even Dana isn't that concerned about his folding (though admittedly, more than I am).

My third and final cute memory is something Joshy (my wild card) said to me this week. He is SURE that I need another baby in my tummy (I don't). In fact, we were standing in line at the military post-office on base together in a LONG line of quietly patiently waiting soldiers. Out of the blue, Joshy says in his much too loud at that moment voice, "Mom, you gotta get a baby in there!" as he pats my tummy...ya, thanks kid. That wasn't embarrassing even one little bit.

Then, the next day as we are driving in the car, once again the subject comes up about babies in the tummy (you would think I have a daughter...where is my little rough and tumble son getting all this?) and that babies grow bigger while they are in there. Well of course Josh says to me, "Mom, I gotta get back in there right now!" Confused I say, "In where, my tummy?!" "Yes" Josh says, "I need to get back in there so I can get bigger and stronger now!" Ha! I had a good laugh outta that one.

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

I had a busy week last week. Well, let me back up a little. Dana was in Thailand for 3 weeks. It was long and crazy all rolled in together. Then, one week later, I was on a plane to come back to the States to try and find a home at our new assignment; and I did!

We did our homework and I flew out with 20 homes that I really wanted to look at with the agent that was waiting to give me the grand tour. At the start of that first day, a whopping 3 were left of the 20; they had all been sold. The buyers market was quickly being gobbled up by investors. After a frustrating first day of looking at overpriced very dirty and or stripped houses I was feeling a bit discouraged to say the least.

On the second day (I only had a week planned for my trip) this lovely little gem of a home fell into my lap. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time (or an even better view would be divine intervention).

We are looking forward to actually being able to live in our own house for 4 years! That is the longest we will have lived in any one place in our 11 years of marriage, yay!

(Oh, and Dana just walked in the room and said,"What? Are you blogging?" A sure sign of being REALLY behind in doing something that I love.)

F-22 Raptor

2009-04-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am a bad blogger. I have not posted for such a long time! I would like to think
that I will get better...but that is a hard promise to make; so maybe.

Anyway, a couple of months ago we were able to go down to the flight line and see
up close and personal an F-22 Raptor. I know zero about fighter jets but
apparently, this one is awesome! Dana and the boys were very excited to see it.

Logan's 100 Days

2009-03-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

The kindergarten classes at Logan's school had a fantastic 100 days of school celebration last week! It was an all out party for most of the day and so much fun for the kids.

They played lots of games like placing 100 unifix cubes in the tray.

Trying to do 100 spins on a hula-hoop.

Making cool 100 day glasses to wear.

Riding bikes doing...100 of something I am sure.

Counting by 10s in Spanish while jumping on the lilly pads.

And then of course welcoming a local Japanese kindergarten to join them in the fun celebration. Not only do the Japanese students get cute puppy and bunny buses to ride in, the "horn" for the bus is a "bark!" Love it.

I am so glad I was able to spend the morning with Logan!

GNO!

2009-03-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

I know I have posted before about the great group of girls that I join every other month or so for GNO (girls night out). It is so great to have this fun night of pedicures, dinner and chit-chat. I am hoping that all of the money I invest in crayola's water color paints will pay off soon and the boys can recreate my favorite toe art for me once we move. :)

Andrew's Blue and Gold

2009-02-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

Andrew earned his first Cub Scout awards last week; he was very proud of his accomplishment!
Of course, I am a Scout-newbie and didn't realize I should have my camera so thankfully a great sister in our branch, Fayette Foote, took several shots of Andrew and I while we were up front. Thank you, Fayette!!

Andrew, I am very proud of your hard work. I love you!

Nago Castle Ruins

2009-02-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Last week, Dana had the day off and the older two boys were in school so the three of us (Josh and Dana and I) took off to check out another site that I had been hearing about. It was apparently a castle ruins site though I didn't see any ruins. What I did see though, was about 650 steps UP a mountain to get up to the ruins (or lack thereof). The best part about this place were the stone lanterns that lined the stairway up the mountain; I love them! So ruins or no ruins, we had a great trip. The weather was perfect, the lanterns were beautiful, the blossoms were vibrant and the leg workout was painful. :)

Lets just get this ugliness out of the way:

Octopus snacks that you could buy from that snack shack at the foot of the mountain. I think I will pass. We did get Josh some fries, but they tasted like fish.

I love the contrast here; blue sky, palm trees and cherry blossoms. Am I in heaven? Very possible.

A panel from the bridge in the picture below.

My little love bug.

Josh running down the path.

The shinto shrine.

Peace Prayer Park Memorial

2009-02-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

Peace Prayer Park is a memorial for the Battle of Okinawa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa.

I have been hesistant to go to this place as it is very sacred to the Okinawans and I wasn't sure if it would be the kind of place to bring our family to see. But, on a warm (!!) winter day, the Peterson family decided to join us to brave it. I am so glad we did!

The boys checking out one of the many shrines for us.

There were walls, walls and more walls with names of the fallen. It was sobering. It is so eye opening to see so many names (thousands) listed for one horrible battle.

The Okinawan's had heavy losses themselves. The local people endured such hardship and tragedy; war is a very ugly affair.

The kids looked for any familiar names they could find.

The park was full of beautiful monuments.

It was spacious, simple and serene.

They had a huge museum to display many relics, photos and stories.

Ever tried to get a picture of 6 boys after they have been "reverant" in an outdoor park for about 3 hours. This is what happens. :)

CuTe KiDs!

2009-02-11T03:39:00.001-08:00

Just a few everyday pictures of the kids:

Logan and Josh; best friends always (along with a few "tato heads").

Logan and Suzy.

Andrew and Lucy.

Josh and Jake; best buddies all (most) of the time!

Loved

2009-02-11T03:13:00.001-08:00

Where do the days go?

I blink and two more weeks have gone by without so much as a cute little post; sorry about that.

I have several items to catch up on, but just wanted to post this adorable picture that I found hanging on our front door one evening as I came home from errands. I am the luckiest mom (and wife!) ever.

Logan was the artist. :)

Neo Park

2009-01-29T15:58:00.001-08:00

So, I am not really a fan of Neo Park. It is dirty. It is stinky. I am scared that myself or someone in my family is going to contract avian flu. The birds are NOT afraid of me (this is not a plus in my book)! For some crazy reason my boys like to go there though. So, we went for the second and very last time a few weeks ago.

Other than feeling like I had to burn our clothes, lysol the bottom of our shoes and scrub our hands until they were raw, we had a splendid time (for the last time).

Obviously, they have a lot of birds. This one looks all calm and snuggly but just look at that evil eye.

Josh has his "puncher" ready just in case one of these monsters decide to attack. Save 10 years of your life by NOT bringing bread into the park. The birds really really want that bread. Now. And your hand too.

The park does have very old and very slow tortoises that you can ride. I like them. I can run faster than they do. They don't want to eat me or my children. They can stay.

They also have a very confused warthog piglet that is trying to nurse a dog. A strange dog that couldn't seem to get its tongue back into its mouth...at all. I think the birds must have got to him.

Ok, so the piglet was confused but also cute. My kids are often confused and cute at the same time, so I am ok with the warthog.

Squid on a stick anyone?

A day {in December!} at Zampa.

2009-01-29T02:21:00.000-08:00

I had forgotten that I had taken some pictures of the boys and the Deaver family on a gorgeous winter day at Zampa in December. I guess it goes to show that the blog has been neglected when I find cute pictures that I didn't bother to share.

Here is my Joshy. I can't believe he is getting so big. What happened to my baby? As much as he is growing up he does like to remind me that he is still a baby when I tell him to stop sucking his thumb. "But, I a baby Mom, its ok!" he says. He always wins that conversation.

Here he is again breaking out into dance (Tooty-Ta) on the beach.

My sweet Logan. My boy that LOVES homework, playing with my hair, getting his 12 hours of sleep at night and being with his brothers. He is the glue that holds my three musketeers together.

Andrew: my Scientist, Chef and Doctor all rolled into one. He is either talking about a new science experiment he wants to do, thinking of food that he want to cook with me (this weekend he wants gingerbread cookies and gyoza), or reading books about the body and how it works.

This is Lucy and Suzy, my adopted daughters. I love them very much (as do my boys) and will miss them when we leave. But, lets not talk about that now (there is not any chocolate in the house so sad things must not be discussed!).

The Deaver family asked me to snap a couple family pictures of them for their Christmas cards this year. It was an extremely bright and beautiful day. The light was harsh but we made do.
Love them.

Blessed

2009-01-20T02:05:00.001-08:00

A conversation I overheard today between these two boys:

Logan (as he is giving Andrew a hug): "I love you so much Andrew"

Andrew (hugging Logan back): " Oh, thank you Logan, that was nice."

Logan: "Andrew, when you grow up big and go on a mission, I am really going to miss you."

(Mom starts to suddenly have tears gushing out of her eyes)

Andrew: "I know, but don't worry it won't be for a long time."

