Hidden Beauty

It’s raining; you have guests.  You can’t go to the beach, the playground, Peace Prayer Park, Shuri Castle (already checked off anyways), or any number of other outdoor places.  What do you do?  Head underground!

Only the second time that Jake and I have been here, so the majesty hasn’t worn off for us yet either.

 

 

Logan seemed perfectly at home despite (or because of?) the damp and dark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, I don’t know what the sign says, but it looks cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This face could brighten up even the darkest gloom!

 

 

 

 

 

Underground grotto.

 

 

 

A good picture except Grampy looks a little bug-eyed.  In fact, he reminds me a bit of this next picture . . .

 

 

 

Boo!

  
Okinawan beauty on display.  First, a Ryukyuan dance exhibit.  Second, a Ryukyu glass vase.

Later that day, Naomi ponders and then makes a pronouncement: “Leftover birthday cake is the BEST!”

They both look pretty good, but I’m thinking Logan must take more after the Wilde side.

The next day we headed north and broke up the trip with a stop at the butterfly garden.

Friendly fellows.

Stoking her young curiosity about the world.

Up next: Okuma and the aquarium!

Shrines and Snorkels!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Observing a little local religious culture at the neighborhood shrine.

 

 

 

Then it’s off the to the beach for an introduction to snorkeling.

 

Meet the mermaid.

 

 

 

 

 

The sea turtle.

 

 

 

The hermit crabs: small, always moving, equally at home on land and in the water.

There’s always time for another roller slide.

  Maybe we could have a drink, Mom, too?  Please???

Just hanging out in the morning.  I’d like to say that I’d just gotten back from a run—it certainly looks that way—but I really don’t remember now.

Logan certainly looks ready for adventure!

Check back tomorrow to see what we had in store.

Out and About

We kept a pretty steady pace while Mom and Dad were here; I might as well do the same with the blog and maybe (eventually) I’ll get caught up!

The kids enjoyed some playtime with Grammy and Grampy in the morning before we headed out.

  Shuri Castle was the event of the day.

New take on an old favorite.

This room always impresses me, even after having been here half a dozen times.

We caught the tail-end of their dance show on the way out.  Or, more accurately, we missed the dance show and sat down just in time to watch them take their bows.  But you can’t really tell the difference in this picture :)

Naomi says “Mata ne” (see you later)!

Naptime is just about over which means blog time is winding down too!  

The Long-Awaited Journey

After being in and around the USMC for 30+ years, my parents finally made it out to Oki for the very first time!  They had SO much to see and do on the island, most especially visiting their grandkids.

After church, we took Mom and Dad out to the ferris wheel for an overview of the area, a little beach time and some ice cream!

I love this place because even Naomi can get something to munch on.  Of course her bowl is filled with cereal flakes and fruit, but it keeps her happy!

We didn’t bring swimsuits, but that didn’t stop Logan.

 
Dad’s very first request was to try out a roller slide, so we happily obliged.

Next up was the zoo.  This was also requested; apparently being a grandparent is an even better way to relive your childhood than being a parent because you get all of the perks (like roller slides and zoos) without having to deal with pesky things like discipline or diapers.

Moving on to Katsuren Castle ruins.  On a side note, you won’t see too many more pictures of Naomi with a pacifier.  We dropped that habit (my choice, not hers) after VBS.

 
One of the things I appreciate about visitors is their fresh perspective on the sites that have become mundane to us.

Evidence of both the family photographers at work.

I intended to take them out to White Beach after the castle but, well, that didn’t happen.  It’s a long story.

  
Instead we went home to let Logan . . . mow his puzzles?  Naomi seems confused by this as well.

More to come . . .

Thoughts on 30

First thing this morning:

Me to Jake—You should get up with the kids.
Jake—Why?
Me—Because it’s my birthday.
Jake—Oh yeah.  Ugh.

At breakfast:

Jake to Logan—Go tell Mom “Happy Birthday!”
Naomi—Ah dAAAAAAA abble abble eeeee! (They were happy noises.)
Logan—We go fire station today.  Here yours hat, Mommy.

My own thoughts:

Prior to my run—Hmmmm . . . (I have no brain in the morning.)
While running—I look darn good for 30.  I feel good too.
Before showering—I still have zits.
While showering—It’s pretty cool.  30’s a nice benchmark, a good
        time to reflect on what I’ve accomplished so far.  2 kids, 3 
        continents, only 1 marriage!  1.5 degrees, 2.25 languages,
        many good friends.  Good physical and mental health.  
        Growth as a disciple of Christ.  Some pretty amazing
        experiences and lots of joy along the way.  I’m doing well!

        Somehow 30 feels like I’ve arrived.  Like I’m legitimately an
        adult.  It’s not a bad feeling at all.  I think it must be like
        getting your Ph.D.—the actual piece of paper.  There’s the part 
        where you work, study, learn and grow, but somehow none of 
        that counts in the outside world.  Then you get that piece of 
        paper and, even though the piece of paper in itself is
        meaningless, it provides that external validation.  30 feels like
        that, like I have something that I can show people that says “It
        doesn’t matter that I’m petite, female, young-looking.  You
        can start taking me seriously now; I’m 30, I’m an adult, with a
        brain (a good one).”  I’ve put in the work, now I’ve got the
        number to back me up.

Thoughts the rest of the day revolved around mailing packages, going to the library, getting lunch, naps, bike rides, diapers . . . anything and everything except that fact that it happened to be my birthday.

Final thought as I put this together—Hey, I’ve got a whole new decade to fill!   I wonder what kind of thoughts and adventures it will hold.  It’s kind of exciting!  Happy birthday to me!  (And thanks Mom, especially for the giving birth part.)

Bonus Round

I was going to go to bed after posting the last one, but got sucked into finishing up the Kume-jima trip.  See how much I love you?

Jake practices his yoga posture while Naomi snuggles.

Cutest kids in the world! 

Yep, no doubt about it.

Time for one last adventure on Kume.

Naomi was enchanted.

I found this interesting.  There was a large hands-on display of shells, some cut like this so you could see the interior, others whole.

This vacation was exactly what we needed to relax and reconnect as a family after Jake’s time in Yakota (Tokyo, for the tsunami relief).

Happy family together again.

Goodbye, Kume!  Thanks for everything!

And goodnight everyone.