Spring must be starting because there are pink trees everywhere and Melia LOVES them. Whenever she sees one when we are driving she yells. "Those are my favorite!" She calls them her princess trees. On Sunday, we realized there are a ton of them outside the church building. Papa took a picture for her!

Dave and Adina we are anxiously waiting for a report on the sky diving... pictures and videos would be awesome!

Wish I was with you all tonight. Please give Anne and the boys an extra hug for me. Staying in the hotel, eating out is getting old. There's just nothing warm and cozy about going home to a hotel room at the end of the day. Right now I am in Boise, but will head back to Bellevue for Monday and Tuesday before traveling Wednesday to Vancouver.

WE ARE OUT OF THE OLD APARTMENT! This picture was taken a couple nights before we moved out. Melia really loves playing Rock band even though she obviously isn't really doing it, but she loves it! I have been having a few of these "relaxing nights" lately. For those of you who haven't heard, Treven received a promotion to the Fitness department. He is going to be trained to be a CFT or Certified Fitness Trainer, which he is really excited about. Treven also will be considered full time so we receive the wonderful full time benefits. It is so funny that we are so excited about having health insurance... Treven and I haven't been insured for about a year so we are dying to have some insurance! He ALSO is getting a raise of 2 dollar an hour! Everything is going so well at work and he is loving the people he works with and the environment there.

It has been a blast to have Anne right around the corner. Andrew and Melia love playing with each other and we went to the Children's Museum last week with Buffy and Noah as well and the kids absolutely loved it! We took Melia and Andrew to go see Treven's dad's snakes (he breeds and sells them) Melia and Andrew loved it and Andrew actually touched all the snakes along with their chameleon, Sam. It is so funny to listen to Melia and Andrew talk to each other whenever they are together. In the first couple of days they showed us the difference between boys and girls, Andrew had asked Melia to tell him a story so she continued with telling him about the princess who fell asleep and the prince came and gave her TRUE LOVE'S KISS (she made sure we heard that part) and the princess woke up and they lived HAPPILY EVER AFTER. Andrew then asks, "Where is the dragon?". Melia said, "The prince got him." and continued to start the story over included the dragon part. Then Melia yelled out "And they lived happily ever after!" and Andrew goes, "AND THE DRAGON DIED!". It was awesome! Anne and I just looked at each other and laughed.

McKenzie is growing up so fast. She is becoming more social with everybody lately and is really picking up on words. She stills loved her babies and has to have her baby with the bottle when she goes to bed. She is doing great in the bunk bed and really loves it. Her new thing is to say "WAIT!" when I am saying good night and shutting the door. Then she wants a hug and kiss so I do and then leave again... she continues to say it and I say Kenzie, go to sleep. And she just cracks up laughing. She thinks it is so funny. She also loved Papa. She calls him Pops right now and runs to give him a hug whenever she sees him.

I am getting more sub calls lately so it is nice to have Treven have some days off during the week so I can sub without paying for babysitting. I am still organizing the new apartment. I am getting myself ready for the half marathon I am doing in May... we will see how it goes! This last month, my wonderful old room mate from BYU Idaho, Megan, came up to visit. She has never been to Oregon/Washington and she is thinking of looking for a job up here in the fall. She is in grad school at USC for Social Work. There are zero jobs in California so she is looking elsewhere. After her visit, she definitely is looking up here and wants to move here when she finds that job! We are so excited!

Today we went and saw Adina and Dave sky dive. I will let them post about that, but it was awesome to be there to cheer them on! It was a beautiful day today and it was nice to be outside for most of the day.

Well back to my relaxing night... sorry for the rambling. Enjoy the pictures.

I did see the original title of your posting... but I was in the midst of preparing for a Relief Society Board Meeting Breakfast at our house this morning. Now it is over and Dad and Anne (and boys) are not back yet from their breakfast out. The meeting went well. We had 15 sisters attend and had some good discussions. All together a good thing...and I'm glad it is done!!!

This morning was all the more stressful since the Chili Cookoff Fundraiser for our ward was last night which Dad was in charge of. We just got that stuff put away in time to get set up for this morning. However, the rest of today is a bit more relaxing. We are going down to Molalla to watch David's skydive...Dad's doing a lot of praying but it is probably a perfect day to do it...no wind, blue sky. This is the kind of day we LOVE here in the Northwest. Tonight we have to go to an awards banquet for Willamette Dental.

