January 2025

 JR DENTISTS

Here is Audrey pulling out Brooklyn's loose tooth. Brooklyn and Audrey both want to be dentists when they grow up, so they made a deal that they would  let each other pull their teeth out to practice

LEGOS

We had so much fun building this Japanese tea house and the replica of Himeji castle. 

NATHAN

Nathan is now about 6 ft 2 and still growing fast!

All dressed up for a New Year's dance. 

PINEAPPLE PARK

While Nathan and Jared were away on a ski trip, the girls and I visited pineapple park. 

The Okinawa Rail is an endangered species of bird found only in Okinawa. 

We took a little automated cart through the pineapple grove and listened to the Japanese pineapple song on repeat. 

We walked through the gardens and a mini butterfly garden area.

We stopped and had a delicious pineapple shaved ice and ice cream.

There were some fun animatronic dinosaurs as well. 

The pineapple gift shop at the end was super fancy and elegant. Very different than the rest of the park. 

TULIP FESTIVAL TROPICAL DREAM CENTER

The tulips were beautiful!

I had Brooklyn pose for some baptism pictures in her white dress since she is getting baptized soon. 

We really liked the lilies too

The orchids were really pretty too.

It was so fun to go with friends. 

 Lots of pretty reds

CHERRY BLOSSOMS

We visited the cherry blossoms at Nakajin castle. 

The cherry blossoms in Okinawa are a much darker pink than the ones in Mainland Japan or DC. I find them very pretty. 

We tried some sakura icecream. 

The cherry blossoms on Mt Yae were also spectacular. 

INDIANA JONES HIKE


We went on the Indiana Jones trail hike with friends. It was so fun! Bonus, the trailhead is only 5 mins from Costco.

KUDAKA ISLAND

I took my girls on a day trip to explore Kudaka, one of Okinawa’s outer islands. We took a ferry ride out to it and then rented a little motorized cart to drive around the island. The water was brilliant blue and the views along the shore were fantastic. Kudakujima is a holy place to the Ryukyu people and many Okinawans go there to worship and connect with their ancestors. There were several spots that we were not allowed to enter because they are considered too sacred. Only Okinawan priestesses can visit these locations at certain times of year for special ceremonies. No male has entered these spots in hundreds of years. It was calming to visit an island that was so untouched by commercialism. Everyone who visited the island was quiet and respectful of the island’s religious significance. We didn’t try it, but if you visit you can try sea snake soup which the women of the island catch in the traditional way.