Life on Okinawa

Easter

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The Easter Bunny made two trips to Luke this year!

Luke's new shades

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Chilling out in the swing. I thought I would see if he would let me put his sun glasses on the other day. So far he loves them.

Watching the little boy next to him.

On our way to church, what a little ham. Notice the two teeth, they made their debut on his 5 month birthday!

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Luke's First Day at the Beach

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He slept the whole walk which is very unlike him. We had such a nice time and the weather was gorgeous.

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Camping

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Enjoying a snow cone on the beach. I am a few days shy of being 31 weeks pregnant.

Here is a place that we ate lunch at. The yaki soba noodles were pretty tasty. These Japanese guys were from the mainland and wanted to take a photo with us. Everyone in this photo looks pretty happy apart from me, must have been the excessive weight I am carrying and the lack of air conditioning in the building.

Here is are our set of wheels for 3 hours while we toured around the island of Zamami. So funny thing is that the guys went to a scooter rental shop and tried to rent scooters. The man told them that he could only rent them 50 cc scooters with their licenses but that he only had 100 cc scooters at that time so no scooters for the boys. Well, some how he thought renting them a little van was more appropriate, not sure how a van is more legitimate. Oh, well it had a/c and didn't require a helmet so I was quite pleased!

Setting up the camp site. I am still trying to figure out why I look happy. For one thing my toes, ankles and legs were completely swollen due to the excessive heat and long ferry ride. I am happy to report that once we got home and were able to sleep in bed my ankles and everything returned back to normal, I have never been so excited to see normal ankles in my life! I have decided that camping while in your 7 month of pregnancy is not the best idea but live and learn.

Looking back at a few photos I am amazed at how gorgeous the island really was. The water was all different shades of blue and when Greg and I took a morning swim it was absolutely refreshing.

It's a Boy!!!!

2010-06-26T13:55:00.002+09:00

We had are official ultrasound yesterday for the baby's measurements and we were also able to find out the baby's gender. We are extremely excited and can't wait to meet the little one.

Random Photos

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Here I am at 16 weeks. This was when we were in California.

Hmm.....bugs! The whole side of our building was covered with beetles how gross!

More bugs!

Here we are at the park with Mike and the kids.

Random Photos

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Greg went back home for a conference in March afterward he flew back home to visit family. Greg and Laura made a road trip to see family in Oregon. Here a a couple of photos of Laura.

Ocean Expo Park. The park was beautifully decorated with flowers.

Here I am at about 3 weeks pregnant but I had no idea. I will say that I was cranky towards the end of our time at Ocean Expo Park I was hungry and Greg wouldn't feed me...it all makes sense now!

In January I went home for a quick visit to the States. I was able to spend so time with our Coco...she is such a prissy girl but we love her.

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Christmas 2009

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We were very fortunate this year. Greg's parents flew out to visit us for Christmas. We had a wonderful time showing them around Okinawa.

Christmas 2009

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World's largest sitting Buddha.

Thai in the sky.

We took Greg's parents to one of our favorite little coffee shops in Okinawa for a yummy and gorgeous looking breakfast...the Japanese really know how to make breakfast look like a piece of edible art. I think I am really going to miss Coffee Casa!

On the patio of Coffee Casa.

Aquarium

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World's second largest Aquarium. Look at that Whale shark!

Christmas 2009

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Ocean Expo Park.

Shisas at Pizza in the Sky.

One of our favorite places to eat...Pizza in the Sky.

Can't beat Transit Cafe for mouth watering desserts! Yummy and almost too beautiful to eat!!

Visitors

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On the top of Cape Zanpa lighthouse! Beautiful 180 degree view of the East China Sea.

One of the most unique ice cream stands that we have come across.

The making of mochi. They are beating the rice into a paste.

Tossing it in a peanut like flour.

The end result...very chewy. We prefer the mochi covered ice cream bon bons but hey it was a little bit of a cultural experience for us that day.