Sunday night everyone is coming over to celebrate Brent and Anne's birthdays. Tuesday night I'm hosting a shower for a girl in the ward...then Thursday we are going up to Utah to go to Brian Regan with Martha and Dick. It will be nice to have a couple of days to relax up there.

Well, that reminded me that I need to go and pick up Anne's birthday cake!!!

Love to all of you!!! (I'm glad Marnie gets her wheels back on Monday!)

Mom

Well, our family has just recovered from a nasty bout of stomach flu that hit the home like a tornado. At one point, I was jumping between Brooke, Jane, and Sadie all puking at the the same time while I was also sick. A couple of minutes later, Ellyn joined the party. Sawyer had it on Monday night and although he fully recovered within 24 hours (quicker than any of us), he holds the record for most puking in a night (about 30).

I am wrapping up my 3rd quarter here with finals starting next week. It will be nice to change pace again. Thankfully quarters are only 11 weeks so that prevents some burnout. I don't know how I ever did a semester system.

We are still loving Carmel, the pics above are from a walk Sawyer and I took the other day when I was experimenting with the camera. What a nice place to be!
Our lease is technically over in about 2 months. We are praying hard that we can renew it and stay in this home we love so much. That is my major source of stress right now. How I long for the days when we can own our own home and not worry about this kind of stuff!

But, we have an exciting Spring-Summer ahead of us. We were just looking at all the events coming up and it is quite impressive. U2, Coheed and Cambria, A's games, Big Sur mud run, Le Mans series races, MotoGP races, Rolex series races, Wicked, U.S. Open, family reunion, starting marathon training again, EFY for Jane, San Diego in September and much, much more.

Well I have to put together some homework that I missed while sick. Later.

You people need to blog.

Mike

I know you're probably sick of me writing posts all the time, but I just did this one to update our blog and figured I'd post it on here as well...

Just a quick update on our lives:

We woke up at 5:30am on Saturday to the noise of all the windows rattling and the ground shaking. We jumped out of bed, ran to the windows and tried to figure out what was happening all at the same time as realizing it was an earthquake. I shouted “Run to the kids!” but as we entered the girls room we could see they were still asleep and the earthquake started to end. Hayden was already awake reading in his room and thought it was so awesome. He instantly wanted to jump on google and type in “Earthquake in Okinawa.” Fortunately there was no damage, although it was a significant quake around a 7. Sunday was exciting as well because as we were leaving for church we heard an announcement over the loud speakers on base saying there was a tsunami warning, predicted to hit at 3pm. The tsunami was caused by the earthquake in Chili. They forced evacuations of everyone living near the coast. We are about 2 miles from the coast but luckily up a big hill. So we had some people come over for the afternoon because they live right on the water but in the end nothing happened. Well nothing except all of Tom’s meetings were cancelled and he got to spend a Sunday afternoon home with us, it was very enjoyable and we even snuck in a nap!

Tom returned home from his trip to Washington anxious to get busy doing dentistry out in the “real” world. It’s going to make the next year and a half really long but I’m sure we’ll find ways to make it fun. We’re happy to have him home. He enjoyed bike rides, karaoke and eating out while he was away. (Thanks everyone!)When I told Danica that dad would be coming home that night she said “Good, and he’ll never go again!” I couldn’t agree more!! Next time we vacation together! There were lots of ugly rainy days with cranky kids that were really lousy but we did our best to stay busy while he was gone. My best friend here had a baby on the Sunday Tom flew out so I was able to take care of her other two kids for a few days which kept me very busy. Hayden was thrilled because he gave up his bed to the other kids and got to sleep in my bed, something I never let him do because he snuggles me ALL night! It’s really funny to watch him move closer even in his sleep if I try to move away.

Hayden went on a fun field trip at school and both the kids got to attend their Valentine’s parties. I treated myself to a nice night out for a Valentine’s date with my friends and we got pedicures and went out for dessert. It made for a nice night. Hayden started taking piano lessons from one of my friends and seems to like it. Hayden got to miss school to go to the District Science Fair (I had to go to because first graders needed a parent present). It was fun to spend the day with Hayden and was a great experience looking over all the projects and different stations they setup for the kids to learn things. Then to make the day even better Hayden ended up winning second place out of all the elementary school projects in the district! (3 schools). We couldn’t believe it since he is so young but he was excited. I think he’s already planning what he wants to do next year!

