What We Do On Christmas Break

Dress up Day. The Prince and the Princess

Santa at the O club

Pirate Ship Park

December 23, 2009 74 degrees. Happy tropical Christmas!

Decorating Cookies (We also made those snowmen chair covers one day)

There's a reason we only do this once a year.

Yum-O

Success!

We've also been to the III MEF band Christmas concert, AWANA cookie decorating, Round1 indoor sports/arcade fun place, out to dinner with friends and the Air force Tops in Blue concert. It's been a full week!

Tokyo 2009

A picture by a purple Christmas tree for Miss Erin

For Thanksgiving we were able to travel to Tokyo again. The vacation away from Okinawa was certainly a welcome one. I never thought a little island could be so busy. We arrived on Thanksgiving day and enjoyed lunch and a little sight seeing in Roppongi before our turkey feast at The New Sanno.

Friday morning found us up bright and early. There was no doubt we were going to meet the mouse. Since Jeff doesn't embarrass easily I took it upon myself to order us matching Mickey shirts. They made me happy. (Secretly I think Jeff liked them too :)) We spent the day riding rides, watching parades, eating overpriced treats, and loving every minute of it. My favorite part was definitely the electrical parade. However, Alison totally stole my heart during the daytime parade. She sat on her daddy's shoulders and screamed her heart out at Minnie and the princesses. It would not have helped to tell her they couldn't hear her. She was convinced they were waving to her. I loved hearing her little voice yell "Minnie, I'm here. I'm wearing you. Hi Minnie!" "Cinderella, Cinderella, Hi Cinderella! Cinderella". It went on and on for every princess that came through. I'm happy to report that Disney is still the happiest place on earth.

Saturday and Sunday we mastered the Tokyo subway system and explored the city quite a bit. We made it to the Imperial palace and gardens, Ginza (a shopping district), Asakusa (temple and pagoda), The Meiji Shrine, another shopping district, the Tokyo Tower, and Roppongi for dinner at Outback steakhouse. Tokyo is quite an amazing city! I have really come to love Japan. I think my favorite parts of our sight seeing were the imperial palace gardens and Asakusa. The gardens were beautiful. Many trees and fall colors. I haven't seen fall colors in 2 years. Asakusa was a more traditional part of town and it was beautiful too. The temple and pagoda were similar to those we saw in China. But the best thing we did was a rickshaw ride around the town. Our rickshaw "driver" showed us all around the business district of Asakusa. The kids really loved the ride.

We also managed to swim at the hotel and get some yummy baked goods at a local pastry shop. We flew back to Okinawa on Monday night. We were able to see Mt. Fuji from the plane. Maybe we'll head back to Tokyo in the summer to climb it. Or maybe I'll enjoy the hotel while Jeff climbs it. We'll keep you posted.

Preschool Program

Alison's preschool class had a Christmas program yesterday. I'm not sure there is anything cuter than the videos of these 2, 3, and 4 year olds singing. I hope you enjoy them. The loud voice is the boy I focus on one time in the green shirt. Also note that Alison needed something to do with her hands so she chose to pull up her dress. At least she is in the middle row so not too many people got to see her hello kitty underwear. We're working on being a lady. I know I'm biased but I do believe she is the most beautiful girl in the performance!

Walkathon 2009

tug of war after the walkathon

Getting ready to go

Registered and ready to go!

Saturday November 14, 2009 Owen, Alison and I walked 9km for OCSI's walkathon. Owen had pleaded with family members and at least one neighbor to sponsor him walking. I must say he did MUCH better this year than last year. I only heard two complaints of him being tired and those were easily squashed by my positive pep talks. If you've seen Facing the Giants then you'll recognize my spiel, "Don't quit Owen, your very best, don't quit" "one foot in front of the other buddy, one foot in front of the other" "God gave you two strong legs" etc. Then on the last hill Alison got out of the stroller and ran up the hill with her brother. So cute! She stopped for a minute and said "mommy I need some water" and then trudged her chubby little thighs the rest of the way up. I was so proud of my kids. I was so thankful the rain held off. Our weekend was busier than I hope to ever be again. We're still tired, Alison was in bed at 6:40pm tonight, but I'm thankful for a good weekend.

