The Smiths

The College National Rodeo!

2010-06-18T05:22:00.006+09:00

When I heard that the rodeo was going to be in town I was so excited. When I heard that it was going to be here all week long and I was going to be able to go, I was even more excited. My mom and I went on Wednesday and it was the second day of the competition, but it was great. We got there a bit early so we could walk around the trade show and see all the neat things for sale. I had gotten some pretty awesome seats, so we got a really cool view of everything.

The New Beginning...

2010-06-18T05:07:00.002+09:00

I'm sure that most have heard that Josh and I have decided to split up, permanently. t should have. When you get married, you don't picture the ending anywhere near the present. I was one of those people. I found the person that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and couldn't picture living without. Things change... At first I felt betrayed, almost cheated, and that I was not given a fair chance. As the days pass it becomes easier. I am learning all over again what is feels like to be able to do things on my own. My kids and myself are depending on me to make this right, and move on. I know that it will take a while for me to be completely okay with this, but I am doing a pretty good job so far. I have begun my new life, my new beginning.

I am in Wyoming now, staying with my parents for the time being. Kyra is with her father for the summer, but will be back soon. Zach is with his father, and he will be back even sooner. I do miss hem both so much. It is strange, almost depressing, to go from rarely being away from them to now being states apart. I started working again, which feels so good. I was suffocating being trapped in the house all day long every day. I was made to work, and no cleaning the house does not count. Who actually likes doing that? I wouldn't mind doing laundry all day long as long as I don't have to put them away. lol. The monday following Kyra's departure to her dads I began job hunting. I had made myself a list of places that I would go in person to apply at and went on my way. The very first place I went to I was hired. And they wanted me to start that night! It was one of the greatest feelings in the world knowing that I was wanted for a job regardless of the fact that I haven't worked for a couple years. I was catching on to my job very well within the first couple days and within a week or so they were talking about putting me as assistant manager. Assistant manager in 2 weeks!! That is crazy, but oh so wonderful. It has been a bit over a month now and I still love my job. I am now officially assistant manager and it feels good.

The issues with Josh are not going to just go away over night, and I know that, but I am taking things one day at a time. I am doing good now and I can forsee me only getting better.

Update for Everyone.

2010-03-31T12:36:00.002+09:00

I have been trying to keep everyone updated lately about our situation, but as new information comes along, it's difficult to keep up with it. We are still in Okinawa, and feel as if we may never leave! We were supposed to be gone as of March 19th, but as you can tell, we are still here. We have been told that we are still waiting on the legal department to finish Josh's discharge packet in order for the General to sign it. Once we have his orders ready, then we will depart a week later. We have been told by several people that we will most likely be leaving on a friday or a saturday, so who knows if that week will turn into longer. We have been in the Hershey TLF (temporary living facility) since the 15th of March and boy is it getting old quick. The kids have almost nothing to do there since all of their toys were sent with the household goods being delivered to the states sometime in May. we have gotten them some activity books and a couple other toys since we will be here at least another week or so. there isn't even a park that is within walking distance. They really didn't think it through very well when they decided to make that building into temporary housing for families. You think that they would have made sure they the kids had something to do as well. they do offer toys at the front office, but it is down the street and they don't have much for kids this age, more like the smaller infants. you know, the ones that dont actually need to be kept busy. They just sit there and stare out the window and are perfectly content.
Meanwhile, Josh is still having to work every day even though his boss doesn't think that he should be there anymore. He is there pretty much to make sure that the news guys know how to do his job the right way. It is nice though, having him a lot closer to work. now it only takes him 5 minutes to get home instead of 45. We have sold my vehicle, which is a HUGE relief since it was the expensive of the two. Josh's JCI is due on the 4th, so we will be junking it sooner then expected and then borrowing one of his co-workers cars while they are on TDY next week. The good thing is that he is still receiving a paycheck and still getting COLA and BAH. His First Sgt. even called housing and finance to make sure that we were being paid enough to cover the TLF cost. It is actually cheaper for us to be in there instead of at the house because we no longer have to pay for electric, telephone, and internet. The only bills we have still remaining is the cell phones and then the star card, which we are coming to use for gas.

That is all for now, but I will continue to keep everyone updated. Thanks!

-The Smith Family

Nanaimo Bars (Daring Bakers Challenge)

2010-01-28T20:40:00.005+09:00

I had the opportunity to participate in The Daring Bakers January challenge. The challenge was to make homemade graham crackers and then use them in the bottom layer of the Nanaimo Bars. The Nanaimo Bars are from Canada and since the Winter Olympics are being held there this year, it was thought appropriate to pick something originating from there.

