Happy Birthday Dante

Just wanted to send out a Happy Birthday Message to my brother Dante as he hits the 40 mark. We will have to celebrate a little belated. Have a great day- WOAH what just a minute, I goofed he doesnt turn 40 unitl the 25th , whoops, well Opa always said early is on time and on time is late. So then on that accord I was on time :) Karl

Happy Belated Valentines

I hope everyone had a nice Valentines Day. The kids and I started the day with heart shaped waffles, then proceeded to make butternut squash raviolis with my friend Nicole. I'm always amazed and pleased by the girls desire to cook. After I struggled with kneading the dough, we had a great time rolling it out. The raviolis were part of my Valentines dinner with six of girlfriends whose husbands are gone. It was a wonderful night, great food and hilarious conversations.

Other than the daily events in our lives, we haven't been up to anything exciting. Ella and I go to mommy and me gymnastics every Tuesday; followed by Meghan's ballet. Carolyn is still on the waiting list, though we expect she'll be called for ballet within the next month or so. The girls and I spend Tuesdays and Thursdays together, which we all enjoy. These days are one of the main reasons I hesitate to go back to work. Plus, I'm really happy not to be juggling parenting and work.

Oh, I did make a radical change soon after my birthday. I chopped and dyed my hair dark brown. So long blonde. It is so different, most folks don't recognize me at first. This was supposed to be a temporary change to give my hair a break from all the bleaching. But I love it; I may never go back!

The other exciting news is that I spent last Saturday at the ER over what I thought was a broken toe. Carolyn jumped up on me, catching my right pinkie toe in her dress. I started to have visions of a ruined ski vacation. Thankfully it is just a sprained toe. But boy does it hurt! We leave next Saturday for northern Japan. We're all so excited.

Last eventful activity occurred on Friday. Carolyn has a 1/2 day once a month. I try to use the time for one on one time with her. This time she requested we go for a bike ride together. We had a ton of fun exploring our local neighborhoods. Lots of places you can't get to with a larger car, like we have. You need to walk or bike. Here are two of our finds:

Local seafood market (yest those are parrot fish)

Roadside garden center

Last stop, snack at the local bakery

Forest Adventure

Thank you to everyone for your warm birthday wishes. I had a wonderful birthday. Karl surprised me with flowers with a very sweet note courtesy of the Fullwood Floral Delivery. (Karl worked with Jimmy and Sarah to order flowers since there is no FTD in Afghanistan or Okinawa). My sweet friends catered to my adventurous side and got me massages at various places around the island. Only catch is I need to figure out where they all are. That night we hit the town, sampling yummy concoctions from the local martini bar and belting out some amazing tunes at various karaoke bars. We finally stumbled home around 3:30.

Earlier in the week, I did get to satisfy my outdoor cravings and went to Forest Adventure with Mary and Misty. Forest Adventure is a series of ziplines and obstacle courses running through the jungle http://www.forest-adventure-onna.jp/.%20Once%20again,%20you%20would%20never%20see%20a%20place%20like%20this%20in%20the%20states.%20TheOnce again, you would never see a place like this in the states. The average drop is 120 feet. There are no safety nets or guides. So if you drop something (or your harness isn't clipped in properly), it is gone! As the briefer told us, "You'll never see a park like this in the United States. There would be safety nets everywhere and a lawyer on every corner. You are responsible for your own safety. I will show you once how to properly clip your safety gear onto each obstacle. After that...you're on your own. If you pay attention and clip in correctly, you're going to have blast. If you don't, then you're day is going to suck." YIKES!!!

This was my second time. I went in September with the NOISC ladies. Karl and I were hoping to go, but never had the chance. My favorite part, probably because it is so scary, is the Tarzan swing. You climb onto a tiny platform, hook onto a swing and jump for your life into a cargo net. All you keep thinking is why would me a sane person jump of a perfectly good, although tiny platform. Your legs start shaking and then your adrenaline kicks in and whoosh through the air you go. This time I had to remind myself to open my eyes before I nailed the cargo net and forget to grab it with my legs. Once you've safely climbed the net, the course ends with a challenging obstacle course. Forest Adventures is one of my favorite places in Oki. I'll definitely go back.

Lunch with Governor Amin. Very nice outdoor setting.

Mainstreet Bazaar, Farah City, Farah Province. On my way to the Governors Compund for lunch.