The Long Weekend

It's Tuesday. I'm sorry I made you all wait for all this, but the post here should catch up. I've really barely been in front of my computer let alone at home for a few days!

Mia's birthday was Thursday, and as I mentioned in a previous post, Craig was on a 10-mile hike after work so he wasn't home to celebrate. We put off the celebration until Friday, so when Mia got home from school she opened gifts from family & friends. She got (among other things) books of "why" (yes, she's at that stage and starting to read big-time, so she should go LOOK IT UP), an origami set, clothes from Gymboree (that are adorable and fit great - long-time family friends sent them and she wore an outfit from that box to the birthday party, see below), The Jungle Book DVD, a game for the DS, more clothing from her parents, and a Littlest Pet Shop set.

That evening we went upstairs to Hokulea, the yummy restaurant on the top floor of our building, where I finally took some food pictures. Here's the Funky Franky Roll (spicy sausage wrapped in a banana pepper and then rolled in lettuce, rice, seaweed, roe, and some kind of sauce. Craig wanted to try it and he dug it):


My delicious lomi lomi salmon appetizer:

My beef with mushrooms entree, which was good down to the licked plate:

Craig's gigantic pina colada girlie drink. He wouldn't pose with it for me:
All in all, great Friday.

Saturday was rather windy & rainy - there was supposed to be a typhoon. We stayed inside most of the day. I had a shoot at 5 which I think went great and was lots and lots of FUN (our first shoot on our own, so that was fabulous), and then we just hunkered down for a relaxing evening together.

Sunday was Mia's birthday party. We held it at Skoshi Bowl, a separate bowling alley that is ONLY used for kids' parties on weekend days. They have the whole place done up glow-in-the-dark and provide pizza and drinks and shoes and FUN. Brilliant and inexpensive idea. We came early and set up the cake & goodie cups.

This year we decided it'd be a great idea to tell guests to bring a donation to the Okinawan American Animal Rescue Society in lieu of a birthday gift. It worked out great, and we collected $100 for the cause! Our family will bring the donation this week. Mia was very excited, and we won't have to find a place for a bunch of toys she doesn't really need.

A great time was had by all, here are a few pictures. Here's Mia and her buddy Zoe (whose family lives across the street):
Here's Nicholas in his size 10 (he's 11 years old) glow-in-the-dark shoes! Dang.

The happy bowman family after Mia blew out her candles. Thanks for taking some pictures, Leighanne!
Leighanne SOOOOooo busted Mia licking her cake!

Leah & Mia ready for another game.

They developed a game where they'd roll the ball and then lie down in the lane to watch the results. See that shine? I'm pretty sure that was due to their bodies polishing the floors.
The rest of the birthday shots are here.

After the party and some cool-down time at home, we got in touch with Derek & Anne across the street (parents of the new baby Knyte). Anne offered up the babysitting services of her visiting mother, and the 5 of us (baby Knyte was just a passed out child the whole time, so that was easy) went to Transit Cafe down the road for a stellar dinner and even better company. How nice it was to have a grown-up night out, and thanks to Grandma Friedlich, a great kid night out too!

She said our kid had some pretty funny things to say... one of which was of course about vegetables. She had chicken & macaroni and cheese, and I guess some green beans were on the plate. She said she didn't have to eat vegetables and when asked why, she said, "because I'm the guest." Nice try, kid.

After sleeping off our meals, we woke up to watch most of game 3 of the Cleveland/NY playoff series, and then headed out to meet Asako (local friend and sweetheart) and the Cyr family at Cafe Curcuma. This Thai restaurant was waaaaaay down south on the island. We drove over an hour, but when we got there, we realized why this place is booked a week in advance for lunches & dinners. The food is good, but the view makes it taste even better. For those who know the place in Big Sur, we're now calling this the Nepenthe of Okinawa.


Here's a shot of my curry sampler plate (I tried it before I thought to take the picture, so the big blob of sauce on the rice was NOT there when it arrived). There was rice, a salad, a delicious piece of plain chicken, and 3 kinds of curry on the plate (all yummy). In the center is a small bowl with tapioca pearls & azuki beans. Sweet & delicious after the spicy curry. In the background of this shot to the left you can see a papaya salad that was also scrumptious. Sweet, a little spicy, and cool - great side dish for the spicy food!


Outside I found a very cool rock wall and made Mia laugh while posing, I really like this shot.

The Bowman family in front of the KILLER view!