Logan: "Ok, thats good."

Could a mother be more blessed? I don't think so.

I Spy A...

2009-01-16T03:24:00.001-08:00

Today was a gorgeous warm and sunny day, so after school the boys and I walked to the beach and out along the reef as it was low tide. We went farther than we ever had before and found a perfect spot to see through the crystal clear water many (I am guessing at least 8) feet below.

I had the boys lay on their bellies on the wet and slimy green mossy stuff that grows on top of the coral and then peer down into the water. This is what we saw (I did not take any of these pics):

The Blue Damsel fish; I love these! They are always caught in the tide pools and are just the most beautiful color of blue that I have ever seen.

We then saw two Lion fish. I was shocked (not literally)! I have never seen these before and never expected too. As far as I knew, they were a deeper water fish; not today.

6, yes count them, 6 adorable Puffer fish! I love these. Not enough to touch them of course but they have very cute faces for fish. When they are not puffed up, they have adorable fat and happy lips.

And one I really don't like, the trumpet fish. This fish is just plain creepy. They are really loooong and thin with weird mouths that look like they want to eat you. They glide and slices their way through the water, ick.

We will miss this island and the beauty that seems to lurk around every corner and just a few feet down in the ocean.

Slides and Flowers...

2009-01-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

It is 2:00 a.m. and I can't sleep, so I might as well blog right?

We found a new (to us) park and thought we should explore. Josh is a bit intimidated by the massive slides (smart boy) and stays close to mom.

The older boys on the other hand, have no fear of trying out the "drop slide." Notice that Josh was brave enough to "peek" over the edge but that was it.

With this slide the boys have to climb to the top, hang on the over-head bar and then do an amost free fall until they reach the curvature of the slide. Yay, they love it!

Here we are at the botanical gardens again checking out the massive hibiscus. I love this picture of Logan because he has some crazy facial expressions most of the time in front of the camera; something to do with the anticipation of the flash.

Anyway, he did great in this one! Yay!

Joshy and the huge flower. No, he didn't scrape his head, it is a birthmark (he needs to wear a sign stating this).

Logan loving the "elephant ear" leaves.

Aww, there is my photogenic kid! The bamboo forests are tranquil and beautiful.

Still Playing Catch-up...Christmas Morning

2009-01-08T06:07:00.000-08:00

Is it to late to wish you all a Happy New Year!?

Here are the boys in their new "ninja" pjs that they opened on Christmas Eve; they love 'em!

Joshy was the only one who wasn't tearing into his stocking before I could get a picture; such a patient boy (really?).

I have a bazillion (as Logan would say) pictures of the kids with different presents, but I thought I would just put one of each child up here. Here is Andrew with his new Pokemon cards. I have no clue how the game is played but apparently, it is serious stuff on the bus.

Logan was THRILLED to have a new Optimus Prime costume. After this picture was taken he took off the beloved ninja jammies and put on the costume and then kept it on for the next two days until I forced him to take a bath. :)

Joshy's new love. If Santa hadn't brought him his "Big Optimus" then all faith in any Christmas magic would have been completely shattered.

Christmas Eve and the Botanical Garden

2009-01-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

If you can't go to Temple Square to see the lights nor can you look out your living room window to find any (Christmas is not BIG in Okinawa) then where do you go? The Botanical Garden! Ok, so I am not sure if I saw even a picture of Santa anywhere, but we did see some amazing displays of Christmas lights. Who knew that Christmas lights make beautiful scenes of coral reef, fish, flowers and water spouts?

We shared a "footlong" (the inch scale must be much larger here on the island) hotdog for Christmas Eve dinner...oh, the deliciousness of it.

We checked out the lights...look a reef!

Found Nemo and Marlin

Lots of flowers

And three adorable boys.

We then sat and watched a laser and fireworks show on the lawn.

Fun to be had by all!

Did you miss us?

2008-12-30T04:51:00.000-08:00

We missed you all too. Mommy was having a few technical difficulites and has also been entertaining our grandma so she has been a bit distracted. But, we promise to be up and running again soon! We will nag her and nag her until she sits down and blogs about us and all that we do.

We also wanted to mention that we hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

With a new year full of...

lots of hopes and dreams...

smiles and happiness...

and love in your heart.

~The Jensen Boys

Super Heroes!

2008-12-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

Germ Fighting Super-heroes!

The last few days have been rough. But, thanks to my three super-heroes I think we might just survive. I was a weary mother today trying to disinfect our home when three little men came to my rescue. I am so glad they did! Who knew cleaning with a super-hero purpose (ridding the world of germs!) could be so adventurous?

Thanks, super-heroes! You saved your mommy!

The Naughty Signer.

2008-12-03T02:41:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that Logan LOVES school? Well he does. So much so, that once he is home, he is a constant chatter box in smatterings of four languages! English of course, Japanese, Spanish and sign language; fortunately for me, sign language is quiet because I just don't know how much more background noise my ears can take. Logan is obviously not fluent in Japanese, Spanish or Sign Language but he takes each of these for an hour a week and apparently pays very close attention to every word taught because he comes home to teach us at the dinner table (much to his delight).

Anyway, so tonight Logan was mad at me. I made the error of asking him to put his jammies on and he just plain wasn't ready to do it yet. I asked him 4 times nicely and then told him he was going to get a consequence for not listening to me (oh the horror of having to sit on your bed for 5 minutes). Well, this just irritated him so he scowled at me as he stomped down the hall and just as he was turning the corner to his room, his right hand appeared around the corner and signed 4 little letters to me. B-O-O-B! !!! What had my baby just done? I was shocked and laughing hysterically at the same time. He knows that if he were to say that to me (and where did he learn this word anyway?!) he would have been in much bigger trouble, so to conquer this yet still get his point across, he signed it.

What is a mom to do? My angel is signing potty words at me!

By the way, Dana thought this was hilarious.

A bedtime story about Okuma.

2008-11-25T21:59:00.001-08:00

Who needs Disneyland when you have Okuma just up the road, right? At least, that is what we tell our boys and for now it is enough.

A week ago, our family enjoyed 2 days up at Okuma. The weather was PERFECT! Cool on the first night, and warm the next day. In fact, I had kids in jackets and hats the evening before and swimsuits the next afternoon. Who can complain about playing in the ocean the week before Thanksgiving?

I know that most here on the island won't be too interested in a timeline of events, but for my family, let me tell you a story about a day in paradise:

The car wasn't even unloaded yet before Andrew and Dad took off to go play a round of golf. It wasn't long before Logan joined them.

After golf, we sat and enjoyed this:

Then, our good friends arrived and all the kids grouped together yelling "take our picture!!" Well, who am I to disagree on that one?

The next morning started out with bikes! See that big one? It was a doozey. ALL of us had sore legs from peddling that monster. (Oh, and see that ocean in the background? It really is that color.)

The the kids ran through a tree/bush maze and found this lurking in the branches. That was one brave momma bird because I was right next to her and she didn't fly off (because I have yet to aquire a nice lense for my camera...hint hint)

Then we did race cars:

Some of our group were VERY excited!

After lunch it was an afternoon of lounging on the beach and soaking in the rays (except for mom who hid under her umbrella...the sun hates me!).

And last but not least, we enjoyed one more sunset before driving back home (though a couple of us went kicking and screaming...not the kids).

The end.

Andrew at Zampa

2008-11-22T04:27:00.000-08:00

So here is my sweet little "clone" or I mean, my first born. I say clone because emotionally he is just like me (quirks included!). As far as what his interests are, it is pretty much his dad all over again. He is also the only one of my boys that has "chocolate eyes" like myself and he is quite proud of that.

Andrew has always been the perfect poser for the camera. :)

Facts about Andrew:
*He LOVES to cook with mom!
*He LOVES Science anything (just like Mom and Dad) but most especially Anatomy and Astronomy. He is the only kid I know that likes to go to the Dr. so that he can ask him/her questions about "how things work."
*He LOVES Transformers.
*He LOVES sports of any kind but most especially baseball, tennis and golf.
*He LOVES his family and is wonderfully kind and sensitive to everyone.
*He LOVES to play the Gamecube and the Wii.
*HE LOVES to wear his PJs and is ready to change into them right after school.
*He LOVES popcorn, PB&honey sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies and STEAK (tenderloin to be specific).

We LOVE him!

Logan at Zampa

2008-11-20T05:05:00.000-08:00

Logan is one tricky little boy when trying to take his picture. For some unexplainable reason, he just cannot look at the camera, smile and keep his eyes open all at once. It is almost as if it physically hurts him to have that shutter snap because GOODNESS can he come up with all sorts of crazy faces.

Nevertheless (is that all one word?), if I take enough pictures fast enough I am bound to get one of him when he least expects it.