We have signed up for a Half Marathon on April 10th. It’s on IE Island, the same race we ran last April. It’s been nice to have a training goal and my knee seems to be healing. I’m taking it slow and I wear a huge knee brace but we’re up to 8 miles and my knee is okay so I’m hopeful. Running only 13 miles seems so “easy” now that we’ve done a marathon! Crazy... I’ve also started training to be on the Navy Dragonboat team. In May the Japanese have a huge festival and as part of it they race Dragonboats. The military have a few teams and the Navy Women are on a 5 year winning streak. It would be a great experience to be on the team but so many people want to do it that if you miss any practices you probably won’t be on the team. Practice is at 5am out in the ocean, just standing in the water rowing, so it’s a big commitment to go to all those practices and then not actually race...I think it would be awesome to do but I already know I’ll miss a few practices and can’t decide if I am willing to try it. Plus, it means I won’t have time to bike. I told Hayden about it today and he was so excited for me to do it because he watched the races last year. But then I found out he’s just excited to go and get cotton candy again while watching the race... so maybe that’s what I’ll do too...

Well I have to go watch Survivor and fold some laundry... I hope all of your lives are exciting as well! I saw this picture of Alyssa as a baby and it made me smile...

Happy Birthday to Peter and Buffy. I hope you guys have a great one. Really sorry to hear about the clavicle on Isaac. That is a painful injury and, although there is rarely a good time to break your collar bone, this seems like it was less than ideal timing with track starting. This is a bonus video of Peter. Ouch!



Well, I had an awesome time in Washington and SD and it was great to see all of you. I attended a course in San Diego prior to my arrival in Washington and that gave me the chance to hang out with Marnie and that was great. It would have been fun to get Tracey and the kids back there also but it just was not possible. It was great to be able to see the practice and understand better the goals that we have in mind. Previous to this trip I could not even remember that names of all the people working in the practice and this trip gave me the chance to get to know them all better as individuals. Thank you Dave for allowing me to attend that course, it was great. I knew that returning to Okinawa was going to be difficult because I was able to see how it could be being around everybody and living there. Also, I was able to see how efficient Dave is at work and what a great team he has there. Then, I was returning to my job here, which is fine, but not the same. Needless to say, I was bummed. But, I was happy to be back with Tracey and the kids. The time change really got me this time too. Going to the states was not difficult but returning was terrible. So, what have I learned?

I gave a spiritual thought today in Branch Council. As I sat down to get it ready I just kept thinking about how bummed out I was. I found an article in the March 2010 Ensign that meant something to me. This was the point. Gratitude. I need to be thankful for what I have. The grass will always be greener but I am grateful for what I have. Here are some lines from it....

Gratitude is a positive experience that comes from recognizing gifts or blessings and feeling thankful. It is also an attitude, a way of perceiving life, in which individuals are willing to receive and acknowledge the beneficial actions of others on their behalf. Those who consistently display such an attitude are said to have a grateful disposition. Gratitude is also a habit that can be cultivated, causing one to focus on the blessings of life. Finally, gratitude can be defined as a coping response to challenging or difficult circumstances.

Gratitude can have a profound effect on perspective, completely determining or altering the way we look at an experience.

We Feel the Effects and Benefits of Gratitude

Current case studies and research show that cultivating and practicing gratitude can reduce symptoms in cases of mild to moderate depression and anxiety. Practicing gratitude can also lead to increases in optimism, vitality, happiness, a sense of well-being, and a greater satisfaction with life. Grateful people tend to generate more positive memories, reminding them of the good in their lives. Those with higher levels of gratitude are viewed as more empathetic and supportive, more forgiving, and more likely to assist others. Grateful people also report feeling less envious and more generous with their possessions. They thus enjoy better quality relationships.

Gratitude also helps in coping with adversity. Those who practice it in times of adversity are more likely to seek and find a “silver lining” in their experiences. Finally, those who try to feel greater levels of gratitude report fewer physical complaints, more time spent in physical exercise, and better sleep duration and quality.

