Happy Holidays! 2013-style...

 

As I write this year’s summary, Alan and I are on the road from Texas to Washington, D.C., which is where we will call home for at least the next two years.  Alan relinquished command of the 82^nd Reconnaissance Squadron in November and we headed to Texas for some much-needed down time and the opportunity to catch up with my family and our many friends there.  We were able to spend Thanksgiving there, and are heading to spend Christmas with Catherine, Robert and Pierce in North Carolina.  The kids are excited to see their cousin again, but I’m not sure how excited Pierce will be when he wakes up on Christmas morning and finds out that some of the stuff Santa left is suddenly for other kids!  Nevertheless, we are absolutely thrilled to be spending Christmas with family for the first time in five years.

The past year, as usual, was a busy one.  We kicked off the year with a family vacation to Australia.  Grandma Sissy even met us there!  It was the trip of a lifetime and a dream come true for me.  The highlight: Adam and Audie were both literally punched in the face by kangaroos!   Don’t worry, they were totally fine.  Now, they will have a great conversation starter for the rest of their lives!  Unfortunately, Mom fell ill with a stomach bug the last three days and we were forced to also experience a Gold Coast ER.  Definitely not a highlight.

The Australia Zoo - petting kangaroos!

And koalas!

That's Terri Irwin doing the Crocodile show!

 This was the view of the famous Gold Coast from our apartment:

 

The twins turned 3 in February and we celebrated with a “Thing 1 and Thing 2” themed bash.  They keep us on our toes every day.  Audie is still the sweetheart and is proving to be pretty athletic.  He still watches and imitates Adam’s every move and is looking forward to sharing a room with him in the new house.  Anaya is a princess – more Merida than Sleeping Beauty, but we know she’ll hold her own in this world.  Just yesterday she said, “Mommy, when I grow up, I must be the boss.”  I have no doubt she will be. 

In the spring, I took advantage of the opportunity to travel with a great group of women to Kyoto, on the main island of Japan.  It was just the beginning of the cherry blossom season and it was absolutely gorgeous.  We got to walk through the Sagano bamboo forest, and even saw a couple of real geishas!  It was a wonderful trip filled with temples, scenery, wine, friendship, and everything Japan has to offer. 

 The Bamboo Forest:

The Gold Pavilion:

 Just us and some random Japanese women!

 The group we traveled with:

 

Shortly after returning from Kyoto, Alan and I, along with a big group of good friends, ran the Ayahashi Half Marathon, which begins on the southern part of the island of Okinawa, then crosses a ¾ mile bridge over the ocean to Miyagi Island, then later crosses another ½ mile bridge to Hamahiga Island, then back across both bridges to the finish.  It was a nice, flat course, and the view was fist-class.  The day was extremely windy, which was only accentuated by the fact that we were running over the ocean.  It was all worth it to be able to witness God’s glory along that route.  Gorgeous.  And the Japanese spectators were amazing!  Taiko drummers, people handing out snacks and popsicles – so fun!

In the summer, we finally made good on our promise to the kids and took them to Tokyo Disney.  It was a nightmare.  But it was time spent as a family away from Alan’s crazy job and my other obligations, so we felt blessed to be there.  The kids even rode their first roller coaster, which should be a good sign of adventures to come…or just a symbol of the roller coaster that is our life.  Either way, giving our children the opportunity of these experiences in another country is just another way we’ve been blessed by God.

The summer was filled with dives.  We dove with whale sharks, dove the Kerama Islands, and dove favorite spots around Okinawa.  We tried to squeeze in as much as we could, anticipating a move to a not-so-dive-friendly locale. 

 

In August, Alan turned 40 and I knew I had to do something BIG.  So, I secretly arranged for Catherine to fly out and spend his birthday with us.  In the past, I have sponsored new teachers moving to Okinawa and I told him I was sponsoring another one and we had to pick them up at the airport.  At first sight, he was surprised at how much the new teacher looked like Catherine.  Then he realized that it was Catherine and was absolutely shocked that she was there.  It was perfect.  She spent a week with us and we did as much as we could.  It will go down as one of my favorite moments ever, seeing Alan’s face.  I’ve really gotten myself in trouble, though – I don’t know how I’ll ever top that. 

 
August also brought Adam’s 7^th birthday.  He opted for a Spongebob Squarepants-themed bash.  Adam continues to amaze us with his intellect.  He’s also a jokester, a magician and a budding artist, and is truly one-of-a-kind.  I made the decision to homeschool him this year to avoid the dreadful mid-semester change of schools, and to also give us more flexibility with our move.  Adam has handled it so well, which is a blessing.  A lot is asked of military “brats” and he keeps rolling with the changes.  What a trooper.

Once summer was over, “move mode” began and we started preparing to move back to the United States.  There was so much to do, so the last few months were filled with appointments and inspections and farewells, as well as Alan's fini flight and Change of Command, topped off with a 36.5 hour trip back to Texas.  We all made it in one piece, but were a pretty haggard-looking bunch when we landed in San Antonio.  Even Rosie made it back alive!  At 13 years old, I had my concerns…she’s a champ, though.  One advantage of flying on the military rotator was that I did get to see, feed, and walk her at each stop along the way.  I think that helped us both.  Once we arrived in Texas, the spoiling by Grandma began!  The kids have especially enjoyed getting to spend time with their cousin, Brooke. 