Logan Facts:
*He LOVES chocolate milk (thanks Grandma!)
*He LOVES school and is sad when he doesn't have homework.
*He LOVES to sing and be crazy.
*He LOVES costumes and dress-up. I have a feeling he is really going to like drama class when he gets older.
*He LOVES pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
*He LOVES animals and is my most brave in picking up creatures (ie: sea cucumbers). I been begged countless times to "please let me take my cucumber home and keep him in the bathtub!"
*He LOVES his brothers and has two very best friends in each of them.
*He LOVES to keep us on task in reading the BOM every night and WILL NOT (I emphasize this) go to bed until he has had his spiritual enlightenment for the night.

We LOVE Logan!

Trying out some "camera therapy;" I think he likes it!

Oh, and look...TWINS!

Josh at Zampa

2008-11-19T01:30:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I don't have a running commentary on all of these pictures of Josh but I just have to say one thing; can you see why he gets away with everything?! He is just so darn cute! He is 3 going on 10 as well as a lover and a fighter all rolled into one. When this "baby" of mine grows up, I will be heartbroken.

Some facts about Josh:
*He LOVES Transformers and wearing costumes with Logan.
*He LOVES to dip his food in any sauce available: ketchup, Ranch, Salsa etc.
*He LOVES pre-school.
*He LOVES his silky blanket that Grandma Green made for him.
*He LOVES Logan. :)
*He LOVES to say the before school prayer in the van and gives mommy a very mean look when I say it is one of his brothers' turn.
*He LOVES sucking his thumb and mommy is hoping he won't still do that when he goes on his first date.
*He LOVES puzzles.
*We LOVE him!

I love you Joshy!

So, we went to the beach...

2008-11-18T01:28:00.001-08:00

To take a few pictures. It was an overcast day and we had nothing to do. We loaded the boys up and took off for Zampa.

I can't say that I have ever seen a bull being bathed in the ocean, so I thought it was picture worthy. At first, I thought it was a water buffalo but my hopes were dashed as we walked closer. Drat, I really really want to see a water buffalo in action while we are here. Oh well, for now I will have to stick with a very large bull.

Me'n'My Boys: Love them.

Dana and the boys.

As we were walking along the beach we found this old building that had a bit of a "stage" to sit on and then a nice rock wall with greenery in the back. Yay! A backdrop!

Of course, it is hard to pass up the ocean as a backdrop even if the sun is somehow overly bright and my boys all have squinty eyes (when it is totally overcast and about to rain).

All in all, it was another fun adventure playing around on the white sands of an empty beach (except for the bull and a farmer) here in Okinawa.

I have LOTS more pictures of the boys to share and will in the next few days. :)

Best Friends

2008-11-15T18:07:00.001-08:00

Pictures taken by Megan and Ray Gamero (our good friends and neighbors)

25 Words

2008-11-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is kind of a "touchy-feely" post and I hesitated posting it. But, it was thought provoking and important as well so I will just go ahead and throw this out for the world to see. :)

Last Sunday, one of the speakers in Church was relating a story about a POW who had been imprisoned for quite some time. Finally his captors allowed him to get a 25 word message out to whomever he wanted. He of course was not guaranteed his release to freedom and this was likely his last opportunity to say anything. He chose to write his last message to his family.

If you could give your family a message but only had 25 words to do so, what would you say?

So, Dana and I had both been independantly thinking about this topic and after talking about it, decided we would write our 25 words. We did give ourselves one little "cheat," we didn't count the greeting or the closing salutation. Here goes:

From Dana:
Dear Cathryn,
You are and always have been the love of my life. My only hope is to see you and the boys again. Love you forever. Dana

From Cathryn:
My Loves,
Love you all more than anything. Be faithful. Persevere. Find Happiness. Eternity will come. I am with you always. My family gave me joy. Forever, Cathryn/Mommy

Maybe this story struck Dana and I a little closer to the heart as we are an Air Force family and see a lot of families being seperated in the name of "peace."

Think about it.

(I will post something much more light-hearted soon!)

Baby Gecko

2008-11-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

I was determined to come up with some good pictures this weekend, but between the poor weather of either extreme humidity or downpours of rain I came up a little short.

We did go overnight to Oura Wan (beach cottages on the north end of the island) which in and of itself was nice and relaxing, until I found this little critter on the bathroom sink. Now, he is cute and all but where babies are lurking parents are sure to be around. I almost was brave enough to hold the litle guy (because he IS cute) but when he wiggled off Logan's hand and tried to make a mad dash for his sleeve I had seen enough.

So, please don't look at the dirty fingernails and hand on my sweet Logan. We had just come in from playing in the mud pit, err I mean playground outside and were on our way to washing up when we found the little reptile.

Cute right? :)

Fieldtrips

2008-11-06T01:28:00.000-08:00

I gotta tell ya, for the first time since we moved to this fantastic little island I have run out of pictures to blog about and sound exciting. What is worse, I can't think of too many other random shots to take that you all may find exciting. The only exception to that would be our mailgirl that rides her cute bike everyday with the basket at the handlebars overflowing with mail. Oh, and her UV ray shield that makes her look like Darth Vader (no, I am not kidding).

So, this is it folks; field trip pictures. I know, super exciting stuff here...so hold on to your computer chair and let me take you on a little journey into a dirt field somewhere here on the island.

Logan had his first fieldtrip to go dig local sweet potatoes!

Here he is all ready to go. He looks fresh, cool and excited.

Ok, he is digging just as fast as his little hands can go...but its hard...and hot...and those potatoes are deep.

Whew, he found one! Congratulations Logan! You found yourself a 8oz tuber. Now, where is that ocean to go collapse into?!

Here is Josh on his first fieldtrip. A walk outside to see the fire engine and Mr. McGruff! He was happy, excited and just a little bit scared of the enormous talking dog.

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T04:17:00.000-07:00

This year I remembered to get out onto the seawall just outside our apartment in time to take some evening shots of the kids. So, you are seeing the East China Sea in the back ground.

Andrew was very excited to be:

Darth Vader!

This costume didn't make it in time for Halloween last year so it was with much anticipation that it was worn tonight!

Logan was the Storm Trooper, which was great until he decided to morph into:

The always popular Spiderman.

Josh only wanted to be one thing...a "bad" ninja.

It wasn't to hard for him to get into character for this costume.

White Beach

2008-10-28T18:15:00.001-07:00

As I was trying to think of something to post, I remembered that I had some great pictures from our last camping excursion. I use "camping" in a very broad sense. We rented camp trailers that had airconditioning, microwaves and a bathroom. YAY! I practically grew up in a tent so I feel zero guilt what-so-ever "camping" in comfort. :)

This is how I spent our time while "camping." Rough isn't it?

Andrew, always photogenic even with crazy beach hair.

Eating pumpkin cookies for brunch.

We had the whole beach to ourselves. How lucky is that?

We went with a great family that we have become quite close with here on the Island. They have two of the most adorable girls on the planet (arranged marriages are in the works...kidding! Maybe?).

The kids had lots of fun playing night games with the megabats swooping overhead and then plenty of beach time in the morning. Our campsite was right on the beach!

Another vacation weekend for the books...or I guess just the blog. Our simple and easy life is rapidly coming to an end so we hope to take advantage of as much "fun" as we can. Gotta run!

Logan's Love

2008-10-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Logan found a hibiscus flower blossom on the ground at school the other day. He put it in his pocket and just couldn't wait to give it to me after I picked him up. He handed it to me saying, "Isn't it lovely? I got it for you, mom." Never has a crumpled up wilted flower ever been so beautiful. I love this kid.

I often will find little hearts cut out around the house that have "mom" written on them, courtesy of Logan; he is so sweet.

You've come a long way baby!

2008-10-19T05:04:00.001-07:00

It was only 6 years ago that we began the adventure known as "dental school."

Time went by fast, and before we knew it:

Dana was graduating Dental School and swearing in for the Air Force. We thought that we might just be in for a quick 3 years.

But....

Three years turned into four when we decided that a residency program in Nebraska would be a good idea. Dana learned a lot at residency but the two primary pieces of knowledge were:

1. He really liked Oral Surgery
and
2. He really liked the Air Force

So, we moved to Okinawa for what we thought was going to be three years. Dana has been enjoying work because he does surgery 4 days a week. I have been enjoying life because we have been on a paid tropical vacation for the past 14 months (that is Dana on the left).

Then Dana took a test or two and did an interview or two and was offered this:

A slot for the 2009 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery program at a stateside airbase. And you know what? He accepted it.

We are comin' home!

P.s. You know that quick 3 years we were going to do in the Air Force? Well, that just turned into 11. Sweet Mercy, someone give me some chocolate!

Sushi Lover

2008-10-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Joshy and I were out doing errands while the older boys were at school. Of course, Josh has the same appetite that I do and by 9:30 in the morning he was hungry again. So, we ran into a grocery store looking for a suitable snack for being on the go to accomplish the rest of the days to-do list. As we are walking into the store, Josh tells me he wants sushi. "No way is he having sushi for breakfast," is what I am thinking. So, we walk past the sushi counter on our way towards a nice lunchable for him and the tears start to roll. "Mom, I want sushi!!!"