Typhoon Schmyphoon

So the typhoon passed us by. I'm kind of glad, but it would be nice to get one out of the way. It seems inevitable that we will have one while we live here. The anticipation is starting to get to me. It moved past Okinawa during the night and morning, making for an interesting workout today. I just kept singing "against the wind, I keep running against the wind". 

Just before we left for school Owen said look there is a rainbow. So we ran out and took a quick picture. We see lots of rainbows in Okinawa but this is the first one we photographed. It was gone as quickly as it came, but it was beautiful!

School Days

Here are my beautiful kids one morning before school. Owen is in first grade and Alison goes to preschool 3 days a week. She wants to go everyday just like her brother. They are both doing very well so far and we are very proud of them. Because Owen's school starts at 8:30am and I drive him, Alison and I end up with a lot of lag time before her school starts at 9:30am. We usually stop for a snack and read some books or play in the car before she heads into school. The video below is during our "play time". She just cracks me up. I hope you enjoy her singing. It will definitely put a smile on your face!

Handsome first grader

Beautiful pre-schooler. Yes, she knows she is cute!

Jesus Loves Me by Alison

She Flew Through The Air With the Greatest of Ease...

Or not.

"TaDa!" Before the fall. Isn't she beautiful!?!

Preschool Preparation

Alison started preschool today. To get ready for her big day we had a mommy/daughter date to have pedicures. It is safe to say that Alison likes to be pampered. They asked me if she wanted the pedicure or just nail art so I asked Alison if she wanted her feet and legs rubbed and she said "Yes!" She enjoyed being a big girl and I had so much fun being with my girl. She would reach her hand over to my chair so I would hold it. What sweet memories I'll have of our day together. 

Who Needs Flat Daddy.....

When you can have the REAL thing!

At Okinawa's airport Sunday August 16, 2009

Life at the Singley house has dramatically changed in the last several days. One day last week Jeff called to say his deployment had been cancelled. Maybe you think my response was something like screaming the Hallelujah chorus, and planning for our reunion, but it was not. I think it was more like "shut up, I don't believe you" and that is harsh talk because we don't use the words shut up in our house. 

Over the next couple of days Jeff continued to say that the CO had confirmed it and they would all be leaving in a matter of days. Being a true Navy wife I didn't say a word to anyone. Especially not my children. I knew better. I knew they would change their minds. They always do. This is the Navy for crying out loud. Orders are never changed for my happiness. 

My heart leaped for joy when I saw his flight itinerary over skype. But it still seemed too good to be true. Cancel a deployment. Really? That. Never. Happens! But he was set to arrive Sunday night at 8:35pm. We decided to let the kids be surprised at the airport just to ensure things didn't get changed. A couple of Jeff's co workers met us at the airport to welcome him home. 

The kids were absolutely surprised as I'm sure most of you are. We're still a little in shock, but so extremely thankful for this blessing. God answered our prayers "to bring Daddy back to us as soon as possible" in a way I never imagined. How AWESOME is He!?! What a mighty and powerful God we serve! 

Today is Jeff's 35th birthday (which means mine is just around the corner, ugh we're getting old). It is very nice to be able to celebrate with him in person. Thank you for all of your love, prayers, and support. 

 I heart the Navy, for today anyway :). 

Remember to pause the music  first so you can hear the video

Alisonisms

These are all things Alison said today that made me smile. 

I don't want it (referring to sunscreen) on my headbow.  (forehead)

God said we could wear our jammies out. -- I think this is because I told her she can't wear her jammies out to the store

You are not God you are mommy. --  Thank goodness for that!

"And pray that Jesus helps her to walk again and run and, (long pause), skip"-- Referring to Miss Erin. I'm not sure skipping is on her list of skills to regain but Alison wants to make sure it is. 

