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!

Sunset in Saipan

I just took these pictures about 2 hours ago. We went on a sunset dinner cruise this evening and it was so much fun!







The boat took us out into the lagoon a couple of miles, while being entertained by an energetic, funny singer named Jerry. The boat anchored just off of Managaha Island and they served us a wonderful dinner of Mahi Mahi, rice, and vegetables while we faced the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. It was a bit breezy but warm.













After dinner, the boat headed back to shore while Jerry entertained some more and got everyone, even Alan and Heather, dancing and singing!
And there was a little Japanese boy that was dancing for everyone. He was so cute, I had to take a picture.












Doesn't J.Ward look like he's beginning to relax and enjoy?!!

First Day in Saipan

Well, we've arrived in Saipan and spent our first day throughly enjoying ourselves. The trip over was very long but went off without a hitch. We flew from Salt Lake to Los Angeles, where we had a two hour lay over. Then it was on to Tokyo...an 11 hour flight, ugg! We had a 4 hour layover in Tokyo (That's Alan, in Narita airport) and then it was on to Saipan. We arrived on the island at 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning. We were met by Sandy, a man that works for Russ Snow. (Russ is the CEO of the company that owns the resort). He took us to the condo where we will be staying, at least for a few days. We were all exhausted after more than 24 hours of travel so we quickly went to bed. We were able to get about 4 hours of sleep before getting up and getting ready for church. We found the church without any trouble and enjoyed some great meetings. The branch seems to be relatively large with probably close to 100 people in attendance. The young women welcomed Heather with open arms and she is already looking forward to attending Mutual on Wednesday.

After church we went over to the hotel and had a delicious brunch and received a tour of the facilities and telescopes. We were able to put our feet in the ocean (the water is 80 degrees!) and then drove around the island for a quick orientation tour. What we have seen so far is absolutely beautiful. The water is amazingly blue and we can hardly wait to get out a snorkel! We are now back at the condo, although J. Ward had to go back to work some on the telescopes. The technician that is here from the telescope company leaves tomorrow morning so this is their only night to work together. We are all ready to crash and have a good, full night's sleep! Posted above are some of the pictures we've taken so far.

We're Almost There!

Wow! Only four more days until we leave on this great adventure. For those who don't know already, we have the wonderful opportunity of going to Saipan for 5 weeks. We leave on Friday morning. Those going are J.Ward, Cindy, Alan and Heather. Unfortunately, the rest of the family have school/work and will be unable to come this time around. J.Ward has been hired to go over to Saipan to work for The Palms Resort. They have purchased 6 telescopes and needed someone to come and set up an educational program in Astronomy. Boy do we feel blessed that J. is the one that gets to do it!

When this whole thing started I knew nothing about Saipan (thought it was somewhere in China). I know now that Saipan is a small island in the Northern Mariannas, approximately 120 north of Guam. It is a 46.5 square mile piece of tropical paradise. Much World War II history took place on the island. I look forward to getting to know much, much more!

I always feel a little blue this time of year. Maybe because I was raised in sunny California, I get quite weary of the cold and snow during the months of January and February. Every year I daydream of spending the month of February on a tropical island somewhere. "Calgon, take me away!" Well, this year that dream has become a reality!

I love the ocean! I love the feeling of standing on the beach, watching the waves crash into the shore. I relish the sounds and the smells of the cool sea air and I bask in the feelings of greatness and majesty. Perhaps it is what J. feels when he looks to the heavens...Being near the ocean I feel a nearness to my Heavenly Father that I get no where else except the temple. This opportunity is truely a gift and it is my hope that we will be able to make new friends, experience new cultures and just soak it all up like a sponge.

I will do my best to keep this site updated often while we are gone. As soon as we have some pictures I will post them. So, if you are interested and want to share this adventure with us check back often. See you in Saipan!!