Sunrise at the Beach

This morning I nudged Pete and the kids out of bed and we headed to the beach. It's sad that it took me 6 months to realize we had yet to see the sunrise over the ocean. After a restless night, I decided to remedy this and my wonderful family was good enough to humor me.

I guess at this point it may be prudent to mention that I neglected to notice the clouds in the dark sky until we were close to the beach, therefore we didn't actually get to 'see' the sunrise, more we got to see the lightening of the clouds and sky as you can see in the pictures of us on the beach. It was still a great morning. We started out with donuts and chocolate milk on the boardwalk then the kids and I collected seashells and dried coral.
Yes, I know. Becca has her own unique sense of style. At least she matches today ;)

Becca had to go to the bathroom. Fortunately they had a public restroom. Unfortunately, it was only Japanese style toilets which she hates because she thinks the toilet is going to swallow her so she spends the whole time she's going to the bathroom telling the toilet not to eat her.

While the girls were surviving the toilets, Pete and Alex decided to hide from us by some of the old Tombs. When they finally emerged they were covered in sticky seeds. Kind of like those stickers that get on your socks back in the states, but these stick to EVERYTHING as you can tell by the way the stuck to Pete's leg hairs.

While Pete was de-stickering his legs the kids played at the park. This is one of the kids favorite parks because there is so much to do here.

Because it was overcast and early we had the park all to ourselves. Great times.

A perfect Date

Pete, sitting at the very edge of this cliff that dropped 100s of feet before ending in the ocean.

This morning was overly discouraging. After talking with the AMC terminal we were frustrated with the whole idea of trying to plan a trip and not being able to. Pete and I hopped in the car and went for a drive. It was wonderful. Perfect weather for it, we opened the sunroof and rolled the windows down an just drove up North for several hours. Up North (Nago) is the ubber pretty part of the island. Before long we were singing our hearts out to the music (just like old times), stopping at the beach and watching the waves, exploring bike stores and a not-so-Italian bakery. We had a great time. completely carefree and not stressful. Loved it.

Out exploring

We found these kit-kats we assumed were cheese flavored, only when we opened them we found:

That's right, Cheese you are supposed to eat WITH the kit kat. I thought a was a yummy combo, Pete didn't.

And finally, a nasty picture of Pete's sprained ankle he got in the middle of his last PT test. Over a week later and his ankle is still swollen and purple. He's seeing a physical therapist for it who said he has loose joints... not fun.

We're looking forward to the possibilities of this week although each day, some of the possibilities we were most looking forward to are not looking as good as we'd hoped but we'll keep hoping. Hopefully all works out well.

Alex and Mom Ice Skating

Alex's class went ice skating and I went with them. The first couple of minutes were hilarious as ALL the kids feel. It was funny, seriously like all these kids falling and crawling around. Alex did really well because its similar to roller blades. He kept riding around helping the other kids out. We had a great time. Alex loved the hot chocolate vending machines that plopped your cup down and then filled it up.

Drinking our hot chocolate. Notice the steam, this is the coldest we will ever be in Okinawa.

Alex after a spill. I feel once when Alex pulled me down :)

The vending machine that pours the hot chocolate for you.

Okinawa Zoo of strange Creatures

So, you all know I'm not the biggest fan of zoos. Don't really like them. Always the same sad looking animals just standing around while we point and stare at them. That said, I took the kids to the zoo this past weekend while Pete was studying.

The zoo itself is really pretty this time of year with all the flowers in bloom, it's not too hot- just perfect weather. It does have a lot of the same old animals but there are also so many animals that we have not seen before (yes, they still had the same sad expressions on their faces but at least they were different sad faces than we have seen in the past).

Ironically, Alex loved the giraffs.

I know he's seen them before, but he liked them. Lalee and Becca liked the lions and monkeys, espeically the one with the red face that looked like a mask and swung from his

tail. (You can kind of see it in the background).

