Kerry Nakatsu – The Nakatsu Family

Happy Father’s Day!

Today, people across the country are celebrating what we know of as “Father’s Day.” And while there are many godly Christian fathers throughout the world, I want to especially thank, and lift up, my dad, Kory.

I feel so incredibly blessed beyond measure to have a dad like mine. I know I can always count on him. He has so much priceless wisdom to offer, even though I might not always realize it. He has taken up the God-given responsibility of raising me as the young woman God has intended for me to be! Honestly, it is because of him (and God, of course) that I am who I am as a Christian. Despite all my struggles and shortcomings, Dad is always there, by my side, praying for me.

Not every girl has the dad they need in their life. I don’t know why God decided to bless me so immensely with a father who loves the Lord and loves me so much, but I sure am thankful!

I love you so much, Dad!

Love,

Lauren “Pickle”

After opening some gifts, we played a game of Guess That Tool!, followed by some homemade peanut brittle! 🙂 Here are some pics from the day!

Branson 2017

It had been almost 6 years since our last visit to Branson, so we decided to head back to re-visit many of the places that made the last trip so enjoyable. It was a very smooth flight and only took us a little over 4 hours.

After checking into the Stillwater Resort on Branson’s beautiful Table Rock Lake, we enjoyed an evening at the Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction where we celebrated the American spirit. After a friendly North and South competition, we were brought to our feet singing the Star Spangled Banner and giving thanks to God in our hearts for the land that He has given us. Aside from the show, eating a four-course meal (complete with a whole mini-roasted chicken), all with our hands, was a highlight of the evening. So was the pre-dinner show by “Skeeter & Nugget”. We left there that night singing the words to the song “Long Black Train.” The chorus goes like this: “’Cause there’s victory in the Lord I say. Victory in the lord! Cling to the Father and His holy name, and don’t go riding on that long Black Train.” There’s wisdom in those words.

Day two brought us to Silver Dollar City, an 1880’s theme park with action-packed rides, demonstrations from craftsmen like blacksmith’s and glass blowers, and good old-fashioned entertainment. Us girls braved the Outlaw Run which ranks in as #7 on the list of the World’s Top 50 Wood Coasters. The coaster soars over the Ozark Mountains, but I don’t think any of us paid much attention to the landscape. We were too busy screaming as we dropped 162 feet (more than 16 stories) at 81degrees, went upside down on a 720-foot double barrel roll, and reached top speeds of 68 mph. Some of the thrill rides we did twice, but that one…once was enough!

After a good night’s sleep digesting Pizza World’s pizza pies, we made our way to Runaway Mountain Coaster for another exciting adventure. None of us knew what a mountain coaster was prior to our arrival, but we soon found out that it is a coaster that uses the lay of the land and changes in elevation to provide a ride around the natural features of an area. In this case, it was around the beautiful Ozarks. It was definitely a new experience for all of us. Each of us got into our own cart and was pulled to the top of a mountainous area by a chain. Once at the top, we got to pick our own thrill levels as we rode down to the bottom on tracks. Kory is the only one who didn’t use his brakes the entire ride down. We had no idea what a thrill-seeker he was! Well, actually, he said he was trying to impress us girls. We told him he already impresses us. Poor guy hurt his back as a result and was stiff for the next 24 hours. Would he do it again? He said he sure would.

The afternoon brought us to one of the highlights of our trip, seeing “Moses” at Sight and Sound Theatre. This is the third live show we have seen (after Noah and Joseph), and Lord willing, we will go back to see Samson next year. The Bible comes to life in these shows, and we always leave with a meaningful message, and gratitude that Christ was honored.

On Sunday morning, we attended Friendly Baptist Church that we had visited six years prior. Although Millie, the 95-year-old banjo player, had passed away, we remembered her, and were grateful for the opportunity to worship with other believers outside of our state. The lyrics to one particular song stood out to us. They go like this: “Dig it shallow; dig it deep. It don’t matter much to me. That old grave’s just a hole in the ground.” Well, if you know Christ, those words ring true. That old grave is just a hole in the ground. There is no fear in death when you know you have life in Jesus Christ.

After church, we spent the afternoon cruising around in a pontoon boat on Table Rock Lake. The weather was beautiful, but the water was a wee bit cold this time of year. Katey and Lauren braved the chilly waters and went tubing for a while, and then we spent the remainder of the day laying poolside where we were able to warm up and take some naps. We played dozens of games of Bananagrams in our hotel room throughout the week, enjoyed lots of laughs, and made great memories.

