Patrick Far East Music

So many "Far Easts" were canceled this year due to the nuclear crisis. (Equivalent to State or Regionals back in the USA.) Remember that exchange trip to Yoron Island that Jake participated in last year? That was canceled this year as well. It was all very sad for so many kids...most of them Japanese kids from the mainland.

Patrick was so relieved when they ended up rescheduling Far East Music after it had been canceled. We were thrilled he had the opportunity to go. It was in Korea...which is turning out to be the go-to destination for Far Easts lately. Something to do with the facilities at the Olympic Village being perfect for it.

Patrick didn't take many photos because "it gets tiring remembering to take them" (like this is even ABOUT what he wants or feels).



Which is just one more example of why I am grateful for Facebook's tagging feature. Thank you, Patrick's friends!

I am also grateful for YouTube. I know this is kind of long, but if you like voices that stir the soul, I recommend you watch it. They did a fabulous job. I think I can pick out Patrick's voice, but that's probably just a mom thing. You can see him toward the middle of the pack.



Now this is one that Patrick did manage to capture on his camera. It is hilarious! Not the girls rehearsing...they were adorable and talented. I'm talking about when Patrick pans the room and you see the row of guys with their cameras out and mouths hanging open. Not to mention his commentary. Ahhh, teenagers.



And I guess turnabout is fair play. Listen to those girls scream! Of course Patrick is the most animated one, in front with the Members Only jacket.

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?

Patrick is Headed to Broadway!

After much work, wait and fund raising, the day has finally arrived. Patrick's awesome drama teacher, Mrs. Deakins...has gone above and beyond in planning, coordinating, championing and working miracles to pull off the adventure of a lifetime.

Patrick and fellow drama-geeks will be leaving for NYC (via Korea and SFO) today. I am a bit sad not to be there to see him off at the airport...but the excitement I feel for him makes up for it. The kids will be participating in workshops during the day, seeing Broadway shows at night...and fitting in the sights, too...such as Lady Liberty, FAO Schwartz, etc. They are also going to try to get on the Today Show. Good luck, everyone!



Oh...and I never did get a chance to post this video from Patrick's Far East Drama experience in Korea. One of his talented classmates put it together, and I just can't get enough of it. Lots of good footage of Patrick in it, so I hope you'll check it out.

Pray for Japan

This whole tragedy has just been horrific. Of course, when something like this {earthquake and the tsunami that followed} happens anywhere, it's horrific...but this time, it just hit so close to home.

We are very far away from the devastation...Okinawa is over 1,000 miles from the epicenter...but we are not far away from the people. The Japanese people hold such a special place in our hearts. We have fallen in love with this society. Had this happened over two years ago, before we moved here, it would have been just one more tragedy on the news that you watch and feel horrible about, but disconnected from. Not this time.

But even in the face of such a tragedy, the Japanese people demonstrate such strength of character and compassion and bravery. I am in awe of it...and I love them even more.

I just wanted to share some of the things we've been reading and watching. Firstly, an article which didn't surprise me in the least, about the behavior in the aftermath of this disaster. You can read about it here.

Secondly, you can read about some of what our American military forces from Okinawa have been doing to help by clicking here. This is written by my friend, Mary. Since 75% of the American military bases in Japan are on Okinawa, they are in a great position to be able to respond quickly. The day after the earthquake, things kicked into high gear, and so many of our military friends (Cliff included) found themselves in a pretty intense environment, working 14 hour days, 7 days a week, to organize the response. I'm so grateful that we could be of help in this way.

Lastly, I want to share this video, most likely produced to calm the fears of children...but it sure spells out things very simply for anyone. Remember, animation is used for anything here, not just for kids.

I realize the subject matter is very serious and no laughing matter, but I just couldn't help but enjoy the little glimpse into Japanese culture that this provided...the animation, the unabashed talk of poo, the solidarity that it wants to evoke.

Please continue to pray for this country. They are amazingly strong, and I believe Japan's Prime Minister is correct when he said, "We will rebuild Japan from scratch." I believe they will do it.

