Y'all, I have more flower pictures for you. Yesterday I went up north with a couple of girlfriends to see the cherry blossoms. So. Beautiful. We missed the actual festival but made it in time to see these amazing pink trees. They're blooming all over the place on Okinawa but it was really awesome to see so many all at once. Enjoy!

Konnichiwa! Time for an update! I feel like things have been so busy lately. Work keeps J on his toes (ex: his phone rang at 4-something this morning and he answered with a "this is Lieutenant Jones" ...without even sounding groggy) and I am incredibly blessed to be able to do things like Tuesday night ballet class, baby holding at the orphanage on Wednesdays, and Bible studies on Thursdays. I'm so very thankful to have such a hard working husband. Y'all, he's the best.

These are from our Mt. Katsuu hike with our friends Brad & Laura. It was a fun (steep!) walk with a gorgeous view of the island.

Last weekend we went to the Himawari Festival in Kitanakagusuku Village. I read somewhere that about 40,000 sunflowers are now blooming in these fields. There were paths that took you right through the middle of these pretty things. With all the flowers and sunshine, I was pretty much in heaven. I can't even express to you how much I enjoy the flower festivals here on Okinawa. I'm super excited about the cherry blossoms that are happening now. We just missed them last year because we arrived in March but I intend to take full advantage this time. 

Australia: Part 3
Finally! Here are the rest of our pictures! Like I said, we had a really amazing time. J and I would love to be able to go back someday and explore another area of Australia.

These pictures were taken at Steve Irwin's zoo. It was an awesome one with lots of animals just roaming around. The enormous lizards scared me every time.  

These next two were taken near Tamborine Mountain. They have a "Gallery Walk" with shops, cafes, art galleries, and wineries (this is where we did our tasting). In the last picture, we ran across this sign and I just had to make my scruffy Marine stand next to it. He's such a good sport :)

Now I'm happy to say I can start updating you about life after the holidays! Have a happy Tuesday!

Australia: Part 2
Here are a few more! I have to say, it was strange to be on the beach at Christmastime. There was holiday music playing in the streets and everything. There's something about wearing a bathing suit in December that still seems funny.

If you look closely, you can see the Gold Coast skyline in the distance. 

We had coffee and (seriously delicious) scones in an adorable little house connected to this chapel. 

The pictures don't begin to do it justice... The views were truly breathtaking. 

These next two were taken on our "Treetop Walk." Our guide explained to us that this was actually a tree inside a tree. One grew up and around the other! Eventually the "host" tree died so we were able to climb inside and take a peek. Pretty neat. :)

One more Australia post still to come!

Australia: Part 1

We really had an amazing time exploring the Gold Coast area. I was surprised by how lush and mountainous it was. As usual on our vacations, our favorite times were getting away from the touristy areas and driving the countryside. Among other things, we ate at cool pubs recommended to us by locals, listened to live music, saw some seriously spectacular overlooks, hiked through subtropical rainforests, saw real live glow worms, tried our luck at an Australian casino, and saw wild koalas and kangaroos. Here are a few pictures I snapped on my phone...

Can you believe it's 2014? We've said goodbye to a year full of excitement, warmth, movement, emotion, tears, hard work and laughter. We got married and have started our life together in a brand new place. We've been blessed with new adventures and by the new friends who help make our time here all the sweeter. We're ready for all God has for us this next year. 

Since my grandma reminded me it's been a month since I've posted, I thought I'd better get on it! We have a million pictures from our Australian getaway so I'll do this in phases. Phase 1: Tokyo Narita. These are from our first layover in Narita on our way to the Gold Coast. We were able to hop a train and explore a nearby city (and heavens, was it beautiful)! We walked around a temple and enjoyed all the gorgeous fall leaves. It was also incredibly chilly. I'm savoring all this cold weather while it lasts! Sidenote: We've had to get ceramic heaters to plug in at home. Who knew it would feel so cold on this little island?! 

It doesn't look anything like fall on Okinawa so this was quite a treat! We may have to organize trips like this every year so we can see some color. :)