Is this really happening to me? Is my 3 year old baby demanding sushi? Does this not strike anyone else as a bit odd?! Sure, he has had a few bites of it as we have had it at different restaurants here...but a WHOLE plate of it..now...for breakfast?! Well, guess who won? Not mommy. We come back to the sushi counter after putting the lunchable back and the nice sushi girl made a fresh tray of california rolls for my sweet little persistant child. He possesively carried it all the way back to the van, tore into it and ate THE ENTIRE TRAY. Good Heavens!

I guess he really does like sushi.

So, fast forward to the next day (today). I am taking him to pre-school. "Do you want to go eat sushi for lunch with mommy and Katie?" I asked him. He was quite excited with the plan. So, here are pictures of today at a fun little corner sushi house. This restaurant is a bit different and fun as you sit at a booth or barstool and choose the sushi you want that is coming past you on a conveyor belt. Let it be known, that I don't love sushi. But, this place had SO MANY yummy rolls that I walked away a bit too full. It was delicious!

As you walk in the door, they have this cute poster up so as to inform the sushi-naive like myself as to what we are eating.

The cost of the sushi that is going past you on the belt is determined by the design of the plate. That way you know exactly what your bill will be after you are done scarfing down as much delicious sushi as you want.

Here come the goods!

This was the first one Josh picked out (with moms help). A beef steak sushi, IT.WAS.AWESOME. The sauce was finger lickin' good.

Josh LOVES sushi but not getting attacked by the super sticky rice. So, I am sorry you have to look at my weathered (do I have cowboy hands??!!!) hand, but I am complying with the 3 year olds wishes at the moment.

The sushi chefs stand in the center of the oval shaped belt and continuously make fresh sushi. Here they are searing some salmon for a roll. The salmon had a slightly blackened taste to it and was so fresh and perfect that it just melt in your mouth.

Shrimp tempura taking a stroll down the belt. I didn't see that one go by again, so it was gobbled up in a hurry by someone.

Quail egg rolls. I did see these go past several times. No way Jose!

Oh and one other thing that Josh and I have a deep and abiding love for here:

Peach Water. You know those "peachies" gummy candies you can buy on any candy isle? This drink tastes just like the candy, except much less sweet; so good!

Girls Day out making Shisa!

2008-10-13T02:14:00.000-07:00

A girl needs to get out every once in a while and what better way to do that than with a bunch of friends. So, we loaded a van full of us and took off up to Nago to spend a day making shisa at Sachi's place.

Here we are ready to rumble, or I mean, play with clay. :)

First we had to decide what pose we wanted our shisa to be in, and then what color clay (give at least 24 hours notice to Sachi's husband on the clay if you decide to do this).

This is the pose I chose as it is the same as the shisa in front of our building. I also went with the yellow clay (actually, I chose white but yellow and white were lost somewhere in translation while speaking to Mr. Sachi). On the left is my bucket of tools.

Ok, mid creation here. None of us girls really had a clue as to what to do (which really made it even more fun) but we just started packing on the clay to the form. Every once in a while, Mr. Sachi would come along and slap on some ears, or maybe lips or even some claws. I loved it when Mr. Sachi came to help me out as I am play-doh impaired and need all the help I can get.

Ta-dah! Here is the finished product! I quite like the little guy (you can tell it is a guy because its mouth is open...I don't make the legends, I just read'em). If it had been a girl then the mouth would have been closed. All told, it took 2.5 hours to make our shisa. I started with no expectations but in the end I am going to be really really sad if my little shisa doesn't survive our eventual PCS.

Thanks girls for all the fun!!

10,000 Eisa Dancers on Kokusai

2008-10-09T02:48:00.001-07:00

We were able to attend a huge national celebration here in Okinawa a couple of months ago (yes, that is how far behind I am in blogging). It was amazing, humid and deafening all at once. Located in the heart of Naha is the very popular and touristy Kokusai Street. Many vendors, shops, markets and restaurants can be found here.

Once a year, Kokusai Street hosts the 10,000 Eisa Dancers Parade. Eisa dancing is a local traditional style dance and costume performance. The main event are the taiko drums and oh my goodness, they are loud. Once the drummers start, then the sanshin players are added then top that off with singing and dancing. It gives you chills to listen to and is so outstanding that it brings tears to your eyes (or was that just the humidity running down my face?).

The sanshin players.

This sweet little girl was standing not two feet from Andrew for her entire performance. She kept making eye contact with him and smiling. I think I took 50 pictures just of her. She was absolutely adorable.

Can I take her home, please?

Him too. One more boy in the family would be great!

This shot does not do the performance justice. Seriously, there were 10,000 dancers!

Here we are that same day at Fukushuen gardens. I have an earlier post on this garden. I love it here. It is a haven of complete serenity and beauty tucked right in the middle of the city.

I have no idea what this plant was called, but wow.

I love the old buildings. Especially when they are weathered with time just a little bit (or a lot). The color that peeks out is fantastic.

My two sweeties. I am so blessed to have three sons that love each other so much. They are all best friends.

We went to a great tempanyaki restaurant here that served the kids drinks in a "skull". The boys loved it and were terrified to drink out of it at the same time. If you know Andrew at all, you know he is (as this picture captures) working through the logistics of why and how mom and dad want him to drink anything out of a skull. :) In the end, he drank my water and I drank his "punch."

Golfin' Buddies

2008-10-08T02:06:00.001-07:00

Have you ever sat down to do a little "blog surfing" and been so annoyed to anxiously click on someones blog only to be utterly disappointed when they STILL have the same posting up as the last week...and the week before that (and the week before that, you get the point). Well, that is how I feel everytime I look at my own blog; not a good sign. I have really slacked. I was so on top of it all at the beginning and now I am falling behind, very very behind. So, sorry. I will try harder.

Over the summer I enrolled Andrew in a golf clinic. It was so much fun! Being the overprotective mom that I am and not being overly excited about contact sports for my young boys (what mom wants to see their babies chased down and tackled to the ground?! Yikes!) I am always on the lookout for a new sport that my kids can enjoy. Something that can be fun for them without a lot of pressure. Besides turning the golf clubs into lightsabers, I think we found a winner with golf (tennis and baseball as well). Ground rules have been laid and lightsabers no longer make an appearance so no worries grandmas'.

At the end of the golf clinic, the kids were able to play in their first tournament. Other than it being a million degrees outside and being buzzed by at least a dozen fighter jets (F-15s) it was fantastic!
He looks like a pro, right?! He was loving the driver that day and had some great hits.

Josh and Logan giving it a try.

I love this kid!

I love this one too, even when he scowls at me for "distracting" him.

That grass/dirt is in big trouble, though I think the ball is safe. :)

Ryukyu Mura

2008-09-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

While Mom was here, we went to a fun historical park called Ryukyu Mura. They have many traditional buildings, crafts, dancing and food to enjoy as well as having all the employees in traditional dress. Lots of fun! Sadly, I only took a few pictures because my brain stopped functioning due to it being a million degrees outside. Me and excessive heat just don't get along.

This was the most fun performance of the day. I just can't get enough of the Shisa dogs here! This man was in traditional costume and was hilarious. Of course, my boys didn't know what to think of him or his face paint so they kept their distance.

I LOVE these colors! Right when I took this picture I thought poor little Joshy was going to go into cardiac arrest due to being so close to the "monster." I was trying to shield him (and take a good pic) but apparently didn't do it well enough.

Group shot of us with the "scary man". Notice that the two little boys are keeping their distance while Andrew would only have his back to him. :)

Okinawa Memory Quilt

2008-09-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

When I first arrived on the island, there was a church group that was creating a "memory quilt." Now, for any of you that know me very well, you know that I am not a seamstress of any kind (I made Dana promise to NEVER buy me a sewing machine). But more than anything I wanted "in" on that quilt. Unfortunately for me, I had missed the opportunity and could only watch from the sidelines while trying to curb my envy of such a great souvenir to take home from this island.

So, about 6 months later I decided to take matters in my own hand (always scary) and head up another group so that I could get a quilt. Selfish, no? Well, everyone else would get a quilt as well, I just really really wanted one!

After a few months I had compiled 20 willing and committed girls to take on this task. We each committed to making 20 of the best squares we could with each of us choosing a different theme. Let me tell you, this was no walk in the park. We all had to each figure out what theme we wanted for our Okinawa Memory Quilt and then create a pattern as well as then find great fabrics and then (gulp) take on the project of actually sewing (we did an applique' method...don't ask me how, I really have no idea what I am talking about). We all met together several times to claim our theme and then help each other with a pattern.

After 6 months of blood, sweat and tears (ok, maybe not too much sweat but definately blood (sharp needles, ouch!) and tears) we finally arrived to our agreed upon deadline and had a swapping of the squares night. It was such a celebration! Everyone did a fantastic job. I am so proud of the girls in my group. Not only did each of us learn some basic sewing skills, but I think we all made new friends as well.

