Antlers

So I heard that antlers are great for dogs to chew on... especially dogs that inhale rawhides... so while I was in Colorado I was on the lookout for some.... I found this antler at an antique shop for $10 score... and I knew Kona would love it!

I am such a great Mom!

PHOTO UPDATE!

K... I am going to bring you all up to speed real fast... get ready for PHOTO OVERLOAD!

I am going to start with the oldest and move forward...

(just click on the title of the album and it will send you to a page with all the photos on it... then if you want to see individual photos larger just click that photo)

Destination: San Francisco

Well work sent me TDY (aka free vacation with stipulation of going to a conference) to CYFAR (child, youth & family at risk) conference to San Francisco... this is my journey to San Francisco and no sooner had my plane landed (at 7 am) and I dropped my bags off at the Hotel I hopped on the public bus and rode all the way to the Marin Headlands and went Hiking! It was awesome! AND then after the headlands I walked to Sausalito and looked at all the galleries and shops and took a ferry back to San Francisco!

The Grand City of San Francisco

all over the fanstastically interesting town of San Francisco... sorry the album is so big... but they were all so interesting!

Across "The Gate" and back

walking across the Golden Gate Bridge and back, who would have thought a bridge would be so much fun?!?

Nanohana Festival

Nanohana or "Rape Blossoms" are grown and harvested for their seed which contain Rapeseed oil most famously used in Canola oil. But here in Japan they are CELEBRATED! So we decided to check out the Nanohana festival about an hour and a half from Misawa.

Surf, Sand, and a Mutsu Monster

just another day at the beach!

Tsutsuji Matsuri (Azalea Festival)

Thanks to our great friend Beth we has SUPER directions to this great festival celebrating the ancient mountain azaleas at this shrine in Shichinohe!

Shipwrecks and Cherry Blossoms

just having fun exploring shipwreck beach with my family and pictures of our awesome cherry blossoms! I love Japan

Shimokita- Part 1

We drove up the east side of Japan up to "the hatchet" we visited the wild horses at Cape Shira and camped in the Yagen Valley. The next day we spent time at Oserezan the mythical entrance to hell and took naps in our hammocks... it was AWESOME!

Shimokita-Part 2

we found paradise in northern Japan... it was awesome

Spring Hakkoda Day Hike

Well I just had to take my family on a hike in the Hakkoda's we rode the ropeway to the top, summited two peaks and made our way back down to Sukayu Onsen and had a soak... it was fantastic... and we had surprisingly great weather... which... equals AMAZING views!

Leafy Green Goodness

Day hike with the family!

Used & Modern

Took my mom and sister to the Used Kimono shop and Modern Art Museum in Towada

Like the Sea After a Storm

Left on a gorgeous sunny day in Misawa arrived to a super foggy beach at Shirihama... no worries we had fun anyways and then next time we returned with wetsuits!

Goin out WEST!

My mother, sister & I went on a 1 day road trip all the way to the Western coast of Japan by the Sea of Japan and up the peninsula up north on the western side... very cool!

4th of July weekend AWESOMENESS!

Well it was Dericks last weekend before he deployed... the 4th of July... and cherry season... so we picked cherrys... the fireworks got rained out so we had our own on the beach... real fireworks the next day... and a trip up north to the "wild horses" and oserazen... overall successful weekend!

The Farm

Caitlyn and I only had a few hours to spend together... and what better way then the farm? Let me tell you now... there is no better way on earth!

Beccas Wedding Weekend

Well Becca got married and it was Magical! I dont have many pictures of becca... she was very much in demand or of the ceremony since I was the maid of honor... I can't wait to see the real pictures but here is a sneak peak!

Colorado-ish

I stopped by Dericks Mom's house in Kansas on my way to Colorado... had a great night there, then a couple awesome days in boulder with Malinda and then a great week in the mountains... unfortunately my camera died after the first couple of days (I forgot the charger in Japan)

WE PLAY IN TEAM! ocean edition

basically i love living 5 k from the ocean... and i love kellys new underwater camera!

So as you can see... I havent been posting because I havent been doing anything... I havent been posting cause I have been so freaking busy!

ITS BEEN SO LONG!

I know it has been so long... life gets crazy... shattered legs... family visiting... trips to the states... marriages... phew... so now I am catching my breath! Dont get me wrong, I love it... well maybe not shattered legs... but I love being busy, but sometimes blogs fall by the wayside : (

SO an update... We got a new desktop computer that makes uploading pictures to facebook WAY faster then before so thats why I have been keeping up there... but dont worry all you facebook haters I am going to post links for all my old albums (too many to go to make up posts for) onto the blog... so you just have to click and you can see all the pictures!

AND... we are busily planning our next BIG adventure... NEW ZEALAND! We are SOOOOO excited!

We are still not pregnent... for all you crazys out there that want that to be true!

We have two years left in Japan... we leave May 2012... tentatively

We would still love visitors!

Oh yeah and my Mom and Dad are coming out in February to go to the Ice Festival and Skiing!

So thats about all... I will get those pictures up soon... I promise!

Love you!

Lisa

Beach Bonfire

So when I heard we were going to a beach bonfire I was excited... and not just because it was a bonfire on a beach!!!! which is awesome all on its own... but I had been wanting to take nighttime photos of a fire... to practice my long exposures... I brought by tri-pod and this is what I came out with...

I think this one turned out really cool especially with the sparks and that pink streak in the sky

The couch we put in the fire... before we put it in the fire

The couch in the fire... you can the back and the armrestSparks from the fire!

Dressing Up & Going Out

We have had alot of opportunities to dress up and go hang out with our friends lately. I LOVE dressing up so I have had a super good time...

The first was a surprise birthday party for our friend Swat with an Anchorman theme of "Stay Classy" so we all dressed up super classy and went to the O Club.

Here we are with the gorgeous pregnant Sharon taking an "awkward belly prom photo"... little did we know Anna was pregnant too... a geeze... so many babys!

Anna (who threw the party for her husband) was so classy she had cigars as table decorations... Kendall and I did not actually smoke them... just posed with them!

One of Swats birthday presents caught my eye... I loved how the bottle was glowing with the candles behind it.

THEN... a week later we went to the Army Spring Formal. Our neighbor is the commander of one of the army detachments... or whatever its called... so we went to the Army Ball they were throwing.
Man Derick looks great in his mess dress!

He hates having his photo taken so when I get one like this I am so happy!

Kat did so good with the table decorations... I just had to snap some pictures of them!

SPRING!

Kona and I went for a hike on the nature trail to see how the spring was going... it was going pretty good, I think these vines growing up the trees were super cool!
AND THEN WE FOUND THESE CRAZY PURPLE THINGS... Caitlyn I feel like these should have been growning at the graveyard you should have been married at. They were everywhere

BRIGHT GREEN! These were really bright, they grew alongside those crazy purple things!
And of course Kona had the time of her life... like she always does!

MOSC Planters

So I planned my last event for MOSC! YAY I am glad to be done! but for the centerpieces in honor of spring we did some cute little spring planters! I love spending other peoples money especially on something I have so much fun doing... so I ended up going to two different green houses and got these plants individually and put them all together into these planter. I think they turned out super cute and it was fun having so many flowers around my house!