I think my favorite is "headbow". I love it. Soon enough she'll say the right word and I'll know she is growing up, but for now I hope headbow sticks around a while. 

What A Military Wife Is....

Each one may look different and each is wonderfully unique, but this they have in common:

(some are even men)

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home,
For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...

She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move...
......all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert,
The Arctic,
Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships.
They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after
them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is
unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed; the glue that holds 
them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart .
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military
Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

Author Unkown

Got this from a friend on facebook and it made my day. Here's to all my favorite military spouses! I couldn't make it without you!

Update on Erin

I just wanted to let you know of the amazing progress Erin has made. She finally arrived at Balboa Medical Center in San Diego after a long and painful medivac trip. She had two surgeries. One to fuse her spine and one to put some hardware in her pelvis. In just one day after the surgeries she was up and taking baby steps. Over the course of the last few days she has been getting faster and stronger. She is now being moved to a Rehab facility where I'm certain God and her are going to amaze the staff. Todd and the kids finally arrived to San Diego last Saturday after a long and somewhat eventful trip. They are together. Jeff was able to see them over the weekend and told me that Erin made him laugh when she said "God was looking out for me because not one of my tattoos got messed up". Jeff agreed that was divine providence. She's a funny lady! 

Please continue to pray for Erin's  continued recovery and for the family to get settled into their new home. This is the first move either of their kids will remember and while they will adjust quickly it's hard on a mom when your kids are sad. Taryn will start second grade soon. She's a sweet girl and I'm sure will make friends quickly. Pray for the perfect teacher and friends to make her new school a good experience. I'm not sure if they have found a preschool for Ian but you could pray for that too. Thank you for lifting our friends up to Jesus. He is good and is answering all of our prayers.

Flat Daddy

Inspired by taking Flat Stanley on our China trip for my nephew, Luke, I decided to make us a Flat Daddy. He arrived in the mail Thursday. The kids were excited to see their dad and thought it was a fun idea. Already Flat Daddy has been bowling with us and he is currently watching cartoons with the kids. I know it is a silly idea but I thought it might make our time without Jeff a little more fun. Now lets hope Flat Daddy doesn't get left behind anywhere or I might be in trouble. 

Prayer Request

Miss Erin and Alison at O's Christmas Program

My friend, Erin, was hit by a car riding her bike to swim practice last Thursday morning. She is currently in the ICU at Naval Hospital Okinawa, but will be transferred to Balboa in San Diego this Thursday. She is a triathlete, devoted mama, and marine wife. This has been a very tragic and unexpected event for her and the family. Please pray for her healing and for peace as they begin a new journey. The whole family will be moving to San Diego in  a matter of weeks. Todd her husband has received permanent change of station orders to Miramar. He and their children, Taryn 6, and Ian 3, will leave the first week of August or so. Please keep the family in your prayers. They are doing well considering the circumstances. Clinging to Jesus. Please pray that they continue to do so as they work through all of the details and emotions. And pray that the kids and I can be blessing to them as they prepare to leave. 

Death is not Dying

Jeff and I watched this video this morning. I found the link on a blog I read regularly. This is incredibly powerful and I strongly encourage you to take the time to watch. It is well worth the 55 minutes. Definitely puts things in to perspective. I pray that I too will know God, know myself, know the gospel, and know my purpose.

P.S. We're down to less than 24 hours. Pray for our time to be well spent and our words to be kind and for God's peace to fill us from head to toe. :)

Summer Update

Just a quick post to update our summer adventures. We arrived in Virginia on June 13th and have had almost a month of fun. I think the kids are on permanent vacation mode. I am ready for some routine back in our days, but that will be a few more weeks in coming. We spent 10 days in Richmond with my family. We also took the kids on a mystery trip to Williamsburg and went to Busch Gardens and The Great Wolf Lodge. We have been with Jeff's family since the 25th. We celebrated the twins' first birthday with every member of the Singley clan. It was great to see Nana with all of her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. We arrived in OCNJ last Tuesday and have had a pretty lazy week at the shore. Lots of beach time and even more boardwalk time. Owen is on a quest to play every mini golf course on the island. We had a great end to our time at the beach at the Phillies game last night. What an awesome game. Beautiful weather, cheesesteaks, yuengling, big foam fingers, the Phanatic, and a Phillies win 22 to 1. God Bless America!

We head back to Virginia in a couple of hours. We'll be back in Richmond by the end of the week for a certain little girl's 3rd Birthday. Can you even believe that beautiful girl is going to be 3? I can't. Jeff heads out a week from today. Right now I'm just telling myself he's going to California for work. Because he is for at least a month. I'll deal with the rest of it later. Please continue to pray for us. I have a feeling next Tuesday is going to be pretty tough on two little kids who love their dad. Gotta get packed up, again.

The Big D

I've been avoiding this post. I'm not sure if it is because writing it down makes it more real or if it reminds me of all that I have to get done in 12 days. About 2 weeks ago we got the news that Jeff is Deploying for 9 months in July. I'd be lying if I said there weren't signs along the way that God was preparing me for this. Many things that have occurred in the last several months I now understand. Things I have read recently that have struck a chord in me, I now know why grabbed my attention. I'm not sure I'm ready for this. It's been 5 years. I'm rusty. But my adrenaline is kicking in and there is no time for tears. Not yet anyway. We need to get things in order. Cars need maintenance. Bills need paid. Passwords exchanged. Packing, oh lots of packing. Every family outing feels pressured to make an incredible memory.  Time together seems much more precious and somehow much shorter. Everyday I am aware that "the day" is coming. Every day we are one step closer to that goodbye. To tackling every chore, tantrum, meal, tub, birthday party, holiday, homework assignment, and milestone by ourselves as a family of 3. And everyday while all that is in my head I am attempting to pretend it is not there. Attempting to focus on now. Attempting to be positive and strong for the kids, for Jeff. Attempting to remember where my strength comes from. Attempting to enjoy what we have. Because really deployment or no deployment we are never guaranteed another day. I should live each day fully. So I write this to ask for your prayers. Both for Jeff and for me and the kids. We absolutely believe that this is God's will for our family. Nothing happens to us that hasn't gone through Him first. We can trust Him with this. He has blessed us with an incredible church family and friends here in Okinawa. Owen's school is also a tremendous blessing. I was so touched that my sweet boy's first thought was to ask his teachers and class to pray for his dad. I can only imagine how sweet and sad it sounded as he told his class "my dad is going away for 277 days". I think he told me his friend Jack said "oh man, that is a lot of days". You gotta love 6 year olds. So, it is a lot of days. But we will take them one at a time. Some will be hard. Some will be fun. But we'll make it with the prayers and support of friends and family like you. Thank you for loving us! 

P.S. we are VERY excited to see many of you in 2 weeks!

Graduation and a LEGO Party

Owen has had a FULL weekend. On Friday we attended his kindergarten graduation. So cute! He was so handsome in his shirt and tie and belt. The kid never wears belts and you would've thought he was going to die by having to wear one for 2 hours. His class did a great job with their program. The other kindergarten classes performed things that they had learned throughout the year too. Then they received their diplomas. You would think this meant "school's out for summer" but sadly no. He still has 9 days. I wish he was done but actually we really need those 9 days to get things done. (I need another post to explain)

Then on Saturday we had Owen's birthday party. It was a LEGO party and I think it was a success. I tried to be low key this year but somehow I always do too much and worry too much and enjoy too little. I think Jeff may enroll me in a 12 step program for birthday party planning. Either that or make me the head of the party planning committee. My friend Toni helped me with the cake. It was adorable. The kids seemed to love it too. My friend Jen stepped in and helped with the water balloons as Jeff was called to an emergency at the hospital. And the other parents helped too when it was time for present opening. They were all so excited to give their gift to Owen. Can you believe that child got 7 new LEGO sets and not ONE repeat?! Praise God because I was a little worried if he would respond with "I already have this" or would kindly say thank you and move on. He did great and I think everyone enjoyed the day. 