Personally, I think the coolest thing we saw was the giant ant-eater. I didn't realize that this was an actual animal. It was big- probably 5-6 feet long, and its face is primarily a really long funnel-like snout. Sorry for the poor picture.

It's the one flower on the hat that makes Frosty come alive- don't you know?

I logged on to post a couple of times lately but I can't find the cord to the camera, thus no pictures. Oh well. Not a lot has happened in our lives lately. Last weekend we had an amazingly beautiful day here- very pretty. We went to Comprehensive park, rented a paddle boat and feed the fish. The kids loved the playground but talk about crowds! Today and yesterday have been COLD. Maybe not Utah cold but cold for Okinawa. Throw in the humidity and it feels a lot colder than it is (54*). I know, I know! I can't believe I, a Utah native, am calling 54 degrees cold. But have no fear, we are supposed to be back up in the 60s by the weekend and by this time next week we are supposed to be close to the 70s. Very Weird weather here. I started school again. It is an interesting set up and I'm still getting used to it. The whole job thing is a wonderfully, discouraging adventure that must go on. We have spent our fair share of time at the dentist lately. Lalee had a check up two weeks ago, Alex and Becca had checkups this week. Both of them are returning to have cavities filled in a month. Lalee went to her first ortho appointment this week. She is missing a couple of permanent teeth, has a big over bite and some spacing issues. They won't put braces on until she stops sucking her thumb. We'll go back in a month and hopefully we will be able to have mastered that obstacle. Alex got 85% on his spelling test this past week. I know that doesn't sound like much but even with studying, Alex typically only gets between 40-60% on his spelling (not his strong subject) so that was reason to celebrate at our house. Yesterday, after her class watched frosty the snowman, Becca announced, "We have to go and get on three airplanes and take 2 days to fly to Utah so I can build a snowman and put a hat with just one flower on it and then it will come alive." To which I replied, "Really? It will come alive?" Her. "Yep, and the movie said the hat has to have just one flower." Me: "And we have to go to Utah for this?" Her (with a "duh" look on her face. "There's no snow here, mom. Just in Utah." It probably doesn't sound all that cute but I about bust a gut laughing. Poor girl, she honestly believes she will have a live snowman friend if she can only find a hat with just one flower to put on its head. I am still writing a weekly article for the local blog OkinawaHai. I write the "To Mingle" piece each Tuesday. This has been a great way to met people and become familiar with the island. That's about all the news from our corner of the world for the past week or so. Here's hoping the rest of January smooth and positive.

New Years 2010

Our New Years Eve was really mellow. We went out to eat as a family and then we took the kids to see Princess and the Frog. It was really cute. We finished the night off in front of our own TV at home watching Up. We began 2010 with a trip to the Naritasan temple. The Japanese begin their New Year with a visit to a Shrine or a temple in the first 3 days of the New Years so of course we wanted to see what it was all about and participate.
The temple ground has a sense of festivities. There are all kinds of street vendors selling foods and trinkets. Quite often the food has flecks of 'gold dust' inside the food during Hatsumode (the first shrine or Buddhist temple visit of the year). After working our way through the vendors and standing in line, we passed the fertility fountain. I personally avoided washing my hands here.
Before entering any of the Holy temples or Shrines in Japan it is custom to wash your hands at the 'well'. You take the ladel with your right hand and pour water over your left hand- not over the well- and repeat with the right hand.
While inside the temple, prayers are said, and of the religious leaders chant and there is plenty of bong ringing. Honestly, I don't know what it all means. Afterwards you may purchase an omikuji, which is a written oracle of personalized "predictions" for the year, for 100 yen each (~$1). We each got one. It was fun to read what our omikuji's perdicted about our love life, work life, investment, family, wishes, dreams and other things for 2010. Fortunately, we all got either 'excellent' predictions, 'good' predictions, or 'fair' predictions. Those who receive bad predictions typically tie their omikuji to the fence at the temple as it is believed that they are allowed to leave their bad luck behind.
Some people actually bring their own predictions for the up-coming year and leave that on the temple grounds as well in an attempt to bring good fortune to t
I didn't get a picture, but most people also buy o-mamori (amulets and charms) which often look like key chains and are used throw out the year. They will often bring the charm from the previous year and leave it at the temple as a way of leaving the old year behind and welcoming the New Year.

