A New Year

In case you didn't know, it's the year of the ox (sometimes also referred to as a cow) in Japan.  If Wikipedia is even somewhat close in the explanation of  the symbolism of the ox, it's going to be an interesting year:

The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.

Really, you know I don't believe all that, but it is interesting to know what the surrounding culture may be thinking about the year ahead.

So what does the new year bring??  Well, I obviously can't see into the future, but I do have some things to look forward to:

• Noa returning home!  He's been gone since July on deployment.  He should be back next month!
• Babies!  No, not mine, but we have good friends who are expecting little ones.
• Travel!  We're hoping to go to China, Hawaii, and see family in the States again.  Who knows where else we'll end up?
• Saying good-bye and hello.  Sadly, being in the military means we meet and say good-bye to friends frequently.  Some of our best buds are scheduled to leave Okinawa this summer.

I look forward to blogging all these upcoming events (and more!).  Hopefully, the blogging will be more frequent.  So, here's to 2009!

Catching Up: New Years

The end of 2008 began with lots of snow in NH.  I loved it!  Added bonus: I got to see the wild turkeys that live near my parent's house.  

The evening was a great New Year's Eve; it was a reunion year of sorts.  You see, I grew up with adopted extended family.  Our family always celebrated holidays and events with a couple of other families that also had children similar in age to both my sister and myself.  New Years was especially a fun tradition with games at my house and a big breakfast next door.  Now, the children have grown up, we've all moved at least once and the next generation is coming around.  However, once in awhile we still get to see each other and this year we got to reunite for New Year's.  Below are some pics from the night.

Here are the "kids" standing in age order: (R - L) Adam, Cristyn, me, Tim, Pete, Anoli, Joel (missing from photo is Phil, who was unable to attend the festivities)

My favorite picture of the evening - Anoli and I pose for a self portrait.

Mom & daughter shot: Cristyn, Nancy, Loni (my mom), & me!

Playing Quelf brought out some crazy antics, like...

...hiding in the couch cushions...

...letting the crowd know your true feelings are towards them....

...and making a headdress of toilet paper.  

After ringing in the new year, we sang a couple hours of karaoke and then drove back home so I could get a couple winks before boarding the plane back to Oki.

Next up: it's a new year in Okinawa!

White Christmas

Due to my computer dying (good news - it's now fixed) and traveling to the states, blogging was difficult, but I'm back and have lots to catch up on.

I spent Christmas this year in New Hampshire with my family.  It was a wonderful trip and worth the long hours of travel.  Unfortunately, the 2 items I forgot to pack in my haste to leave were my camera chargers, so pictures weren't as abundant as usual.  However, I did get some use of one of my cameras before the battery completely died.  After that I used my sister's camera and tried to document highlights of my trip.  

I arrived in the middle of a snowstorm, which caused my flights to get rerouted to Charlotte and then to Boston.  I finally made it home at 3:00 am, but my luggage didn't arrive for another 2 days.  On the upside, the snow was absolutely beautiful.  I really miss New England winters.

The house was all decked out with Christmas decor.  Here's the Christmas tree in all it's glory.  The funny thing about the tree this year was that it didn't have the typical pine smell.  As soon as I walked into the living room, I smelled OLD CHEESE!  That was the mystery of the Christmas tree - why was it smelling like old cheese?  We still aren't 100% sure why.... 

At least it was pretty.

I got to decorate mom's famous cookies... and subsequently inhale them over the next several days.

As Christmas tradition dictates, Bailey received his potent catnip toy and attacked it with wild abandon.  We laughed so hard when he kept standing on his two back legs.
Another tradition: opening up presents in your pajamas!  Anoli and I model the scarves mom brought us from a trip to New Mexico.
My grandfather came over to spend Christmas day with us.  He really liked his new pot holders from Anoli.

 I practiced using my new camera lens from Noa on Bailey.  Bailey wasn't that impressed, but I had fun (until my battery died...).

After Christmas, Anoli and I went to visit Cristyn and meet her new little girl.  She is so precious and quite the little peanut!

More to come!  Stay tuned!