Educational Updates

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this here or not...but Coree decided not to go to eighth grade this year. Instead, she decided to take a semester of ninth grade classes online via BYU independent study. Her goal...to transfer into Kubasaki at the semester. I was all for her doing it. Well, I do have some reservations about her being barely 17 when she graduates. But she's always been on the more mature side...all of her friends are older, and that has usually been the case. And there was no question about her being ready to do high school work. So, we went for it. It was a rough first semester all the way around...for Coree's social life, Dad's wallet AND my sleep. Online classes are very time-consuming. They are also expensive (especially compared to free). For LDS kids, high school=early-morning Seminary. This meant I had to bring her there and back every morning. (Not that I didn't do that the first 2 1/2 years I had kids in Seminary, but it's been nice having such a large carpool since then.)

Well, to make a long story short, she did it! Coree is now a Kubasaki Dragon. She is so thrilled...but at the same time said, "I can't believe I did all that work, NOT so I could be relieved to be done...but JUST so I could do MORE work! (Yeah...welcome to high school, sweetie.) Silver lining for Mom: Since I drove the Seminary carpool the entire first semester, I'm now done for the year. Woohoo! It's funny, she comes home every day with some new tidbit about how high school is so much better. ("Mom...today, one of my teachers GAVE us gum. At Lester, you'd get detention for chewing gum!" or "Mom...today at lunch, I changed tables THREE times....and no one said ANYTHING to me!" Also a detention-earning infraction at Lester. So is hugging of any kind.) It's not that she ever tested any of these rules, or had any trouble with anyone, it's just the overall atmosphere of the school that was suffocating to her. It sounds like she's really breathing easier in a less oppressive environment. I understand middle school is a tough age to manage, so in an effort to keep good order and discipline, they....well, run it like a prison, frankly. It's just that Coree didn't need that. And we had other options.

Well, all that {unimportant} academic stuff aside...let's get to something that really matters. Fashion. Coree could not be expected to carry a middle school backpack to high school, could she? Well, I thought it would be fine, but evidently, it's just not done. Coree scoured the Internet and found something more acceptable at Urban Outfitters. For $80. Fat chance. I agreed to go halvesies. Deal. Here it is:


So what do you think...is it sufficiently high school enough?

Leaving me with the cast-off middle school model. Pssshh...I have no shame, I'll take a backpack that won't cost me additional money any day. It's still in perfect shape. In your face, middle school. Why do I need a backpack, you ask? I've gone back to school myself. Two classes:

Does this look familiar?



How about this? Does this make your chest tighten as much as it does mine? If I survive ten weeks of college algebra, it will be a miracle. At this point, all I care about is passing with a C. Anything else would be overkill. I'm also taking a computer class (information systems management) which is not so bad. I tell you, I'd take ANY class over college algebra, any day. But it's a necessary evil. Mostly just evil.

And Jake? He's still playing the mad professor at home.



He made this pontoon boat through instructions in his Supercharged Science program. He got tired of waiting for me to order a bunch of the parts, so he started stripping old electronics he had in his room. Would you even know where to start? I wouldn't know what part does what or how to remove it. Jake makes it look easy.

Here it is in action. I can't wait to see what else he can do. Although, I'm thinking I'd better order him some new parts or my electronics might start disappearing.

Far East Drama

Patrick has another great opportunity to travel off island for a performance competition. He tried out and was selected to go to the Far East* Drama competition in Seoul, Korea. It's been several months of practice every day after school, in addition to the other community theater production he's practicing for every week night...not to mention the talent show rehearsals he squeezed in there, and the Madrigal dinner before that. Oh, and Scouts (on occasion...lately!), and early morning seminary, and piano, too. And he's keeping up the required A/B grades in order to be allowed (by us) to participate.

I worry about him taking on so much, but Patrick feels like life isn't worth living if he doesn't have an opportunity to do what he loves....and school is not what he loves (it's just a requirement) never mind it's what allows him to participate in most of these cool opportunities. Anyway, being in the spotlight is what he loves, and he's sure had plenty of opportunity for that.

He left Saturday and will be gone for a week. We're so excited for him. Thursday night, they had a preview night for family and friends to come see the pieces they are taking to competition. All of the team is performing in the one act play (which is about 3o minutes in length) and then each of them also had to prepare, practice and perform either a monologue, duet or trio dramatic or comedy piece for the smaller competitions. The team got to vote and choose 2 of the smaller groups to represent them in competition, but the coach won't announce the results until they are on their way, so we won't know if Patrick is just competing in the one act, or if his dramatic duet will be chosen for competition, too...until he gets back, unless he calls us sooner.