We now each have 20 different and beautifully done squares to create a quilt with (again, don't ask me how...that is part 2 and I can't even fathom on where to begin).

So, here are the squares:
This one is mine. It is a sanshin and is a local instrument. When we first arrived on the island, I would every so often hear this "twangy" banjo/guitar sound floating around. The moment you hear it, you think of "Japan." I love it! It has such a calming sound.

Taiko Drum. Again, a local instrument that you hear and see at every festival. In fact, they have arcade games for the kids with two big drums and drum sticks that you can play and do your best at following the beat on the screen.

Map of Okinawa. The kanji on it says "Okinawa."

Goya. The green bitter melon is a staple of the local people. It is as bitter as anything I have ever tasted. But, the locals swear by it and its "fountain of youth" properties.

The lucky cat. This cat carries two responsibilites: to grant wealth and/or good health. You see it in many businesses around town.

The clown fish, a.k.a. Nemo. The clown fish is a "regular" for divers and snorkelers to see while exploring the fantastic coral reef that we have surrounding the island.

Whale Shark. These gentle giants do roam the warm waters surrounding the island. There is also a fantastic aquarium here on the island that houses three of them in the most enormous tank I have ever seen.

Hermit crabs are everywhere here on the beaches. It is so fun to watch the kids chase them and scoop them up to take a closer look.

Geta Shoes. Geta are the sandles that are worn when dressing up in a fancy kimono for a celebration of some sort. I love them, but I have no idea how a person could walk in them without breaking an ankle.

Cherry Blossoms. Of course they are everywhere here in the spring and a very big deal to the Japanese people. Festivals galore dot the island while the blossoms are in full bloom.

Torii Gate. There are only a few torii gates here on the island but many more on mainland Japan. They symbolize an entrance to a sacred place.

Kokeshi Dolls. These are collectible wooden dolls made here on the island as well as mainland. Many years ago, these were toys for children, but now they have become a work of art.

Cocok's Feet! I think just about every woman here on the island will visit Cocok's (pronounced Coco's) at least once while here for a pedicure and amazing toe nail art.

Lotus Flower Hat. There is a traditional dance unique to the island that includes the costume of a lotus flower hat and bingata clothing.

Bamboo. Yes, it grows here and is mesmerizing to look at and watch (sway in the wind, not grow). :)

Flags. The kanji says "friendship."

Kimono. I love love seeing people wear their kimono. Often at festivals we are able to catch a glimpse of many of the women and young girls wearing these ornate gowns.

Sushi! How could you have a quilt of Japan and not have sushi? It is on every corner and in every convienence store.
Hibiscus Flower. These are all over and in every color. They are beautiful and smell wonderful.

This is our group minus a few girls. Thank you so much to all of you for your hard work!

P.s. I bought a darn sewing machine.

Baseball ~n~ Boys

2008-09-17T03:10:00.000-07:00

The boys had a great season of baseball. They both had fantastic coaches and we were excited to see how they each progressed in just 10 weeks. Andrew was a bit sad when the season was over but I think Logan was grateful. It was a busy schedule of 3 nights a week of games and practices.
Here are a few (ok, a lot) of pictures of the kids playing this season.

Logan is looking so serious here. Everytime I see this picture, it reminds me of how my brother David looked as a young kid. Which amazes me as Logan is 100% Jensen and Zero Green.

Did you notice that his eyes are closed? This was NOT a one time occurance. We need to work on that. :)

Best Buddies.

Adorable Josh. He brought his transformer guys to every night and was just as happy as could be.

A Samurai Sword

2008-09-12T04:53:00.001-07:00

When we came to Japan their was only one true souvenir for Dana; a samurai sword. Not just any samurai sword, but an old one. One that had seen battle would be even better.

Well, we get here to Okinawa and we find out that it is VERY difficult to get one; next to impossible really. The Japanese people honor their ancestors and parting with a family heirloom sword doesn't happen very often and when it does they don't want to sell them to foreigners. Dana still wanted one, but had resigned himself to the fact that he was likely NOT going to get one.

Well, then we went to Kyoto. On our last day of sightseeing there just happened to be a martial arts shop around the corner. It stocked all kinds of clothing, practice weapons and decorative swords. We looked around and then were about to leave when the shop owner indicated in limited english that he had a selection of much older swords upstairs. We just needed to remove our shoes and go on up and take a peek. Well, take a peek we did. It was unreal. There were locked glass cases surrounding the room with old, really old, swords inside. Each one had a description of the time period it came from as well as the region.

Dana was impressed. I had sticker shock, but was also excited. I LOVE history. Ancient cultures and artifacts are facinating to me. I think I was an archeologist in a former life (kiding, but you know what I mean).

After gazing at these impressive relics for some time, Dana found one he liked...a lot. It was old. It was in wonderful condition and it was the least expensive of the lot. The owner of the shop put on a pair of white cotton gloves and gently handed to sword to Dana. It was a wakizashi. The samurai typically carried two swords with them. The katana which was long and the most identifiable as a "samurai sword" and then the wakizashi which is smaller. The tradition of the wakizashi was that it was often kept on the warriors person at all times, even while sleeping. In fact, the samurai would often hide his wakizashi up the sleeve of his kimono so as to not be without a weapon at any time.

Dana looked it over and I could see he was in love. So, we did what any cautious buyer would do and promtply left the store, walked across the street and sat on a park bench inside of another store for 2 hours to talk about this purchase. After going back and forth several times, we finally came to the conclusion that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and Dana would always regret it if we didn't, so we bought it. Dana was happy. :)

Sadly, we will never have the sword to display here in Okinawa. Buying an authentic sword here in Japan is the same as buying a gun in the states. You have to get a permit and the government needs to know about it. So, we did all the paper work and it is promptly being sent to my parents for safe keeping until we come back to the states. Had we had it sent to us in Okinawa we would have had to do the paper work again once we moved but this time without the help of a versed shopkeeper to help us.

Buying the sword was a memory in itself. Again, the shopkeeper spoke limited english and Dana and I know about 5 japanese words between us so there was a lot of bowing and some pictures being drawn in trying to explain details and information.

So without further adieu...

The blade itself is about 500 years old and the handle around 250 years old (handles wear out and need to be replaced). The handle is covered in manta ray skin and then wrapped in silk.

As you can see, the blade of this wakisashi is quite thin and that is from its repeated need to be sharpened in preparation for battle. Of course, this only enhances the swords perfection for Dana.

Joshy

2008-09-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

This kid is so much fun. Ok, sure he has days that I just can't wait until it is nap time but for the most part he is just plain great.

He is also my new best friend as we are both spending our days together now with Andrew and Logan in school all day. We both like this arrangement.

So, Josh needs a pet. I thought that Logan was an animal lover (and he is) but Josh is even more so. It took a lot of talking to finally "put down the turtle" so we could move on in the zoo.

He is also a ham. Which is great since I love to take his picture.

See? No fear. He thought he was hilarious after seeing himself on the screen of my camera.

I love this kid.

Nara, Mainland Japan

2008-09-08T05:45:00.001-07:00

When Dana and I took our trip to Kyoto we debated whether or not we should take a side excursion to Nara; we are so glad we did. It was our most favorite site of all of the places that we saw. It was just beautiful, quaint and well...perfect. So, if you go to Kyoto then don't pass up the opportunity to go to Nara. I highly suggest going on a paid tour as the transportation and narrative provided are well worth the money.

One of the distinguishing traits of Nara are its' live in residents, and I don't mean people. They have herds of deer that live in the city year round. They have been there for centuries. They are so unafraid of people that it is like walking into a storybook.

They are always looking for little treats and snacks.

The temple that we went to had these wonderfully ornate incense burners. They were mesmerizing to watch.

This Buddha was so huge. I don't think any picture could ever do it justice. It was awe-inspiring. It was the size of the temple picture below. The Buddha was sitting down on the floor and the top of his head was at the ceiling. This room was very dark except for the candles burning, so the picture quality is poor.

Not a great picture of the temple, but gives you a bit of a size reference. Look at how small the people are standing at the entrance; this temple was huge!

Also inside the temple were guardian statues that were hundreds of years old. The statues were there to protect from evil spirits.

Outside we found this water cleansing area. You were to fill your little cup with the water an then drink it as well as rinse your hands with it.

Here is Dana playing with another deer. They were so fun!

We then went to another tourist site (sorry, I cannot remember the name) that is known for its' THOUSANDS of stone lamps. It was so incredible. These stone lanterns were HUGE! Apparently, years ago, the lamps would be lit every night. But now, they are only lit 3 evenings a year. I can only imagine how neat it would be to walk through a forest full of these lanterns. Ok, maybe a little spooky but I wouldn't be scared, honest!

A row of lanterns hanging on a beam at the shinto shrine. I love the age, the color and the simplicity of it.

