Our First House Guest

We weren't planning on having a house guest for quite sometime.   On Sunday night we were getting ready for bed when Tom gets a phone call.  One of the guys that he was sponsoring had flown into the local airport and needed to be picked up.  No one knew he was coming, I mean they knew he was coming sometime, but not the date.  So Tom had to drive the hour to the airport to pick him up, and then back.  Tom had made reservations for him at the hotel on base for this coming weekend, but they are full up until then.  Yup, he ended up staying at our house for a few nights.  He was a nice guy, didn't realize he smoked until his last night here, you couldn't even smell it on him.  Ended up that Tom had passed his duties on to his supervisor since he was still supposed to be gone, the guy coming in had emailed him but that is as far as it got.   Frustrating.  At least Tom was here to go and pick him up.  I felt bad for the guy.  I was happy for him to go, it is just weird having someone you really don't know in your home, but he is a nice guy and I am sure we will see more of him.    So I guess I have had my first house guest here in Okinawa. 

Horseshoe Beach

Tom and the girls checking out a crab.Hazel and BrennanTom, the kids and Tom's friend Mike chekcing out the tidal pool We checked out a cave at the back of the beach. walking down the tiny road, you just have to pray that no one is coming towards you. Me, let's just say humidity does not do well with my hair.  Let's face it, it doesn't help anyone's hair. Tom getting ready to snorkel.  So funny watching him try to get into his suit.  Wish I had gotten a pic of that.  Guess now he knows what it is like to put on pantyhose. Xanen getting ready to snorkelBrennan trying on his gear.  Elyse with Misuzu, Mike's fianceeHazel. Elyse

We had a great day checking out new beaches.  This one has lots of lava rocks which makes it great for tidal pools.  We had to be very careful, there were tons of sea urchins and you really do not wanna step on those.   A friend of Tom's from work came with us and showed us around a bit.  The kids loved him and his fiancee Misuzu.    After the fun at the beach they showed us a Mongolian BBQ Restaurant.  The kids kept asking where the noodles were, apparenty traditional Mong. BBQ doesn't have them.   It was pretty good but really expensive.  It did remind me of home, lots of antiques and quilts, made me feel like I was at my mom's house. 

Sunday

I had this negative post all ready to go.  I think that I just needed to vent and get it out of me.  I never posted it, but am glad that I wrote it all down even if it is just for me.  I have been having a hard time going to church or even wanting to go to church.  It isn't the friendliest place we have ever been.  But after talking to my mom and others and getting the same advice, "you are  going for yourself and no one else, and that my kids need it", I decided that I really needed to pray and try to get my mind back into the mindset it needed to be.   Tom and I were asked to  substitute in primary, I was thrilled for one thing it meant not going to Relief Society ( I know, wrong of me, but I really don't feel comfortable in there, I loved going in CA).   I prayed as we walked into the building that I would feel the spirit.  I did, I had a hard time during a few of the talks, but over all it was good.  Teaching the class was nice, I love being team teachers with Tom, we make a good team.   Then we went in for sharing time.  I forgot how much I missed getting to be there for singing time.  I love to sing, I love music and man if there is anywhere in the entire building where you can feel the spirit it is in that room.  I am thankful for that reminder, for the happy look on my kids faces after we got out of church, for Hazel's nack of remembering words to songs and singing primary songs every morning when she wakes up.   Small little reminders that Heavenly Father sends to me and I need to be open to see them.   I don't go for the people there, I go for me and my family.   Not saying that I am not still having a hard time, but I am feeling much better.  I know who my friends are and that if I need them they will be there for me.   That's all I really need right now.  Well, besides a hug from my family, but that is not gonna happen for awhile. 

Father's Day Weekend

We ended up having a busy Father's Day weekend.   We had some family pictures taken on Saturday morning, my friend did an amazing job and I am so excited about them.   After the kids played a little in the water (they were all wet and covered in sand), we came home to eat some lunch.  I got to sneak out and go to the store by myself.  It was wonderful.  I even had some Subway in peace.   Went to the craft show on base and then headed home to my family.  While Tom was gone he didn't get to do any shopping, so he decided to take the girls and I to get our toes painted.  The girls loved every minute of it and Elyse is having a good time showing everyone her pretties.   We got home  sent the kids to bed.  They all slept in the girls room since our neighbors were having a VERY LOUD party outside.  Tom and I got to watch the last episode of Glee.
  On Sunday we didn't have normal church and since we don't know how long TOm is gonna be around, we decided to go and see the new Karate Kid.  It was really good.    For the most part it was a good weekend.   I also amazed myself by going jogging in the morning.  If you know me, you know that I have had ankle issues since I was 4, so this is an amazing feat for me.  It felt great and I need to work my way up to longer distances. 