Anyway, I am including the video of his dramatic duet here. I'm not going to lie, it is a little on the disturbing side...but not in the way you might think. If you are brave enough, you'll have to watch and see. I've seen Patrick in many comedic or otherwise over-the-top performances...but this is the first truly dramatic work I've ever seen him in...and I think it's really good. I was really impressed with all of the subtleties that went into making his character believable. I really hope he gets the chance to perform it at competition, even though I'm quite certain they'll choose the funnier, more lighthearted pieces. We'll see.

I do have most of the one act on video...except that the memory card was full with almost ten minutes still to go. I won't be including that here, mostly because the five minute video you see above took three hours to upload with our lousy Internet speed here. Can you imagine a 25 minute video? Also, who's going to watch a video that long? Besides maybe my parents? (Not that it wouldn't be worth it just for you guys, mind you...if it weren't for the impossible Internet situation.) Anyway, just trust me it's funny and really good. If I can figure out a way to just include a clip of it, I will. If I was filming, I would have stopped and started the filming several times to break it down into smaller bites (or bytes...hehe) but Jake was filming since I had to duck out the door before it was over to get to my computer class. (By the way...did you know you should capitalize Internet? Yep. Because there is only one. I learned that in my computer class last week. Cool, huh? Now if I can just master Access and Excel, it will be money well spent.)

Break a leg, Patrick...you're awesome! And have fun! But not too much fun. I don't know how much humor those Koreans have. Just sayin', K?

*Far East is a program which allows Department of Defense Education Activity high school students to compete in different events, such as drama, show choir, Model United Nations, photography, football, wrestling, tennis, baseball...you get the idea. Kind of like "State" or "Regional" competitions back in the USA. Our students travel around the Pacific to places like Guam, Singapore, Korea, mainland Japan, or here on Okinawa. The school pays for the travel and competition, we pay for the lodging and food. Definitely one of the perks of living here.


**BTW...if you normally read this in Google reader, I did something funky with Troy's Eagle Court of Honor post. It's a boring story, but basically I published the post before it even happened (for about 5 minutes) while I was making his slide show back on February 2nd. Then I erased the slide show photos I had posted there, but since I kept the original "shell" of the post, it published it back on February 2nd, even though I didn't actually post it until this morning. Get it? So, if you desire to read it (it's a good one) you'll have to either go to the actual blog, or look it up in your feed. And I knew all of this, because I received a friendly blogger tip to "follow" my own blog. This way you know how things look in the reader. So try it with your own blog. You might be glad someday that you did!

The Eagle Has Landed

Oh my, have the years passed quickly from this...

To this. Last night was such a special night, I'm still reeling and can hardly even express my thoughts. I'd imagined what this night would be like, and even sometimes wondered if it would ever come. But through several moves, lost and found records, periods of personal apathy and gung-ho enthusiasm, leaders who were lost and/or apathetic to leaders who were awesome and above-and-beyond...from dysfunctional programs to programs so amazing you wish everyone had the same...Troy arrived at this night, his Eagle Court of Honor.

Knowing they put on a great party, we booked a banquet room at the Butler Officers' Club. It was also an added bonus that it was right down the street in case we forgot anything, not to mention it was WAY easy for people to find (everyone knows where it is) so we didn't have to draw sketchy maps and pray people found the little sign for our church in the dark. Since we were planning in two weeks*, an event that usually takes about 2 months to pull together, it was a HUGE deal not having to worry about any of the food, dishes, set-up, clean-up or other logistical details.



We had so many wonderful friends and family attend and participate in the ceremony. There were various teachers and leaders, and even the Commanding General of the Wing came out, which was very touching. Our friend and Branch President was the Master of Ceremonies and he did such a fabulous job. He asked all the right questions and got every detail squared away before the ceremony. It probably helps that he's in the awards business in his day job as a Marine, too. Did we call that one, or what?



Dan, from the Far East Council, also came and opened up the ceremony for us.

Then, boys from our troop, representing each rank in Scouting, explained what the badge of their respective rank represents, to demonstrate all the ranks Troy had to pass through to get to Eagle Scout. They all looked so sharp!

I love these boys! And not just my own...they are all great young men.

Bro. Kiser came and gave the Eagle Charge. He is over Scouting for our church district, and lends such enthusiasm to the program. When we read the script, we knew we wanted him to do this part. He explained all of the requirements Troy had to meet...the things he now knew how to do...now that he is an Eagle Scout. He did a great job of including all of what was so beautifully written in the script, combined with his usual, Brother Kiser humor and enthusiasm.