First Day of School

2008-09-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

So, I have hit a milestone in my life and I do it with mixed emotions. For the first time in 8 years, I have all the boys in school at the same time. Andrew is in 2nd grade, Logan in Kindergarten and Joshy in preschool 3x a week for a couple of hours. Wow...whoa...sniffle...and...YAY! :)

None of the boys looked real thrilled in this picture (especially Mr. Joshy) but they really were excited.

Ahh, a little happier here.

Buh Bye! Mommy Loves You! (I didn't really make them walk! I lovingly drive them to school, walk them to their lines, hug and kiss them and then skip away to my van and wonder what to do with myself) :)

The Geisha of Kyoto

2008-08-31T02:53:00.000-07:00

One of the high points of our trip was finding the Geisha in Kyoto. I think everyone has heard of a "geisha" but little is known about this traditional artform of the Japanese culture. I would give you a history lesson, but I am definately not qualified. What I know, is what most of the world knows and that comes from the movie, Memoirs of a Geisha. Thanks Hollywood! :)

The night we arrived at our Kyoto hotel, I asked the front desk clerk where would be the best place to see a geisha. He looked troubled. In his words, they were rare and I would be lucky to see just one. This is not at all the answer I was hoping to hear. The clerk gave us a map and pointed out a few locations that would be more favorable for a quick sighting.

So, one evening we took a taxi down into the Gion district and took to the streets. This district is where many of the traditions geisha houses are and where they perform. Our taxi dropped us of and we took off. It was a very hot and muggy night, but tourists were everywhere. For those of you planning to go to Kyoto, you want to take a taxi to Gion Corner. This is a huge theatre for traditional geisha performances. In the parking lot, you will see black sedans with dark tinted windows and stern looking drivers. From what we could tell, these are the geisha's drivers.

I have to tell you that I am not a "star struck" person. I can't think of a Hollywood actor that I really care to meet; they are just people that are paid waaay too much for what they do. BUT, my heart was pounding with excitement when the first (yes, we saw MORE than one!) geisha jumped out of her chauffeured car and swiftly walked to the Gion Corner. I can tell you that they are FAST in their clog like shoes. They are not there to stop and pose for a picture, (though, I did get one to do just that!) they are one their way to work.

So, we saw our first beautiful geisha and I was thrilled. We walked down the road just a bit and noticed that many tourists were standing at this particular corner with cameras in hand. We walked up that little alley and on a quiet side road another geisha stepped out of her home. I think she and I were both quite suprised to see each other. She was kind enough to let me snap a few pictures of her and then she quickly went on her way. This happened with another as well, but I think her clogs must have had jet packs on them because she was gone in a flash.

All in all, we were able to spot 5 geisha in a 2 hour time frame. Yay! I was excited and thrilled to see for myself these mysterious cultural women. Here are a few pictures. Please keep in mind when looking at these pictures that:
1. It was very dark, so the lighting was not great.
2. I am still a novice in taking decent pictures and have much to learn.
3. I was so excited with each sighting that my camera was less than steady. I was not born to be paparazzi.

This is a picture of the one geisha that took a moment to stop and let me snap a picture.

This is the Obi from the back. I love the white paint and how it is perfectly done on her neck.

This is the first one that we saw at Gion Corner. She was only out of her car and then into the building for less than 1 minute and probably had her picture taken at least 2 dozen times by several bystanders (myself included!).

This is the geisha with jet packs in the shoes...she was fast!

Finally...Kyoto

2008-08-24T01:09:00.001-07:00

I can't believe we have been home from our fun trip for two weeks already and I haven't been able to get many pictures up. It has been so fun to give mom a tour of Okinawa; time is flying by!

Anyway, Kyoto was awesome. From Seoul, we took a bus, a plane, a train and then a taxi to finally make it to our hotel in Kyoto. It was a long, loooong day. We stayed in a quaint little hotel called the PalaceSide Hotel and really enjoyed it. It was right at the front gate of the old Imperial Palace and easy access to taxi's and food. The only downside were the two twin futon beds that we had to sleep in...it was like sleeping on a slab of cement. We piled all the extra blankets, comforters and anything else we could find to soften the bed but it was a little rough. Beyond that, it was great! We walked and took taxis' from each destination. It was a little pricey but quick and easy.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

These first gardens were at the Imperial Palace, absolutely beautiful.

Another garden for the Emperor to enjoy.

The castles/palaces of Kyoto often had different gates for various classes of people. This gate at the Nijo Castle had gorgeous carvings over the top of the Emperor's gate as well as the entrance to the castle.

I love this bright orange! We learned, that the reason for using such vibrant color was to give the illusion of "light" even in the night hours as too frighten away any bad spirits.

I love to see the rooftops here in Asia. The sharp angles are so perfect!

There are so many castles and shrines in Kyoto. In fact I think one of our taxi driver mentioned somewhere around 2,000 in all. Amazing! This is one of them. It is a shrine of 10,000 torii gates. The gates are spread all through and up a mountainside that you can walk through. We did go up the path for a while as the forest was so serene but the mosquitos are aggresive out here and in the end they won..and we turned and went back towards the safety of a taxi. Mean mosquitos.

These are lotus flowers. They are beautiful but now everytime I see them I am reminded of the many many generations of chinese girls that had their feet bound to be as "beautiful as a lotus flower." Disturbing.

This is the Toji Pagoda. It is the tallest pagoda in all of Japan. It is also 400 years old. This pagoda has been struck by lightening 4 times in the last 1,500 years and burned to the ground each time. The odds are definately not in favor of the pagoda...I think its' days are numbered.

The Golden Pavillion. This is a tourist hotspot. It is gorgeous but smaller than I expected.

Another fantastic shrine...I cannot for the life of me remember what it is called but it was right by the Kyoto Handicraft Center.

So, we really loved Kyoto; but Nara we loved even more. So, I have another post to come soon on our Nara excursion. Also soon to come are Geisha pictures (!!!) and the story of a samurai sword. Stay tuned!

Andrew's Baptism

2008-08-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

So, Andrew's special day had finally arrived. He turned 8 a month ago, but we waited until Grandma Green was able to fly half way around the world to be here for him.

Dana was proud of his oldest son in Choosing the Right and being baptized.

The beach that Andrew was baptized at is called Toguchi Beach. It is a beautiful little beach not far from our home. It is considered a "sacred place" by the Okinawans. There is a small inlet protected from the elements and away from the general public that baptisms take place.

Andrew said after the baptism was over and the refreshments were being cleaned up that "I am so happy today that my heart is full of love."

I love this son of mine.

He is obiedient, loving and eager to please. He loves his family and strives to Choose the Right. We feel so blessed to have him as our oldest son.

Mom and Dad are so proud of you Andrew! We love you.

Goya Champroo by Naomi

2008-08-17T04:46:00.000-07:00

Here are the yummy ingredients: Goya (bitter melon), firm tofu and spam (yes, spam again!).

Slice open the goya and then with a spoon strip the seeds and pulp from the goya. If the seeds look any darker red or orange then don't use the goya, it will have gone bad.

Ok, so if you have never eaten goya, let me warn you...it is BITTER! YIKES! So, to remedy this just a bit, slice the goya and put it in a large dish and cover the goya with water, then salt it generously. Let the goya soak in the salt water for a good 15 to 20 minutes.

Then, rinse the goya well and with your hands squeeze handfuls of goya to get the water out of the vegetable. If you don't do this, your goya will be "wet" and sloppy in the pan.

Ok, so get your pan out and give it a drizzle of about a Tbsp of olive oil. Turn your heat to medium and then toss in some large chunks of firm tofu. Cook the tofu until it is golden brown. Then remove the tofu to a dish.

Add in another drizzle of olive oil and toss in your goya and spam that you have sliced into some nice strips. Cook for a few minutes until the goya is not crunchy and spam in browned.

Add the tofu back into the pan with the goya and spam and then add two eggs that you have beaten well.

Stir until the eggs are thoroughly cooked.

You then can sprinkle in some seaweed strips if you like. You can buy these at the 100Y store or a local grocery store.

Also, you can add a sprinkling of fish broth granules if you like. These can be found in the commissary in a smaller box with the same cover.

Now, ideally it would have been great to take a picture of the finished product. But, it was eaten SO FAST that I didn't have a chance. Let me tell you though, it was good! The Okinawan's LOVE goya and swear by its medicinal and restorative properties. Apparently it is so packed with vitamins that it is practically a fountain of youth! Who can argue with that?!

So, yes it is a bit bitter but give it a try. You can buy the goya at the commissary or any local grocery store.

Thanks Naomi!

Oh, and these? These are delicious flavor packets for rice. You make the rice according to its directions and then when you serve this just add a sprinkle to the top. Go light on it though, they are packed with flavor!

The purple one is plum, the orange is salmon and the red is tuna. I had the salmon flavored one and it was excellent.