Hiroshima

2009-11-29T17:34:00.006+09:00

Hope you all had a wonderful and festive Thanksgiving! This year Greg and I decided to do something a little different we packed our bags and with friends headed to Hiroshima, Japan bright and early on Thanksgiving morning. We had a fun filled weekend with fabulous company, laughter and taking in all of what Hiroshima had to offer. We were able to ride the "bullet train," we toured Hiroshima Castle, Shukkeien Gardens, Hiroshima Peace Prayer Museum, and the island of Miyajima with its shrines and fabulous fall colors. We have posted several photos please enjoy!
This is the black rain that fell upon the remains of Hiroshima after the Atomic Bomb. This black rain contained not only oil and dirt that stained the walls of the buildings that remained but it also carried radiation which came in contact with survivors....most of these people become sick and lost their lives.
This is an old tricycle which may not look like much but it belonged to a 3 year old boy named Shinichi Tetsutani who was riding his bike on the morning of the Atomic Bomb he was exposed to the bomb and passed away that night. His parents had buried him in their yard with his beloved tricycle believing that in his death he would be able to ride it. Years later the family was moving and they excavated the land and donated the tricycle to the museum.The tram up to Mt. Misen

Our Hiroshima tour guide Akiko...her name means November Girl (Aki is for November) and (Ko is for girl). Did you know that Toyoda means rich rice field...the company tried to go with the founders original surname but the cars just didn't sell so they changed the name to what we now as Toyota.

Hiroshima

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Above is the devastation of the Atomic Bomb. The "T" between the 2 water ways was the bridge that was the original target point. Below is what the city looked like before that morning on August 6, 1945 8:15 a.m.

You can see here the alignment of the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims, the Flame of Peace and the A-Dome.
The A-Dome. This building was originally a trade building which had been designed by a Czech architect by the name Jan Letzel there is a sister building in Prague.

Hiroshima

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Paper Cranes that have been folded and arranged to spell peace. Many young teenagers lost their lives one girl in particular had been exposed to the bomb at the age of 2. She grew and developed normally and showed no ill effects from the bomb until 10 years later. Doctors did not know what the illness was but today we know it as leukemia. The Japanese have a belief that if you fold 1,000 paper cranes your wish would be granted. The girl who's name was Sadako began folding paper cranes in hope that her wish (to have her illness cured) would come true...she folded over 1,300 paper cranes...some were so small that she used a needle to fold. Sadako lost her battle with cancer. Students from all over the world have folded paper cranes and have donated them to the monument that bears Sadako's name. It is with the paper cranes that we remember those young children who lost their lives and it is longing to have peace on Earth.

Melissa standing near a shrine....what is interesting about this shrine is that is has 3 Torii gates.

A monkey that we saw on Miyajima on Mt. Misen. Mt. Misen is the home to wild deer and red faced monkeys... at times these little guys were a little to close for comfort but fun to watch.

Miyajima Island and Mt. Misen

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Monkeys in the background not being too shy during their grooming session
Here is a cute little guy.
On the summit of Mt. Misen. We were not prepared for our jaunt up the hill but we made it to the summit and the view was breathtaking.
Mt. Misen Summit

The view from Mt. Misen

Miyajima Island and Mt. Misen

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The view from Mt. Misen summit

The tram lines on Mt. Misen...they are pretty steep.

Miyajima Island and Mt. Misen

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Mt. Misen tram way or rope way as the Japanese would call. Look at all of those fall colors!
The 5 story Pagoda on Miyajima Island. This is a Shinto Shrine and right next to is a Buddhist Shrine.
Waiting for my okonomi-yaki (pronounced econo-me-yaki). It is a Japanese pizza-pancake but doesn't taste like pizza at all. To start the cooking process the cook will start with making the crepe like bottom then top it with shredded cabbage, garlic and sauce then the cook turns it over several times letting the cabbage cook down, then on another part of the grill eggs are cooked and when it's just right the vegetable crepe is placed onto the cooked egg and sauce and a garnish are placed on the top....you can have grilled oysters, shrimp or pork placed on the top if you would like.
Watching eagerly as they prepare our meal.

