Total (Almost) Eclipse of the Sun!

Well, one of the big reasons we are in Saipan now has come and gone. On July 22nd, there was a Solar Eclipse. It was not total, but about 70-75%. It was total in China but from what I heard on the news, it was difficult to see there because of cloudy weather. Here in Saipan, it was a bit cloudy all morning but just before the eclipse was due to start, the clouds cleared and we had a perfect view the entire time! J.Ward gave a presentation and just as he concluded we could see the first little "bite" out of the sun. They had a telescope aimed at the sun and then projected that image onto a large screen T.V. so people could watch that way. We also had some "viewers" that people could hold up to their eyes and look directly at the sun without injury. We had a very good turn out with lots of excited people!
Here is the eclipse at the beginning.
Here it is a few minutes later.
And then a few minutes after that.



Here it is almost at the maximum here in Saipan.


This is a picture of the maximum that we saw here in Saipan. The final picture was taken through the telescope with the special filter. All in all, a very exciting day! And one that probably won't come around for another 130 years. Atleast not one of this duration, according to our own "Astronomer in Residence"!

Up, Up, and Away!

This last week, we took a boat ride out to Managaha. We spent an enoyable day lounging in the sun, playing in the sand and surf, snorkeling, and for some...para-sailing!
J.Ward and I watched Andrew while all of the kids went out on the boat and took turns para-sailing two at a time. The kids said that it was amazing and very relaxing! I think the picture above is either Jeanette and Heather or Stephen and Aaron. They were so high and far out from the island that it was difficult to see who was up!
This picture, I'm pretty sure, is of Mike and Emily. Para-sailing was on Emily's bucket list so she can check that one off!!
Andrew had a GREAT time playing in the sand and running around. This was the best way to keep him in one spot!
And...what could be more perfect than ending the day with one of Saipan's gorgeous sunsets. The rays of color and the reflection on the water are really unbelievable!! (The picture isn't even photo shopped!)

Here's a few pictures of things we've done this last week:

It may be difficult to see but this is a picture of a hermit crab that has made his home from an old piece of rubber. Can you say "Hawthorn" anyone? (That's the crab from the comic Sherman's Lagoon).
Emily, Mike, and Andrew arrived a couple of days ago. Andrew is enjoying his first ever meal on a tropical island!! Boy is it good!
This is a fire dancer who performed at the Sunset Barbecue. He even held the flame in his hand for a minute!!

We went scuba diving yesterday but, unfortunately, we don't have an underwater camera so we have no pictures. We saw lots and lots of coral, some beautiful and big shells with creatures in them, and many varieties of fish. It was awesome!

We are headed for the island of Managaha tomorrow for some snorkeling and para-sailing. More pictures to come later!!

Stephen arrived in Saipan!!! Then, about 6 hours later, Aaron arrived!! We are very excited to have them here with us. A few more days and Mike, Emily, and Andrew will be here too...we can't wait!

Jeanette, Heather, and Cindy all got pedicures. That was a fun day, once we found the shop we were looking for. We got manicures, too but I didn't take pictures of that. Don't our toes look lovely!!!

We went to Tank Beach, where there are tons of hermit crabs. This one is a teeny-tiny guy. It was fun to let them crawl around in our hands. They tickle! They move pretty fast, too.


Here is Jeanette, Heather, and Cindy at the Garapan Street Market being "Saipandas", riding on a banana boat! The Saipanda is the weird little mascot of Saipan. Don't ask what the nose is all about!



Today we went up to the top of Mt. Topachau, the highest point on the island. You can see the entire island from up there! You can also see the island of Tinian, which is about 3 miles south. You can't see it in the picture but it is behind us. In the picture...Stephen, Jeanette, Cindy, aaron, and Heather.

This picture is Heather and Dad, in a Saipan Department Store. They actually sell, and forgive the word, "butt" enhancers! Heather thought it was pretty funny, J. just thought it was embarassing!
Yea!!! Jeanette finally arrived. This is her at the airport, at 1:40 am. We are happy to have her here and can't wait for the boys to arrive this next week, then Mike and Emily, and Andrew the week after.

Today is Sunday and we spent a nice morning at church. The Saipan Branch is very strong. It is humbling to me to hear the testimonies of the people here. Most of them have experienced trials in the extreme and have sacrificed so much to remain faithful to the church. We are uplifted and strengthened every time we here them speak! I think we too often take for granted how easy we have it, living in the "heart of Mormondom" and having things come so easy for us.

Amazing Saipan Sunset!

We spent last night just walking along the beach and watching the sunset. It was one of the most relaxing evenings we have had in a very long time! I just had to post some pictures to share with everyone. It really was this beautiful!!

We're Here!

Last night I saw the most beautiful sunset I think I've ever seen. Again, the pictures just don't do it justice. There really is no more beautiful site anywhere than the sunsets in Saipan...amazing!!
J. Ward and I went snorkeling this morning. We got a good work-out and saw some beautiful coral and lots and lots of baby fish. One even decided to have a taste of my finger! (I must not have been too appealing because, thankfully, he didn't come back for more!) It really was like being on another planet. The corals were pink, purple, neon green, and neon orange. I wish I had an underwater camera with me. And there were a lot of the most beautiful bright blue star fish I've ever seen. They like to wrap themselves around the coral!