Our last day in Branson found the girls ziplining on over two-miles of zipline cables, soaring seventy feet above the ground. Lauren even rode upside down at one point, and Katey enjoyed the swinging rope bridges. Kory and I sat on rocks and thanked the Lord for the solid rock we stood on. Pun intended! We ended our stay with lunch at the Farmhouse restaurant, trying to convince ourselves that calories don’t count on vacation. Who are we kidding?

Just when you’d think our adventures were over, we ended the trip by flying to Chandler, Oklahoma, to visit the Danker family. What a treat it was to fellowship with them in their home and get to know their family better. Their faith in Jesus inspires us, and we see the fruit that the Lord is working out in their lives. We enjoyed dinner with them at a local Mexican restaurant.

Afterward, Mr. Danker was kind enough to give us the grand tour of his office at Buckventures. He loaded us up with souvenir deer antlers, a turkey call, and plenty of t-shirts and hats! We are so grateful for the fellowship we enjoyed and the generosity they showed us, thank you Danker Family!

We departed a rainy Oklahoma in the early evening and just as we broke out of the clouds at 14,000 feet, we were awestruck by the majesty of God’s creation. Kory was able to capture this picture but as is usually the case, it doesn’t do justice to what we saw.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Psalm 19:1

Co-op(eration)

This home-school year has been a lot of fun when it comes to co-op groups. Three families have joined together to provide different educational and social activities that have been a huge hit with our children. We designated every Wednesday of the month for a different activity.

The first Wednesday of the month is an art class; the second Wednesday is sewing, and the third Wednesday of the month is cooking. I don’t know who is having more fun, the girls or me!

We started our cooking course with a class titled “Preparing for Success in the Kitchen.” They learned all about kitchen first aid, tools and utensils, appliances, the use of knives, cooking terms, common abbreviations, equivalents, and measuring accurately. Then we got into the hands-on cooking classes: “Quick Breads”, “Yeast Breads”, and “Baking Cakes”. They have made Irish soda bread, banana muffins, biscuits, a sweet buttery bunt cake, and red velvet cake. Now c’mon, who wouldn’t like cooking class!

Our most recent class was “Fruits and Vegetables”. The girls learned how to pick ripe fruits and vegetables and how to properly store and freeze them. They were then able to practice different cuts on a variety of fruits and vegetables, from chopping, dicing, and mincing, to roll-cutting, bias cutting, and julienne.

In addition to learning to prep fruits and vegetables, they learned different cooking methods such as baking, boiling, steaming, roasting, blanching, and stir-frying.

We also made garlic and Parmesan roasted green beans, caramelized onions, and baked apples with brown sugar and butter which they got to enjoy at the end of the class with snicker-doodle ice cream. Yumm!

[box] “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.’”

(Genesis 1:29).[/box]

Praise God for the bountiful harvest that He has supplied!

Family Connections Conference

After a successful first run in 2014, the Family Connections team headed on the road again for a 12-week tour across the country. Our family was blessed to be able to host them again this year.

Saturday morning, everyone pitched in to set up chairs and tables, to get the media and music operating, to organize book tables, to warm up food in crockpots for lunch, and to offer praise to God for the work He was doing. Just as the team finished breakfast the guests started arriving.

The Lord brought 53 people for the all-day event. The day was filled with challenging and promising messages to encourage families to stay strong in our Lord Jesus Christ. There was joyful singing, heartfelt prayer, rich fellowship, and lots of food.

There was even a time for the children to have a devotional led by Samuel, Gabriel and Matthew, and then participate in some fun activities outside while the parents had a separate break-out session with David and Priscilla inside. After the event was over, many people gathered in the living room to sing hymns and continue a time of fellowship and spiritual refreshment.

When the guests left, we gathered in the family room and thanked the Lord for making this event possible. We each went around the room and prayed for whatever the Lord laid on our hearts, which included much praise, thanks, intercession, and supplication. We ended the day with a game of Apples to Apples Bible Edition and much laughter. What a wonderful day!

Sunday morning we were blessed to have Gabriel passionately teach us a lesson from Scripture, and then John and Tia announced that they are going to have another baby. We were all so excited, and a few of us cried tears of joy with Tia. After we returned from church, we had a time of rest, more music, fruitful conversations, and a big volleyball game that lasted until dark!

After a devotional on Monday morning, Priscilla, Tia, Lauren and I made the base mix for mint chocolate chip ice cream and put it in the refrigerator to cool for the day. Then we all packed up and headed out for a place called Tortilla Flat. We stopped along the way to hike and take a few pictures.