One of Greg's favorite photos of the deer.

Miyajima Island

2009-11-29T17:19:00.001+09:00

Melissa posing with a deer.
A group having their photo taken...some wild deer have been trained to pose for photos it is a riot watching as the photographers get these little guys ready for their photo opportunity.

Miyajima is one of Japan's three most scenic spots. Here we are with the large Torri in the background during high tide this shrine called the Itsukushima Shrine looks as if it is floating on water. The pagoda (the light behind us) dates back to the 12th century! The shrine is repainted the vivid orange every 10 ten years... the color orange was selected by the builders of the shrine as a symbol of the sun.

Miyajima Island and Hiroshima

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The Itsukushima Shrine Torii gate.
The girls on the ferry.
Hiroshima Castle.
Shukkeien Gardens

The Bullet Train...a one way ticket costs over $100.00 per person!

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Here are a few photos of when Greg visited South Korea

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Korea

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Greg and I just arrived back home last night from our holiday in Phuket, Thailand. Thanks to my parents we were able to stay in the family's timeshare. It was an experience of a lifetime to see how other people in the world live. The Thai people are extremely friendly and kind hearted...there is a friendly atmosphere in Thailand one that you can not explain but one that you must experience yourself. Greg and I were able to get into Phuket town and then to Patong...we just walked around the market areas, took in the views of the beautiful Andaman Sea and ate dinner in this nice little Indian restaurant that had quite an extensive vegetarian menu. We were also able to get tickets for a day excursion to the Phi Phi Islands and Phang Nga Bay via speedboat. We were able to see the "James Bond Island" this is where they filmed a couple of James Bonds films and then we stopped on the beach where they filmed "The Beach" we swam for a little while and then hopped back on the boat. We stopped along different points swimming in the most beautiful aqua colored water and snorkeling with Angel Fish, Parrot Fish and small yellow and blue fish....it was amazing how the fish would come up around us and swim with us. We saw Monkey Island and loads of monkeys in the trees...the workers threw them bananas and it was funny how they would all come running. Then we stopped off at Phi Phi Don for lunch and then another gorgeous white sand beach for some more relaxation!

We were able to rent a car and drive all around Phuket stopping off at various resorts and walking the sandy beaches. We stopped at a place in Karon or Kata for dinner and there was a baby elephant that I fed. Unfortunately it rained for 2 or 3 days while we were there and we had to cancel our sea canoe excursion and we were unable to book an elephant safari day trip but I guess next time!

Thailand

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I was in love with this little guy...he even poses for the photo!!!

He loved his bananas!

Miniature golf at Dino Park...it was fun!

Feeding the Baby Elephant

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Thailand

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Isn't he cute?

Thailand

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Swimming in the pool...do you see Greg's head? The pool was huge and it also had a stunning view of the sea

Thailand

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An Australian couple we met on the speed boat

A friend we met from North Carolina who was on the speed boat and who was staying at the same resort as us

Thai fishing boats

Thailand

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Monkey Island

Sunset

Thailand

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Greg getting roasted corn from a street vendor...it was actually pretty good!

Reflecting pool

Andaman Sea...just a walk away from the pool

Our villa

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Kite flying..if you scroll down there is a video clip

At Torii Beach

This was taken from our balcony the other night...not a bad way to spend time eating dinner.

Torii Beach

2009-09-06T11:40:00.004+09:00

Yesterday we took a little trip over to Torii Beach. Greg bought a stunt kite a little while ago and yesterday was the perfect day it was so windy. After church and lunch we met up with friends of ours and we flew the kites. There is something about watching a kite catch the wind and just float up in the sky. Hope you enjoy the video clip.