And finally, for your reading pleasure, some excerpts from our omikujis.

Pete: STUDY: Set your target early. WISH: It will be realized later. Don't speak ill of others. BUSINESS: No problem, You'll get profit.
Becca: FORTUNE: Be gentle and modest, and your fortune will be better and better, everything will go well. Do good for others, not being selfish. MARRIAGE PROPOSAL: Don't be haughty or you'll be disliked.
Lalee: SPECULATION: Do it very carefully. LOVE: Control your ego. EXPECTED VISITOR: He / she won't come.
JaNae: ADVICE: I happened to be here by myself, to find the cherry blossoms were at their best. CHILDBIRTH: Keep your mind clam. TRAVEL: Choose a good day to start on.
Alex: GAME AND MATCH: You'll win. Depend on others. MISSING THING: Ask a neighbor first.

And for the rest of you, I don't have your omikuji on hand but my guess is that 2010 will be full of adventure for you too!

2009 in a Nut Shell

As I think about 2009 and what has happened in this extremely fast year, I can’t help but feel like it took on a life of its own. I don’t know if there has ever been a year that has gotten away from me quite like this past one. I do know that there has not been a year that has changed my perceptions or views of the world quite as much.

I think of New Years Eve 2008 as if it were just last week. Games at Jami and Harland’s, Jessie and Chris coming late because they had just bought themselves some pretty awesome cars. Those blasted pellet guns. Silly string wars. Power-trip and the Rock not really getting along. It’s crazy how real and fresh those memories seem and yet distant, somewhat like a movie, something you’ve seen and yet you are not part of. I look back at this night and I am so grateful for the wonderful friends that I have. I remember making my New Year’s resolutions and thinking that I didn’t really need to make them because I was so busy anyway and so much was already going to naturally happen: I was going to finish school, I was going to get licensed, I was going to get a job, I was going to go on vacation with Jami to Japan. Nothing major, but I felt that it was okay to not have many lofty goals (all the aforementioned items were just ‘givens’ with the way my life was headed) because I’d had such lofty goals in the past. It was okay to have a calm year to rejuvenate.

Last February when Pete was gone for six weeks, I didn’t realize that it would be the last TDY that he would go on for over a year. That, by itself, is so odd. This is the first year since 2000 when Pete has been home with us for the full year. He has slept by my side every week of this year (well, since March with no foreseeable TDYs). I feel so fortunate and blessed to have had him home and yet I feel kind of sneaky, it is completely unnormal in the military to not be gone at least a little bit… its almost unsettling.

I remember March 2. I was wearing a pink sweater and a necklace that I had made the day before with Lalee. I was just sitting down to my desk at Syracuse High School, pulling my hair into a pony tail as I opened my emails. It’s crazy how much emotion and chaos that email, which held only 8 little words, provoked:

Kadena, Japan
31 Aug Report no later than

I sat looking at that computer screen for several moments, not really comprehending the words I was reading, my heart was pounding. It was like a cocktail of emotions: excitement, nervousness, fear, doubt, anticipation, terror, disbelief, etc. Although honestly, at the time I still felt like I was in control. You all know how much control means to me. Planning, structure, a sense of control, has always been one of my primary coping mechanisms when life gets crazy. In my mind, this was going to be a wicked, awesome adventure where I was going to have a great job (lined up before we even moved of course;) and we’d have plenty of money to explore. Of course we’d be able to come back and see the family every year. These assumptions were, in my mind, not suggestions- in my mind (and my plans) they were facts.