The graham crackers were a bit tough to make because the dough was soooo sticky. They came out pretty good though for it being the first time that I attempted it. I did enough regular graham crackers for the Nanaimo Bars and then did the rest with the cinnamon sugar on top.

Graham Cracker Recipe

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

To prepare the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, and set aside.

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll. Dust the surface with more flour and roll out the dough to get about two or three more crackers.

Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.

Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the tough, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

Yield: 10 large crackers

Once the graham crackers have cooled, you would then crush enough of them for the Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo Bar Recipe

Bottom Layer
½ cup unsalted butter (European style cultured)
¼ cup sugar
5 tbsp. cocoa
1 egg beaten
1 ¼ cups graham wafer crumbs
½ c. finely chopped almonds
1 cup coconut

Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 8" x 8" pan.

Second Layer
½ cup unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. and 2 Tsp. cream
2 Tbsp. vanilla custard powder
2 cups icing sugar

Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.

Third Layer
4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. each)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.

October : Kim's Visit (random photos)

2009-12-27T21:45:00.007+09:00

Zachary trying on daddy's shoes...

Kyra trying on her pretty dress even though it is WAY too big for her still...

Kim visited in October and this is a collection of pictures that she had taken while here.

Some Random Japan Photos

2009-12-27T21:27:00.002+09:00

The Japanese version of 'sale'. They are horrible at spelling words in English sometimes.

The japan sour cream that we buy off base. It is so tiny.

Here are some random photos that I took here in Japan.

December 26 : Kyra's Friend Bday Party

2009-12-27T21:11:00.007+09:00

One of Kyra's friends from school had his birthday party at the bowling alley and the kids had so much fun.

December 25 : Christmas Day

2009-12-27T20:35:00.011+09:00

We had a great Christmas Day with just the family. The kids let us sleep in for a little bit and then we all got up and opened up gifts. We got to talk to most of the family over Skype and the kids got to show off all their new toys and clothes. Santa came Christmas Eve night and left the kids LOTS of gifts. They got 2 new tents for inside the house and also an easy bake oven (if anyone can find the refills let me know?) as well as play dough and other toys. After the whole presents thing we had a nice brunch together. Josh made us some really good prime rib, artichoke puff pastry things, and some nice red potatoes. I had also made some bacon cups filled with salad and roasted tomato and crab shooters. After dinner we let the kids go nuts with the desserts of cinnamon bun cookies, sugar cookies, black-raspberry cream pie, and chocolate covered pretzels sticks.

Decmber 19 : Zach's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-12-27T19:43:00.006+09:00

We decided to have a little party for Zach on Saturday, since his actual birthday was on the following Monday. Kyra's friend Gavin and his mom, our friend Emily, came over and we all had a blast. There was so much going on this month that I didn't have the energy to make his cake myself, so we just bought one from the commissary. It was so cute though and it came with some toy cars on it. We barbecued some Bacon Jalapeno Hamburgers with a Coffee Glaze and a Spicy Jalapeno Ranch Sauce. We had made these burgers when my mom came out to visit back in April and have been addicted to them since. We had Zach open up his presents and boy was he excited by all the clothes he got. After he opened up the clothes, he would then immediately go over to Emily and have her put them on him. He ended up putting on each and every outfit that he received. For some reason he would not let me take pictures of him where he was actually looking at the camera, so there are very few here. We put the cars on the cake and then gave each kid a car to lick the frosting off of. It was so amusing watching them get the frosting on their faces in order to clean off the tires. All in all it was a very fun day, even though most people that we invited did not show up.

December 5 : Kids Christmas Party

2009-12-27T11:14:00.005+09:00

Josh's work has a Christmas party for the kids every year. Last year we missed it because the kids and I were in the States, so we decided to take them this year. They had a bunch of different stations where the kids could build stuff, color stuff, and win prizes. They also had a bouncy play area and Santa Claus. There was this table full of cookies, donuts, and all kinds of treats. We told both kids that they could choose 1 thing that they wanted. Kyra picks a normal cookie and Zach decides that out of everything on the table he wanted the Lemon filled donut covered in powdered sugar! The kids had so much fun. Afterwards we decided to take the kids to a carnival that was on base.

