Life's a Beach!

For us, here on Okinawa, life really is a beach! We recently took a little trip -to celebrate the end of the school year, yay! -to Okuma, which is a beautiful beach resort on the northwest side of the island on the East China Sea. It is very family friendly, with water sports of all kinds, parasailing, bikes to rent, mini golf, tennis, and lots of soft sand and warm, turquoise water. The kids kept busy with all the fun things to do, and I had a fabulous time sitting on a beach chair under an umbrella reading for days on end. Truly, my favorite thing to do!

Raingutter Regatta

Last weekend was the Cub Scout Raingutter Regatta. It was held on the beach (you gotta love Okinawa!). The boys had fun, and Dylan ended up winning third place.

Piano Recital

Dylan, Logan and Savannah played in a piano recital this weekend.

Our Very Own Karate Kid

We were at the beach the other day and Brandon saw this post. He couldn't resist channeling the Karate Kid!

Who let the dogs out? Seriously, where did this dog come from?!

I can't believe it, but Shane has done it again: He has talked me into yet another pet! This time, it is a huge (as in FAT) lab/retriever mix named Laney. Her owners were moving back to the States and couldn't take her with them, so Shane and his bleeding heart decided that we should take her in. The kids are delighted, especially Savannah, who has never really forgiven us for leaving our dog, Miel, back in the States. Even though I am no dog lover, I must admit that all things considered, I like Laney's personality. She is very mellow- almost too mellow. She is so overweight that she can't run around and she certainly can't jump up on people (thank heavens!). In fact, so far she pretty much just lays around and sleeps.

Happy Birthday to the Twins!!

I cannot believe it, but the twins will turn 10 years old this week. That's right, 10 years old!! I am stunned (like always) at how quickly the time flies. They started out life so small and fragile, and they have grown into such strong, smart, independent boys. They have become the life of our family's party. They never cease to amaze me with their humor, their energy, their creativity or their kindness. I remember so clearly the moment in the doctor's office when I found out I was expecting twins. I felt like I had won the lottery to get not one, but two babies! Now, there have been times over the years when they have given me a run for my money, but all in all, I still feel like I hit the jackpot. Happy Birthday, Dylan and Logan. We love you!!

I am an idiot

I have to confess my idiocy. There are probably those of you out there who already knew that I was an idiot, but for any of you who were previously on the fence, this story will convince you once and for all that I am an ignoramus. Here's the story:

For several days now, Shane has been telling me that his van was nearly out of gas, but he never had a free minute to go fill up. So on Wednesday evening, while he was at soccer practice with the boys, I decided to do something nice and go fill up his tank with gas so that he wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. Well, the best laid plans......

To make a long story short, I filled up his DIESEL van with regular unleaded gasoline. And then I drove it. Needless to say, I only made it about a half mile before the van died, right in the middle of traffic. I was able to coast to a parking lot.

In my own defense, let me just say that I have never put gas in his car before, and although in retrospect I acknowledge that I knew it was a diesel, I never really thought about it before. I have never owned a car that takes diesel, I haven't even really known anyone who had a car that took diesel, and in this environmentally conscious age that we live in, I routinely make fun of people who drive diesel burning cars. So it really wasn't in my realm of thought to consider putting diesel in.

I know, I know. I can try to justify it all I want, and in the final analysis I am still an idiot. Shane has been furiously (and I do mean furiously) emailing and calling family and friends trying to best figure out how to remedy this situation. We have heard everything on the spectrum from, "You'll be fine once you drain the tank and replace a few parts," to "Man, you are hosed. Your car is a total loss." I am banking on the the former being true. My happy marriage depends on it.

This reminds me of the time when I was 16 years old, and I got infamously lost trying to drive from Provo to Park City. I finally called my dad from a pay phone at a gas station, told him where I was, and he told me that I was about 30 miles off course. He explained how to get back to Park City, and all was well. You would think that the story has a happy ending, but no. Here we are 18 years later, and I still haven't lived that story down. My dad and my brothers still ask me if I need directions, and do I think I can find Park City on my own? Well, move over Park City story! I have a new legacy, and it isn't pretty. Oh, and by the way, that picture above is an actual photograph of Shane's van. Yes, it's 4WD, and yes, it's jacked-up. What did you expect?!

It's Time For My Quarterly Blog Update!

I can't believe that it has been over three months since I updated my blog. My, how time flies! I guess I won't win any awards for the Most Dedicated Blogger, but I was never in the running anyway. We have had lots going on over the last few months- not the least of which is another broken arm (Dylan this time), a trip to the States (Shane and Jasmine), a dance recital (Savannah), a pinewood derby (the twins), and a fun Spring Break trip to an island nearby (all of us). I am still figuring out this whole blogging thing, and I don't really have a clue what I'm doing. I just figured out -after much frustration- how to put on slide show on my blog, so I put three new slide shows on below. Sorry if I went a little overboard. I am still trying to figure out how to put music on the blog. If anyone knows how, will you email me and tell me? I need a tutor or something!