Obon

2009-09-06T11:27:00.003+09:00

One night Greg and I were cleaning up the kitchen and heard this loud noise outside we thought what is that? We walked outside to find a group of Obon drummers and dancers making their way down our street. Obon is an annual Buddhist event that lasts 3 days, the event is held to commemorate ancestors. It was really interesting to watch the drummers and dancers (some of them were children). Just another experience here is Okinawa.

Misc.

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View from our balcony when we had a typhoon warning

The night of the typhoon warning...the view was amazing

Dental Birthday Ball...Western Style

Maybe I should have taken away the designer glasses?

Yoron

2009-08-30T20:46:00.005+09:00

Friday on a ferry........The day before Greg got a call from a friend stating that a couple canceled and there was room for two on an all expenses paid (bus, ferry, hotel, and all meals) trip to an island north of Okinawa for a marriage retreat which was to begin Friday at 6:15 am. His boss was so kind to allow him to take a leave day for this. He joked that our marriage was on the rocks & that this seminar might save our marriage...it was a good excuse for a trip to a new place.

The sleeping room. When you ride on a ferry you have the choice of going into one of these "sleeping rooms" for a little shut eye...not too bad you get a blanket, a mat and a pillow

Yoron

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The beach at the resort

Yoron

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Melissa and her set of wheels

We rented bikes and rode around the island. I must admit that I was pretty scared about getting on a bike...I mean it has been some time since I have been on a bike but it was a success. We rode around and viewed a few of Yoron's gorgeous beaches with their white sand (yes, sand not coral) and various hues of blue water...it was a beautiful afternoon with time well spent.

Yoron

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Greg and his set of wheels

Dragon fruit

Hmm...do you see something wrong with this photo? 2 Mangoes for about $68.00 and one Dragon fruit (weighing about 4 pounds) for $39.00...hope you are all enjoying Costco's produce!

The wait to get back on the ferry bound for Montobu

Round One

2009-07-15T09:02:00.007+09:00

My attempt at Smash Ping Pong.

This week I tried to get a flight back home but it was canceled (guess the military had different plans) I was really bummed but Greg took me to Round One...it's like this huge arcade/sports place that's a lot of fun. Well, here are a few video clips nothing spectacular just thought I would share with you a little of what we have done this week.

Mt. Fuj

2009-07-07T10:34:00.004+09:00

As you may know I (Melissa) wanted to say that I climbed Mt. Fuji while we lived in Japan. So we booked a few tickets and thought wow the weekend of the 4th of July would be the perfect time. We hopped on a plane and landed in Tokyo. Jumped on a few trains and buses and found ourselves at the 5th station of Mt. Fuji...a long way away from our reserved rooms...only to find out that we had missed the last bus down the mountain. So in good spirit we decided to put our gear on, throw our bags in the locker and fasten our head lamps and start to hike Mt. Fuji at night. Now, if you have never seen Mt. Fuji up close I will tell you that you will think to yourself, "oh, that should only take about 2 hours to hike." Well, in reality it will take you the 5-7 hours as stated in several brochures...it's just the reality of it all. Also, I give a word of caution to all who attempt (that would be us) to hike Mt. Fuji from sea level up to 12,000 plus feet in less than 24 hours...it will be difficult again it's just the reality of it all. It was a wonderful experience to be above the clouds, to feel the wind brush up against your face and to know that this world is indeed spectacular. I agree with the Japanese saying..."anybody would be a fool not to climb Mt. Fuji once-but a fool to do so twice."

The sunset before we got ready to hike.

Here we go...just taking a few photos before our ascent.

Dan and myself...those were some killer stairs.

Near the summit. The entrance is guarded with the shisa dragons...I just had to get a photo next to the one keeping all of the good spirits in.

The Daiinaiin Crater at the top of the mountain.

Mt. Fuji

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The interesting hut we stayed in for a few hours....maybe a 1/2 star at the most.

On our descent we could finally see the clouds...beautiful.

The view.

The volcanic rock we scaled to get up the mountain...during the night they seem frighting but in this photo it looks pretty easy.

