New Car

We did it!! We now are proud owners of 2 cars. I have a friend who works at Vehicle Registration and in Japan you have to de-register your car when you leave. She found a girl who was leaving the island on Sat. (this is Thurs) and she was going to junk her car. Amanda told her she had a friend who needed a car so the girl gave it to us! Yes, that is not a typo- we got a car for free. Sure, we had to pay the road tax and car insurance but other than that we paid nothing. The car will eventually need brakes (which Joe thinks he remembers how to do thanks to Jon Geske) but it will get Joe to work and back. Gone are the days of Joe riding his bike to work!!!

We had soccer again this weekend and Joe had a race. He completed in a triathlon but it was a team event. He went to the race thinking he was going to do the biking portion of it but was told at the last minute that he would be the runner. His team came in 2nd and the boys were excited when they saw the trophy (the trophy could have said "last place" and the kids would have been equally excited) We did not go to the race due to CCD (Sunday school) so I have no pictures of the race. Next weekend... no soccer!! I don't know what I will do with myself.

Zoo fun

Spring Break has come and gone! We went to the zoo and the hands on museum as our "big" trip. It was drizzling in the morning but turned out to be a nice day. Because of the weather the place was empty, so we had the place to ourselves. Hunters favorite part was "sitting in the big chair and seeing the lions" Brody likes all of it (he is not a hard one to please!) On Tuesday, the boys had a golf clinic to learn how to chip, putt, and drive the ball. It was an all morning event and both boys seemed to have a good time. On Sunday, we took the boys golfing, Joe and I were the caddies, and they had alot of fun. Hunter is pretty good considering he just learned and Brody is just having fun. He would spin in a full circle when he swung, miss the ball and then announce that he was just practicing. They really wanted to get a cart but we said no. It was a good thing we didn't get a cart, they don't hit it very far so the cart would have been more of a pain than a help! We were able to get through the course (9 holes) in about 2 hours. They were many times when both boys would be hitting at the same time on opposite sides of the course, so they really didn't play proper golf.

For Easter, we got together with 3 other families. We had a brunch and an egg hunt. Both kids picked up about 40 eggs filled with candy. As Hunter put it "Jackpot!" The kids then played outside and the adults stayed around to talk. It was alot of fun.

Of course we had soccer on Saturday. Both boys won their games. We have team pictures this week and games on the the weekend- I can't believe we are already half way through the season.

I got accepted to nursing school. Actually, I got accepted but there is a 2 year wait list. I am currently on the wait list and should get into the program when we are leaving from Japan. I need Joe to get stationed back in CA for this to work out for me. I am on the wait list at Palomar College in San Marcos, CA. If he were stationed at Miramar or Pendelton then this nursing school will work out. I won't know for awhile where we will be going next. If it is not CA, then it is back to the drawing board for me! I'll keep you posted.

Spring Break is Here!!

Well, we started our spring break off with a couple of soccer games. Joe is still out of town so I took lots of pictures. Brody played first and they got their first win of the season!! Brody assisted on the goal and was pumping his fist in the air after they scored. He was very excited they finally won but reminded me that the coaches aren't really suppose to keep score. Hunter's team also won. He played very well. I think he is starting to figure out where he is suppose to be and has a sense of what to do on the field (he doesn't stay in the spot where the coach puts him- well he does but knows where to openings are to get a pass) Both boys were tired after the game and are now resting.

It was sunny here all day except for now- the clouds are moving in. It is about 75 degrees with no wind. The games were at 11:00 and noon so we were out there at the hot part of the day. We are not going anywhere for spring break. Joe is just getting back from New Zealand. The boys are going to a golf clinic on Tuesday and will still have practice over the break. That is all from here, Happy Easter and talk to you next week!!

