Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Catch up

Wow...Lots to catch up on!!


Just a funny starter...thanks to my brother, Eric, for catching this one.
(Notice what kind of glass bottle is really there.)


My brother Eric came to visit us in August. This was probably one of the best times of my life. We did tons of things....ate at lots of cool restaurants, went to the dolphin park, went to Renaissance Resort, Pineapple Factory Drive Thru, Chula U and got attacked by flesh eating baby piranhas, went to Okuma Resort, hiked Hiji Falls, went to the northernest most point of the island: Hedo Point, went parasailing, did put-putt, drank some expensive Australian wine, and best of all...just chilled with each other on the balcony enjoying Okinawa. I could have put a million pictures on here just to cover Eric's visit, but I only put a few.
Me in the sky parasailing...
The baby piranhas...
Kids at top of Hiji Falls

Eric stayed back in Okinawa to watch the kiddos while Tim and I went to Tokyo to climb Mt Fuji!! Tokyo was a blast. Fuji was hard but worth the work. That is a feat very few people can say the did. Here are some pics of our journey.

Tim and Amber on top of Tokyo Tower...taller than the Eiffel...

Me climbing up Fuji...you can see me in the very middle...wearing a gray shirt and black pants. Tough terrain...no picnic in the park.

Tim and I at station 7...


Tim and I before going out on a date...


Elijah played T-ball and kicked butt!! Sorry for the sideways shot.

Elijah's 1st day of kindergarten...
Riding the bus...big boy!!

Noah turned 4!! Please check out the you tube video. The link is posted in a previous post.


Noah's 1st day of preschool at East West Montessori School

Tim's parents, Bob and Rosie, came out to visit us. That was a great time too! We had loads of fun at the Naha Tug of War, spent a few days at the Okuma Resort, I learned a thing or two in the kitchen, and the quality time spent out on the balcony are memories to last a lifetime.


Noah was so intrigued with this old man at Pizza in the Sky that could whistle with a blade of grass. (The old man was intrigued in Noah's American blonde hair, blue eyed beauty too) The moment I didn't catch on camera was when Tim showed Noah he could whistle with grass too. Wow...was Noah impressed!
One of the middle ends of the huge rope at the Naha Tug of War. For more info and stats on this annual Okinawan tradition, please check out this link: http://www.agileh.com/okinawa/okinawa17.html
The video and information here is very good!!

More rope. We were lucky enough to get a piece of the rope...which Okinawan tradition says will bring your home good luck.



Halloween...Spiderman and Venom...AKA Elijah and Noah.

Our pumpkins...

Tim's Trip to Australia

My 2 and a half month deployment on the ship over the summer led me to have an amazing time in Australia...Cairns and Brisbane. Here are some photos:


Hanging out looking at the wild blue...
Home away from home...the big grey deuce!
A little LCAC ops...
Went for a helo ride...SH 60 search and rescue...
Getting my surface warfare pin...
With the commanding officer of the Essex

Brisbane...

Chillin' with the moon in the background.
The boys in Brisbane...

Some huge tree...
The best pub I've ever been to...Belgium style...
Koala bear...

Kangaroo chillin' in the sun...
At a family run coffee plantation...hanging out with the owner and Brownie.
Gore, Brownie and myself at my wetting down for LCDR

Beautiful Cairns...
A bunch of crocs...

Beautiful Cairns again...

Meat on a sword...

The boys hanging out in Cairns
One of the many beautiful sunsets seen on board...
The boys on the fantail...almost home...

Noah's 4th Birthday

Another video on youtube!! Click on the link below. Or copy and paste it in your web browser!

Noah is 4 years old!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTwh2WnnGtQ

Ice Skating


Please check out this video on youtube. 
It's the kids ice skating in Okinawa!!
Click on the link below or copy and paste it in your web browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlWfkl12HgM


Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Summer VACA in VA: 2009


While Tim was busy doing his thing on the big deuce in Australia, (new post of his trip to come...)

the kids and I took a LONG plane ride home to VA. It was an awesome time! We got to spend some good quality time with our family and did a lot of fun stuff. We went to the Bounce House, Chuck E Cheese, the movies several times, A LOT of malls and shopping, rode on the boat down the Elizabeth River, Va Beach oceanfront, Chesapeake City Park, Waterside, Norfolk Zoo, went out with friends, had friends over, went deer hunting, did it up poolside A LOT, and went four wheeling...

The following pictures will not do our trip justice, but it will highlight it.


Ninny and her BFF, Stewart making cupcakes for the first time.
Deer in the backyard!
My mom and lil' sis, Ninny.
ROAR!!
The old Norfolk crew...Tanya, Bridgette, Erin, and me. So many memories!! It was awesome to see them!!
Elijah at VBS...
Noah hunting on the four wheeler...
Elijah and Grandpa

Elijah hunting birds...
Ridin' on the John Deere...
Mindy and I...loved her visit!!
The Ninster and I...
Chillin' poolside
Li-Li and Ninny
My fam

Celebrating Elijah's 5th Bday
And of course, we celebrated Noah's pretend 4th Bday...
Chuck E Cheese
BTU crew doing a little karaoke

Kara and I...the night I hung with all the PNMC girls...
Loads of fun. Didn't want it to end. And wanna go back!!