After the nice long lunch, we went to Peace Prayer Park. It's a very big park, with many different monuments and symbolic pieces. Also a museum. The main focus is to pay respects to the people who died there during WWII. About 200,000 names are on stone slabs in the part of the park pictured below - there's a computer where you can find names you're looking for. Asako's grandfather perished there, and here are Austin & Mia pointing at his name.

Then we went up to the Okinawan Peace Hall. Unfortunately, there was a ceremony being held in the room where the large (12m high) Buddah statue was, so we couldn't go in there. However, by the entrance of that hall there was a plant and several butterflies. Upon examination, I realized these suckers were REAL!! This one was just finishing emerging from his cocoon - there were more cocoons all around him on the leaves, they are literally shining gold cocoons. It was incredibly beautiful.
More fabulous pictures can be seen at: http://gallery.mac.com/bowmancr#100111

Hope that caught everyone up! Any questions?

Heard In The Car Yesterday

Non-military folks, the PX is the Exchange - it's the store where we buy shoes, kitchen items, some clothing, sunglasses, birthday gifts, school supplies, etc. etc. ETC.

Mia: "I want to go back to the United States."
Craig: "You don't like it in Japan?"
"No.... it's always 'we have to go to the PX' and 'we just need something at the PX' and 'gotta go to the PX' and I don't like that."
(Both of us): "Well, in the States it's that we have to go to Target!"
Mia: "But I LOVE Target! Everything is red at Target."

Look What Logan Found

I went diving about 10 days ago with Scott, my Navy dive buddy dude. He just became Chief at the ceremony a few days before our dive. He showed up with the gear he rented for us, and produced a net bag with rocks in it. He had several in there, about 8 of them, and they were painted to look like navy uniforms in black pants and blue shirts with the little insignia on them to denote rank. This was a project he had to do in Chief's school, and they represented a division of sailors. He had to make up records and all kinds of info for each one of them. He decided that on our dive he was going to place them in a circle somewhere on the ocean floor.

Cool, I'm all for an interesting ceremony with some meaning. We headed out to the sea wall for our dive. The tide was still high, but on its way out soon.

It's very cumbersome and awkward to walk with an air tank on your back and a mask and fins in your hands as you navigate the bumpy coral and eroded concrete steps. It didn't take long for Scott to get frustrated because he was also carrying a bag of rocks. About 15 feet out, he was over it and said, "Ok, I can't carry all this, I'm placing them right here." We went on to have a fantastic dive and enjoyed ourselves very much.

This past weekend after my photo shoot, I saw the Neathery family hanging out on their driveway. I needed to hose off my shoes and they were out there hosing off their gear after a snorkel. Anne (mom) was holding baby Knyte Lukas:

(had to show you that - he's gorgeous) and the other 3 kids and dad were cleaning up after a snorkeling trip. Anne says, "Look what Logan found, check this out..."

Logan (fellow kindergartener of Mia's and all-around sweetie-pie) walks over and opens his hand to reveal a blue & black painted rock.

I start laughing hysterically. Anne isn't really sure why, but says, "I know! Isn't that a hoot! I wonder what that is... that's just so funny, he was just swimming around out there and swam down to get it." I'm still laughing and she still doesn't know why.

Through the tears I explain the story of the previous week's dive and Scott's inability to realize that when the tide was LOW, some kid might discover his little division of sailors down there. Logan only found one - but I think he might be looking for more now. Maybe he'll bring the poor guy home to be with his buddies. But I think he's probably happy to have found a home with the Neathery boys.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIA!

You're six. Technically, you're still 5 because you were born at 11:45 am PST on October 4, 2001. But I suppose that's splitting hairs.

You bring us so much happiness and laughter and FUN. You're a beautiful, smart, sassy and STUBBORN (shush, people, I know where she gets that) little, I guess I mean big, girl. And though we wish we could stop time to hold you at this amazing age of discovering and learning and lovey doveying - I realize the age where I'm not your favorite person rapidly approaches - we can't.

So here's a picture of you this morning in your new skirt that Grammy got you for school (that I still had to cinch in at the waist with those elastic/button thingies - and why did it take so long for someone to figure out to do that, because it's the best thing EVER for skinny kids) and with your big strong hunka hunka Marine Daddy who loves you more than Rubio's fish tacos. And would probably give up his right arm, the Wii and the PS3 if you signed documents saying you'd never become a boy-crazy teenager.
I have to admit, even though it does make me cringe a little, your recent discovery of how "cute" boys are makes me smile. Last night we went to Chili's after your request to go there (Dad has a 10-mile hump at 6:30 tonight so he won't be home to celebrate with us), and the Turner family joined us. The Turner family is made up of beautiful Hawaiian mom, Kanoe and Marine Dad John and 3 gorgeous kids, Cole, Natalie & Ella (almost 7-yr-old Cole & 5-year-old Natalie are on Mia's soccer team, Ella is 2 and ADORABLE). Mia sat at a 2-person booth with Cole and behaved like quite the young lady. I couldn't help but get a flash of things to come watching her & Cole talk and color together at the separate table. Eventually Ella & Nat joined them, squeezing into the little seats they were on, because they didn't want to be left out & sitting with - ew - grown-ups.

