Fun at Disney Sea!

We had a great time at Disney Sea a few weeks ago when Nana and Papa were here. We had perfect weather and didn't have to wait in any lines. Here are some highlights of our day!! Patrick loved the volcano ride where he took a journey to the center of the earth

Matthew was happy to just sit and watch

Papa and Matthew having fun on Aquatopia in Port Discovery Land

More Fun!!

The boys climbing at Mermaid Lagoon

Taking a break from the rides

Hanging out at the Arabian Coast

They're the same characters all the way over here in Japan

Hanging out at the American Waterfront

Patrick loved the Indiana Jones ride, and now it is all he talks about

Disney wouldn't be Disney without a yummy Micky treat!

Sayonara USS Kitty Hawk

Today was an important day for everyone on the Yokosuka Naval Base. For 10 years, Yokosuka has been home to the aircraft carrier Uss Kitty Hawk. Today the Kitty left Japan for the final time as she makes her way to Bremerton, Washingon to be decomisioned early next year.

Ever since getting here last year, the Kitty Hawk has been a major focal point of this base. You can tell when she is in because the commissary is out of everything, there are no parking spaces on base, and the wait to eat at Chillis is over an hour and a half. The Kitty Hawk's crew consists of about 3000 sailors! You can imagine the impact it makes on this base when she is in port. You can also tell when she is gone, mostly due to the huge spot on the pier that sits empty! You drive past it and think, Wow- something is missing!

I thought I would share some interesting facts about this mammoth warship that appeared in our paper this week:

-The Kitty Hawk crews fought enemies in three wars.

-It was the first aircraft carrier ever to be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, which was presented by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968

-In June of 1963, President John F. Kennedy spent the night aboard the ship near southern California, and it was called the "floating White House".

-She is the second -oldest active ship in the Navy. The first is the USS Constitution "Old Ironsides", which is used for ceremonial , recruiting, and tourism purposes
-The second "K" on the USS Kitty Hawk's nameplate is upside down. The letter was skewed when welders transferred the small steel letter plates from the fantail to below the flight deck in the 1960's.

- A portion of "Clear and Present Danger" was shot aboard the Kitty Hawk.

Today was pretty impressive. I watched several classes of students being escorted by a police escort as they walked toward the pier to say Sayonara. Many students also lined the seawall and watched as the Kitty Hawk departed Yokosuka on her final cruise. It is amazing how everyone wanted to watch and be a part of this huge day. I walked with Matthew and two other little boys to watch it depart. It will always be a part of history, and when you live in Yokosuka, you can't help but be attached to this ship somehow. With 3000 crew members, many people we live near and spend time with are Kitty Hawk families.

Although I couldn't see it from where I was, the entire crew "manned the rails" and stood on the deck of the carrier in a formation that spelled out "sayonara" in Kanji (Japanese writing) characters.

And so we will wait until August and then welcome the USS George Washington. It will be the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier to ever be stationed here in Japan. It hasn't gone without controversy though as their arrival gets closer. For now though, we will enjoy getting a parking spot at the exchange, having our pick at the commissary, and having it be a little quieter around base.

A Wii bit Unfit!!

Okay- can I just say that one of the absolute best inventions arrived in the mail today.  I have only had it a few short hours, but I would do a testimonial on it based on what I have seen so far.  I am of course talking about the new Wii Fit!

I had preordered my wii fit back in March, and I have been waiting ever so patiently for it to arrive.  It is all over Japan and has been out over here for months, but their wii fit won't FIT our wii fit, so we had to wait.  I have read the reviews and seen it advertised, but I really didn't know if it would live up to its hype. 

I am here to say that this thing is incredible.  It has given me by BMI (body mass index) and weighed me.  The scary thing is that based on my info, it calculated my Wii Fit Age.  Basically it told me that I am weak, and my body is quickly falling apart.  I keep telling myself, it is just a board- what does it know??  I set my fitness goals, so now it is up to me (and of course my personal trainer).