Finals, the stress of licensing tests, professional portfolios, capstone projects, getting passports, medical and school clearances- these things all made April and May fly by. May 29 brought a very rainy spring day in Boston. I had my family, Sandi and Dan and DaNette and her family with me. We were walking around the track at UMass.

There I was, recovering from a migraine so I was pretty out of it, surrounded by Pete, Christian, and Dan and we were speed walking towards my graduation ceremony- theb boys all helping me throw on my robe, my cap and my drape. DaNette and Sandi trying to keep up while corralling all 7 kids as we all hurried towards my graduation ceremony. Did I mention the ceremony was outside, we were about 15 minutes late and everyone at the graduation ceremony was able to watch us approach as we came from the direction behind where the stage was set up? A zoo like entrance (as my cohort members later described it), such a wonderful way to end my Masters program. I remember one of the days of this trip DaNette and I woke up early and took a walk. We talked about our future. DaNette has been working on a book, it was her goal to finish this book during the year. I was on top of my game and was confident in the direction my life was taking.

June was the month of sleep deprivation. We returned from Boston and Jami and I flew out to Japan 6 days later. We proceeded to get about 30 hours of sleep total over the course of the next 7 days as we backpacked for miles through Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo. I loved the history and beauty we saw in Hiroshima and the people we met in Kyoto but was turned off by the business of Tokyo.

June speed into July and we were constantly busy between multiple camping trips, family reunions, get togethers, 4^th of July BBQs with crazy water fights and roof top fireworks, birthday parties and going away parties.

I remember my first glimpse of Okinawa. Several days inside of multiple airplanes and airports had left me sleep deprived and somewhat disenchanted. I remember looking out the window of the plane as it circled this small elongated island and thinking, “Wow, there is water for as far as the eye can see, nothing but water, and this small piece of land where I will be living for the next 4 years.”

The term culture shock comes to mind. That first couple of months of being here was the definition of culture shock: Being terrified to drive because I kept getting the blinker and gear shift mixed up, driving on the wrong side of the road and always had my windshield wipers going as it was conveniently located where I usually rested my hand while driving in the states. The first time I ventured off base and couldn’t figure out how to ask where the restroom was. Our first meal where we had no idea what anything was, we just pointed to pictures and nodded, hoping it wouldn’t be too gross. Most of it was, yet oddly enough- the food has grown on us. I remember 6 days after arriving I went to the employment office, I was so confident that I would be working soon, preferably by the time the kids started school. I remember leaving the employment office, kind of mad and not believing what they had told me: a good percentage of the spouses who wanted jobs didn’t have jobs and the more qualified you are, the harder it is to get jobs (unless you are willing to take min. wage). Again, I simply thought I could fix everything by taking control of the situation. There was also that first time when I had a Japanese person yelling at me in Japaneses- I’m sure he (and the others sense) had something important to say, I just smiled and waved because what else was I supposed to do? I remember walking into our home and crying as I didn’t understand that all concrete buildings are daunting and homes here have to be concrete because of the storms. I remember how scared I was the first time really fast winds hit the island. I remember thinking that the Sea Conditions really didn’t apply to my family- ha ha. And the time when our shipment arrived with nothing but 2 small boxes. I also remember the long walks, the trips to the beach, the many days spent at the pools, painting the house to make it feel like home. Being so happy as I watched Alex play with friends and really like school, something he has never liked before. I loved the amount of time we were able to spend together as a family.

Now, at the end of the 2009 I am no longer confident in my ability to control or change things, in fact I am not confident in any of the things I was so confident in at the beginning of the year. But I am confident in new things. I know that no matter what, I have my little family and we can have amazing times together with nothing more than imagination and our sense of adventure. I am confident that even when life doesn’t go the way you planned, it is still going to happen and often in better ways than you thought. I am confident that attitude really is 9/10^th of any situation. And finally, I am confident in the man I married and our friendship. And honestly, being confident in those things is all I need to begin 2010 because at the end of the day those are the things that I can truly count on.