Mt. Fuji

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Nearing the end of our descent.

The trail head.

One of the various modes of transportation we took to get into Tokyo.

Tokyo

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After we climbed Mt. Fuji we took a few more buses and trains and the metro and found ourselves in Tokyo...hey we got pretty good at getting around...we ended up getting extremely lucky and getting a Japanese style room at the New Sanno (a military hotel). I was so happy to have a place to rest our heads after a long few days. We dropped our bags off and we were off to explore what Tokyo had to offer. I (Melissa) had never had a real desire to travel to Tokyo but I was amazed...the shopping is phenomenal and there is a vast array of restaurants from simple yet chic pastry and coffee shops to hole in the wall sushi stands or if you want to be sophisticated you can dine on the 47th floor of a sky scraper there is something for everyone.

Imperial Palace

Hmm...I would say not the best advertisement.

The moat around the Imperial Palace.

View from the top of one of the buildings.

Tokyo

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Waiting for the metro

A view from the 47th floor...you can see the twinkling of red lights on the high rises and ferry boats navigating Tokyo harbor.

Roppongi...this place was spectacular.

A view from the roof top of one of the high rises...you can see Tokyo tower on the background.

Sunset at the Imperial Gardens.

Sea Life

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Here is the fuzzy crab...you can see him to the mid-left he's a big blob. If you scroll down you can see a video of the fuzzy crab.

Sea urchin

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Watch closely and you will see the fuzzy crab..

he's quick.

Torii Beach

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Before taking my siesta before my 12 hour shift this past weekend we headed out to Torii beach and took in some more paddle ball, searched for shells for the nieces and nephews (by the way we have a few to send) and walked on the coral...very interesting things in the water. It was nice

to get out after we had lunch.

Getting ready for paddle ball.

Round One

2009-06-07T10:36:00.004+09:00

Okay, so this past Friday I had the day off. Greg came home from work and took me to this indoor amusement/sporty play games sort of place called Round One in Ginowan. We had a lot of fun, from the putting green, batting cages, badminton, golf driving range, to even riding the electronic bull it was a ton of fun. An hour and a half flew by and we didn't even touch on half of what this place had to offer.!

Okay, I found out that I had no skill when it came to archery...I would have been toast in the past might as well have put a huge bull's eye on my back. After about 25 attempts I finally got an arrow to hit the target....I just say practice practice practice.

Ready...aim...aim some more and....

release....if you look closely enough you can see that arrow flying high in the air...think I overshot that one!

I think I still thought I had a chance.

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Taking the rope for a ride....it was so fun.

My mom really wanted to try this thing out...I think she had a lot of fun at this park.

Quaint little coffee shop in the woods that we just happened to come across.

Loved the stools...nice stumps of wood huh?

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Greg and my mom decided to take these ropes for a spin.

Cape Hedo

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One of the peace posts around Cape Hedo. Cape Hedo is the most northern part of the island of Okinawa. These cliffs drop straight down to jagged coral. From the top we could see two huge beautiful blue parrot fish.

It was windy and cold up at Cape Hedo. The waves would spray every time they hit the rocks.

The Japanese version of letting you know to make sure that you take your belongings with you or some one might come along and steal them.

Okinawa World....cave and snakes!

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The start of the cave at Okinawa World. Seems pretty innocent but as you go further in you start to see bats, fish and eels in the water and hmm you wonder how safe can a cave be in Japan?

With a total length of five kilometers, Gyokusendo Cave is the longest of the many caves in the south of Okinawa Island, and Japan's second longest. 850 meters of the cave are open to the public and feature spectacular stalactites and stalagmites.

The rock formations in the background.

Taking a lunch break this little guy was only 15 years old.

Habu in the trees...yikes I was glad to see that they were in a large pit!

A Habu devouring a rat...poor little rat never saw it coming.

Sites to see

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The garden inside Nago Pineapple Park.

