Konichiwa!

We love you, Jacob! Miss you everyday! xo

Boy, oh boy...what a summer it has been! Now that we're officially on our first day of fall, I suppose it's time to update everyone!

For starters, I would just like to send a sincere thank you from myself & my family for all the love & support that we received during the passing of our darling boy, Jacob. It has been a tough time but knowing that everyone has continued to pray for us & keep us in their thoughts has helped us get by. Great news...Miranda is pregnant! She announced it to everyone at the Jacob Memorial Walk last month, which, by the way, was a huge success. We had over 100 walkers come and walk 4.5 miles to raise money for the Devon Nicole House & Jacob's Ladder Preschool!

Second, I would like to let you all know how AWESOME it is to be back on Okinawa! Cody & I are doing so well & we're really looking forward to our move back to the states next year! We're going to miss the diving & the food & the year-round summer weather, but there's no place like home! We aren't too sure where we're going to go just yet, but when we figure it out, we will definitely let everyone know!

Now...last Saturday I had the privilege of watching The Amazing Cody front the Rock Band at Koza Music Town. We all know he's talented. There is no question there. I'll tell you all right now, though, I have never been more proud of him. He spent everyday before the gig practicing and he NAILED it. The japanese locals loved him. The americans loved him. He looked great & he sounded even better. The band has their annual combined concert with the 1CB Japanese Ground Self Defense Force Band this Saturday so hopefully I'll have pictures & maybe some audio to post for you in the very near future.

I have some news as well; I just started my new job as a librarian yesterday! I'm working with an old girlfriend of mine (we used to work together at the officers' club) and everyone else here seems great. It's much more relaxed than any of the other jobs I've had on island. I think that'll be nice considering we don't have that much longer here. The library is right down the street from the band hall, which means Cody & I can still meet up for lunch everyday. I get first dibs on donated books & I know far in advance what new books we're getting in! We have story time, which I think is what sold my new boss in hiring me. I'm going to get to bring my guitar in & sing with the kiddies! Since I ADORE children & they seem to love me right back, this is going to be a great way to end my time on island!

Alright, I'm actually at the library right now & should probably get back to work since it's only my second day here. Cody & I think about all our friends & family stateside everyday and we want you guys to know how much we love you & can't wait to see you!

~Cody & Elizabeth

In the words of Daughtry...

'I'm going home.'
It's been a few days shy of 4 months and I couldn't be more thrilled about heading back to that crazy island.
Everything is finally in order and I can get back to my husband, my house, my stuff, my friends...
I've never been more excited about the horrific flight!!!

More Pictures

Here are some more diving pictures! The pictures of the cuttlefish are from Sunabe Seawall. The next two are from Horseshoe Beach and the Christmas Tree Coral was from yesterday at The Junkyard. With the help of Photoshop, I was able to improve the colors quite a bit so everything isn't so blue! I also got to try out my new (well... new to me) Apeks XTX200 regulator and Oceanic VTpro dive computer yesterday. They were both awesome, although I didn't get to enjoy them much because for some reason I thought it would be OK to wear my 3-2mm wetsuit. Long story short, it was COLD! Hope you all like the pictures.

- Cody

Happy New Year!!!

Hey, everyone! What a busy week we've had!

As I'm sure most of you know, Cody's birthday is the 27th of December [he's 22!!!] and our anniversary is the following day [we're 2 years old!!!]. Needless to say, it's been a hectic [and expensive] week for us! Christmas was FABulous; we spoiled each other horribly and also got great gifts from friends and family. I'm going to put up pictures that we took with the underwater camera Chuck & Dei got us for Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary! ;)

We went out to the Macaroni Grill for Cody's birthday. Our close friends, Jonas & Missy, came with us since it was Jonas' birthday, also. Then we went to a small bar on the golf course and had a few drinks. The next day, Jonas, Cody and I went diving. I was pretty sure we were going to die on the first dive because we got attacked by massive waves, but we survived. The pictures are from the first [near-deadly] dive at Channel Crevices and the other ones are from the Seawall. [Yes, we went on a second dive after our crazy wave experience. We had to make up for it!!!]

We don't have any huge plans for New Year's Eve. We'll be spending it with Jonas & Missy at their house, eating pizza & singing karaoke. If the weather is nice, we'll probably have a bonfire. I hope you all have a safe & fun evening and can't wait to see you in 2008!

Love you!!!

Happy Birthday Eve!

Why does it seem that every year, Christmas goes by faster & faster?!
We woke up early because one of our friends called us from Texas...once I was awake, I couldn't go back to sleep because I was too excited! So I went into the living room to stuff Cody's stocking, and there it was! The set up for the best Christmas present ever! A NEW ALESIS KEYBOARD!!! I told him that's what I really really wanted, but no one ships things that heavy out here. He pulled some strings! What a great morning. It took us forever to get through all the presents under that darn tree! Especially since phone calls to the families had to be made in between. Chuck & Deidra got us a new camera.......which by itself is a fantastic gift (especially since Cody's just broke while we were on vacation last week!). Even better? They got us the underwater housing for it! Now we can take digital pictures when we go diving! How cool is that?! [Thanks, guys!!!] Everyone sent us such wonderful stuff, and Cody & I always manage to spoil each other. It makes for a great holiday, that's for sure!

After we opened up presents and got dolled up, we went over to Melissa & Jonas'. We had a few presents for them & for their kids, plus we were doing dinner at their house. After exchanging gifts, cooking all the glorious food, drinking a bit of wine, and watching SuperBad, we called it a night. We were there for nearly 8 hours! When we got home, we visited with our wicked awesome new neighbors for a few and planned a dive trip with them for this weekend. [Again, thanks for the camera, guys. It'll really motivate Cody to go diving more!!!]

Now it's just another work day. I can't believe it came and went! It's Cody's birthday tomorrow [the big 2-2!] and our anniversary the next day, so there's still more presents in store! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with the Lord's spirit, love, and cheer! We miss you guys so much. There will be plenty of pictures from Tokashiki Island & Christmas to follow!

.World.Famous.

Anyone recognize this guy???

Your Island Update

Hey, everyone!

I know I've been a little lazy with my emails lately...please forgive me! As if the holidays aren't busy enough by themselves, we are a very busy couple! Cody has been working his tail off preparing for the III MEF Band Christmas Concert. He's singing "Belleau Woods" [wearing a WWI uniform and all!], plus leading the Party Band and playing in 2 other ensembles. I've been preparing for the III MEF Band Christmas Party for all the families. Being the Key Volunteer Coordinator (KVC) is fun, but it'd be helpful to have a few extra volunteers to help out! Luckily I have some great girlfriends who are always there when I need a hand!

Our church is also performing The Messiah this weekend. Right after Cody's 2 concerts, I've got 3 performances. I'm sooo excited as I love The Messiah and I love our music director! We've been having a blast rehearsing and I can't wait to share it with everyone!

We finally finished all of our Christmas cards & packages. Since we're kind of far away, everything has to get sent out early to ensure that it'll get to the states by Christmas! So keep your eyes peeled! We'll also be leaving for Tokashiki Island next week where we will relax and spend time AWAY from work & the hassles of Okinawa. Stay tuned for pictures!!!