 

 

 Alan is anxious to get to work on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon – he isn’t quite sure what to do with all of his time right now, having had so much responsibility for the past six years.  I try to teach him the way I do things – you know, bon bons and soap operas and such – but that doesn’t seem to interest him.  I, on the other hand, am having no problems with the fact that I had to hand over my responsibilities as the Command Spouse and as the President of the Kadena Officers’ Spouses’ Club.  I’m enjoying all the “free time” when I’m not teaching Adam or playing Mom.  In all seriousness, the past six years have been such a whirlwind that it is nice to have a little break from both of our obligations so that we can recharge and get ready for what’s next.  Washington, D.C., get ready, because here come the Daytons!

*Our cell phone numbers are the same as they were before we moved to Japan.  If you need that info, or our new address, please email us at aadayton@yahoo.com.

Merry Christmas!

  

These Are Some Good Times

As our time on Okinawa came to an end, Alan and I both noticed a certain song was on repeat in our heads - "You're gonna miss this.  you're gonna want this back.  You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.  These are some good times, so take a good look around - you may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this."  The thing that made it so difficult, though, is I think we do know it now. We know that we were greatly blessed with opportunity through that assignment, and that we are going to miss that island paradise for, many reasons.  So that you aren't here all day, I have narrowed it down to the top 5 reasons I will miss Okinawa. 

1.  We were safe.  No one was going to kidnap my children.  They could play outside, go to the bathroom by themselves, walk to school, be five aisles over from me in the BX, and they would be safe.  Can I tell you how good that feels?  To be in a place where I don't have to worry about someone taking my kids?  Now, to be clear, there was always a chance they could get hurt, but there was never the chance they would get stolen.  And aside from the possibility of an SF officer losing it, there was no risk of someone barging into their school, or theater or anywhere and opening fire.  Sure, the remote possibility was there, but I never once worried about it.  But I read about it happening numerous times in America while we were away.  To be fair, guns aren't allowed in Japan, so obviously that has a lot to do with it.  And I am definitely not advocating removing our right to bear arms.  I own a gun and would prefer to keep it.  I just wish we didn't have so many assholes running around who ruined it for everyone.

2.  Our friends rocked.  It's not like we thought we would be there forever - we live a military life and this ain't our first rodeo.  But it sure doesn't get easier to leave.  You might think that knowing we will eventually part ways, we wouldn't get so attached, but the opposite is actually true, I think.  Especially overseas.  We have many friends already in Washington, DC, so I know that I have amazing friends there, too (some of them are even the same ones I had in Okinawa!).  But God's timing was perfect, of course, with the friends he put in my path in Okinawa.  They were wonderfully caring friends who were shining examples of what people should be.  I lived, laughed, loved and learned with them and there are a handful whose friendship I will treasure forever.  They lifted me up when I needed it, ran beside me when I needed it, helped strengthen my faith when I needed it, loved on my family when we needed it, poured me a glass of wine when I needed it and danced with me when I needed it.  I'll miss Friday nights at Hog Heaven and the O'Club or Mr. Pat & Mrs. Monica's, Sunday mornings at Chapel 1 and lunch at the Tee House or Seaside, pedicures at Cocok's, wine on the patio, running down Douglas, and combing the beaches for treasure.  All with great company.  I look forward to the day our paths cross again and I sincerely thank the women (and a couple of men) who fulfilled those roles.  Here are just a few of them:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  I was spoiled.  Exploring a foreign culture, working as a stay-at-home mom, having a fantastic mamasan who cleaned and babysat and became family, pedicures every couple of weeks, getting a year-round tan on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, SCUBA diving some of the world's best reefs, trips to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Australia, Kyoto...sheesh!  Life was good.  Not that it won't be good somewhere else, but I have a feeling it won't be "Okinawa good."  I appreciate how good I had it and am thankful.  Don't get me wrong - it wasn't all rainbows and unicorns.  There were a lot of sacrifices that came along with those perks, but I definitely recognize that there were a lot of perks.  Has anyone dove the Potomac River lately?  I didn't think so...And did I mention the PEDICURES??  Oh my gosh, those are something I am going to miss for sure!  If I could have packed up Kaori and brought her with me, I would have! 

 

 

 

4.  The beaches were breathtaking.  We're beach people, so this one's really going to hurt.  In a matter of minutes, we could get from our house to a gorgeous beach.  I mean gorgeous.  Port Aransas and Myrtle Beach just won't cut it anymore.  We made so many memories as a family on the beautiful beaches of Okinawa, and I hope we can at least come close somewhere new.  The views, the sounds, the sea glass, the search for glass floats, the snorkeling, the "camping", the birthday parties...we're definitely going to miss those beaches. 

5.  We will probably never go back there.  When we left San Antonio, of course we knew we would go back there.  When we left Jacksonville, Colorado Springs, and Omaha, there was always the possibility of going back, even if it was just on vacation or driving through to elsewhere.  But we will likely never go back to Okinawa.  It's far and it's expensive, so unless one of our children joins the military one day and is stationed there, we will probably never return.  There is something about the finality of it that makes me miss it even more.  It was such a unique place.  It's hard to believe that after spending so much time there, after so much happened in our lives while we were there, that we will just move away and never return.  It makes me sad.  Maybe one day after Alan retires and we have an empty nest, we'll catch a hop that gets us back to Oki.  One day...But until then, we'll do what we do every time - make the best of the new place! 

 

Here's to Okinawa, which will always hold a little piece of my heart.  And here's to Washington, D.C., which has big shoes to fill but I'm sure can live up to the task.