Merry Christmas in Japanese

Our Christmas celebration this year was a little bit different than we had previously experienced. We are still waiting for our new camera to arrive, but one of our friends had pity on us and loaned us her camera...

Christmas Eve at the Beach...

... reminded us of the words of a traditional Christmas song:

Hot dogs roasting on an open fire,

Hermit crabs nipping at your nose,

Beachside carols being sung by a choir,

And folks dressed up in shoes with open toes.

Everybody knows Okinawan sweet potatoes,

Help to make the season bright.

Tiny tots that have eaten too many oreos,

Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way;

He's loaded lots of rice and tofu on his sleigh.

And every child on Base will ask,

if Santa really needs to get a visitor's pass.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase,

To kids from Okinawa to Timbuktu,

Although its been said many times, many ways,

A very Merry Christmas to you!

Foraging for Junk Food

Everytime we are attend a social event where food is served, McCall always manages to find and subsequently consume large quantities of desserts.

Santa Claus Came to Town...

... despite Denver's worries that McCall would wake up in the middle of the night and scare away Santa Claus.

Denver with his Building Blocks and Custom Version of the Peace Sign

McCall Loved her Baby from Santa

Christmas Gifts from Denver and McCall

Denver and Holly trying out his New Rocket Launcher on the Day after Christmas

....and then the camery battery died. However, even without a camera we managed to have a wonderful time this Saturday exploring with the Kendricks family. They showed us an awesome park (Nago Castle Ruins Park) and we visited the fabulous Neo Childrens Park. If you love pettings zoos, riding giant tortoises, lots of bird pooh, and the refreshing aroma that emanates from a herd of wild bores, then this is the place to visit.

Mele Kalikimaka

What better way to celebrate the holiday season, our ten year anniversary, and the marriage of our beloved friends Paul and Staci than a trip to the big island of Hawaii? Unfortunately, our camera broke on the second day of the trip. A special thanks need to go out to Travis and Jean for sharing their pictures with us and a special thanks-for-nothing goes out to John and Camille and Brian and Tessa for not yet sharing their pictures with us.......

Scenes from Paul and Staci's combined Bachelor/Bachelorette Party.

We had about as much fun as we possibly could without intoxicating substances and professional dancers.

Friends Shot at Paul and Staci's Beach Wedding

Another Happy Couple

The day of Paul and Staci's wedding we also found this cute couple on the beach exchanging vows.

Not for Hire

The wedding was captured by Jean Smith Photography (http://jeansmithphotography.com/) with the special assistance of Jason Dalpias Photography. Jason initially served as the Assistant to the Assistant Wedding Photographer, but was promoted during the festivities to Assistant Wedding Photographer. Jason brought zero years and zero months of photography experience to the wedding. After the wedding, Jason signed an exclusive professsional services contract with Jean Smith Photography for an undisclosed amount of money. Sorry, but due to the contract clauses he is no longer available to serve as an Assistant Wedding Photographer for any other companies.

Beautiful Bridesmaid

This candid picture of a delightfully stunning bridesmaid was captured by using a Nikon D3 with a soft filter on a telephoto lens, a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second and an apperture size 5.6. Note the framing of this picture to focus the viewer's attention immediately on this subject's fascinating eyes.

Hawaiian Hotties

Does this Picture Make Anyone Else Really Hungry???

Remind me not to borrow this guy's map.

Warning - Strong Current

There is quite a story behind this picture. Although differing accounts of the story have been published, the most commonly accepted version of the story goes as follows: While unsuspectingly frolicking in the ocean and enjoying some most excellent waves, a powerful rip-current pulled Jean and Travis out to sea. Making use of his prime physical condition and his awesome lifesaving skills, Jason swam out to rescue Jean and Travis. Luckily, Jason arrived in time to save them and began pulling them to shore. During the final leg of his rescue effort Jason was assisted by four State of Hawaii Lifeguards. Beachgoers cheered and many onlookers shed tears of joy as Jason and the lifeguards dragged the almost lifeless bodies of Jean and Travis to shore.

Surprise Visitors

Our brother-in-law Brian surprised Holly's sister Tessa with a trip to Hawaii. We were excited to see them and meet our nephew Bridger who was born just after we moved to Okinawa.

Three Beautiful Sites...

Holly, Jason and the Waipioi Valley

A Beach Bye-Bye

Just before Travis and Jean flew home, we were able to spend some time relaxing on the beach. We had so much fun with all of our friends and like we are all totally best BFFs forever.