We arrived in Saipan Thursday night, settled into our room, and got a good nights sleep. We had a very peaceful breakfast the next morning and walked along the beach. What a way to start the day!! The Flame trees are in bloom now and they are the most beautiful, vibrant orange! You look across the road and see them dotting the hillsides everywhere. I'm including a couple of pictures but they don't do the trees justice. So far, that's the only difference I've noticed since we were here last time. The Flame trees weren't in bloom in February.


Here is a picture of Heather...happy to be on the airplane!!

Well, that's about it for now. Can't wait for the other kids to get here!!!!

Heading Back to Paradise!

Well, we are on our way back to Saipan. We are currently in Houston on an overnight layover. We leave tomorrow morning for Guam via Hawaii. I know, it's a rough life! Too bad our overnight layover isn't in Honolulu! We have spent a relaxing evening at the hotel and are just preparing to call it a night.

I'll post pictures after we arrive in Saipan (which won't be for another 32 hours or so!) and I have a chance to take some.

Can't wait for the rest of the family to join us!!

Update

Well, I can't believe I haven't updated this for the last three months. I'm just not the greatest of bloggers I guess. But, considering the fact that this has no "registered followers" it probably doesn't matter anyway!

After returning from our wonderful Saipan adventure life has settled into a comfortable routine. Heather is back in school, for another day at least. School ends this week and summer will officially begin!

The most exciting news from the Moody's is that Alan received his mission call to Seattle, Washington! We are so proud of his dedication and preparation. He will be going into the MTC on August 19th. We've already done all the shopping and got him all outfitted, that was fun!

He was able to go through the Mt. Timpanogas Temple last Saturday. What a blessing it is to be able to participate in such a wonderful occassion with such fantastic family members!! I have to be the most blessed Mom there is!

The next most exciting news is that we are getting ready to head back to Saipan for the summer. J.Ward, Heather, and I will be leaving on June 23rd and returning on August 7th. The best part is that the rest of the family will get to come too!!! Stephen, Jeanette, Aaron, Emily, Mike and Andrew will all be flying over at various times to spend a couple of weeks with us in tropical paradise! I think we will have 3 or 4 days when everyone will overlap and be there all at once. I am excited that we can share this adventure with the rest of the family and very grateful for this great opportunity!

I am going to try to get better at updating this blog, for those who may be interested. Maybe I'll even try to get some pictures posted soon!

Scuba Diving!

So...J.Ward and I decided that while we had the opportunity we would take some scuba diving lessons. We signed up for the Open Water Course and started it last Tuesday (Feb 17th) and completed it on Thursday (Feb. 19th). Wow! It was an awesome experience!! The first day was just watching a DVD and going through the text book, then taking a test. Apparently we both passed because they let us get in the water the next day. We spent Wednesday morning in the pool, learning how to breath, clear our masks, equalize our ears, how to hover in the water, and what to do if you run out of air. In the afternoon, we went out into the ocean (shallow water) and passed off the skills we had learned in the pool. We did our first two dives there in the lagoon. While J.Ward was working with the instructor and I was watching them, a puffer fish swam right up and stared me in the eyes! He got so close that I had to back up so he wouldn't bump into me! He then swam over and had a look at J.Ward and then the instructor. Shaun, our instructor, actually had to shoo him away because he was being kind of a pest. The fish are very curious and sometimes even like to swim along with you. The area where we were diving was the same area we had previously snorkeled in but it was amazing to me how much better everything looks when you are right down there with it! Even the sea slugs looked better!

On Thursday, we did our two deep water dives. We drove out to Lau Lau Point, a spot where many divers go to train. I was very anxious and nervous before getting in the water as the waves were a little rough, but still o.k. for diving. As soon as we got under the water I felt myself relax and I began to enjoy the experience. Our first dive was just for fun and to see the sights. We followed a rope down over the reef into the deeper water (I think we went about 35 ft. deep), where everything opened up into this fantastic place. There were many different kinds of coral and sea anenomes and lots of tropical fish. Our instructor took us a little way out from where most of the divers were and we got to see a Green Sea Turtle swimming and feeding along the rocks and coral. It looked so graceful and was just like you see in the movies...only we were right there next to it! We then swam back to where many of the fish were. We saw tons of Butterfly fish of various colors and designs. We even saw a Pipefish, which is a bottom dweller that is very long and strange looking. Also, we saw a school of small Baracuda swim past! It was fantastic! And there is nothing like the weightless feeling of being in the water like that. J.Ward described it as something like being in a Disney adventure, with all the other divers swimming around and seeing their bubbles going up. It was fun! Our second deep dive was to pass off the remaining skills, one of which was going to surface after running out of air. We didn't actually run out of air but we had to act as if we had. It was a bit nerve wracking but we both managed to pass it off! I guess I was anxious and went up a little too fast but it was o.k. It was sad to have this day come to an end because the experience was so great!! I was exhausted but exhilirated! I don't know how many opportunities we will have to ever dive again like this, but it was well worth the effort and anxiety!!!!

Hafa Adai!!!

No Snow Here!

Well, since Emily posted some pictures on her blog of the view from her window this morning, I thought I would follow her lead and show you what a stormy day in Saipan looks like...
I woke up this morning to the 'stormiest' day we have had since being here in Saipan. This is what I see when I look out onto my balcony. See the dark clouds? And you can barely see Managaha Island in the background because of the rain.
Can you see how the wind is blowing the Palm trees?But Heather doesn't seem to mind!

A Little Saipan History and Hidden Beach

The picture above is of Suicide Cliff (from a distance). When the Americans overtook Saipan during WWII, many Japanese soldiers jumped off of this cliff rather than be taken as a prisoner of war.
This picture is of Bonsai Cliff. This is at the northern end of the island. Many Japanese civilians lived on the island of Saipan during WWII. Japanese commanders had distributed much propaganda about American soldiers, telling the people that the Americans were evil and would 'torture prisoners and eat their babies'. As the Americans took the island, the civilians were driven north. The American soldiers did their best to convince the people that they would not come to any harm and that the soldiers would give them much needed food and aid. The civilians were so fearful of being 'captured' by the soldiers that they fled to this area of the island, and rather that be captured, men, women, and children, flung themselves off the cliff to their deaths. Mothers even threw their babies off , before jumping themselves. It was a horrific time and a senseless act. Those who did survive found that the American soldiers did, indeed, give them much needed aid and were not the cruel, heartless monsters that they were led to believe. Some others, including some Japanese soldiers, hid in caves and had to be coerced out by the Americans to be helped.
Here is Cindy at a place called Hidden Beach. It is a beautiful cove on the back side of the island. Alan had found something about this place by searching the internet so we decided to take a drive and see if we could find it and we did! We knew the general direction we needed to go and we got lucky. You have to drive down a dirt road that you almost need a 4-wheel drive to make it down. We drove as far as we could and then walked the last few yards, where we found some old, cement stairs leading down to a trail. We followed the trail and came out at this incredibally beautiful spot! There were shells and coral all over the small beach and the cliffs and rock formations are amazing. The water was pretty rough on this day so we didn't swim or anything but it was awesome to just explore and wtch the waves crash against the rocks!
This was a little area of hidden cove where there was a rope hanging down.(Just around the rock that J.Ward is standing by. J. and Alan used the rope and climbed up to the top of the cliff where they could look down to where we were.
You can't see it very well in this picture, but when the waves would crash into this part of the rock, there is a little blow-hole that water would spray out of. Some of the waves were so big they would crash clear up to the top of the cliffs!
These last two pictures of Heather and Alan were taken at Hidden Beach. I was playing 'photographer' and trying to get some 'artsy' pictures. I think they turned out pretty good!!
Ask Alan about how he REALLY felt posing for this one! :)

February 2, 2009

I thought I'd post some pictures that show why we are here in Saipan. For the shot of the moon above, I put my camera lense right into the eye piece of one of the telescopes to see if I could catch on camera what we were seeing through the telescope and it worked! Below are a couple more pictures of J. and Heather at the telescopes...



We were invited over to a members home Sunday after church and had a wonderful time visiting and getting to know them better. Then on Monday we went to the home of another family and had the opportunity to get to know them better. We have been welcomed with open arms and getting to know people here and making friends with them is proving to be a real joy. The branch members here are strong, faithful, people and it is priviledge to be able to associate with them. That, really, has been the best part about being in Saipan so far
Here is a picture taken from the top of Mt. Tapachau, the highest point on the island. The small island is called Managaha. Below, I have posted a video of the view out our balcony here at the hotel. It's kind of a stormy day today so the waves crashing against the reef are bigger than we have seen yet. Yes, this seems to be as stormy as it gets here. They say that the temperature varies by only about 5 degrees, year 'round. In the video, the building that I zoomed in on towards the end is where the telescopes are housed. It is on that patio (where you see the umbrellas) where J. brings the scopes out at night to view the stars. It is often a bit hit and miss as to what can be seen because there are always clouds. But the clouds come and go, minute by minute, so you can almost always see something!

A Little Sun...A Little Fun!

We woke up Thursday morning to clouds and a bit of rain. About an hour later, we looked out the back and saw this beautiful rainbow! The pictures don't do it justice but maybe it will give you a feel for what it was like. It couldn't have been positioned in a more perfect place for a photo op!













Oh what a life!! Alan sunning himself and Heather learning to snorkle. This was our first real, relaxing day in the sun.










We went snorkeling just around the waters near the resort for our first time. There weren't tons of fish to see here but it was a great place to let Heather get used to the water because it's pretty shallow. But you have to be careful where you step....lots and lots of sea slugs...ugghh! We did see some pretty tropical fish in a couple of spots. The funnest for me was when a pretty good sized, pure white fish swam up near me. He just kind of circled around me and whenever I would swim away, he would follow. We swam together like that for about 5 minutes and then both went on our way. The fish are not afraid at all. Next time we'll take something to feed them. I'm sure they would eat it right out of our hands!