Okinawa, Japan

At the beginning of June we were lucky enough to travel to Okinawa, Japan to visit Tori, Oz and the kiddos!  We were so excited to see them, especially how the kids have grown up since we saw them 3 years ago.  We have missed them and it was nice to be there for two weeks!  We loved having the combination of being on an American military base while experiencing the local Okinawan culture.  We were actually giddy that our first meal was at the base food court and we ate cheese steaks with a Mt. Dew (I'm such a classy girl at heart!)  Oz has taken up photography and we all went to the beach one night to take some shots...we were also eaten alive by mosquitos, which seems to be a theme with our travel!  

Joey has grown by feet and is somewhere between boy and teenager.  He loves to talk politics like Grandpa Greg and strut his stuff at the pool.  He also loves his video games and to talk about girls and is very particular about his choice of clothing!  He was ordained as the 1st Counselor in the Deacon's Quorum while we were there and is an overall good kid.  We loved just observing him. 

We would really like this view and gazebo in some future home!

One of my favorite things about Japan were all the different kinds of cars and trucks.  They were all pastel ice-cream colored and little square boxes.

The first few days we were there the kids were finishing up school.  We were able to attend Joey's and Jonners' awards assemblies, where they both received awards.

Jonners really cracked us up!  He wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up, and I have no doubt he will do it!  He is super-smart and very literal.  Jonners loves video games and Uncle Jeremy's advice on life.  He keeps his most prized possessions in bed as he sleeps. He loves to eat cheese and loves bean burritos and is always hungry! He is a lot like his Dad!

One night we got great ice cream and they had some fun flavors, like purple sweet potato!

Abby is always thinking and her brain is always on full throttle.  She was the fiercest competitor at any game and wants to be a marine biologist or a horse trainer when she grows up (no doubt due to Uncle Jeremy's brainwashing as a baby.)  She is a great artist and likes to be in charge.  Abby is a good swimmer and such a cute girl.  She doesn't like wearing frilly things, but still likes to dress like a girl.  Her and Olivia just got their long hair cut to donate to Locks of Love.

Livers was so much bigger.  I was remembering the first time I met her, she was a baby and was barely walking.  She is 9 going on 19. She likes to sing pop style and is good at it too.  She is very social and very passionate about everything.  

  

One of the best things about Okinawa was the food.  I could have had the authentic ramen noodles every day, but didn't want to kill our hosts.  The noodles were chewy and in a golden miso spicy broth. I still am dreaming of eating them again!  They also had the best freaking fried rice that came in a skillet and you mixed it together.  My favorite was the garlic pork fried rice...so delish!  I didn't order this pasta but thought it was funny with its combo of pasta, soy sauce, butter and spam.

Our favorite restaurant was Arashi's.  They call it the "ticket restaurant" because you order your food from a vending machine looking thing and they deliver it to your table.

Jeremy and I celebrated our three year anniversary while we were in Japan.  We stayed at this fun hotel for a night on the water and had everyone swim with us in the hotel pool.

The one disappointment about Okinawa is that there wasn't one single reference made to Karate Kid II. I was so sad not to see the Mr. Miyagi's village or those little drums that the people twisted during the big fight scene.  This was the one thing that I saw, which I am guessing had nothing to do with Karate Kid II.

One day we went to the American Village shopping, which Jeremy was thrilled to do as you can see.

I am sad that I didn't take more pictures, but it's always a sign of a good vacation when you forget to take pictures!  This is when we left the first time, but embarrasingly, we missed our flight (which was the day before.)  How did it happen you may ask?  I have no idea, but we were able to extend our vacation two days and fly out later, after a 5 hour delay at the airport.  We loved visiting the Kirkham family and miss them already!