Watching pineapple grow. I guess there are about 200 different varieties of edible pineapple.

A beautiful water lily.

My mom and me walking on one of the paths at Ocean Expo Park.

My mom and me in front of the water lily pond.

Food, food and more food!!!

2009-06-07T09:34:00.007+09:00

So while my mom was visiting we took her out to a few of our favorite places to eat from Nepalese curry to Korean to Japanese noodles and rice we ate our way around Okinawa!

There's my mom with her Korean BBQ...yummy.

Greg loving the Korean Bibimbap....I think this restaurant is one of a kind.

Okay, so this is one of the noodle places we eat at. This place does have a bit of a twist to it. So when you walk in you are greeted by a vending machine. You place your coins into the slot and order your food (we base it on photos only because well Kanji isn't our first language) so I guess we never really know what we are getting. Then the vending machine spits out a few tickets with your order and them, you then hand it to the worker and then go and sit down. Within 10 minutes you have piping hot food sitting in front of you. There are an array of condiments on the table from soy sauce, to a pot of hot chili peppers with green veggies sort of like pieces of leek in it that you mix into your food....mmm. You can also have fresh minced garlic pressed onto your food. I think Greg took my mom here a second or third time.

Peace Prayer Park

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Monument to the fallen. This was all origami....crazy isn't it?

One of the cliffs where the battles took place. Besides Hacksaw Ridge this was the site of one of the bloodiest battles in Okinawa.

This bird loved his photo being taken. Once someone was done snapping photos of him he would move on over to another group of people who were eager with their cameras...he really knew how to work the crowd.

Red eared slider turtles...striking a pose.

Peace Prayer Park

2009-06-07T09:17:00.002+09:00

One of the days when my mom was here we drove out to Peace Prayer Park. This park is where there is a monument for the fallen men of the battle of Okinawa. It is very sad to see the 10's of thousands of men who perished. Each country that fought has its own wall with the names of the fallen engraved on it. Every year the people of Okinawa flock to this park in observance of those who lost their lives.

One of the walls. I think this is one of the many walls belonging to the United States.

The corner stone of peace water feature. We were not sure what this was supposed to resemble but they call it the corner stone of peace.

Sailing

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Greg was so happy with his snack.

While my mom was here visiting we took her sailing. Well, I guess I just don't have any sea legs. We were out at sea for about an hour and we had to turn around, and of course this trip would not have been complete with out the sea sick person throwing her head overboard....next time sea sick pills for sure!!!!

White Beach

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One weekend we drove over to White Beach. It was supposed to take about 45 minutes...well driving in Okinawa it always takes about double the amount of time it "should" take you. Eventually we arrived at White Beach. We walked around and saw some neat little cabins on the beach that you can rent for the weekend. We played horse shoe and our famous paddle ball. I searched for shells, but instead came upon a nest with 3 little eggs in it...wonder what they belonged to? Look at the expression on my face...it was freezing cold and windy (not the perfect day to wear a sun dress).

Sunsets

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I thought I would share with you a few of the beautiful sunsets from our balcony.

Sunsets

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A sunset from our balcony.

Greg is out there somewhere in the distance.

Greg's life= go to work sit around have lunch brought to him by his loving wife and then come home and hit the surf....hmm all I can say is enjoy while it lasts!

Another beautiful sunset while we ate dinner.

Japanese House

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The view of the house. This house dates back to the 15th century. It was a home of a scholar. The home and its family were moved. You can walk the grounds and see how a traditional Japanese family lived. You must remove your shoes before entering the home but if you walk down into the kitchen you must put your shoes back on because the kitchen is on the ground floor.

A shrine dedicated to the worship of the family's ancestors.

Part of the gardens.

