Raiders invade Okinawa!

Going for the flag! We have a little defender in our family it seems.

Good defense

Ready to pull some flags

Raider Nation meet your newest member!

So a football season is upon us again and this year the Raiders seem to be the team to beat! And oh yes, Dad and Son are very happy the colors or Black and Silver. If the Raiders can't win games in the NFL at least they are winning them in Okinawa!

Brice has an amazing set of coaches who have been working hard with the kids. The have persevered through the rain and cold in practice and it paid off for the first game of the year! Looks like it is going to be a great season for football!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OKINAWA

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Okinawa, Japan!

We are finally back on the radar after a two and a half year hiatus! Now we are counting down and preparing to depart this amazing island come July. In an attempt to keep it somewhat green this year and for the fact I did not manage to get cards out again, our Christmas wishes are coming to via the Internet!

We have found life on this wonderful island has far exceeded our every expectation. These last two and a half years have provided us with amazing new friends and travel to places we have only once dreamed of.

All of us have been staying busy, busy. Ty's job keeps him traveling often. He is getting the opportunity to see some very cool places and experience various cultures and their cuisine. He has made some good friends on his endeavours and will carry those memories with him always.

Brice is doing great here on the island. He is now in first grade. He completed his Kindergarten year at a local Montessori school out in town. He really enjoyed his school and has started getting a grasp of the language. Brice is also in Judo classes twice a week. He picked up his orange belt and is doing an incredible job keeping up with the big kids. He enjoys all the sports the Youth Sports Program has to offer here from T-Ball to football. He is getting good at swimming and loves the pools as well as the beach. He is snorkeling and loving seeing all the creatures the East China Seas has to offer!

Puppy Scout has adjusted to the island and loves to go the ballpark and retrieve pop- flies in the outfield. She loves her boy Brice and the two are inseparable. She is the little sister in the family.

Casey is enjoying the island too. Exploring the amazing restaurants here has been a real treat. Casey has been a substitute teacher at Brice's elementary schools on base. It is great fun as well as rewarding, as the enthusiasm the kids exude is infectious! There may be a career change in the future. Casey completed her SCUBA class and managed to get through the open water dive requirements after a major bout with motion sickness. Hiking may be the way to go from here on out.

We are all very happy to be in this amazing place. The people of Okinawa are very gracious and so accommodating with the Americans who are here. The island offers a beauty and culture that will remain with us forever. The tradition and spirit of the people of Okinawa is very humbling. It keeps us on track to live everyday with care and kindness for each other.

To all of our friends and family we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

With lots of love and hugs!

Ty, Casey, Brice and Scout

Adventure Hike at Hiji Falls

Here are all the cool things to see on the trail!

The Japanese lettering is the sign for water

Warning... Danger!

Happy Hiker

Lots of ups....

(great bridge)

...and downs!

We saw 7 lizards,

3 snakes... and one beetle but did not get a picture of it (sorry)

The falls are very beautiful.

As is the entire trail

Needless to say Mommy and Boy had the best day!

We took a short trip to the north part of the island after school let out for a bit of R and R. A couple of days at Okuma, the Air Force Resort on island, was just what we needed. We played on the beach and hit the jet ski ( one of the highlights of our trip) and did a short day hike to Hiji Falls. This is a good prep for our Mt. Fuji trip coming up this summer!

We had a wonderful day hiking Hiji Falls. It is about 1 1/2 miles in to the falls. The weather was perfect and the day had many exciting moments! We saw lots of critters and interesting folks as well. It was a day well spent with the best babe any mommy could have!

Ie Island Lily Festival

Lovely ladies making yummy snacks!

Beautiful East China Sea

Another interesting translation...

The biggest and most beautiful array of Hibiscus I have ever seen.

Yes, there are cows on Ie Island!

Shimamuraya Tourist Park. This is a sculpture of Hando-gwaa.

Ie island is the setting of a traditional Okinawan drama where a sad girl by the name of Hando-gwaa fell in love with a man named Kanahi, Ie-shima's headman. When Hando-gwaa learned that Kanahi had already wed she climbed up to Tacchu Mountain and hanged herself with her long, black hair.

I have a thing for Buddah

Families with boys hang colorful carp kites, called Koinobori, outside their houses- one for each boy, with the biggest representing the oldest boy at the top. This is all part of the Children's Day celebration.

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/childrens_day_japan.htm


Karen heading back to the port. Peace baby!

The people of Ie Island host their annual Lily Festival every spring. Friend Karen and I took the morning ferry over and had the best day. The lily fields were beautiful and the day was perfect. We did some exploring after the lilies and found a great little forest to walk through that led to the Hibiscus Garden where the flowers were so vibrant and colorful it was as if we had walked right into a rainbow. Truly amazing.

Here is a link to more info. on Ie Jima (island)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iejima

Birthday Boy!

Birthday Boy

Alex,Shogo,Brice Devon

Devon

Lovin' the neon!

Emma and Daddy Snuffy

Sahil

Shogo

The whole gang

Makin a wish for a Bionicle I am sure

Gotta love Spidey!

Brice had a wonderful birthday party at Skoshi Bowl. He had his closests friends join him for his special day and they had a blast! Hard to believe our little man is 6 now.

Basketball Seaon is in session- Go Cavaliers!

Football is finished and we are full swing into basketball. Again, the team has a great coach, Coach Jackson, and the kids all seem to be having a great time. As the weeks go by they are perfecting their skills and getting a good grasp on the game.

Nothin' but net!

Getting the skills down

Cavs v. Bulls --- Good D!

Takin' the shot! Ohhhhh so close

Judo Tournament - White Beach

Scarey Judo Man!

Waiting for the tournament to begin

Getting a pat on the back for a job well done!

Snack time after a tough match.

This was a team tournament in which points are scored for all the team members and the team with the highest overall score progresses to the next round. Brice, Jazmine and Isaiah did a very nice job. Though they didn't win their round they are all showing great improvement.









Brice did a great job in his match using the skills he is learning. He lasted the entire match and worked hard to get out of the presses his opponent had him in. Each tournament he does better and better. We could not be more proud of him and the efforts he is making to do his best!