Siblings

New Friends

Owen, Masa, baby Lisa, Jeff, Meg and Alison in front of the O club

Naval Hospital Okinawa has a Japanese intern program that lasts for a year. The interns begin in April and finish the following March. There are six interns who spend their days working hard to sharpen their English and western medicine skills in the hopes that it will help them enter a stateside residency program. This year Jeff is a sponsor to one of the interns and we are really enjoying getting to know him and his family.

Masa and Meg have an 8 month old daughter Lisa. They are such a sweet and hospitable family. They moved here from mainland Japan so Masa could participate in the program. Meg and I have had the opportunity to go out to lunch a few times and to go to the dragon boat races. It was such a blessing to have her along to be my navigator. She could actually read the signs that told us where to go. She and Masa also had our family over for a typical Japanese meal one weekend. The food was delicious! Both Alison and I ate our first sushi ever. Of course Alison ate it because it was pink (salmon and tuna) and she could dip it in soy sauce. She loves soy sauce! 

Our latest outing was to our church, Calvary Chapel Okinawa, and to the O club for brunch. We wanted to give them a typical American meal. They seemed to enjoy their time at both places. Our church is neat in that it translates the service and some of the songs into Japanese. 

We're looking forward to getting to know them better and learning as much as we can of Japanese culture and language while they are here. 

There's a Birthday Boy In The House

Owen turned six on Thursday. His kindergarten graduation is next Friday. He repeatedly tells us that all his old favorite pixar movies are "baby shows" and he watches "big kid" shows. He loves to laugh, run, climb, and work out his hands on the Wii. His favorite toys are LEGOS, video games, (bonus if the video game is a LEGO game), balls, and guns. He adores his Dad and loves his sister, most of the time. He likes to make people laugh which may mean we have years of him being the class clown ahead of us. He is very tender hearted, I think he gets this from me. Most of his personality is like his dad's, but the emotional side is more me. He still lets me kiss him goodbye at school and tells me he loves me too when I leave. He loves Jesus as much as a 6 year old can and I find myself wanting his childlike faith. He can almost beat his dad when it comes to memorizing scripture. He can definitely beat me at it. He's riding a two wheeled bike. Riding said bike may mean ER visits our in our future. He reads like a champ and is doing very well in school. He is the sweetest, silliest, six year old I know. It's going to be a great year! 

I Had A Lunch Date

And if anyone reading this is from my bootcamp, I swear I did not have fast food. At least not my own. I may have tasted a few french fries, but does that really count when they were not really mine? 

I have been told that I need to update the blog. That it has been a month and that it is annoying to keep checking it and not to see something new. So be ready. There will be lots of updates soon. 

This Little Girl...

Is one of my biggest blessings, but sometimes I think she is going to be the end of me. She is a much more challenging 2 year old than her brother was. God is growing us both up. I just wanted to post some of her sweet sayings before I forget them.

'I will get my mok from the chicken. " (milk and kitchen) I love that she calls the kitchen the chicken.

"I need to do my ecercises."   Then gets down and does push ups. So cute!

"I go serious big one."    This is not so cute, she learned it from her dad.

"Mommy lay down with me for a yittle bit. It's not too hard. "     Mommy laid down with her because I couldn't resist her plea.

"I want the pink one. "    I love her love for pink. 

"Hi, my friends. I'm here now. "  Definitely no self esteem issues here. 

"I"m big and drong".  (strong)

Ok, so China!

I can't believe we've been back for a week and a half and I haven't told you about China yet. No good excuse just lazy and busy. A bad combination for me. 

So we started our 8 day adventure to China on April 5th with a flight from Naha to Shanghai. Amazingly when you live on this side of the world it is only a 2 hour flight to China. That still blows me away. We then went though immigration/customs with our group and had a layover for our flight to Beijing. The Shanghai airport was HUGE! That is about all I remember about it. Well that and that when we went to the airport store Alison picked her snack based simply on the fact that it was pink. Just so you know her rule of thumb is if it is pink it must be good. I can't argue with that logic.

