He made it there...he can make it anywhere...

We arrived home late last night, and were headed back to the airport this morning to meet Patrick's flight from New York City (with an overnight stop in Korea). We were looking so forward to being back under one roof as a family again. From the sound of Mrs. Deakins' nightly emails, they had the experience of a lifetime and we couldn't wait to hear about it. (I'll share as many details as I can pry out of him in another post.)



Mrs. Deakins is a saint or a super hero, or some of both. I can't believe she pulled this off. I love this video...how she tries to convince us she left them all there...and that Patrick just wants to see Jake (who was so tired after his ordeal yesterday, he wasn't eager to make another trip back to the airport...not to mention, we won't be able to track down a wheelchair for him until Monday).



There were lots of smiles...



Lots of hugs...



It was a great thing to be part of.



This might even be enough incentive to get Coree to take drama next year. NYC is her dream trip. I guess time will tell if Mrs. Deakins is up for a repeat.



I know it's blurry, but had to include this shot of Mrs. Deakins hugging Patrick. Mostly because it shows she still likes him after ten straight days of having him in her care.

It will be so nice to get our family back to some sort of normalcy. As normal as we can be in this kind of crazy life we lead.

Patrick on the Today Show!

Oh my goodness, they really DID make it on the Today Show!


That's my baby's tongue on National TV!



And I see he purchased an "I heart NY" t-shirt to replace the "I only like NY as a friend" t-shirt I gave him for Christmas.



Here's a clip of the gang chatting with Al. I have watched it over.and.over.

Mrs. Deakins has been sending nightly emails to all the parents, recapping the adventures of the day. In all the other school trips my kids have taken, this has never happened before and I appreciate it so much. It helps me to still feel in the loop, even though I'm not at home, either. Just one more example of why Mrs. Deakins is da bomb! I can't wait to hear all about it from Patrick! I wonder which one of us will get home, first?

Happy New Year!

When we mentioned going to a shrine again this year, we got almost zero positive response. The kids wanted to hang out with friends. It was late by the time we relented, so Cliff and I decided to go it on our own, in search of a restaurant open late.


We ended up at our favorite Hawaiian restaurant...Tony's Honolulu. We had no intention of staying until midnight...



I just had this glorious, garlic shrimp on my mind.



But since it was New Year's Eve, the owner was offering free drinks to everyone. Lucky for us, he has a very large non-alcoholic selection, so we happily accepted his gracious offer.



At about 11:30, he brought out some electronic gadget, strung on a large cord to hook up to the TV on the wall. Something to do with satellite reception. When we saw what looked like the Tokyo version of Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve...we knew we had to stay.



I loved watching all the popular Japanese performing artists, even though I didn't know any of them.



This act totally cracked me up. They were like the Fruit of the Loom guys...only sushi!



I don't know the character being interviewed here, but it seemed oddly serious.



Then, at about five minutes before midnight, it switched over to a Tokyo shrine. Talk about a contrast. Instead of watching confetti fall and people in crazy glasses kiss, this was the somber way the new year was actually rung in. Minutes before midnight, the owner tried to insist we take some shots of whiskey. We had to be very persistent, but after about 3 tries (and us motioning that we'd be happy toasting the new year with our smoothies) he relented. He wasn't the last to try to get us to take it...but it all ended up fine. We were thrilled to be part of a local party.



Even though the wind outside was fierce (it's the worst right on the water, where we were)...



We still went out to the balcony with everyone to whoop it up at the stroke of midnight...



And watch the fireworks over Araha beach.



The owner also insisted we eat toshikoshi soba to end the year right. They are eaten for long life, and you need to slurp the long noodles whole (because breaking them would mean a shorter life, right?).

What a great (although unexpected) way to celebrate the New Year. Now maybe we'll have to try something entirely different each year.

Perestroika...Celebrating Jake's Birthday

We were finally able to celebrate Jake' birthday at Perestroika! It's our local, Russian restaurant down in Naha. (Of course that's what you think of when you think of Japan, right? Russian dining?) As soon as Jake saw their advertisement in Okinawa Living magazine, he set his sights on going for his birthday dinner.


The problem was, they only do the Russian dancing (the biggest draw for Jake) on certain nights, and they kept changing. When we called to make our reservation, the owner told us that she could only get the dancer certain nights because of another commitment she had. Then I started thinking about it. "She?" When I think Russian dancing, I think of the guy with the fur hat, kicking his legs out from his squatting body. Isn't that what you think of? I'm sure that's what Jake had in mind. Then I started to wonder if maybe this was some sort of belly dancing? I worried a little bit...but then decided it would be OK...I mean, it's cold in Russia, right? How scantily-clad could the women be? So, when she called us back with the next date, we made the reservation.



After getting lost in Naha (thanks to Okinawa Hai!'s directions), and several calls to the owner, we finally pulled over at the Coco convenience store and she walked around the corner to wave us through the rest of the way. (If you want to know how to get there, the directions that they post are good...up until after passing Kokusai St...then they get a little dicey. Let me know if you want to know the way we found it.)



She even decorated for Jake! She is such a nice lady. Jake got to pick two friends to come with him, but only Nate was able to make it. That's OK...Nate's enough fun for two friends!



I loved the decor...lots of fun little details. The music was great, too. So Russian.



And I'm guessing this pic is essential for a Russian business?



This is the owner (middle pic) and the dancer on the left.



We had fun practicing these Russian phrases on the menu.



We all ordered sets with several courses as opposed to A la carte. This is the potato salad that was our first course.