Here he is encouraging all the other Scouts to follow the same path. It reminded me of last year, when the Scouts were planning for their first High Adventure trip. It was scheduled for the same three-day weekend as the school's winter formal dance. This was a big deal for the high school Scouts. They only get three dances a year. They were thinking it was an unfair choice, yadda yadda. My boys came home from church and said that Brother Kiser told them, looking back on his life, he doesn't remember the details of one dance he attended in high school...but he remembers every single High Adventure he ever went on, and that the experience would be life changing. I think he pretty much sealed the deal. Every one of those boys chose the High Adventure over the dance. We love Brother Kiser.



This is the part where the video screen came down and we played this video of Troy's journey to Eagle Scout in four minutes. Luckily, I got all my tears out while I was making it, and was just able to enjoy it along with everyone else.

{Trivia: When Troy watched the video as I was burning it to DVD, he chuckled and said, "This video makes me look a whole lot cooler than I am in real life." I thought that was very insightful of him. Not that I don't think he's as cool as the video, but that the video was composed of little snapshots of his life, experiences he has tried, some a few times, some for a year, some for longer...but not that he is a master of everything it featured.}



Then the MoC called these two Eagles (his sons, BTW) to escort Troy up to the front.



And Scoutmaster Cory shared some of Troy's accomplishments in Scouting.



Brother Neal, the Young Men's president, shared some of the future expectations of an Eagle Scout, to remind Troy that it doesn't end here...



And then Scoutmaster Cory led Troy, and all the other Eagle Scouts present in taking (or renewing) the oath of the Eagle Scout.



Look at these awesome Eagles in the Eagles' Nest!



Can't forget the MoC...he's an Eagle, too.



Then I got to pin on Troy's new rank, and he gave me my mother's pin and these beautiful, patriotic roses, and (my favorite part) a hug and a kiss.



Dad gets a father's pin, a handshake and a hug.



Then Troy got to present a pin to the mentor he had chosen. Brother Neal really went above and beyond in helping Troy to achieve this goal. During the times when Troy got lazy or thought it was just too hard, Brother Neal was there to get him back on track. We will be forever grateful for him.



But we couldn't forget Brother Miles back in the IV! After having kind of a rocky start with a dysfunctional Scouting program early on, both of our boys really lost interest in Scouting after leaving Cub Scouts. When we moved out to the IV, we learned that Brother Miles (also an Eagle Scout) had contagious enthusiasm for Scouting (even if understated compared to the uber-enthusiasm of Brother Kiser). He talked about Scouting wherever he went, was always volunteering for different events, even when he wasn't officially called as a leader. This was the kind of guy that, during Scout camp, would drive up the mountain, the 2+ hours to camp when they needed a second leader (it was usually just Cliff who was able to go since he got more vacation than most, being in the military) just to have to turn around and head back to work the next day and repeat. He believed Scouting was the answer to most of the ills of society, and the more I see, the more I believe he is right. Anyway, Troy wanted to also present Brother Miles with a mentor pin, to recognize the impact he had on Troy's desire to give Scouting another chance, and for all the help he gave him in getting to the rank of Life Scout (the rank Troy had when we moved to Okinawa). Brother Miles was officially recognized in the program, and Troy will be sending him his pin. (Thank goodness the BSA allows you to buy extra.)



Then the time was turned over to Troy. I knew he'd prepared a few words, but I thought it would be very few. He thanked the club, the leaders, friends and family, his parents, etc.



He encouraged the other Scouts to push through and become Eagles, telling them it was all worth it. He even shared his strategy of preparing an epic sandwich (step by step) whenever they had a daunting task (like an Eagle packet) ahead of them. It was hilarious and had us all roaring.



As I sat there listening to him, I was just overwhelmed. And it wasn't the usual weepiness like at graduation...it was something different entirely. I was so full of joy and pride, I thought I might burst. I was sitting there listening to how naturally he shared his thoughts, with his trademark quiet confidence, soaking it all in...thinking, "Wow! He really is a man now!" And I didn't feel the slightest bit of angst about it. It was just all good. I was thinking, that even if Troy Stuart wasn't my son, I'd still really like him as a person. I am so grateful to be his mom.