Sesoko Island

2009-03-01T20:46:00.003+09:00

Today we decided to island hop!!! There are several islands off of the coast of Okinawa. Today we traveled by car up North and across a bridge that links the main part of Okinawa to a neighboring island called Sesoko Island. The island has a beautiful white sand beach and we all know that you can't find many sand beaches in Okinawa (really they are mostly coral)!!! We finally found one of the white sand beaches laid out our sushi lunch and feasted on inari and veggie rolls then we played paddle ball and ended the trip with a lovely walk around the beach. You can see loads of coral in the photo above. We also saw some interesting sea life such as sea cucumbers and some other slimy bottom feeders that well looked scary! Lots of coral pieces, sea glass and shells.

A view from the road. If you look straight down there is a drop off into the ocean, it was gorgeous water too bad you can't really tell from the photo.

Here are some tombs. Families bury family members here and on certain days of the year they visit their family members and bring food and flowers.

Me and the sugar cane.

By a coral rock, wow it was huge. I am standing on a coral rock that is covered with seaweed. Far off in the distance people were harvesting seaweed, I think they set up the seaweed harvesting plots in the ocean and when the time is right they are out there plucking it out. A lady walked past us before this photo was taken and she had a basket full of green seaweed. She was smiling from ear to ear when she showed it to us.

Cherry Blossoms

2009-01-25T21:57:00.003+09:00

Today we drove along one of the roads with Cherry Blossoms, they were gorgeous.

Guess the blossoms only bloom for 2 weeks.

A lone tree

The view at the top of the mountain.

You can park your car and walk along the road...not sure we recommend it though as some of the drivers are a bit aggressive one of our friends almost got hit by a car. The trees just wind along the road

Cherry Blossoms

2009-01-25T21:51:00.001+09:00

2009-01-19T15:03:00.002+09:00

Ahoy!!

2009-01-19T14:37:00.003+09:00

Capri 18 Sailboat

Kadena Marina

Motoring = good, Sailing skills = not so much yet

Kurt sailed

Neo Park

2009-01-11T21:30:00.002+09:00

Today we decided to venture up to Nago and visit Neo Park, it is kind of like a zoo and petting zoo all in one. We happened to see a few friends in the parking lot...totally unplanned we had a great time. When we walked into the zoo all of a sudden we were greeted by a huge gathering of birds. We were able to get some bread and bird food and feed them...they eat it right out of your hand. It is incredible because most every where you walk the animals are roaming free and you can get up close to them and snap a photo or two. The only part I really didn't care for were the bats, if you scroll down you can see one of the bats.

Here is one of our first hosts...he is about 4 and half feet tall.

Eating right out of Greg's hand.

2009-01-11T21:25:00.004+09:00

I don't know about this bird...looks like he is sizing me up!!

Look at this bat. We were walking and all of a sudden all we could see were bats in the trees and there was nothing between us and the bats....crazy. Here is one little guy.

2009-01-11T21:19:00.003+09:00

I think our favorite was this little Warthog. You could pick him up and and he would cuddle in your arms and fall asleep.

Look at that little pink nose...adorable.

You can ride on this Tortoise, but he didn't want to move.

Striking a pose with the Tortoise.

2009-01-11T21:13:00.001+09:00

We were at the Community Park inside Neo Park and this one guy gave Jody a carrot stick and wanted her to put it in her mouth and see if the goat would eat it and sure enough it did. Wish we would have captured the guy trying to do it...he was hilarious.

2009-01-11T21:08:00.003+09:00

Napping together....what a special moment a warthog and a puppy cuddling.

Squirrel Monkey...he is so cute.

What in the world, at least you know it's fresh.

2009-01-11T21:03:00.001+09:00

A scary looking cat while we were in Nago Castle Ruins Park...there are so many homeless animals on this island.

The view from our hike up in the Nago Mountains.

On the trail.

2009-01-11T20:56:00.002+09:00

One of the first Cherry Blossoms we've seen on Okinawa. At the end of January and the first part of February Cherry Blossoms begin to bloom on Okinawa kicking off the Cherry Blossom Festivals for the whole of Japan. Behind the blossom is a walkway to a Buddhist Shrine.