Today is Monday, I got up and called for Father's day and then mowed the lawn.  What a work out that was.  The kids and I went and turned in the movies that we rented and headed to the library.  I love it, we borrow brand new movies for free.  Of course I think it is funny that they get in more new movies than they do new books.    Now I guess it is time to get ready for dinner and decide what I am going to make.  I think Tuna Fish cassorle sounds good, nice and easy. 

Here are a few of our pictures.  Enjoy! 

Happy Father's Day to everyone!!!!

SUPRISE

Last night we were in the middle of our wind down routine when I get a text.  "hi babe, how was your day?"  Hmmm....  I starting thinking, he is here, he would not be dumb enough to use his phone while still in Korea.  I try to start texting him back, then I get 2 more one right after the other.  Before I can even ask him where he is, he asks me to come and pick him up.  He woke up yesterday morning and was given 20 min to pack and be checked out of his hotel so that they could fly home.  He ended up sitting around until 3pm for the plane he was riding on to leave.  I was mean, I told the kids that we had to run somewhere.  (I told Hazel since she was upset about not getting to finish her movie, she was very serious about keeping her secret and kept telling the boys we were heading to the commisary)   We started driving to Tom's work and I told them that I head to pick up Daddy's keys that he had left (which is true, they just happened to be in the hands of their dad by the time we got there.)  We walked into the office and all of the sudden they realized that Tom was sitting there waiting for us.  Elyse was so happy and has barely left his side since he got back.    I am happy too, I actually slept well last night, nice change from barely sleeping when he is gone.    He'll be heading out again soon enough, the next trip is a short one, so not too bad.    I'm just glad to have him here.  We even had family pics taken this morning.  On friday the kids and I had pics taken by my friend Faytette so that we could send some to Tom for Father's Day, she offered to meet us again so that we could get some with him in them as well.  I am so excited!!!    

HAPPY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Today is the last day of school, I thought I would be mean and take a picture, they are just lucky it wasn't in front of the bus. :) So now to get ready to have a 4th grader and a 1st grader.  Means harder homework for me. (I have to remember how to do everything to help them out, I swear some of the stuff they bring home now, we never did in school.)

ME

A few weeks ago Tom and I were able to go out with some friends to  have dinner and go dancing.  I was so exited, I found the shirt I am wearing at the BX the day before and it is a size 10,  made me feel great knowing I could wear it.   So far I have lost 13 lbs, and still working on more.   I am so thankful for the support that I get here in Okinawa, the ladies I do the group with are awesome.  I am also thankful for the support that Tom gives, he is willing to watch the kids when I want to go for a walk or exercise on my own and for telling me I can do it.   I am excited to see the amazing changes that are starting to happen in my body.  I know that it will never get back to where it was before kids, but do I really want it to?  In my opinion I was a little too thin then.  Plus I have had 4 beautiful kids, it is o.k. to have a few stretch marks and war wounds showing that I am a mommy.    Anyway, I just wanted to share this pic.  More to come as I keep going on my newest journey of life. 

Kindergarten Graduation

Today was Brennan's kindergarten graduation.  His teachers have been awesome!!!  He has learned lot of Japanese including how to say the months of the year,and days of the week.  The kids were all so cute in their hats singing their songs and saying their lines of their poem that they memorized.  It was the ABC's, Brennan was the letter H, his line was "H is for happy faces filled with love and cheer".This is Brennan with his teacher Ms. Ermel, then Brennan and then the teacher's assistant Ms. Prentiss. The handsome grad with his hat. Not quite sure why he was crouching down, but this is while they were singing.

Chatting with Good Friends

Before Tom left he set me up with a Skype account.  My first thought was "great, another thing for me to maintain and worry about".  I have to take that back.  Yesterday I got to chat with my dear sweet friend Monti who is in the Netherlands, not only did I get to chat with her, I got to see her.  It was awesome!!!!!  Amazing that we are so far away from each other and we can do that.  I mean FB is great and all, but there is nothing like a good talk with a friend that doesn't include everyone else and their dog and not one else can get mad at anything that you say.   
So, if you wanna get ahold of me, let's give it a try.  Might be fun to catch up while you get nice shots of my kids crawling all over me and trying to say hello to anyone they can.