Now, head on down to the commissary, buy some goya (don't forget the spam and tofu!) and try out this authentic and unique to Okinawan dish. You will be glad you did!

Naomi's Yakisoba

2008-08-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here is Naomi's delicious recipe for her yakisoba. It seems that each yakisoba that we have tried tastes just a little bit unique, but we seem to love each one of them.

First add a Tbsp or so of olive oil to your fry pan and then throw in at least 3 large carrots and one medium onion that have been chopped. Let them cook until the carrots are crisp-tender.

Then add in as much cabbage as you desire. This is almost a full head of napa cabbage; I love this stuff! It is my favorite part of yakisoba. Also in the picture you can see strips of meat; the meat is spam. Yes, you read right...spam. Slice it up and add it in either early on or at the end of the cooking time. I prefer (ok, so I have only done this once but it seemed to work!) to slice it, and then cook it in the olive oil until just a bit browned, remove it and then add them back in once I have the cabbage cooked down a bit.

Now be brave and try the spam at least once in your life! I have to admit that I had NEVER bought spam in my life until 2 days ago after tasting Naomi's yummy yakisoba. News flash people, it was good! So, live on the wild side and try some! In case you are not sure (as I was not) the spam is usually located near the tuna fish. :)

Ok, now it is time to add in the soba noodles and seasoning packets. The noodles are in the refrigerated display table in front of the deli. Grab the soba package that has the seasoning packet in the picture below.

Anyway, the noodles are already cooked, just break them up a little bit and add them into the pan; sprinkle the seasoning on top. You may need to add just a Tbsp or two of water to help distribute the seasoning.

Yep, here is the seasoning packet.

The finished product! Delicious! The only additions I made to this recipe when I made it at home tonight was a bit of garlic powder and freshly ground black pepper to the onions and carrots...yum!

Miso Soup by Naomi

2008-08-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

We had a mini enrichment class at the church this week to learn how to cook a few local favorites. This first dish is miso soup...yum! Naomi, an Okinawan woman in our branch demonstrated how to make miso and other delicious dishes; we were in for a treat! Thank you Naomi!

Miso soup in all its glory.

First bring your water to a boil. Naomi was doing this cooking demonstration at our church building so she didn't have exact measurements; she just used the pots and pans available at the church. So for 5 -6 cups of water that was brought to a boil she used about 2 Tbsp of miso base. This can be bought at the commissary and also locally. I did see this paste at the small grocery store inside the Home Store at Navel Kadena.

Just put the base into the boiling water and stir to disolve.

Naomi then added a couple of pinches of dried seaweed strips to the soup. These can be found at the 100Yen stores or at local grocery stores.

She then added about a tsp of these fish broth granules to let disolve in the boiling water. These granules can be found in a smaller box at the commissary (the box looks the same).

Firm tofu was then sliced into cubes and added to the broth.

Yum!

Seoul, Korea

2008-08-12T15:40:00.001-07:00

Ok, so Seoul was lots of fun. We were able to meet up with my dear sister in law, Suzette, and her family; it was so much fun! Suzette is originally from Korea so we had a built in tour guide and translator all at once. We drove around her old stomping grounds in many a crazy taxi, ate LOTS of delicious food, walked until our feet were swollen and took many great pictures.
This is the Seoul Tower. We had a wonderful view of it from our room at the Dragon Hill Lodge (very nice if anyone decides to go there).

We saw a lot of great sights including an awesome temple. I have no idea who is belonged too though because we took a Korean tour. Suz translated for us, but the name of the guy that lived there is just not coming back to me. :) This doorway was along the stone wall that surrounded the temple/palace.

The colors were amazing!

Let's stop and talk food for a minute. Wow, Korean food is just...spicy...fresh...and amazing. Whenever we would order our main dish out would come several smaller dishes to go along with it. YUM! The dish in the middle is Kimchi. At first, it was barely tolerant to my taste but after a day or two it wasn't so bad. The water kimchi was even better!

This was a bowl of rice, and edible flowers, vegetables and fish eggs. You then would add in as much red pepper paste as you would like; it was delicious!

Dana and our sweet niece Kierra.

Here was a neato dragon tile on one of the buildings of the temple.

Again, the colors were just vibrant!

I just LOVED this door. It was so...what is the word for it...perfect. I think I need one just like it in a garden someday. That is, if we stop moving. :)

A close up shot of the door...LOVE IT.

A sun dial at the entrance to the throne room of the temple.

We had a wonderful trip. It was so fun to spend time with Suz and her family. We love them!

More posts to come in a day or two of Kyoto!

We have just walked in the door...

2008-08-10T07:05:00.001-07:00

And I have so much to tell you! We had a wonderful and amazing trip to Seoul, Korea and Kyoto, Japan. It is going to take some time for me to edit some pictures to put up here, but I will soon!

We ate lots of yummy food, walked everywhere and back again, saw REAL geisha and were awed by the ancient history we were taught. I will get it up here asap! Thanks Mom for allowing us such a wonderful trip!

Amazing

2008-08-01T08:29:00.001-07:00

Tell me, how do they do this? The colors on these roses are just unreal; I love them!

So, July has been rough. I have had sick kids (two with pneumonia), it is so hot here that you can melt right into a puddle in minutes, my boys are stuck inside our not so big apartment trying to avoid becoming puddles, I am homesick and I miss Target, and signs I can understand, and Arby's Chicken Cordon Bleu WITH fry sauce, and clearance shopping, and basically anything familiar. Don't get me started on how much I miss family.

Don't get me wrong, I do love it here. It is amazing and beautiful and downright outstanding 95% of the time. But sometimes that other 5% can seem a bit lofty. It was lofty in July.

On the bright side, I just picked up my mom from the airport! YAY! And guess what else? She is allowing Dana and I to LEAVE THE COUNTRY and go to Korea and Kyoto (think Memoirs of a Geisha); she's the best. Afterwards we have a couple more weeks to give her the tour of the island. This makes me happy.

But, back to the flowers. July was not so nice to me and so Dana brought me these amazing roses to help my heart heal; they helped. The planets realigned, calmness came back to my soul...and then my mom flew in. August is looking better and better.

An evening in Chatan

2008-07-30T08:02:00.001-07:00

Our town had some sort of celebration this past weekend, it was one of those times when being able to read kanji would have been helpful. No matter though, in the end we ate some yummy food, took lots of pictures and saw some fun fireworks all in the name of something something! :)
I took several shots of the food vendors.

Not too bad...yakatori is good.

Yikes! Squid and peppers; wow, a dish only your mother could love.

Whew, back to a few more friendly staples; potatoes (I think) and rice.

So many of the crowd were all dressed up. What a cute couple!

The kimono are so pretty. The little girls that wear them are adorable but I have yet to be able to take a picture of a child wearing one without feeling like I am going to scare her parent.
I will keep trying.

One shot of the fireworks. I know, not an exciting picture but Joshy likes it.

Hanagasa

2008-07-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, Dana and I ate at a new fun little restaurant, the Hanagasa. Here is their tasty menu!

Other than the pictures in the menu, we didn't really know what we were getting other than soba with pork. The white filets in there? Well, that is called a fish cake. I have no idea what it is (other than a fish cake) but I really really don't like it. It is a bit spongy and way too fishy and just plain...well, weird.

But the rest of the soba is great. Yummy noodles, wonderful broth and some nice slabs of pork to gnaw on.

They also had this most delicious rice.

And one of my favorites, edamame beans. I buy them at the store and make them (and devour)them at home but they just don't ever taste just like the perfect ones you can get at a restaurant.

This is the outside of the restaurant. A lotus flower hat. It is unique to Okinawa and is an actual hat (not this size though obviously) that is worn in traditional dancing; love it.

I just love the architecture here; it is so perfect.

The statue was neat-o too. It is amazing that something so fierce looking is also so beautiful (but don't tell him I said that).

I also am finding beauty in, well...carp; though they are called "koi" here. It is said that they represent strength of character. They are everywhere and very well fed, though this group was in quite a frenzy as we walked over the bridge.

One of the best things here? The great translations they do; I really enjoy it. It is fun and honestly, just cute.

The Deliciously Good and the Suffocatingly Bad...

2008-07-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

Manna from heaven has arrived to the island! Hallelujah! Saturday was the first time in a year that I have seen and been able to buy a watermelon. Oh sure, you can buy the little bitty Korean ones for $20.00 just to open it up to mushy sweet-stuff but that just doesn't satisfy. Thank you Mexico for growning delicious watermelons! I bought one Saturday morning and then had to return that night for another one before they were gone.

Now, for the bad. Logan can't breathe here. He seemed ok throughout the fall and winter but he is now struggling. He is attached to a nebulizer at least 3x and usually 4x a day; poor kid. We are permanently camping out at the ped's office until I can have my healthy son back again.

Joshy's Birthday

2008-07-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, he looks so sweet and innocent, but this kid could cry! He definately wanted it to be known that HE WAS HERE!

