Okinawa Adventure

This is a 2 lane bridge. Here in Okinawa if a man wants

to fish he just pulls over blocks the lane, sets his tea out

on the road and fishes. This seems quite normal to everyone except

Americans who haven't been here very long (like us).

Beautiful scenery along to way to a beach resort we were told about.

The path at the beach resort was a bit crowded. Samantha saw the snake and grabbed the girls. I was behind her with the baby and Jason was in front looking for the beach that never was. Although there were signs that said "watch out for snakes." Needless to say, we left the snake resort and hit a beach up the road, that had no snakes and actual beach!

All of the delivery trucks here are mini compared to our

honkin huge semi's in the U.S.

Just a little pet store we passed....
I do like the drink machines here. There is always a really good variety of drinks to choose from.
Family Mart and Lawsons - these are everywhere and similar to a 7-11..
Driving from island to island. This is one of the many sea walls. They are built high and built well. The graffiti is much nicer than what we have in the states!!
Japanese Construction... I don't know , you decide...

Doctor Doctor!!

I think these pictures are self explanatory. Zach is the best patient,

he never complains and loves to play with the girls.

No matter what they happen to come up with!

Typhoon Fizzles

Well it has taken a turn to the East. The girls are a bit dissapointed. They were looking forward to putting into action all of their typhoon survival skills. We should just be getting high winds and some rain. I guess all the tents and food supply locations throughout the house will have to be put to use in another manner! So much for Tropical Storm Sinlaku......

Big Typhoon Coming

Well we are preparing for our first big typhoon. It should hit us on Friday I believe. They are saying it is a category 4 - that sounds big doesn't it!! We'll see who packs a better punch. North Carolina Hurricane of 1999 or Okinawa Typhoon 2008... No seriously we might lose the little communication we have, so don't worry if you don't hear from we for a few days. Once we have communication with the outside world I will blog our status. My neighbors have told me what we need to go out and get.
My prediction is we will have a dog living in the bathtub, and 4 kiddos camping with us. Little sleep and lots of banging outside. A crowded house, we have been told to bring all our outside junk in (yeah)!! Anyways, I am off the the commissary to fight over the last batteries and single can of tuna left on the shelves.

OCHEA

Okinawa Christian Home Educators Association

Today was our 1st outing with the homeschool group here on the Isalnd. Who would have thought when we left for Japan that we would have found such a great group of homeschool families. We went to the Botanical Gardens today. Boy oh Boy was it a hot one but we still had a great time. The gardens actually reminded me alot of of Oahu. The girls had a wonderful day playing and getting to know other kiddos. We had a scavenger hunt went on a tour around the gardens and stayed for a picnic lunch. I just wanted to share some of our pictures from the day..

Japan

Wow - I got in!! Every once in awhile I will go to sign in to my blog and it comes up in Japanese. Not what I have written but eveything else. For the life of me I couldn't change it. It is like some wierd Japanese computer glitch. I have learned that if I just keep trying back at some point it is fine and so here I am.

I am still getting my bearing, slowly but surely I will know all the good places to eat, shop and explore. We are feeling a bit more settled each day. Jason really likes his new job and he is home a ton compared to VA so we are all happy. He even has weekends off!! The surf is just ok , but I think he will be ok. We joke when he goes out that he is going out paddling because the surf is small and sparatic. But he still loves it.

School is going better than I expected. I am still holding my breathe after abandoning my 4 year relationship with Sonlight. Doing my own thing has for the past week been rewarding, in some ways it is like the first year of homeschholing all over again. A little apprehensive and hopeful at the same time. The girls are loving what were doing and giving me great feedback. So that is again a good sign. We found a flute instructor for Samantha, she starts lessons again this Thursday. We are praying for a great relationship and great instruction. She lives just a few blocks away! Samantha is excited to start lessons again. Taylor is growing like a weed, I mean really as of this week 90% of her shoes do not fit her anymore. From that sentence you could probably tell she had to many shoes to begin with anyways. She is still freckly and cute and silly.

Katie Watie is doing great. She is our spunky, strong personality who keeps me on my toes. She loves doing school and being involved with school. You can see the sense of accomplishment on her face when she completes something. She is totally in panties and staying dry through the night. This is great, it didn't take long after we finally got here and moved in to our house. Katie is doing more and more on her own and becoming more independent from my apron strings. She will stay in her class at church and enjoys her teacher. She is willing to help me and loves being my special helper. I can see the little girl God is growing inside her and I am thankful for her.

Zach , otherwise known as Bubba lately. Because he is about 15 lbs. and growing. He is smiling and talking up a storm. If he wasn't 3 months old he would be walking because he is strong as an ox. He loves the walker and playing with the toys. I also realized last weekend when I was talking at our church picnic that in 5 lbs. Zach will be out of his car seat. I must report his personality is still laid back and happy all the time. I know it is hard to believe but it is true. He still loves to sleep, his food and when he is awake he is just plain old content. Oh if only we could live that way.

As for me, now that we are all moved in and actually finished the last of the school stuff tonight I can breathe. I am hoping to start working on my photo albums again soon. I officially downloaded our Rosetta Stone tonight so hopefully we will be speaking at least a little Japanese here shortly.