Ahhhh, Books

Have you ever walked into a bookstore, stopped and take a long whiff of the beautiful smell of the books.  Before Tom left I was able to go to the store by myself, usually it is a huge ordeal.  Kids wanting to do this, I wan that, etc, Tom wanting to go to a different side of the store.  I was taking my time and I wandered into the bookstore.  I walked in and was hit with one of my favorite smells, the smell of books.    I actually was able to take a moment and get a lovely long whiff of the smell.  I was in heaven.    I was able to walk around, actually pick up a book and read a little about it without just looking at the cover and hoping that it will be good.  I even got the newest novella by Stephanie Meyers and some new magazines with some fun ideas for summer projects.  It was pure bliss being there and taking my time.

I grew up with books all around me.  My dad was always reading something,  if he wasn't busy working he had a book in his hand.    My mom loves to read as well,  but mostly I think of her as writing her own stories and poems.    All three of us kids are avid readers, we come from a long line of readers.    One of our favorite spots to buy books was/is this enormous book store in Portland, OR   Powell's.  You can get new and used books there, it is 3 levels high and that is only one of their stores. (now you can buy stuff from them online, you can even sell books back to them as well).  I remember going there and my mom giving us a limit on how many books we could get.  Do you know how hard that is?  With all the many choices they had, it was almost overwhelming.  When we left we all had at least 2 books in hand.  Tom and I even went there on our wedding night.  It was a few blocks away from our hotel.  We went to have dinner at a Thai restaurant and then we headed into Powell's.    Luckily I married someone who loves to read as much as I do. 

Now that school is coming to and end, the boys are gearing up for the summer reading program at the Library.  Brennan was so excited last night.  He went around the house and found all of the books for his reading level and started reading them to me.  It is so exciting and wonderful to hear them read and for them to be so thrilled about what they are doing and what they have learned.   My girls love to bring me books and want me to read to them.  I know that Xanen loves to read, but sometimes it is like pulling teeth.  He is like his dad, he wants to do it, but if it is required he drags his feet about doing it. 

So, if you haven't enjoyed the smell of a bookstore, or even noticed it, next time you go- walk in the door, stop and take a nice long whiff, you don't know what you are missing.

Well, I didn't win weigh in.  I have lost a total of 13 lbs, so I am happy that I have gotten that far.  I am going to keep up the work outs and see what I can do this summer.  We will meet back again in August, so we will see what happens. 

Tom is gone for a few weeks, so I am flying solo.  Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is bad.    Pretty much flying by the seat of my pants, not making plans, seeing what the kids are feeling like before we go anywhere.    I am trying to get most of my stuff done and over with while it is just me and the girls, the boys make things  a little more difficult when doing errands. 

I am planning on redoing the master bedroom while Tom is gone, tomorrow I am going to go and look at paint samples and see if anything catches my eye.  I want something that makes it feel home.  Pretty much anything but off while will be really nice.  I have lived in an off white house for 9 years now and am VERY tired of the boringness that it brings. 

I am hopefully going to get a flight back to the states so that kids and I can go home for part of the summer, I figure that if we are meant to go it will happen.  My grandpa isn't doing too well,  no one is really quite sure what is going on with him.  I know there is tons of family there to help take care of him and help my grandma, I just feel really helpless stuck here half way around the world. 

I am going to go and enjoy the last 20  mins of quiet before I have to wake up the girls to go and get the boys from the busstop.  It won't be quiet again until 830pm, when they are all in bed asleep. 

We have had a busy week.   Memorial weekend we pretty much hung out at home.  It rained almost the entire time, well except for when we couldn't go out and do anything.   We took the kids to see the lastest "Shrek" and really enjoyed it, came home and spent time as a family.  We ended up watching the Man from Snowy River and it's sequel.  The boys loved watching the amazing horse scenes.  On monday we were all supposed to go to the beach, since it was still raining and Brennan, Hazel and I had all been sick in some form during the week, Tom ended up taking Xanen snorkeling and the rest of us stayed home.  I took them to go and rent movies, that seemed to help with the disappointment of not going.   The guys went with some of our friends and had a blast.  I was hoping to go this weekend, but since Tom got his smallpox shot, no swimming for him. 

I was happy when the 4 day weekend was over and the boys could go back to school.   I have been trying to find the house ever since.  I swear that they leave a trail of destruction behind them everywhere they go.  In the process I did something to my wrist, it is finally feeling better after a few days wrapped in an ace bandage, so back to the cleaning fun for me. 

I need to put some new pics on, Hazel had to go and get her hair cut since she decided to cut it herself.  It looks really cute on her.  I think she just wanted to go and sit in the chair.  Thank goodness she didn't go crazy and chop off closer to her head. 

Here's hoping that we have a sunny weekend!!!!