A bridge in the Nago Shrine Castle Ruins Park, each panel is a design of Cherry Blossoms.

2008-12-22T17:05:00.002+09:00

A day out fishing.

Not one fish caught in 3 hrs

Our Outing to Forest Adventure

2008-12-17T22:54:00.005+09:00

So today was the big day!!! We all decided to get together and go to a ropes and zip line course called Forest Adventure, the guys and girls had the day off from work and I just tagged along. We had seen lots of advertisements for this course and had been told that it was a lot of fun. Here is the shuttle picking us up to take us up the hill to the actual course...scary. If you scroll down you will be able to see a bunch of photos as well as some video clips of our outing, all in all it was great fun and it was the perfect day to go!!! We have about 4 videos so keep scrolling...

Looks like those harnesses are a bit tight

Part of the group...just stopping to take a rest

Tarzan Swing

2008-12-17T22:46:00.002+09:00

Some how I will figure out how to rotate this video. This is the Tarzan Swing. I really don't think that you realize how much you value your life until you hook your harness and "life line" up to a swing pulley and are told to jump off of a perfectly good platform into a cargo net...crazy but peer pressure really works because we all did it! It really felt more like a huge drop on a roller coaster

Forest Adventure Video

2008-12-17T22:40:00.002+09:00

Hope no one gets sick viewing this one, it's just a snapshot of what we were able to see while coasting on the lines

Forest Adventure Park

2008-12-17T22:25:00.002+09:00

There I am getting ready to take a flying leap!!!

The girls pose for a photo

The view from one of the lines

Chris, Megan and Duane pose for a photo. Never realized how high up with actually went

The grand finale, this was the last course and it was more of a challenge than the zip lines

Forest Adventure Park

2008-12-17T21:53:00.004+09:00

Moving your legs around like a crazy doesn't help you go in the direction you want to go...I think it actually makes it worse!!! Hope you enjoy the laugh.

Forest Adventure Park

2008-12-17T15:30:00.002+09:00

Taking off...seemed like this was one of the longest lines

Christmas Time

2008-12-15T21:08:00.003+09:00

We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!! It is now less than a week before Melissa begins the orientation process for her new job with the U.S. Naval Hospital. Greg is enjoying the good life as of right now...half days off from work every other day and then 4 days off at Christmas and the New Year (Melissa should have become a dentist for the Navy).

It will be a challenging Christmas this year being so far away from family and friends but we will persevere.

We are hoping that wonderful happenings are in store for 2009!!! We love you all.

My $5.00 Christmas Tree!!!

2008-12-10T15:33:00.002+09:00

Today was a big day for me I went out and bought a Christmas tree... they were 75% off so I thought $5.00 it is. Then I had to buy a stand and a few ornaments bringing the cost to a whole

$20.00!!! I

think it is darling.

I really miss our

mantel from Mound

Street, this dresser

just doesn't do justice

to our stockings!

A long time coming

2008-12-10T15:23:00.002+09:00

A few weekends ago we went up to one of the camps up on the Northern part of the island. We laid on the beach and read and then walked around a bit...here are just a few things we saw.

2008-12-09T22:08:00.002+09:00

It has been a long while since we have posted anything. We have not done much of anything this past month. For Thanksgiving we were able to go to another couple's house and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast. I found out that I had a job offer for the Naval hospital here on Okinawa so that was exciting news. I am scheduled to start the week of December 22nd! It is not the best week with Christmas but it will begin with an orientation so I won't be on the floor of a little while. I have been awaiting our Christmas boxes from our families, I keep checking everyday.

It has been cold here on Okinawa with a temperature of 68 degrees!! I know it really is not that cold but we can feel it. We could tell that we were acclimated to the warm weather when we were out at the Navy vs. Army football game this past weekend, it was sooo cold we were shivering and you know what it was in the 60's.

Greg has a deep sea fishing trip planned for this Sunday with a few other men that he works with so I am hoping to get some photos posted so you all can have something to look at.