From Shanghai we flew to Beijing which was also about 2 hours. The Beijing airport was HUGE and very new. On the bus to the hotel we learned that Beijing's Terminal 3 was only a year old and was built for the Olympics. No wonder it was so big and new. We made it to the hotel around 10pm and were ready to hit the bed, I mean cement slab. The hotel was very nice but the beds left MUCH to be desired. We called them rocks, but another couple on our trip referred to them as slabs and I have to agree they were much like a slab of concrete. 

Beijing was very cool. Much prettier than I expected. Also much dirtier than I expected. Not dirty like trash everywhere, but dirty as in dusty.  My kids were filthy by the end of each day from exploring every thing there was to climb. Our first day included Tienanmen Square, The Forbidden City, a silk factory, lunch, The Temple of Heaven, and a park which I want to say was Jingshan park but I could be making that up, and dinner. It was a long day. We were able to see the road where the tanks rolled in to Tienanmen Square and enjoy the beauty of the many rooms and buildings of the Forbidden City. On day 2 in Beijing we traveled to the Great Wall. This was definitely one of my top 2 favorite places. It was amazing to be there in person. I still don't really feel like I've been there. We all climbed quite a way up but we stopped before the top for the sake of our 2 year old. Alison and Owen did great climbing. We have lots of pictures and a keepsake card that says we climbed The Great Wall. Very Cool life experience. This day also included a trip to the Ming Tombs, lunch and dinner. On day 3 we went to the Summer Palace. This was definitely one of my favorites too. Incredibly beautiful. I just didn't expect such beauty, I'm not sure why. I could have spent several days exploring this place but we only had a couple of hours. We also went to a market this day. Since neither Jeff nor I are good at haggling we looked around said a lot of "bu yao" and decided to hit the Coldstone Creamery we saw across the street. YUM! We had free time this day too so we used ours to swim and go to McDonald's and Wal Mart. Do we scream American tourist or what? 

The next morning we woke way too early to fly from Beijing to Xi'an. Xi'an is famous for the Terracotta Warriors. Once arriving we had lunch and headed to the Xi'an city wall. After there we headed to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It was pretty but definitely a little creepy for me. The huge gold Buddha was weird to look at. Owen made his mama proud that day. He wanted to know why they were burning "pencils" which were really incense. We told him that was how they worshipped Buddha and he asked "why". We said we weren't sure. He then looked up at the huge Buddha and said "God is bigger than him, God could step on him". Amen Owen, Amen. I was so thankful that he wasn't even tempted to think that a shiny statue was cool. 

We then went to a dinner show that night. The food was pretty good, except for the beef and the show was fun. The next day we headed to the 8th wonder of the world, the Terra Cotta Warriors. These were really cool. What rich history they represent, but also much violence and Godlessness. It was amazing to see these in person. From there we went to The hot springs and then the Ban Po museum. The next day we flew from Xi'an to Shanghai. 

Shanghai was amazing! What a neat city! Incredible skyscrapers mixed with old architecture. Great shopping. Definitely a cool place to visit. We visited the Bund, down on the water and then the Yu Garden Market which was definitely a fun place to shop. If only I'd had more time I'm sure we'd have come home with less money. We finished the night with an acrobat show which the kids loved. On Sunday we woke up early again for our flight back to Naha. 

It was an incredible trip. One I never would have dreamed of taking. We experienced such rich history, yet found ourselves very thankful to God for our freedoms in The United States. We are truly blessed to have been able to visit China and also to be from such a great nation. This trip will always be one of my favorite life memories. 

2012 Summer Olympics...

Here We Come! The Singley's for synchronized swimming Gold!

We promised the kids we'd go swimming at the hotel in Beijing. We didn't know they required swim caps. Alison of course picked the only pink one so that left me with the grandma floral. If we aren't bathing beauties I don't know who is. Just thought you'd enjoy a laugh. Eventually I'll get through the pictures and write about what we experienced. I promise.