December 16 : Josh and Becca Anniversary

2009-12-26T21:24:00.002+09:00

Josh and I had a great 2nd anniversary. We ended up taking the kids to dinner with us since we couldn't find a babysitter, but it all ended up well. We went to the Naha Harbor Diner, which is a restaurant that looks like it is in a huge tree. It had such a great atmosphere and wonderful food. Josh had some lamb, I had some au gratin lobster, the kids had a huge kids platter, and then there were these scallops with garlic and tomato sauce over the top that practically melted in your mouth. we ended up getting a second order of it before we left :) After dinner we stopped by Mister Donuts, the most popular donut shop in Okinawa (which was actually founded in the US back in the 60's). We got an assortment of donuts, some of which we ended up liking and some of which were not so great. All in all it was a good night.

November 27 : Four Seasons Restaurant

2009-12-26T21:18:00.005+09:00

We were too tired to cook anything, since the day before was Thanksgiving and we had hosted, so we decided to go to the Four Seasons Tepanyaki Restaurant. I gave the camera to Kyra and she went at it with the pictures.

Beautiful October Sky

2009-12-26T21:15:00.001+09:00

October 16 : Zach Shower Time

2009-12-26T20:51:00.002+09:00

Zachary was being so amusing and cute that I couldn't resist but to take some pictures. We have a lot that are not quite right to put on the internet, but I have chosen a couple that are at least PG-13

October 3 : Drawing on Zach

2009-12-26T20:40:00.003+09:00

Okay, so we have a little too much fun with our kids sometimes. Zach wanted to draw on himself, so we decided to help him out a little bit. It's a good thing that the kids can't read because Josh got a little too excited :P

September 27 : Kyra Bike Ride

2009-12-26T20:30:00.005+09:00

Kyra received a bike for her birthday this past year and hadn't gotten too many chances to ride it, so we decided to take a walk around our neighborhood. We had so much fund and she looked so darn cute.

September 26 : Sidewalk Chalk

2009-12-26T20:18:00.003+09:00

My mom had sent us a set of sidewalk chalk that comes with these glasses that make the chalk look 3D. We decided to go upstairs to the balcony and let the kids go crazy. They were very hesitant at first so Josh had to show 'em how it's done. Once he started to draw pictures, both kids would go over to his pictures and try to 'fix' it. After a couple hours of fun, it was time to go back inside. The next day there was rain, so clean-up for us was easy!

October 9 : Kyra on Benedryl

2009-12-26T20:16:00.001+09:00

Kyra has issues with her allergies quite often so we took her into the doctor. Her doctor prescribed her Clariten that she is required to take every morning. Sometimes it does not work as well so he also prescribed her Benedryl to take in the evening when it is needed. Well.... Kyra had one of those bad days with her allergies while Kim was in town. we decided to give her the benedryl in the early evening and boy did Kyra have a reaction. She kept falling asleep! No matter what we did to try and wake her up it just would not work. She ended up sleeping through dinner. We could only get her awake enough to feed her piece of cupcake before she fell asleep again, for the night.

Updating Posts

2009-12-26T20:03:00.000+09:00

I have been procrastinating with getting our pictures posted on here. I am finally getting in gear and posting some now. They may not be in order from previous posts, but I will have them dated in the title. My goal is to get them all finished before the New Year, that way I can get the year started off right.

Kyra School Pictures

2009-11-16T11:30:00.000+09:00

Kyra's very first school pictures have finally come in and they look so good! I will be sending them out for everyone very shortly.

Halloween

2009-11-01T10:12:00.001+09:00

We took the kids out trick or treating again this year with our friends who live on the Air Force Base. Kyra was a Glamour Witch, but decided that she wanted scary make-up just like her friend Mia. Zachary was the cutest little garden knome who ever was. The kids were such troopers too, they walked around for over an hour without complaining, and it was raining too!!! We were all pretty soaked by the time we got back to our friends house. It was a good thing that I brought along their jammies for them to change into.

Kyra's First Day of Preschool! 9-15

2009-09-15T09:47:00.000+09:00

Kyra started preschool today and she was really excited. She had already made a friend in the class when we were getting all the registration stuff done. Here are some pictures from this morning...