Lauren, Priscilla, Davia, Katey, and Kerry

At the bottom of a big cliff, John, David, and Gabriel found a rattlesnake. They didn’t waste any time converting it into a good snake (a dead one…). John even came back with the rattle. It was quite an adventure and young Paul and Samuel didn’t quite know what to make of it all. We spent the latter half of the afternoon at Tortilla Flat where we had lunch. Then all of us hiked up the side of a mountain, while Kory stayed behind to fly the drone and film our adventures. Samuel and Matthew helped those struggling to make it the top—namely the young children. They went out of their way to keep everyone safe and encouraged. Once at the top, we sang “How Great Thou Art” and marveled at God’s creation. It was amazing!

Upon arriving back home after a full day of adventure, most of the group went outside to play volleyball while Kory, John, and I stayed back at the house to make homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream and prepare for a pizza dinner. The Ciampi Family, along with our neighbors, the Reeds, came over as well. The ice cream was a huge hit and all of the children played on the trampoline and the swing in the backyard while the rest of us fellowshipped and had fruitful conversations.

The evening culminated with a magnificent hymn sing, with everyone participating on the piano, viola, violin, harp, harmonica, guitar, and singing. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

On the last full day of the Family Connections’ team stay, the ladies went out for a time of thrift-store shopping, a leisurely lunch, and pottery painting. The men took the young children and two quads and went to the mountains for a day of riding.

We reconvened at the house that evening and enjoyed one last meal together at Señor Taco, after which everyone prepared for the departure the following morning. Wednesday was a sad day as we said our “goodbyes”. May God be with you, Family Connections team, until we meet again!

Here is a little video montage of our time together…

BRIGHT Lights Christmas

This year we were excited to have two other Arizona Bright Lights groups join us for our third-annual Bright Lights Christmas Party. What a beautiful sight it was to have 34 godly young women joined together to bring honor to the Lord.

We began the evening with prayer, reading Scripture, and some get-to-know-you activities. Then the girls enjoyed appetizers, cookies, hot chocolate, and lots of candy. Shortly thereafter, we split into teams and drove to Walmart (with the help of seven mothers and my good husband). At Walmart we sang Christmas carols at the front entrance of the store, praying that others would hear the gospel message through song.

We then went shopping for children at Sunshine Acres Children’s Home which is a Christian organization that cares for children who are separated from their parents. The girls were responsible for selecting and purchasing gifts for seven children in need. The girls also handed out candy canes that had Scripture verses about Jesus Christ attached to them and wished store patrons a “Merry Christmas”.

Once the shopping trip was done, we gathered back at the house and had a time of prayer for the children who would receive these gifts. The prayers were so sincere and humble that many of us had tears in our eyes. What a wonderful time of fellowship we enjoyed!

Cayman Vacation

This year’s vacation to Grand Cayman Island was voted by our family as the best one yet. Having just left the island and now on the plane heading home, we are reminiscing about all the exciting adventures we had and the amazing people we met. We all agree that we would do the exact same trip again, staying in the same place, and scuba diving with the same crew. We’re hoping to return again next summer, Lord willing.

Day 1 – We arrived on Thursday, July 11th and, after picking up our rental car from Alamo, we drove straight to Tamarind Bay Condos where we stayed during our eight-day vacation. Condo #7 was just steps from the beach, and the accommodations were perfect for us. It had two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, family room, full-sized kitchen, and a screened-in porch overlooking the ocean. We had a pool just outside our condo as well, and were nestled amidst lush grounds with tropical vegetation and coconut-filled palm trees. We especially liked the little lizards that sat on rocks lining the pathways, as well as the sand and hermit crabs that meandered about both day and night. Lauren was particularly enthralled by all the creatures and also by a cat that wandered through the premises. She took several cat hunts during the course of our stay.

After excitedly checking out all the rooms in the condo, we went straight to the beach to go snorkeling in the crystal clear waters. The visibility was incredible, and the white sand beaches were fine and soft. Katie and Lauren flung sand at one another and splashed around in the 84 degree water saying, “This is the best vacation yet”, and it had literally just begun.

The first evening we went out to dinner at Duke’s Steak and Seafood. Kory had fresh Mahi Mahi, I had Seafood Jambalaya, Katie had chicken strips, and Lauren had what she called “the best steak sandwich ever”. It was all delicious, but we should have searched around for a more reasonably-priced restaurant before just stopping at the first one that looked good because the bill shocked us when it came. After dinner, we went back to our condo and attempted to get an early night’s sleep because the following morning the girls were to start the first of their two-day open water certification dives. However, we stayed up playing many games of Banana Grams.

