Quick Updates

We went to a branch party on Friday night and the kids got to wear costumes. We tried to get Alyssa to be a witch but she insisted on being a princess like Danica...cute girls!

It rained every day for the last week. It rained A LOT! We still needed to our long run, 15 miles, on Thursday, so I wrapped my iPod in Glad Press n’ Seal to keep it dry. We were soaked but it worked great!! Sadly the run didn’t go well for me. My knee has been acting up and it was extremely painful during the run, causing me even to walk some. I feel like an idiot because from what I have self diagnosed it is my own fault for not cross training well. It seems I have standard "runners knee." I got so into the running and was so busy that I didn’t worry much about the cross training. As the miles went up my time for cross training went down...the opposite of what I should have been doing. I knew better, but didn’t really realize what I was doing and I felt great so I figured it didn't matter. Now I’m paying for it...I have just less than 2 weeks and my knee hurts all the time. My plan is to quit running and just spend my time on the exercise bike, elliptical, and in the pool. Instead of getting up early to run this morning I got up early and hit the exercise bike at the gym...not very satisfying but hopefully it will help.

Lastly, saw this huge snake, dead, on the road while we were driving home the other day...ugh...I like to pretend the snakes aren’t really nearby but we saw a snake skin on our driveway last week, and then this...I really do like it here...mostly...

Okinawa World

What do you get when you mix caves, snakes and drums? A great day off! Last Monday was Columbus Day so there was no school or work. We decided to take the day and go to “Okinawa World.” It was our first time and it was a unique experience. They have three main venues, you can pay for each separately or do a package deal. We opted for all three and it started with a 35 minute walk through a really cool cave. The cave seemed to be never ending with the trail just winding its way through. The kids were a bit leery and kept saying it was “too spooky,” I had to carry Alyssa most of the time but it was also really neat and overall they enjoyed it. Tom took advantage of the rare opportunity and got some great shots.
After the cave you ride a HUGE escalator back to the surface and walk through some gardens before coming into a replica of an old Okinawa village. We watched glass blowing, shisa making and traditional dancing with really loud drums! Lastly we went to the Habu Museum. Habu are very dangerous poisonous snakes that inhabit Okinawa. We have to constantly warn the kids to stay out of bushes and secluded areas in the summer. The museum was fascinating, I only wish I could have understood more of it since it was all in Japanese. The kids enjoyed looking at the all the snakes and they even had an area where you could touch turtles. Danica says that touching the turtles was her favorite part. We went with some new friends who have three kids and all around had a good day!

Haircuts!

The girls both got haircuts recently. It’s so humid that we have to keep their hair short or it’s always just a sweaty mess!!! They were really good during the cuts and loved the results! When Tom got home from work Alyssa instantly ran to him and turned around so he could see her hair!

Alyssa before:


Alyssa after: