Talofofo Falls

While in Guam we checked our Talofofo Falls.  It did not disappoint!

This story is amazing.  When the US invaded Guam to take it back from the Japanese, the Japanese soldiers retreated to the jungle of Guam.  Most were caught.  But one man, Sergeant Yokoi dug himself a cave and survived for 28 years on the fresh fish from the pond below the falls, and the fresh bananas, mangoes, and jack fruit that grew right there.  He had no idea the war had ended and was found by two local hunters.  He returned home to Japan at the age of 57.  What an incredible story!

Although it was a little commercialized with the cable car ride, and gift shop, it was still a beautiful waterfall and we enjoyed walking around and enjoying the beauty of it all.

What Can You Do At The PIC?

Just let this blog post be an advertisement for the Pacific Island Club in Guam.  It was amazing.  We are all had a great time, and by the end of each day we were exhausted.  Here is what we did there:

We enjoyed the beautiful view off our 13th floor balcony of the lagoon, the pools, and the Philippine Sea.

We pretended we were on "Wipe-Out" and tried to cross the water steps many times!

 

We kayaked in the lagoon.

We snorkeled through the swim through acquarium.

And then we watched them feed the fish in the swim through acqaurium.

We jumped on the trampoline.

We took wind surfing lessons.

 We did archery.

We went through a challenge course.

And after we had tried all these activities, we earned the 

"PIC Fun Card Metal".

Which also gave us a free smoothie at the snack bar!

We would definitely recommend this place to others.  It was a great place to stay and there was never an "I'm Bored" moment!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2013

We decided as a family that one of our goals for this year would be to spend more time outdoors.  So we started off right and went on a hike through "Rango Park" in Hayama.

This is what we were rewarded with at the top of of the trail....

a beautiful view of Tokyo Bay up against Yokohama.

We pray 2013 is full of many more family memories that include smiles and laughter.

Callista's Birthday

Happy 6th Birthday Callista.

She was determined that she get to open her presents FIRST thing in the morning.

She really wanted a pogo stick!

Paul took the day off and we drove up to Yokohama to go Ice Skating!

After a delicious pizza dinner, we called her friend Selah to come join us for Ice Cream and Cake.  She wanted Lemon!

A few days later she had a "Whale Party" at the gym!

 Showing off Chloe's new haircut!

Callista.....your joy is so contagious.  When you smile.....all those around you do too.  We are so proud of how much you have overcome some of your shyness this year.  It still amazes me when I see you yell across the school yard to say "HI" to your teacher or a friend.  May this next year bring out more of your joyful personality!

We Love You!!!

Merry Christmas

The Shupe Troop must have good again this year because Santa pulled through as usual.  What were the requests?  Chloe asked for Roller Blades and a book series called "Warriors".  Santa also gave her a white tiger (her favorite animal) in her stocking!

Callista asked for a puppy.  Preferably a real one, however, she would settle for a toy one if it walked and barked

Ryan asked for an Aircraft Carrier complete with jets on the flight deck.  Perhaps we've lived on based too long!

Papa and Nana made the kids custom banks.  These boxes have three compartments in them.  One for Savings, one for Spending, and one for Tithing.  They are a treasure for sure!

It was a very Merry Christmas full of joy!

Ryan's Baptism

Ryan just got baptized.  It was a beautiful service held at the Chapel of Hope here on Yokosuka Naval Base.  Chloe played the opening and closing hymns,  Grandpa Greg gave a talk on baptism, and his Primary teacher Brother Jones gave a talk on the Holy Ghost.  When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted to serve after his baptism, he scoffed at me said, "Mom....I don't want cake.......I want Donuts and Hot Chocolate".  So guess what we had?

He was smiling from ear to ear the whole time  It was an awesome evening.  

We are so proud of you Ryan!!!