Day 2 – At 7:30am, the girls had to be at Ambassador Diver just a few minutes’ walk from our condo. They met Maria, their dive instructor, and immediately took a liking to her. They began their morning by practicing dive skills in the Comfort Suites pool in preparation for their first ocean dives that afternoon. Kory and I went grocery shopping at Foster’s Food Fair while the girls were in class so we would be stocked with food for the remainder of our vacation. On our way back, we picked up the girls, had a quick sandwich lunch at the condo, and headed back to the dive shop for an afternoon of diving. We had to plan afternoon dives rather than morning dives because Lauren isn’t permitted to go below 40 feet at age 10, and the morning dives were all deeper dive sites. So, each of our five days of afternoon diving began at 12:45pm at the dive shop, followed by a bus ride to the boat that was beached nearby. We climbed up some steps right from the shore, received a warm welcome and an introduction to the crew and boat, and then we started preparing our equipment. I could see the excitement in Katie and Lauren’s eyes from all these “firsts”. Then it was off to our first dive site called Spanish Bay Reef. After tying up to the mooring line, Maria began the first open water dive with the girls while Kory and I took a dive on our own. We stayed nearby the girls, however, so we could watch them and so that Kory could take pictures of this momentous occasion. We saw a giant green moray eel here, a lion fish, parrot fish, and many other varieties.

The first dive was a success for the girls and they were both in awe of the underwater world. Captain Jeff unhooked us from the mooring line and proceeded to our next dive site, Sponge Point. Here we pretty much replicated our first dive, but the girls got to swim with two large turtles and hold an arrow crab.

The first day ended with dinner at Sunshine Grill, a walk along the beach with singing, and an early night to bed. Lauren felt like she was rocking in bed, but the waves didn’t affect the rest of us until after the second or third day of being out on the water.

Day 3 – This was a big day for the girls because the two dives this day were the ones that would complete their open water dive certifications. The third and fourth dive sites were called Hepp’s Pipeline and Mitch Miller’s Reef. Here the girls practiced more underwater skills such as buddy breathing, clearing masks, buoyancy, and ascension and descension. They did great! On the boat after the last dive of the day, Maria announced: “Congratulations! You’re official scuba divers now”. We all cheered, took photos, and celebrated with Welch’s Fruit Snacks, Nature Valley Granola Bars, and water. On these two dives we saw tube sponges, coral, a trumpet fish, yellow tail, schools of angelfish, fairy basslet, tiger fish, and a barracuda.

The evening ended at Yoshi’s Japanese restaurant where we enjoyed fresh sushi. The girls’ dive instructor, Maria, and our really nice and well-trained boat captain and dive master, Jeff, joined us for dinner. It was the celebratory meal that was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Day 4 – We got up early and took a drive along the coastline and went around the entire island in about 1-1/2 hours. You can drive about three-fourths of the way around the island, but that’s as far as the road goes. We stopped at Rum Point and had jerk fish burgers and hot dogs on the beach. We walked the boardwalk and peered at the fish through the glassy water. On our drive, we could see the ravages left by Hurricane Ivan several years back. Homes had been abandoned to rot, with holes in roofs and walls caved in. There were “for sale” signs everywhere along the island’s south coast. We also watched crab trying to cross the streets, but evidence on the road showed us that many don’t make it.

We got back to the condo just in time to get our bathing suits and cover-ups on and head to the dive shop again to take a bus to the boat. This day marked the first official dive days for Katie and Lauren without instructors. Our first dive site was called Chain Reef. Katie did a great job with Kory. Lauren and I buddied-up, but this dive wasn’t successful for Lauren. She descended to eight feet but couldn’t clear her ears. I tried having her ascend and go down really slowly, but I think she was a little scared and wanted to surface. We went back to the boat and she rested that dive out. The next dive site was called Bolero. Here Lauren decided to brave it out and dive again. This time, however, we all went down the rope with her slowly so she could equalize her ears better. I had to hold back for a few minutes though because, at the last minute while I was putting on my BC, I noticed that the tube connected to my dive computer was leaking air. Dive master Mike was able to give me a loaner computer for this dive so I was able to meet Kory, Katie and Lauren at the bottom of the deep blue sea. We took some family photos under water, and Kory also got some great shots of the girls as they played around. We all agree that Dad should send some of his underwater photos to a dive magazine or National Geographic. He’s been gifted in this area, that’s for sure.

