Heath Did Good

Heath was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for his time in Kuwait. Go Navy.......

My New Friend

After living on Okinawa for almost 2 years I have finally discovered a better way to
buy fresh vegetables and fruit at a much better value. As most Americans do when stationed overseas we have shopped at the local commissaries. As the food prices have gone up (IE. limes- 5.00/lb, lettuce- 4.75/lb and garlic- 17.00/lb) we have started shopping elsewhere. We have found a few fantastic markets that are so reasonably priced it is unbelievable. And now for the greatest thing.......at my favorite market they have a mascot. His name is Sito (unsure of spelling and because I am not fluent in Japanese I am most likely spelling his name wrong) and he is a Lemur. I visit with him each time I go. He holds my finger and swings around his cage. I do feel a little bad that he is not swinging around in trees, however, I look forward to our weekly visits.

Heath and Salley's Adult Adventure

Not that we don't love our kids, however, sometimes you need adult time. We had our friends Amy and Rob watch Garth and Grace and off we went. We headed north towards Nago and were able to enjoy a fantastic lunch at the FUU Cafe (don't know what fuu stands for). We happened upon this little gem which is tucked away on a small island off the west coast of Nago. It is a definite place to take visitors. After lunch we went to the Marriott. Because Heath's mom practically lives at Marriott's for her job she was able to hook us up. We were on the top floor (15Th) with a view of the East China Sea. It just so happens that we had the executive floor benefits and got to imbibe for free. We swam in the pool, hung out in the sauna and read out by the pool. I am fairly sure we were the only Americans there. We went for a long road bike the following morning and then headed home. Okinawa is beautiful and the short drive from Chatan to Nago finds one in an entirely different setting. Enjoy the photos.

Proof our kids are getting bigger

This is Garth on Salley's road bike......Doesn't look too small for him....does it?

Happy 37Th Birthday Heath.....

August 29Th rang in but another year for Heath. I slaved away making his cake (Margarita Cake which sounded good on paper, but really wasn't) and got this photo of him blowing out his candles. My camera was having a difficult time focusing as it was perplexed by the bonfire of candles on top of the cake. I guess we will need to invest in a fancier camera now that our cakes look like the surface of the sun. Just think.....with each passing year we can satisfy our "Pyro" needs by lighting a small fire. Have a great year Heath.........

Playing Dress-Up Navy Style

The Thrill of Victory....and the Agony of Defeat

On August 16Th the Karama Islands were the setting for a most epic dive trip. We had a full boat and did a total of 3 dives. The last dive at Twin Rocks was the most memorable for me. It was clear and warm and we were able to get some great photos. That being said, the day presented some problems for some of our faithful party. The ocean was a bit rough and our boat was having steering issues. To navigate the waves our captain had to zigzag back and forth thus causing a very noticeable rocking motion. For those of you who know Heath you are probably assuming that I am going to say he was chumming for fish the whole time. Well....you stand corrected.....Heath found a wonder drug in the Scopolamine patch and was able to keep his breakfast and lunch to himself that great day. One little patch and Heath braved the turbulent sea like the sailor he is. I am unable to say that about our friend Stef. She started out good to go, however, as we got further from the coast in a zigzag-rocking-lurching motion things continued to go downhill. The poor thing made the first dive and spent the rest of the day either leaning over the rail or curled up on the deck. I don't know if things improved for her on the way back as the boat's steering issues got worse and we almost needed to be towed. Needless to say we all made it home with some of us a little more empty and pale than the others. To top off the adventure Brian ended up with decompression sickness the following day and was cordially invited to spend 8 hours in the decompression chamber. In Brian's and Stef's defenses we did have one other party member have a spell of narcosis on the first dive and someone else chummed on the way back. All in all it was a very good trip with lots to blog about. Enjoy the slide show......