Rainy Day Soccer

I had no camera at this weeks games due to the constant rain that fell from the moment I got out of the car until.....it is still raining and it is 6:30 pm. I was drenched after today's games but enjoyed them just the same. Hunter's game was first and they did very well. They won again and he played mid-field so he ran alot. Hunter is more of a sprinter not a long distance runner so he was pretty tired after the game. I ran from Hunter's game to Brody's (of course they don;t play on the same field!) and I got there in enough time to see Brody dribble from mid field all the way to the goal and score!!! He was so excited and I really wish I had my camera to take a picture of the celebration. The ref was messed up on the length of the game and had the kids (5-6 yr. old) playing 15 minutes running clock QUARTERS. Brody played the entire game and is pooped!

Unfortunately, Joe was unable to see the games due to the Marine Corps sending him to a conference (for once, it is not running) He currently is in New Zealand at a law conference and I am stuck in Okinawa, standing in the rain, watching soccer for 3.5 hours- but I am sure he would rather be here anyway. The pictures are from last week but will take new ones next game.

Brody loses a tooth!

Brody has lost his first tooth but I had nothing to do with it!! I didn't have to pull anything nor did Joe, he did it all on his own. We were walking to school and he tripped and went face first onto the sidewalk. Of course, there were tears and blood but when I looked in his mouth I saw that his front tooth was pushed back. Off to dental we went! They took an x-ray and saw that the tooth had been fractured at the gum line so they decided to pull it out. He didn't even move when they gave him a lidocane shot. He was so still. They pulled the tooth and said that the adult tooth will come down in about 1.5-2 years. There was no other damage to other teeth so he was lucky. The dentist said that the bruising would hurt more than the tooth being pulled. The only thing Brody was concerned about was if he would be able to go on his field trip tomorrow and if he could play soccer on Saturday (he has his priorities!)

Soccer starts again!

Finally, the soccer season has arrived. Both boys are playing (Brody for the first year) but they are in different age groups. There are about 13 kids on a team with 7 playing for Brody and 9 playing for Hunter.

Brody was very excited for his first game. He was dressed in his entire uniform including cleats and shin guards by 7:30 AM (the game was at 10:00) He is the smallest one on the team but doesn't seem to back down from anyone. He was very aggressive and wasn't afraid to subtly throw an elbow. He did get confused about halftime because the team got oranges to eat (he knows that snack comes at the end of the game) but was happy to find out the game was not done. At times he will look over and give us a "thumbs up" sign, so I think that means he is having fun.

Hunter is playing on an older team. He tends to hold back at times because he doesn't want the ball to get by him. He needs to learn to trust the teammates that are playing defense. It was very humid on Saturday and we was getting tired by the end of the game. His coach is very intense but is a good coach. His coach really isn't overly friendly especially with the parents (we are lucky if he even says hi to us or looks our way) but Hunter is learning alot about soccer and is enjoying himself. The boys are on different teams but ended up with the same uniforms. Hunter is on the Young Gun Brigade and Brody is on the Tigers (he suggested the name "The Bulletins" but it didn't get the vote!)

Auction Purchases!!!

Joe and I went on "date night" to an auction sponsored by Marine Officer Spouses Club with all the money going to charity. Joe, of course, hit the food table as soon as we got there while I looked around. I saw 2 pieces that I really like and wanted to show Joe. After I finally found him (at the food table!!) we agreed on how high we were going to bid and took our seats. I was very nervous and wanted Joe to raise the paddle when the item came. The first item came up and Joe sat there (actually he wasn't moving fast enough for me) so I grabbed the paddle and started bidding...we won! It is a bar that opens up to store lots of things. The second item came up later in the night and I had the paddle again! It got to the bid of our top bid but I did not have the bid (if you can understand that) so I raised my paddle upping the price and going past our agreed on top dollar. As Joe looked at me, I stared straight ahead waiting for her to say "Sold" and for what seemed like forever she finally said it and the Step Tansu was ours!! It come in 3 pieces and can be arranged in different ways, the picture shows how we are currently displaying it. No more auctions for us.... we are still on a weight restriction when we leave here in 2 years!