Obon Festival Practice

2009-09-03T23:59:00.000+09:00

I had just put the kids to bed and I start to hear it, the whistling, the drumming, the clapping, the chanting. I was dreading the sounds that I heard because I knew that it meant a LONG night. I was starting to get some reading done for school and it starts getting louder, WAY louder, so I look outside and see them walking down the street, still whistling, still chanting, and still drumming. I went upstairs to check on the kids and Kyra is wide awake trying to see them through her windows, which she can't (wrong side of the house). I tell her that she may come downstairs and watch them for a while, thinking that they will pack it in around 9-10pm. I was wrong, way wrong. I eventually sent Kyra back to bed hoping that she could still fall asleep and I waited... and waited... and waited... Finally, around 11:45pm, they start to pack it in and leave. It was exciting to have them so close to the house, but I wish they would have started earlier in the day though. Kyra just kept telling me that they were too loud and I need to tell them to be quieter. It was quiet amusing. I took some pictures of them since they were in full costume, face painted and everything...

8-16 Ocean Expo Park- Aquarium

2009-08-17T14:06:00.000+09:00

We took the kids to the Ocean Expo Park Aquarium and they had a blast. There was a huge fountain for them to play in. At first the girls were scared to go in the water, but once I took them through they didnt want to get out. I decided to take Zach in and he loved it too. We saw all the fish in the HUGE tanks, the turtle are, and the dolphin show...

7-25 Beach Time...

2009-08-02T19:46:00.000+09:00

We just love this beach near our house. It's is less than 5 minutes away and there is almost never anybody else there.

8-02-09 Kokusaidori St. - 10,000 Eisa Dancers

2009-08-02T18:58:00.000+09:00

They had their annual 10,000 Eisa Dancer Competition at Kokusaidori Street so we decided to take the kids to see it. It was really fun, but also very hot. We ended up buying the kids hats, fans, umbrellas, and clothes to wipe away the sweat. One nice thing was that there was a slight breeze occasionally and we had a good reason to stop in at one of the little cafes on the street.

4th of July Evening...

2009-07-09T16:42:00.000+09:00

We spent the evening at Josh's boss's house for dinner and fireworks. Kyra had her first time playing with sparklers and she did great. She only had one incident; she accidently burnt Josh's other boss's son, but it wasnt that bad. He just shrugged it off while she sat there crying because she thought he was mad at her... all in all, it was a great night...

America Fest 7-04-09

2009-07-09T15:40:00.001+09:00

They have a festival every year July 3rd and 4th. We took the kids on the 3rd, but it was raining so hard that we had to leave after only being there for appx 45 minutes and were soaked from head to toe... Josh had to work a 3 hour shift at a booth for his work, they were making deep fried oreos and funnel cake, so I decided to take the kids around to play games and see the airplanes... Kyra won some toys at the booths and then I took them over to 'kiddie land' to play... Kyra went on a few rides, the blow up obstacle course, the big blow up slide, and then they both played on the blow up jumper... It was so cute watching kyra and zach jumping in there... there were a couple kids in there with them and they all started to team up on zach, which he thought was hilarious, but I couldnt get any good pictures of that... There were a few airplanes out that the kids could climb in, kyra loved that helicopter....

Kids Random...

2009-07-09T15:11:00.000+09:00

Kyra's 4th Birthday Party 6-20-09

2009-07-09T14:44:00.000+09:00

Bios On The Hill 6-07-09

2009-07-09T13:28:00.000+09:00

Neo Park Zoo 5-31-09

2009-07-09T12:49:00.000+09:00

We took the kids to the zoo, and boy were we disappointed. There were no animals there that you usually see at the zoo. The girls were excited to see the elephants, lions, and others but they werent there. They had monkeys and all kinds of birds though... There is another zoo on the island, we will take them there soon.....

2009-07-07T18:02:00.000+09:00

We took the kids to the beach with our friends Ryan, Karen, and their daughter Mia. The guys took the kids out to go swimming while we collected some more sea shells...

Kyra Pictures...

2009-07-05T21:16:00.001+09:00

Kyra's dad had these pictures taken when she was staying with him this past fall and spring. She is getting so big, it's almost hard to believe that she is 4 already!!! It's amazing how fast time flies by...

Henderson's Vowal Renewal

2009-07-01T11:12:00.000+09:00

Josh's boss and his wife renewed their vows at this beautiful beach...

Kyra's Surgery...

2009-06-03T09:35:00.000+09:00

Kyra had her surgery, Monday, to have all 3 of her tonsils removed and all of her dental work done... It was pretty rough while in the hospital for her, but she did very well and is being very tough... We are home now and she is doing much better... She is still having a hard time eating some foods, but yogurt seems to be okay...

Kids Will Be Kids...