 I have tried the yoga, and my personal trainer is encouraging, but also lets me know if I am slacking.  She tells me I will get better with practice every day.  I have also tried the aerobics, which kicked my you know what.  The strength training has awesome ab workouts, plus much more.  

The boys even love this thing.  After dinner we all played, and the big hit was the ski slalom, which involves moving your body on the balance board to weave through all of the flags throughout the course.  Another great one is heading the soccer balls, in which you have to lean to head the balls while avoiding flying cleats.  

I truly think that Nintendo has nailed it with this one!  They have thought of it all.  I can only imagine what will be next.   In the meantime, I strongly recommend that if you don't already have the Wii, go buy it, and if you only buy one game, get the Wii Fit.  You won't be disappointed!!  It is healthy and fun entertainment, not to mention, quite a good workout!!

Teaching Japanese, Learning Japanese, and Fun in Yokosuka

My parents have been visiting for the last couple of weeks, and they still have one more week. We have been busy doing things more close to home this time. The last time they visited, we traveled to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hakone, Tokyo, Kamakura, etc. This time, they are enjoying Yokosuka and getting involved in the boys' schools. My dad has been teaching Patrick's class a lesson in Economics called "Our Community". It is part of Junior Achievement, which is where he works in Michigan. My mom went with Matthew to a special tea celebration in his class last week. She had tea, cookies, and received special flowers and a butterfly picture made from Matthew's handprints. The first Friday they were here, we all went to the MIME festival at Patrick's school. MIME stands for Multiple Intelligences of Me. We enjoyed many cultural performances, such as Hawaiian dancers and a piano performance. Patrick got to see Japanese Taiko drummers. It is neat that Patrick is able to learn about so many different cultures while we are here. It is also funny to see him with his class because he is in the minority. Patrick doesn't seem bothered by it at all- his friends are filipino, Japanese, African American, Hawaiian, and caucasian The same can be said of Matthew's group of friends. When I see them with their friends, I think of a Benetton commercial.

We had a nice Mother's Day yesterday by celebrating it at the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo. The brunches they put on for special celebrations are fantastic. We all enjoyed our lunch and didn't have to eat dinner last night because we were all stuffed. We (except Brian- some people have to earn the money that we spend) will all head back to the New Sanno on Wednesday evening because we are going to stay there and get up and head to Disney Sea on Thursday for some great fun. Tokyo has the only Disney Sea in the world, and it is one of the best Disney parks going.

Later this week we are going to take an adventure to a small town near Nikko, Japan called Mashiko. Mashiko is know for its pottery. Brian and I took the boys to Nikko in the fall but didn't have enough time to venture to Mashiko, so I thought we would do it while my parents are visiting. The town is small, but quaint, and it is lined with pottery shops. My mom can't get enough of all of these little dishes, bowls, sets of pottery, etc. Now I know where I get it.

I am still teaching English on Wednesdays and just picked up a group of 7 more Japanese ladies to teach on Thursdays. They are going to be a lot of fun. I will be taking over for another military wife who will be moving later this summer. I truly enjoy these experiences with all of these women. They are all so different from one another, but all of them are eager to improve their English and learn about our culture. I just wish I could speak their language. I have private lessons every other week from a Japanese teacher, but the learning is slow, and I find the language difficult to learn. I am just now starting to go out in town and use my Japanese to ask questions in restaurants and stores.

That's all for now- stay tuned for pics of Disney and Mashiko!

Happy Mother's Day

I saw this online, and I had to share. Some of you may have already read this, but with Mother's Day coming up this weekend, I wanted to post it. I think it truly sums up everything that we feel as moms, no matter how old our children are. Please have a wonderful Mother's Day this Sunday


Being a Mom— Author Unknown —

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family."you think I should have a baby?"
"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.
"I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations ..."
But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.
I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.
I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation. I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.
I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.
Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years-not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs. I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.
I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future.
I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts. My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes.
"You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings. This blessed gift from God ... that of being a Mother.
Please share this with a Mom that you know or all of your girlfriends who may someday be moms.