Life with the Lokeys

The Keramas: {Zamami Island}

So you know those places that are so breathtakingly beautiful they leave you in awe?  That’s exactly how I feel about the Keramas!  I have been dying to go back to the Keramas after visiting Tokashiki for my birthday two years ago.  The Keramas are a small group of islands located south of Okinawa.  Tokashiki and Zamami are the two main islands.  This was my third time planning a trip out to Zamami!  I had to cancel the last two trips so I guess third times the charm! View Post

Memorial Day on Okinawa!

As I sat on the beautiful beaches of Okinawa watching my boys play without a care in the world, I thought about all the Americans that sacrificed everything on these same beaches so that my boys could have the freedoms they have today.  So go out and live a life worth living! View Post

Tsuken Island {Carrot Island}

Last weekend we decided to visit Tsuken Island.  It’s a small island off the coast of Okinawa that is known as the “island of carrots” because of the fields of carrots that are grown there every year.  During the Battle of Okinawa, the island was used as a fortress to defend the main island of Okinawa.  I have been wanting to visit this island for awhile because of the cute ferry boat that takes you over there and the beautiful beaches. View Post

Mt. Katsuu

It was absolutely beautiful last weekend here in Okinawa so we decided to take the boys on a hike up Mt. Katsuu.  The hike was definitely more challenging then I thought it would be.  The beginning of the hike starts with stairs but as you go up you have to climb up and around tree roots and rocks.  There are little red bows on the trees along the path to show you the direction you need to go to reach the top. View Post

Tightrope

If you have not seen the movie The Greatest Showman, you need to go now before it leaves the big screen!  Wow!!  What a great movie that has so many great lessons in it about life and it reminded me so much of military life.  It’s kind of like being on the craziest roller coaster where there are so many sacrifices made along the way to be with your Marine or soldier.  Especially here in Okinawa where you basically leave everything behind to go with your Marine to keep our country safe.  Brandon always says that I’m able to live this life because I come from circus people!  It does make me laugh, but the military spouses I meet are some of the strongest women I know.  They can pick up their family and their lives and move to wherever they need to go.  I can remember one move when my oldest two boys were still toddlers and we put them in bed on their mattress on the floor and we literally packed up the house that night to move.

The song Tightrope from The Greatest Showman is the perfect song for what its like to be a military wife..

Some people long for a life that is simple and planned
Tied with a ribbon
Some people won’t sail the sea ’cause they’re safer on land
To follow what’s written
But I’d follow you to the great unknown
Off to a world we call our own
Hand in my hand and we promised to never let go
We’re walking the tightrope
High in the sky
We can see the whole world down below
We’re walking the tightrope
Never sure, never know how far we could fall
But it’s all an adventure
That comes with a breathtaking view
Walking the tightrope
With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
With you
Mountains and valleys, and all that will come in between
Desert and ocean
You pulled me in and together we’re lost in a dream
Always in motion
So I risk it all just to be with you
And I risk it all for this life we choose
Hand in my hand and you promised to never let go
We’re walking the tightrope
High in the sky
We can see the whole world down below
We’re walking the tightrope
Never sure, will you catch me if I should fall?
Well, it’s all an adventure
That comes with a breathtaking view
Walking the tightrope with you
Some of my friends are getting ready to move yet again…some for the third time in three years.  Some are getting ready to move overseas. some are getting ready to move back to the United States, some are getting ready for deployments, and some are getting ready for homecomings.  It definitely feels like you are walking a tightrope some days, but I would not change a minute of it to be with the one I love!

Another lesson I took away from the movie is the journey of an entrepreneur.  There are so many people today taking the leap and starting their own business.  This can definitely be scary and exciting at the same time.  When I started my blog and introduced my new picture book, I was afraid and a little nervous about it.  But over a year later, it brings me the most joy.  If I had been too afraid to try and just go for it, I would never had been able to experience what I do now.  It is also very important to have people that love and support you and your dreams.

And Finally since we are talking about the circus,  I want to share a little history about Patsy Bea’s parents..

I am named after my great grandmother, and my grandmother “Patsy Bea”  always told me how much I reminded her of her mother.  I never got to meet her but we did look a like!  She was an amazing woman and had a similar story to that in The Greatest Showman.  She was already working for her Dad in the circus that he owned and she met my great Grandfather who came from a very prominent family in Louisiana.  His great grandfather was the 13th governor of Louisiana.  They fell in love and were married but their families did not approve.  They had Patsy Bea, but her father  died when she was only two years old.  She never got to know him, and that was always something she wished for.

My Great Grandmother with Patsy Bea!