2009-05-18T23:49:00.000+09:00

Just a few pictures of the kids since Kyra has been home, will have more later on down the road of course...

The Pineapple Park/Winery 5-02-09

2009-05-07T19:39:00.000+09:00

We took my mom and the kids to the Pineapple Park/Winery and we had a blast. we got to take a cart ride around the park, went into the shell gallery, then into the winery area...

The Park 5-01-09

2009-05-06T17:51:00.000+09:00

We decided to wear the kids ou by taking them to the park... Zachary is now a slide addict...

Japanese Naval Underground HQ (WWII) 4-25-09

2009-05-06T15:49:00.000+09:00

The Beach 4-23-09

2009-05-06T13:23:00.000+09:00

4-19-09 Walk to White Beach

2009-05-06T13:04:00.000+09:00

Since my mom and Kyra got delayed in Tokyo and had to stay overnight in a hotel and we figured that they would like to get out and take a nice walk, so.... we walked down to White Beach Naval Base...

Zachary and Daddy Time...

2009-04-16T02:05:00.000+09:00

Easter Sunday

2009-04-16T01:32:00.000+09:00

We went to the NCO club for brunch which was very nice. Afterwards, we went home to change so we could do some exploring around where we live. We took a very short drive and found an entrance to this gorgeous beach...

Zach's First Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-16T01:26:00.001+09:00

The Commissary hosted an Easter egg hunt for the kids at the Putt Putt golf course. This is Zach's very first time doing this, so he wanted the rocks and grass more often than he wanted the eggs.... lol. All in all, we think he had a blast.

Shurijo Castle Feb 8th

2009-04-16T00:51:00.000+09:00

This is Shurijo Castle. it is located in Naha and they have rebuilt the Castle to let you see what it used to look like back when the Emporer ruled.

Expo Park 2-01-09

2009-04-15T23:21:00.000+09:00

We went to Ocean Expo Park and we only had enough time to go through half of it!!! There was still a whole other section for all the water stuff....

Kim's Visit- Awase Sea Wall

2009-04-15T00:29:00.000+09:00

Our friend 'Benne' took us to the Awase Sea Wall and the tide was out, so we decided to take a walk on the beach.

Kim's Visit- Walking...

2009-04-15T00:26:00.000+09:00

Kim's Visit- Hedo Point

2009-04-14T23:59:00.000+09:00

We took a nice long drive up to Cape Hedo (appx a 2 hour drive just going there) and then we met up with Josh for dinner at Chinumans (he had to work all weekend).

Kim's Visit- Genghis Khan

2009-04-14T23:53:00.000+09:00

Genghis Khan- It is THE BEST Mongolian Grill BBQ that I have ever had, we just couldnt resist bringing Kim and our friend 'Benne' there for dinner.

Kim's Visit Katsuren Castle

2009-04-14T23:43:00.000+09:00

Zach and I took Kim to see Katsuren Castle. She held him in her lap so I could take some pictures and he tried to eat the dirt and rocks instead. We did happen to see a gorgeous rainbow on the way there, it even started and ended in the water where we could see it!!!

Kim's Visit 3/29

2009-04-14T23:36:00.000+09:00

Kim and I kept Zach busy while Josh had his softball practice, it was quite interesting...

Kim's Visit- 3/27

2009-04-14T23:19:00.000+09:00

Main City Mall

Awase Fish Market

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T20:03:00.000+09:00

Josh got me a teddy bear and chocolates...

Pink Lillies (lillies are my favorite)...

a gorgeous necklace...

and...

A car!! (Ours' is in blue though)

Agena Castle Runs & Bull Ring

2009-01-27T16:18:00.000+09:00

Zach's Professional Pictures December 2008

2009-01-27T16:04:00.001+09:00

Our House and Surroundings

2008-12-30T21:31:00.000+09:00

This place is really close to our house...

These are views from our roof...

This is the picture of our house...

Zachary's 1st Birthday Party

2008-12-30T13:20:00.000+09:00

We had some friends over and had a great time. Becca made his cake and it turned out great.

Dec 26

2008-12-30T13:09:00.000+09:00

Zachary loved playing with his new toys from Christmas. He also got some new stuff for his birthday from our cleaning gal Shimakio.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-30T12:54:00.001+09:00

We took Zachary for a walk and he absolutely loved it!

Christmas Day

2008-12-30T12:19:00.000+09:00

We had our own little Christmas in the morning and then we went over to our friend's Ryan and Karen's house for the rest of day and dinner.