Gabi loves to Give

Gabriella loves a lot of different things, like princesses and watching DVDs.  I've also discovered she also loves giving.  Today Gabriella and I donated our time and our tasty treats to help a very special organization here on Okinawa. It's the Okinawan-American Animal Rescue Society or OAARS.  It was their annual bake sale and Gabriella and I donated a lot of very cute cupcakes for the cause. We also donated of our time and worked the bake sale from noon until 2. 

We baked our cupcakes yesterday, Gabriella donned her princess apron and proceeded to help me measure all of the ingredients. Her favorite parts were sifting the dry ingredients and putting the M&M's on top. She was also very careful checking quality control on each batch. We were up early this morning to drop off our cupcakes then come back and put on our special Valentine's day outfits.  We arrived promptly at noon and immediately got to selling. Gabriella also manned the donation jar, she was excellent. She politely asked if any one "Give money for pets?" She got quite a few donations and was exceptionally thankful for anyone who donated regardless of how much they put in the jar. A lot of parents had their children drop the money in and Gabriella struck up conversations with them, asking if they had pets and if they wanted any cupcakes. 

When I originally saw that OAARS was doing this bake sale, I saw it as a chance to help out with a cause that reminds me of Saffy. What it turned out to be was a great way to show Gabriella that giving is better than receiving, and giving time is simple and free but has great rewards.  

Even a culture away Valentine's is still a day.

Today was Gabriella's first foray into Valentine's day. At least in the sense of Valentine's day cards for her classmates. We got up early this morning to pour over the list of 12 children and choose who would get which Valentine and which treat.  Gabriella was thrilled as we drove to school today, holding her bag of Valentines proudly.  As we walked up to her classroom, she happily announced that she had her Valentines and was so excited to give them to all her friends. Few things make me prouder than Gabriella's innate sense of fairness. She's constantly trying to make sure that everyone is being treated equally.  Valentine's day is a day that truly embodies a sense of fairness and equality. Every single person in her class brought Valentine's for everyone. Gabriella was thrilled to receive each one, her teacher even commented that she said "Thank You" to every person that put their valentine in her heart bag.  When we arrived home she dutifully ate her lunch with the knowledge that once she was finished she could open all her Valentine's.  The picture above is of Gabi and her school Valentine's. She got one from every friend in her class and was thrilled when I read them to her. 

Tomorrow we will be making some cupcakes for the No-Kill animal shelter on the island.  Just another way to give a little back. 

Seeing the Seaside

Sunday was another full day. Greg and I were stands in Godparents at a Baptism. Then we went out to a delicious brunch at the Butler Officer Club. Then we went to Ginowan Seaside Park. Of course our expectations were that it would be just a small park on the seawall. However, it is so much more. It's located next to the convention center and it's huge. There are multiple playing fields, where soccer games are played and some baseball fields. The convention center itself is located within the park. It is a beautiful set of three buildings, with some lovely chandeliers. Although we didn't go into the convention center since there was an event going on, we did take a peak through the windows.  The park has a playground with a small pirate ship play area and a rope bridge. It was pretty high up, but Gabriella made it across all by herself. And of course a seaside park wouldn't be complete without a beach. The beach shows that it was closed for swimming, but we did check the water temperature. It was a little on the cold side, but not as cold as San Diego oceans in the winter.  We had a great time exploring the park. We also learned that park picnics are very popular on Sundays here in Okinawa. We will have to start the tradition ourselves. 

Castle in the Sky

Today was another Okinawan adventure. We visited the ruins of Katsuren Castle and a few small islands.  The castle ruins were amazing, all the building materials were stones fitted into each other, like a giant tetris puzzle. Gabriella loved climbing the stairs and jumping on the ruins themselves. The picture to the right is of her leaping from one stone to another. Greg and I felt it was an amazing picture of her in flight.  As a side note, when Greg suggested that we go to this site today he did so a little warily. I readily agreed to go, then he casually reminded me that most castles are on hills and have a lot of steps. This is a fact, so far every castle we've visited, with the exception of ones at Magic Kingdoms have been on a hill. Of course there is a strategic reason for it, the inhabitants of the castle will be able to see all sides in case of attack.  However, as a visitor of these beautiful places, I get tired after walking up the hill and then I am faced with a very large number of stairs. Because of course any castle wouldn't be one story. This particular castle had three tiers, accessible by some very old stone steps. There was a small museum near the parking lot that showed some of the pottery recovered from the ruins and a model of what the castle looked like in it's heyday.  As if a castle wasn't enough we also visited a few of the outlying islands that surround Okinawa and are accessible by bridges. The islands were beautiful, they were reminiscent of Catalina Island and the beach town in Jaws. All the beaches were simply pristine and basically deserted. I'm sure in the summer everything is packed, but today it felt like our own little island.   It was a lovely day and Gabriella and Greg both fell asleep in the car on the way home. 

Helping Around the house

Gabriella has gotten some new responsibilities at home.  She's now responsible for cleaning up her toys both downstairs and in her room. She's actually quite good at putting things in their propper places and she enjoys organizing her toys the way she wants them.  Her newest chore is setting the table. She and Greg have made place cards with our names on them. She decides where we sit each night, then she places the silverware and napkins on our placemats.  She loves to watch me cook dinner and she's started being able to help us with the actual preparations of dinner.  Her favorite food preparation is when she and I have tea parties. She loves getting out the cookies and helping me pour the cool tea into our cups.  She's quite proper and takes special care to eat and drink politely. This month I'm going to try to take her to a tea ceremony, I think she will really enjoy it.  Everyday she seems to grow up a little bit more. 

We're going to Disneyland

I've been a little remiss in working on my blog in the last few days. The reason is that I've been working on our vacation.  As I'm sure you've guessed from the title of this post we are going to Tokyo. Five exciting days and four romantic nights. We are all very excited. I told Gabriella this morning and she was thrilled, asking a variety of questions. My favorite question, "Will all my friends be there?" I wasn't sure exactly what she was referring to, however with a few more questions she revealed that her friends meant all the characters. I told her they should all be there, and we would have to start brushing up on our Japanese so we could talk to them.  It's going to be a great trip. I'm already perusing the Tokyo Disney and Disney Seas website on a daily basis, trying to glean the best way to approach the parks for maximum rides and shows. There are a lot of shows, perhaps if they serve beer at the park Greg will be more receptive to going to them. Let the countdown to Tokyo begin!!

Cherry Blossom's

This weekend is the Nago Cherry Blossom festival. Greg, Gabriella and myself all hopped in the car on Saturday and took a trip up to Nago.  Nago is north of us, and the festival takes place in Nago Central Park,  specifically in the castle ruins. The blossoming trees line a very steep set of steps which takes you to the top of the park. The steps are stone and there are a lot of them. We all made it to the top, I for one was very proud of myself for making it without a cardiac arrest and proud of Gabriella for climbing every step by herself. Once at the top there is a small shrine, where you can ring a bell and say a prayer.  On the way down from the top we took the more scenic and less stair-y way. A nice winding path that allowed us to see a little more of the park. The festival included a lot of delicious food and beverage stands. I had a giant scallop as a snack and Greg found 2 yummy beers to have as his snack. They had carnival games as well, Gabriella won a new princess crown at the fishing game. It is a beautiful festival celebrating the cherry blossoms and the welcoming of the new year and the upcoming spring.  We took the long way home, weaving our way around highway 58, we passed a lot of pristine beaches and some other spots we will add to our list to visit. Gabriella fell asleep on the way home, the first time she's slept in the car since the night we arrived here.  It was a beautiful day.