Well the bed is calling my name and a busy day tomorrow. Hope all is well in your part of the world.

Our First day of school.

Samantha started 4th grade this year, we had a great day!!

Katie enjoyed doing fun stuff throughout the day. Clothes were

not a prerequisite for her today..

Taylor was so excited for 2nd grade, she pulled out a

ribbon from last year to start the day.

The girls working diligently on their science pages.. I must say the day

went beyond expectations. After such a long break,

we just gave it all to God and boy did He come through.

Zach , well he was around between naps, eating and playing.

He fell rite into the routine, amen!!!

The latest..

Samantha was stung by a box jelly fish, she had burn marks

on both legs and one arm . They used about a gallon of vinegar,

removed the tentacles and then iced her up. She was a trooper through it all.

We found this Shakey's Pizza Parlor while we where out exploring. We

had already had dinner, so we will try it later and let you know..

Mona Kids Jungle~ Thiw was a great playplace and not far from home either!
Big Boy in the Bumbo.
Neighbor kids getting into our shipment and playing

with markers in the back yard. We had no idea they were so creative!!

Being silly at home
Taylor wearing her new duck feet on her 6th Birthday!
Zach holding his own bottle!!!
Katie sharing a seat , Zach tolerating the squeeze!
Katie performing down at the Marina

A little bit of Okinawa

HWY 58 - The main hwy up and down the island...

This is the peaceful section near the Marina .
A little shopping center across from Base. We have not eaten here yet..
All the car lots have these plastic flower trees, kind of festive don't you think!!
This is the American Village pretty close to Base, lots of shopping and food.
The Monkey Store - or so we've heard the Americans call it. Kind of a mini Home Depot/ Walmart ( in the smallest sense ). The girls really enjoyed the 100yen section..

Taylor would have nothing to do with the squat toilet though..

Time

As I sit here in a quiet house, everyone is asleep. I thank God for our new life here in Okinawa. His blessings keep pouring in on us. It's funny we have the minimum but we are happy. It's kind of like Christmas when the kids play with the boxes more than the toys. I know it won't last, the stuff comes soon, activities will start and school will begin. I will one day sit on a couch again, but my prayer is that this time here in Okinawa will not be wasted on the busyness of life. I want to look back and be glad about the way I have chosen to spend my time.

You'll never believe this!!

So when we were in California, we visited with my aunt and uncle Mary and Jeff. Anyways through crazy coincidence (God) we learned that Calvary Chapel had a sister church in Okinawa. Ok, so we were excited to learn of the possibility of great American fellowship. We arrived on island and last wednesday attempted to find the CAlvary Chapel. We didn't find it. IF you have ever driven in Asia this is not a surprise. We emailed the Pastor "Rick Barnett" and told him we couldn't locate him and asked for a bit more guidance. He emailed us rite back and welcomed us (including a great map with english directions).

So today we went to church. Fast forward- the people were great, the kids loved their classes, Katie even managed to go into her class for about 20 minutes!! Afterward Jason went to load up the kids and I realized that I had left my purse upstairs. I went back up and it wasn't there. I asked for help and this guy took me downstairs to where the pastor and his wife were to see if someone had turned it in(they did) but the crazy part was the pastors wife turned around and asked me my name.. No big deal normally, but the questions was followed by "Did you go to Corona High School? Immediately my brain spun, how did she know that. Anyways we went to high school together. She said when she saw me she recognized me. How crazy is that!!!! Of cource I never would have recognized her. When she told me her maiden name then her smile looked familiarand I remembered her. Anyways she was Kristy Stanley back then... Jason and I were just blown away at how God works. We sometimes think our world is so big, but it really isn't. You never know who you will meet and when you will see them again.

Life in Okinawa

BIG BOY!!!!
Hanging out in the new mini-van.
Chillin' at the Army beach.
Eating and apple that's as big as my head!
The jungle outside our hotel room..



Here is our new address:
Name...
PSC 560 Box 385
APO AP 96376-0385

Home phone # 804-318-3926 (vonage) This should be working as of next Tuesday.

Well, I don't have alot of pictures because we just started driving. Jason took his test and got his license a few days ago. I will take my test Friday Morning. So far it has taken both of us paying attention to the roads to get around. Not only are we driving on the left and the steering wheel is on the right but they do not have street names here. It is a bit challenging. Turn rite at the Happy Mart or left at the dragon statue?????? Anyways it is interesting and definatley not without advenure!

We tried to go to church last night in town, it didn't really work out. We did make it to the hwy where the map said the church was, but it turned out to be an old map and the church had moved. We will try again on Sunday. We also stopped by one of the post chapels, they had VBS signs up. With 2 days left we thought at least the girls could meet some new kids and enjoy the interaction while we are still in the hotel. I went inside and to my utter disbelief they would not let the girls participate because we had not previously enrolled them. I was speechless (you all know me - that doesn't happen much) I explained we had only been on island less than a week, it didn't really matter. What else can I say , I walked out a bit shocked and that just narrowed our search for a church by 1.