It is hard to believe that the boys were all this young; time passes by so quickly!

As he grew older, he calmed down just a bit.

Then his personality started to shine; funny, smart and STUBBORN!

We all love our Joshy (I wonder how many years we will get away with calling him Joshy?!)

We haven't officially celebrated Josh's birthday as we are waiting for Grandma Green to arrive here in Okinawa in two weeks. Once we do a cake (he wants a crocodile!) and have the big day, I will post again. We love you Josh!

Random Cuteness

2008-07-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

Logan on his preschool graduation day; I love this kid.

Baby hermit crab trying so hard to hide.

Logan snorkeling for the first time! Logan worked hard to practice his mad snorkeling skills in the bath tub for a year.

Dad and Josh snorkeling and learning about sea urchins. Josh is "unafraid" of the water this year which makes mom and dad very afraid. We have had to do a few crash courses in " How-to-Prevent-Sea-Urchin-Ouchies" for Joshy.

Logan loving the slide at our favorite local town pool.

Andrew in his "gear."

Andrew doing his last report at school.

How to make a volcano cake...

2008-07-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know that I have been MIA for a bit; I have sick kids! We are barely keeping our heads above water here. So, to keep the blog at least moving, you will have to have a cake post today. I will try for something more exciting soon. :)

First bake 3 or 4 cakes in Pyrex bowls. This was the scary part! I was so sure that one or all of those bowls were going to explode due to the heat (they didn't).

For the lava, I bought two bags of red jolly ranchers; unwrapped them and then melted them over the stove.

Once they are all melted, poor them onto a foil covered cookie sheet to create the "lava spews" for the cake.

To secure the cakes together use frosting and chopsticks. Don't forget to level off the tops of the cakes so they are not wobbly.

Wahla! A volcano!

This was the finished product. Not the best picture, but I forgot to take one at home! We broke off the cooled "lava" and placed it all around the cake. The whipped cream on the top was supposed to look like steam (but just looks like a glob of whipped cream).

We also crushed up oreos for the "rocky terrain" of the mountain. I was not sure about how this would look, but I am glad we had it to cover the bottom of the cookie sheet. It made the lava look better.

All in all, a huge and fun cake to make! Andrew loved it and that is all that matters.

Bootcamp Finish Line

2008-07-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

So, this morning was my last workout and I am not sure how I feel about being done. On one hand, I feel accomplished that I was able to see this month through with all the early mornings and pain. On the other hand, I am just glad to be done. But that is the "kicker" isn't it? I can't be done! I have to keep going and going and going. So, I now need to evaluate what I need to do from this point.

Last Wednesday's workout was a killer, literally. We did a cycle of running/jogging a lap as fast as we could and then doing 50 squats. For the squats, we were all at low benches to make sure our bottoms would touch therefore getting the most out of the squat. YEEEEOUCH! We did this cycle 4 times. I of course, could not keep up with the group so I ended up doing about 30 squats per round. Let me just tell you though, I am so sore that sitting in any chair requires mentally gearing up for the pain.

Todays workout was a circuit of timed trials. Planking, jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, putting your back against the wall and legs at 90 degrees, jumping and touching the wall, squats, dips and step-ups. We also did about a miles worth of jogging/walking. It was tiring, but the time went by very fast! Not only that, but I was also able to see improvement especially in the planking and dips.

All in all, I REALLY enjoyed this bootcamp. The trainers were really great (Barb Carson and Carrie Clancy), I highly recommend them! They were supportive of each persons fitness level. They also were just friendly and kind every workout.

Thanks for all of the support that so many of you have given over this past month. It really helped! I felt continually motivated knowing that I had people ready to read the next bootcamp installment.

Have a great 4th of July!

Just because I LOVE the shisa...

2008-07-02T04:03:00.001-07:00

I am not a coke drinker (I will take a Dr. Pepper anytime...oh, and cherry vanilla please), but could NOT resist taking a picture of this cool coke can that Dana bought at a vending machine at the Aquarium. Look at that great shisa! Also, check out the size of the can, tall and skinny. This culture is amazing! Our coke cans are so drab and boring, but not this one. I also love the manta rays swimming and the hibiscus flowers at the top, just beautiful.

Two "kid-isms"

2008-06-28T06:11:00.000-07:00

So we have been swimming A LOT this summer. This picture is taken at a local Japanese pool that we love. Their only rule is that kids have to wear swim caps. I don't understand it, but my kids happen to really love the "pirate hats" that they now get to wear. Anyway, on with the story. Joshy is feeling big and brave as he will now stand at the edge of the pool and jump into my waiting arms. Each time I catch him he breathlessly says to me in a most dramatic tone, "Mommy, you safed me my wife!" which translates into "you saved my life." I love it!

Also, at the pool today (this is obviously NOT the pool but just a cute shot of ocean exploring boys) Joshy tripped and fell thus scraping up his foot, knee and ankle a bit. I think this is the first time he has actually seen blood on his body (that is an acomplishment for an almost 3 year old boy). Anyway, he was whimpering and upset at the blood to which Andrew's consoling reply was "don't worry Josh, the platelets will fix it!" At this point Dana bursts out laughing while being very proud of his son that knows more about anatomy than any 8 year old should.

Andrew is 8!

2008-06-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

My first born is 8 years old. I can't believe that both he and I are that old! Here are a few pictures of him when he was younger and then on the beach at his beach party.

We didn't have a digital camera yet, so this is when he was two years old. I REALLY need to scan all of his other pics into the computer.

So sweet. How do you resist such a face of love? He still has this same face.

Bringing in the "volcano" cake. Andrew was really excited about this cake!

It was a perfect night on Torii Beach. All that Andrew wanted was to have a campfire on the beach party, so we did! We had several families come and enjoy our picnic on the beach with a campfire party.

Some things I love about Andrew...
*He is always affectionate and loving.
*He is the most obedient child I know, even when he doesn't want to obey, he still does.
*He loves his younger brothers.
*He is his father and mother all over again. His father for his love of science, fast cars and astronomy and his mother for just about everything else (for better or worse).
*He LOVES peanut butter!
*He has the memory of 10 elephants, which scares me!
*He has great faith.
*He is "innocent" and doesn't try to tease or manipulate for gain.
*He has "chocolate" eyes just like his mom, and he loves that we have that in common.
*He is the best first born son I could have ever asked for!

Happy Birthday Andrew! I hope this year is full of happiness, health and new discoveries for you!
Love,
Mom

The Habu Trail and Hell...a comparison.

2008-06-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, just wow. Where do I even begin? Let me see if I can find adequate adjectives to describe this workout.

Hmm, lets see. Both places would be very hot, one with fire and one with humidity. Both places take some work to get too, one physically and one with bad deeds. Both places you would rather be somewhere else. Hell vs. Heaven and the trail Vs. the jungle where I could just be eaten alive. Both places I would not like to see for a very long time. Hell, well I hope to never see it and the Habu Trail at least not until the memory of the pain fades. :)

Ok, so it was rough. Intense. Hot. An hour later, I am still sweating. The Habu Trail is a service road that runs along the back of Kadena. It is a series of long steep hills. We walked to our starting point (I was already out of breath) carrying our gallon jugs of water; this water was to not leave our hands for the majority of the workout. They kept our workout between two hills, both long and quite steep (as in if your child ran down the hill they would fall forward on their face). I was relieved in the fact that it was not going to be an all out run for an hour. It was a circuit which I normally like. Circuits are fun, fast paced and such a mix-up of activity that the time flies. Well, I think we were in some kind of a time-warp on the trail because I am sure time stood still.

We were to jog down the hill, sprint up the hill and do 25 squats, down and up the hill 25 mountail climbers, down and up 25 jumping squats. Down and up 15 push-ups, down and up 25 sit-ups, down and up and I can't remember as I was then starting to halucinate pools of cold water to throw myself into. Oh yes, I remember. We had to walk down the hill doing ice-skater squats and then up the hill doing lunges (see, I blocked that out for good reason). We then had to just jog down and up three times without any additional circuit. Once down the third time we walked back up using our jug of water for bicept curls and then over the head tricept curls. At the top of the hill we then did 50 jumping jacks, some other jumping thing that I can't recall the name of, 25 mountain climbers and then we were done. I do think that those at the front of the pack did one more lap than I did as I saw some doing more sit-ups and then dips on the railing at the top of the hill. I was happy to crawl into the fetal position at this point and try and think happy thoughts.

By this time, our hour was up and we needed to walk back to the cars. Honestly, it was the bottle of propel I had in the car that motivated me to keep putting one foot in front of another. I love that stuff.

So, in the end I am glad it is over. I am still sweating and soaked through to the skin but I did the trail of Hell, err I mean the Habu Trail. It was tough. I am grateful for two fantastic trainers that are very aware of each persons fitness level and are supportive of where each is at; they are really great. Now, to go crawl into a cold shower. I wonder if I can just sit in there and eat my oatmeal. Hmm. :)