For those of you who don't know we are currently living in Okinawa, Japan. It is absolutely beautiful here. We have been here a little over two months. It is wonderful to be back in Japan. But it is about as different from my mission as New York is from Shreveport. The food is different here, and the dialect is different here. But I can generally communicate, which is very helpful.

Things are more relaxed here than the rest of Japan. They have some of the best scuba diving in the world here. We have been to the beach most weekends that we have been here. We aren't scuba certified yet, but we have been snorkeling a few times. It has been an adventure to see the different wild life here. There are all kinds of tropical fish to see. The kids want to see a sea snake. I'm fine with that, from a distance.

Damon is the head Army chaplain on the island. That isn't saying too much, since there are only five Army chaplains here. But it is nice to have a few hundreds less soldiers to watch over than his last assignment. And he is not deployable while he is here, which is even better.

Josh is in the eighth grade this year. He is really enjoying it. He is taking two high school courses. They have a great science program, which is his favorite subject. He is planning to do a big science fair and hopes to do well enough to go to Tokyo.

Jared is in the sixth grade. He loves his classes, and is doing well. He just joined the Art club and wants to join the guitar club.

Gabbie is in the fourth grade. She is in a partial Japanese immersion program. She has made a lot of friends in her class.

I have been trying to get our house unpacked and organized. It hasn't been easy. The house isn't very big. But it is very sturdy to withstand the typhoons that come through. We found out in August that we are going to have another baby in April. So morning sickness has also made it harder to get things done. Hopefully I can have it organized by Thanksgiving!

Well, that's about it. I hope everyone else is doing well, and look forward to hearing how everyone else is doing!