Our house- we are excited. It is a 4 bedroom!!!Thank you for all your prayers. It is pretty good size not sure of the sq. footage but it looks good. It is a single story ranch-I was hoping for a ranch but that was beyond my expectations. We also have a nice size yard that is flat! We are at the end of a flat culdesac so the kids can ride outside in safety. Our neighbors seem great. There are 7 kids between the 2 houses on our right. But the older kids are boys, the little ones are girls. The house that is attached to us on the left is still empty , we are praying for some nice girls that are in same age range as Samantha and Taylor.


Back to the yard, the back yard backs up to a small jungle so we are partially fenced already we will finish the yard up. Behind the jungle is the elementary school so we also have awesome playgrounds a short walk away. We have a great tree that provides awesome shade. We have driven around the base a bit and most of the yards are not only lacking privacy but have no shade. Here that is golden because it is so hot. We really could not have asked for anymore. God provided everything and more.

We feel incredibly blessed and still a bit in awe. I think it will be a few more weeks until we are really settled, I start driving, we get our belongings (hopefully by the 3rd week of August) and we start a normal routine again and get out of suitcases. We move into our house on Monday (Sunday in the States).


Local creatures:
Very Large Fruit Bats- they are everywhere and pretty cool too!
Habu snakes- poisonous vipers, hoping not to see any of these!
Lots of butterflies, very large grasshoppers and tons of insects.

It's Time To Fly!!!

We have had an awesome time in California. Thank you to everyone who has fed us, housed us, played with the kids, watched our dog and cat, shared their time, personal belongings, personal space, laughed with us , watched fireworks, played cards with us, hiked with us, planned parties for us, rode rides with us, rode an elephant, had dinner with us, hung out with us, fed Zach, changed Zach and helped with Katie, loved our kids as they have endured 6 weeks in suitcases. I know I left so much out but we have not fogotten all that has been done for us.
We truly know that we are blessed to have such an incredible family that would extend everything too us as we beging this journey. I can't think of anyone who has a family that is more giving and selfless. We love you guys. We begin our adventure at 8am Thursday morning and we will need all the prays we can get over the next 2 days. Once we arrive and our heads stop spinning I will email out to let everyone know we have made it. Until then may God Bless all of you for all you have done for us.............

Cali 08'

California 08'

The Airplane Ride

We began our morning at 2am, I had gotten about an hour sleep at that point. The drive to the airport and the initial boarding all went smoothly. The baggage was checked and the pets were checked. Once we were aboard the airplane that is when the fun began. As we sat there with our pets in full view outside the plane on the luggage car the stewardess approached to tell us that our dog could not fly on this particular airplane. The cat could but not the dog. She would have to go on another flight. At this point we were in our seats and she was unsympathetic to the fact that they had booked us on this flight, checked our pets and now become aware that this plane could not hold our dog. Anyways, simultaneously Jason had left a very important bag containing our orders outside the plane at the point where you drop the strollers. She was also unsympathetic to helping us check on this bag.

We sat frustrate but there was not much we could do but trust God to help our family our dog and our orders to all arrive in LA together. As the pre-flight checks were completed I watched the dog and cat drive away. Now remember we were told the cat was going on this flight. I tried to get the stewardess's attention (who seemed annoyed with us at this point) to ask her why the cat didn't make the flight and where exactly were the pets going and what flight would they be on. Again she showed much compassion by replying with, the cat is on board, and you'll have to find out what flight the dog is on when you get to Chicago. I politely told her "no the cat is not on board, she just drove away with the dog" She had to go and check on that one.
Now the flight went well, and we just sat hungry (the snacks were also is Jason's bag that was MIA....This was a foodless flight.

We arrived in Chicago with about 25 minutes until our next flight left. Mad dash- food needed and not sure where the pets were at this point. We decided to split up. Jason kept Zach and went to find out what flight the pets were on, I took the girls and headed off for food. God is good our next gate was only a short run away. We all made it with food in hand and a flight number on the pts. We were told there were just an hour behind us !! Praise God, things were looking good.

LAX- Sue (Jason's mom ) was meeting us there to help with the luggage, kiddos, and pet crates. The mini-van we rented would be a tight squeeze for everything. We arrved and met her in baggage, the pets flight had some mechanical problems and were now at least 3 hours behind us. Slight delay. Jason was going to get the car so we could go eat and then get the pets. But the bomb scare put that on hold. No cars were moving through the airport. So on to plan 2..

We would be given a food voucher from United and we would sit in baggage for the next 3 1/2 hours eating burgers, fries and waiting for the pets. The bomb scare would clear, Jason would get the rental car, we would load up and shortly there after the pets would arrive. Under some stress because Heide had chewed her bed to pieces. Possibly during their mechanical delay. I would love to include all the exciting details of our stay in baggage claim, but it could go on forever.

OK- so what would God have us to learn through all of this. The only thing I could think of was that the pets could stay in their crates for almost 14 hours and survive. How is this useful knowledge? Well, the trip to Japan will be about 20 hours. I was worried how they would do. Now I know they can survive, not exactly happy but survive a long journey. Oh by the way, the bag with our orders was checked with the stroller.........