Congrats Sis for making the 2009 Eagles All Star Cheer Squad!

Marissa tried out today, after late notice, for the 2009 Eagle's All Star Cheer Team, a competitive cheer squad here in Oki and made it! After quite a bit of coxing to sign-up for the Okinawa Youth Football League Cheer Team she surprisingly LOVED it and was more than excited to give this a try as well!
Congratulations little one! Don't let anybody ever tell you that you can not do something you set you mind to. Look at today, you worked hard and had a goal and now you are going to have many more great memories of our time here in Okinawa.

Go Eagles 2009!

Up to this point.

We have been crazy busy showing my Mom and dad the island and it has been so much fun! It is already sad to think that they will be leaving in about a month and I already feel a bit anxious that we will not have time to see it all. I can only imagine how things are going to pan out once they leave- I know I am going to stumble across another part of the hidden endless beauty of this island and be upset that I did not get share some part of it with them. How blessed I am to have the opportunity to share this experience with them as well as that my children will have these great memories of Nana and Papa in Okinawa.

A few things we have done up to this point
* Ikei Island
* Ikei Beach
* Big Time Resort
* Moon Beach - snorkel side (still get to explore the resort side!)
* Okuma
* Cape Hedo
* Main City Mall
* Yomitan Village
* Kokusai Street
* Yomitan Pottery
* Peace Prayer Park
* Marino's Italiano - Mom was so happy to find a place she could enjoy :)
* 100 Yen Sushi Bar
* Goen - still have to take Dad, he hung out at the house that day.
* The village open market

There is still so much to do! I am not sure why I am sitting here?

This boy needs a haircut.

Javan calls this his "surfer hair" and says he has to keep his curls "for the ladies". Sounds like he has been hangin' out with his Dad to me :)

Sunset at Cape Zanpa

Mmmmmm....so pretty.

CW02 Rick Richardson KIA 10JUN2009 - RIP

,
I was called to work Thursday morning, the last day of school, to fill in for a co-worker whom I later found out that she had received news of her husbands death earlier that morning.

I have to say I currently live in a place where "deployments" and "war" are everyday terms and I believe you eventually form a buffer to the stark reality of it all. I may sit with you for coffee at Starbuck's and you may tell me your husband left 2 months ago for Afghanistan and the response is "Oh, let me know if you need anything". As in this case, I looked at The Richardson's ball pictures on her desk at work prior to his death and thought "What a cute couple, they look so happy". The thought never crossed my mind of "I wonder if he will ever make it home to share in the Marine Corps traditions and once again take another "cute" picture with his wife or even tuck his son into bed?"

I should be ashamed for not looking at every moment and realizing that it is a gift. The Marine Corps worked so quickly to get Jenny and her son home that I never had a chance to express our sorrow and to say simple words that mean so little during such painful times. Lord be with them when there are no other words of comfort. CW02 Rick Richardson, Godspeed...

"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want
in...And how many want out. Only two defining forces have ever offered
to die for you: Jesus Christ and the American Soldier..One died for our
soul, the other for our freedom."

We look into the eyes of history on this island.

I accompanied Marissa on her filed trip to 3 "War Memorial" sites with her Social Studies class and although I still feel VERY overwhelmed by all the information, painful stories, pictures and tears- I wanted to share our experience with you.

Our trip was so fast so we were very rushed through the sites. There was not really enough time to take it all in. This is a trip that will have to be re-visited with more time and Kleenexes. I guess I never realized how the Okinawan's were so scared of us due to lies told about the Americans, they were scared for there lives and families. The fear of watching us abuse and mutilate their children and family caused many of them to murder their children and elderly. Standing at the cliffside where mothers threw there children off into the sea took my breath away trying to imagine the emotions that must have encompassed her.

Okinawa was a land set apart from Japan that had to suffer the consequences of evil rule and war that was necessary for all of us to live freely today. Many Americans, Okinawans and Civilians lost their lives on these grounds. I am humbled by them all.

Peace Prayer Park

Summer 09' is upon us.

I can not believe we have already spent 1 year here as of tomorrow! That is absolutely crazy. We have met so many awesome people and have seen so many things that we could not even have imagined was out there, we are so blessed to have this opportunity and to share it with you all.

Steve and I were just talking about how we wonder if the random, odd, strange sights that we see here will still amuse us as much when we leave in two years as they do now? You never know when you might stumble upon a little old Japanese Grandma scootin' past you at a stop light on her scooter with her leather jacket on or a bull meandering up the road on your way to the grocery store. Gotta' be ready for anything over here!

11 more days and the kids are out of school for the summer. I am so excited to have them home so we can explore this awesome island without concern of homework, bedtimes, and restrictions. Who knows what we will be able to get into...

We spent Memorial Day weekend at White Beach and then kept the kids home Tuesday for our long awaited family deep sea fishing trip. We drug ourselves out of bed at 0145 to meet up and leave from Naha port by 0400. I have never been deep sea fishing before so I was so completely distraught over having motion sickness that I think I was making myself sick before we even got on board the boat. I drugged EVERYONE up with Dramamine and apparently knocked them all out so we ALL slept for 3 hours while we trolled out to the "location" which was not much of a "location" after all.

Minimal fish and nasty weather coming in made for one VERY expensive private charter to sleep on! We fished for 2 hours then had to head back due to weather. I caught one Yellow fin Tuna and the kids did great catching some Rainbow Runners and Skip Jack. I had placed my order with Captain Billy as we pulled out for Shark, Swordfish and Mahi Mahi and even planned on sacrificing my HUGE storage bags to ice down my catch in but it did not work out so well for me, they just barely got away ;) I did have an awesome time but I think we will have to go again next year since this trip was cut short, I really don;t think I will have ANY problem talking Steve into it!