We had such a nice night, and Mia declared, "Cole is so cute!" and the immediate, "HEY there, easy on the 'cute' - he's a nice boy and all but I don't know that you need to go and start with the 'cute' and everything there, kiddo..." came from her father like a recording.

Yep. The prediction stands. About eight years from now he'll be on the front porch polishing his rifle and wearing a wife-beater and his camouflage pants when her date comes to call.

Cry And Laugh

I prefer to be sad before happy so I end on a smile. Thanks [b]ecker, for my links of the day. I sure hope you're right about my Padres, because the Norv & the Chargers are breaking my heart.

This is sad.

This is hysterical.

And a quick HOORAY! The Office is back! It was great. 

THE Studio

Those of you who already know me, or have been up-to-date here on my blog, or have met me and gotten to know me here on the island know a few things about what I've been doing. For those who don't, besides being the kindergarten kid's mommy, Marine wife, busy homemaker and diver (among oh so many other things) - I've been carrying around our camera a whole lot. This place is just photogenic! And the other thing Okinawa has going for it is that it's FULL of families, and many of them have LOTS AND LOTS of kids! And these families come from all kinds of interesting places, and all branches of the military, and my camera truly loves them. And I love meeting them.

Shortly after we moved into our place, I was lucky enough to meet a neighbor named Leighanne, and on my first visit to her apartment, I noticed some lovely pictures of her beautiful daughter Aubrey on her walls. She told me they were taken by a photographer here on the island, Serena Nicole. I looked up the website, and when I commented to her about it, Leighanne said, "I think she might be looking for an assistant or something, it was on her blog...." Well, it was. And when I read that she was looking for photographers, I thought to myself, "Self- what do I have to lose?"

I filled out an application online, put together a little portfolio of pictures I'd taken of kids & families & babies in San Diego (THANKS, friends!) and of course of my own kid, and sent it in. That evening (I want to say within 2 hours!) a woman called me to tell me they're having a "shoot-off" at Araha beach, and could I come that week? Um - um - yeah, ok. That day we did a 15-minute shoot of a family of three, and then I got a call-back, and then the next week I visited with Serena Nicole and her assistant, Shelia, and they critiqued the previous week's shots a bit and asked me back for a 45-minute shoot on that weekend. I guess that went my way too, because a few days later I was offered a job!

During the month of September, we spent each Sunday training together, and several weekdays scoping out the cool and interesting locations where we'd be shooting. I say "we" and "together" because we're a team! Meredith - my fabulous first shooter - "Thing 1" - also keeper of my favorite local blog, okinawahai.com, and an all-around smart and sassy lady with a contagious smile and that fantastic northeastern sense of humor that I just GET. (I was destined to befriend this woman - I was already emailing with her before we applied for the job together!) I would be "Thing 2" - second shooter. And Erin, the amazing assistant who juggles our extra gear, the clients' shoes, paperwork to fill out, toys to make the kids look up and SMILE, and oh so much more - and she's the most sweet and wonderful person - the kids all fall in love with her. (So do the parents, she's quite a looker too!) I'm so lucky to have befriended this bunch, and to be working with such a great and talented crew!

Ok - so without further ado - the website launched today and you all can finally SEE what the buzz is about, and you can see the gallery with pictures we've been taking of some downright gorgeous families:

http://www.thestudiobyserenanicole.com/
(be patient - it's brand new - today - so it might be in & out for a little while)

(for additional info including some comments from the families we've shot so far, see THE blog at http://serenanicolestudios.typepad.com/thestudiobyserenanicole/)

Questions?? Ask away! If you're living here in Okinawa, or know people here - spread the word! We want to fill that calendar with appointments. I can't wait to see your family there. (Holidays are coming... now's the time!)

Thanks to EVERYONE on this list for kind words, support, help, encouragement, and love. I'm really happy that my path led in this direction, I'm really enjoying it.

Mia's First Game

A couple of shots of our kid enjoying her first game....

She played defense here, and they were clear that she wasn't to go past mid-field:

In the thick of it - she went for it with gusto!

I love this game!

The rest of the shots can be found here.