•Eliminate Ungrateful Thoughts

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wisely counseled, “No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.” Identify and list your complaining and ungrateful thoughts, and replace them with grateful thoughts and problem-solving strategies. We are prone to be more grateful when we recall how others have contributed to our success and happiness and when we focus on positive action rather than passive complaining.

•Train Yourself to Use Gratitude Language

Make a habit of writing letters of appreciation. Say thank you frequently to your loved ones and also to cashiers, postal workers, and others who serve you in any capacity. As you interact with community and civil servants and workers, consider writing a letter of commendation to their supervisors, praising their work and expressing your appreciation.

•Recognize That Things Could Be Worse

Think of situations you are glad you don’t experience, such as famine, war, or debilitating illness. Think of circumstances you would not want to experience. Be grateful your life is not more difficult as you consciously work to improve it. Demonstrate your gratitude to the Lord by doing whatever you can to assist those less fortunate than you.

I am grateful to be in such an amazing family with so many great people. I am grateful that Dave and Adina allowed me to ransack their home for a week and be part of their family. I am grateful that Dave bought such a nice bike so that I could have such great rides while I was there. I was amazed and grateful for all the great weather that we had while I was in Washington. I am grateful to have a family that is with me here in Okinawa. I am grateful for Tracey and for all that she does to teach our children good principles. I am grateful that since I have been back here in Okinawa there has been mostly sunny skies. I am grateful that the Earthquake was totally enjoyable and that it had absolutely no effect on our lives. Also, the tsunami was a joke. I am grateful that I have not been deployed (knock,knock) except for a small humanitarian aid mission since I have been here and I have been able to get some great experience in dentistry. Also, I am grateful that Mom and Dad will be visiting here next month to see the way that we live.

Anyway, sorry this got a little bit therapeutic for me. It is not meant to be preachy. I truly am happy with what I have been given. I know that if I keep gratitude in my heart I will be a happier person. Hopefully you will all have a great Sunday. Ours ended up being very relaxing because of the tsunami warning. Less meetings is always good for me. Love you all..

Tom

As I said below...we celebrated these last night. We are so glad that Brent and Anne brought you into our family!

We love you both! (Disclaimer is that I don't have many pictures on my computer)

Love, Barb

Dad and I are taking care of Beck right now while Peter and Anne go out for his birthday dinner date. Andrew went with Kim and Treven...and Melia over to Treven's parents house to see their snakes...very impressed...and then went over to K &T's to play with Melia. Dad is sitting in the big chair with Beck, holding his bear, fast asleep!!

Mike was giving me a hard time yesterday about not writing...I do apologize but I have been busy. Or at least I've felt quite busy. We had a great time on the cruise, very relaxing and worry free! However, the day after we came back, I learned that a new family, the Smith's, had moved into the ward. He is attending school in San Francisco but it was too pricey for the family so she moved up here with their four kids. The Saturday that we returned he was in a serious motorcycle accident. Suzanne, the mother, flew down to be with him on the 14th. Her mother came for the first few days but then had some things she had to get back to so we've been coordinating the care of the kids. They are 17,14,13 and 11. She made arrangements for the older two but we have been managing the younger ones. One thing it has shown me is the great hearts of the sisters in the ward who have not said no once....One particular sister has had them for a week. She and her husband have no children but have been absolutely marvelous with these boys. A real testimony of the goodness of people! Suzanne said she had met Brooke but I'm not sure whether Brooke remembers them.

We are so glad that the earthquake did not affect Tom and Tracey...besides feeling it. Also Sterling Krout, (the son of Larry and Keri who we went on the cruise with) is safe in Chile...good news all the way around.

Our house is pretty busy with Andrew and Beck all the time, and Melia, McKenzie and Noah often!!! It is nice having them all so close although I have a hard time getting my quilting done since when they take naps the room is occupied!

Just read two good books...The House at Riverton (Kate Morton) and Afternoons with Emily (Rose McMurray)...both recommendations from Martha. I really did enjoy them. I'm not into The Forgotten Garden (Kate Morton). After the first two chapters I was into them which is high praise!!!

We had everyone over last night for Pizza and birthday celebrations for Peter and Buffy. It was a very fun evening. Kim and Treven are totally out of their old apartment today. Peter, David, Isaac and Taylor went skiing for a brief time...I'll let Dave or Adina give the news on that one!!!

Love you all,

Mom