Brother Neal presented him with a memento from the troop...a pair of Shisas with a name plaque on the front. That will be a keepsake, for sure.



Can I just say that this is one of my favorite pictures of all time? What an amazing group of boys and men.

{BTW...Thank you, Brenda, for taking on the photography duties (and Sarah for taking on the filming duties) so that I could just enjoy the evening.}



The awesome Eagles.



Get a load of that flair around my neck. And we're not even finished, yet.



I heart this family.



The catering dept. came up with a perfect, Scout-friendly menu. Mini-sandwiches, spring rolls, chicken skewers, nacho cheese and chips, and everyone's favorite...taco rice cups. They were a huge hit. Whooda thought?



There were also assorted cookies...yum!




And just good ol' water to drink. It's really all about the food.



My friend, Leigha, did this cake. Is this an epic cake, or what?



I knew she did good stuff, and I pretty much gave her carte blanche with this. She did not disappoint. I hope the other boys get their Eagles before she leaves the island just so that she can do their cakes, too.



And you know what they say about Scouts? They are trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent...



And hungry!



Troy did the honor of cutting his cake.



And was very kind to share all the fondant goodies with the other Scouts. It was all edible. They were in heaven.



I was bummed I didn't think to ask for photos of everyone before half the people were gone. At least we have the video of the evening, though.



Cute, cute kids from the 'hood.



Fresh Patrick of Bel Air



We love the Bantas!



Luckily, I caught Brother Kiser as he was headed out the door...



Otherwise, we might have missed out on this shot entirely. And that, my friends, would have been a crying shame.



We drove the .02 km back to our bunker, I put my beautiful flowers in the vase on the entry table, and we collapsed into bed. But sleep was elusive, as I knew it would be. Cliff and I are both extreme extroverts, and an event like this is our crack cocaine. I hate that we can never sleep after parties, especially meaningful events like this one. I replayed the night over and over, mostly the good parts, but some of the "shouldahs," too. I finally did fall asleep, but woke up at the usual 5 AM, with a headache and in a panic. I don't know exactly where it came from, maybe because it's the next big milestone we have looming on the horizon, but more likely it was the questioning (and shock) last night, from some of our friends (of another faith) who had no idea we will not see or hear from Troy for two full years, other than calls on Christmas and Mothers Day, once he leaves for his mission. I've always known this, but the reality that he'd be leaving in six months hit me very hard this morning. Six months is nothing...and although I wouldn't have it any other way, man it's going to be hard. He's just such an important part of our family, not to mention a lot of fun to have around. So I laid there, trying not to wake up Cliff with my crying, but I did anyway. Luckily, he's gotten used to the mood swings over the years, and just quietly stroked my hair. So much for no-more-weepiness. I've watched the video slideshow three times today already, if that tells you anything.

I just want to finish this post by saying how grateful I am for the Scouting program. As I sat there looking around the room last night, at all the righteous men who are brought into my boys' lives through this program, I thought, "Who wouldn't want this for their boys? Who wouldn't want this kind of mentorship to help them navigate the trappings of this life?" It's worth all the hassle, all the lost blue cards, the ripped Scout pants, the patches sewn and re-sewn. It's worth the nagging and frustration.

I also have to add how grateful I am for my husband, who was not a Scouter...did not grow up with it in his life or see the importance of it. It was me who felt my life experience would be less if my boys did not become Eagle Scouts, not Cliff. But just the same, he took off work three years running for the week of Scout camp to give them (and their friends) some of their best experiences, it was Cliff who has been on countless hikes and campouts, in every condition, put up with all kinds of indignity...because our boys having these Scouting experiences is important to me. Just one more reason I love him with every fiber of my being. He is the best.


*You aren't allowed to start planning an Eagle CoH until you receive the official paperwork from Scout Headquarters saying your Scout has been officially deemed an Eagle. We didn't get that paperwork until mid January. Due to upcoming travel plans for several family members for school, work and surgery...if we didn't do this right now, it would be May before we'd be able to pull it off. By then, Troy's missionary prep will be in full swing, and we didn't want to just put a check in the box, since this is really a big deal. So we opted to just skip on all the dignitary certificate-and-letter-ordering hoopla (the thing that takes the most time...we will do it after the fact) and pay out the nose for the catering. It was SO worth it, though. They took care of every detail. I think we'll do the same for the other two, even if we have plenty of time, just because it was so awesome.