Patrick's diggin' it.



Troy, taking a call from Josh (home for Christmas from Stanford) to arrange a Round One trip. Not happening tonight, though....bummer. Notice the TV on the wall in the corner? It played Russian musical performances the whole time. Very cool.



Here's act one. This first dance was really three dances in one. She came out and explained them to us first. I loved her accent. This one was a pretty tame folk dance. She came over and took Troy by the hands and pulled him up to dance with her, then did the same with Jake. Yes, I have video...but since they will be the ones choosing my nursing home, I'll just save it for my own personal collection.



Then we had our next course, Borscht. I have never had it before, and I've been craving it ever since. It is that good.



This was served with something with a name similar to Pierogi. It was a little meat pie.



You could really tell the ingredients were fresh and the cook had slaved away over this. SO good!



Here is her second dance...a little livelier. Very cute.



Then our main courses were brought out. Most of us ordered this stew cooked with puff pastry on the top. She only makes ten a day, so when they run out, that's it.



Even though they look skeptical...



These were a BIG hit.



This is what the soup looks like. So many flavors. You can tell this is something that takes a long time to cook. No wonder there's a limit.



Patrick, probably trying to talk Coree out of her puff pastry because she's eating it so slowly.



This is the Beef Stroganoff. Cliff let me taste some and it was also very tasty. You could tell the beef was very good quality (not like the cheap stuff I use when I make it).



And Jake, being unique like he is, ordered something different from everyone else. A cheese-covered fish dish. He loved it.



And this was her final dance number. This one was red hot!



Here's another clip for your enjoyment.



Did you see the scarf she dropped?



Patrick wanted to keep it. But Jake took it back to her.

The dancing was a fabulous touch and the meal was incredible. We're really glad Jake chose this for his birthday and that we got to experience it together. Everyone was so nice and made this a special occasion for him. Cliff and I will definitely be back for a date night soon.



What an awesome birthday present from Nate!



He gave Jake a dollar for every year...in $2 bills. Jake had never seen one before.



Here we are outside, waiting for Cliff to back out so we don't tear Lopez's bumper off as we back out. The streets are tight and parking is at a premium.



We drove home by way of Kokusai Street. We left the sunroof open, and while we were waiting at the stoplights, we let the kids stand up and wave to people out the window. Crazy, American kids!



This is the intersection where the magic happened. See that screen up in the middle right of the picture above?



That screen? Yep...that's the one they appear on in the video. The kids were all excited to see it again, especially at night.

Another great birthday celebration...even if delayed by a month. I can't say enough good about Perestroika. It is a little on the pricey side, so if you're anything like us, it's a special occasion treat...but we'll be looking for an excuse to go back. I recommend it highly...but make sure you call ahead to ask when the dancing is that week...and wait for it. It's worth it!

Chaplain Spouse Luncheon and VIP Tour

I love this view from the front as we were waiting for everyone to filter in. Talk about a gathering of incredible women. It's always such a treat to see familiar faces, and new ones, too. This is in the Relief Society building, and the feeling in here is like a little piece of heaven. I love the pics of past Relief Society Presidents on the wall.



They tried something a little different this year, and after we were all seated, they had us stand around the room and then had all the chaplain candidate spouses fill in the middle section...so we could surround them with our love. Isn't that a cool idea? We have a record number of applicants right now, and it was fabulous to contrast with years past.



Then we were called to fill in the other sections, one branch at a time. Here are some of my Air Force sisters. Lookin' good, ladies. Our Navy section was looking pretty strong, I must say. But I was too busy humming "Anchors Aweigh" to think to get a pic.



The luncheon was the usual chicken salad in a half of a V-cut cantaloupe, rolls, pink punch and a fruit-topped cookie for dessert. This year, I was OFF the speaking docket, so I enjoyed it much more than last year. Amy did a fantastic job with her talk, and so did Sheri Dew. I was so excited to see her again.

Right after lunch, we had to head off to perform our escort duties for our guest of honor. The Navy Chief of Chaplains did such a great job with his message earlier this morning. He has come to Okinawa a couple of times when he was the deputy, and we just really enjoyed getting to know him. His Aide was just as fabulous. We felt very lucky to have the opportunity to tag along on the VIP Salt Lake City tour with them.

We took them to see welfare square, including in depth looks at the Bishop's Storehouse, Deseret Industries, the cannery, dairy, Church Employment, and the Humanitarian Operations. Then we headed over to the Family History Center for a tour of that facility, even getting to learn about some of our guests' family history. Then we crossed the street to Temple Square. It was sprinkling by then, but we didn't mind.



We started at the Visitor Center, where these Sister Missionaries took great care of us and answered our questions. It was so fantastic just to sit here and look at the Christus. It was hard to want to leave.



Sitting in the Tabernacle was great, too. I hadn't been in here since I was a kid. Even with the impressive Conference Center, this Tabernacle is still amazing.




Intently listening to our tour guides...



Here's some more Tabernacle photos:










The Assembly Hall



I love this statue. One of the General Authorities on the tour did a fabulous job briefly telling the story of the handcart companies. He got very emotional, so naturally, I followed suit.



We finished our dinner with an incredible lamb dinner at the Joseph Smith Building. It's been years since I've been inside, and it was more breathtaking than I remember.



I'm so glad someone suggested we get this picture. I think it will be one of my favorites.

Unfortunately, we have to take them back to the airport tomorrow. It all went by way too quickly. SO grateful to have had the opportunity, though.