After a long day of diving, we came right back to the condo, showered, and were ready to wind down for the night. The girls went to the beach and walked the “Path of Peace” that Lauren and Katie found. Kory updated our dive logs and uploaded photos, and I made a spaghetti dinner. We played a few more games of Banana Grams and Farkle after dinner and then turned in for the night.

Day 5 – The girls slept in this morning while Kory and I went to Divers Supply to get a new hose to attach to my dive computer. We made it a low-key morning while we prepared for another afternoon of diving. After waking around 9am, the girls played on the beach while Kory uploaded his latest dive photos, and I began writing our vacation journal so as not to forget the details.

Our first and second dive sites this afternoon were Royal Palms Ledge and Hammerhead Hole. We saw a sting ray buried in the sand at the first site and tried to find nurse shark since we heard they often hung out under the ledges in this area. We didn’t see any, but we saw a puffer fish and we each hovered over our favorite species to observe them more closely. Kory loves the sponges, I love the bluefish and little goby and benny fish that swim near the sandy bottom and dwell inside of sponges. Katie and Lauren love swimming with (and touching) the turtles the most.

This evening we were all exhausted from four straight days of diving, so we decided to stay in for dinner. Kory went to pick up Pizza Hut and after that we went to bed early.

Day 6 – This morning we left the condo early for a time of shopping. We started out in the cruise ship/port area. Lauren bought a t-shirt and bracelet here but most of the shops had touristy souvenirs, so we left here and went to The Westin Hotel to shop at Red Sail Sports. Here Kory bought a couple of hats for his friends, and Lauren got a beautiful little globe with shells and jewels in it. She’s been treasuring it ever since. We then stopped at Lauren’s Cafe to see if Lauren could get a t-shirt with her name on it to take home. Instead, the owner, named Lauren, gave our Lauren a mug with her name on it. We were so appreciate that we decided it was only right to stay for lunch and patron their business. The food was good. We had crab cakes, fish tacos, BBQ chicken and a great berry crepe with cream for dessert. We were pressed for time and went right back to the condo, got our swimsuits on, and headed out for our last day of diving. This day’s dive sites were Lonestar Ledge and Killer Puffer Fish. One of the older guys on the boat, Dan, buddied up with us on these dives. He was fairly new to diving, so he stayed close to us all. It worked out well, but there weren’t a whole lot of new fish to see this day. Kory, Katie, and Lauren did back flips off the side of the 55-foot dive boat, then we cleaned all our dive equipment back at the dive shop as this was sadly our last dive day. This evening I made burritos and chili cheese dip back at the condo and we played games until bedtime.

Day 7 – Dad and Katie went shopping first thing in the morning. She even brought back a book for me called “Reef Fish Identification” as she had overheard me saying that I wanted to learn the names of the underwater life so I can identify all the species. This was such a thoughtful gesture. While they were shopping, Lauren and I made reservations for the girls to go parasailing that afternoon. While we waited, we went swimming in the pool and Lauren made up a pool performance with Squeakers the Dolphin. While we were swimming, rain clouds swarmed over head and it started to pour while we were in the pool. Although it was fun, we gathered our towels and headed inside until it was time for parasailing. At noon we gathered at a designated spot on the beach and took a small boat ride to meet up with a larger boat for parasailing. The weather was nice by then, but the winds were stronger than normal, so the driver of the boat asked if I would be willing to parasail with Katie and Lauren to add more weight and to balance out the end. I didn’t mind, especially since they weren’t going to charge us any more. The girls loved it and determined that it wasn’t at all scary. Their favorite part was getting dragged in the ocean right before being hoisted back on the boat. Lauren’s dream is to fly like Tinker Bell, so this gave here a taste of what it might be like.

Our afternoon started with a boat ride out in the ocean to some popular snorkeling spots. The rain started to pour just as we were leaving the dock and we were all dripping with rain water. We had a great time with it though. Jeff was our boat captain, and was kind enough to allow Lauren to drive the boat. She did a great job, but we bounced around a lot. Hitting the waves at the right angle is a skill she’ll have to practice. Katie bundled up in a beach towel until we stopped at our first snorkeling site. The most fun here was having fish swim right past our faces. If we were fast enough, we could have caught them.

The second snorkeling site was stunning. There we saw a moray eel in its den/cave, a lobster, huge squirrel fish, Queen Angel Fish, yellowtail snapper, and small reefs with a plethora of fish. We picked up anchor after snorkeling there for about 40 minutes and headed to the Sand Bar near Sting Ray City to feed and play with sting rays. Jeff taught us how to hold pieces of squid just right so the sting rays would pass by our hands and suck up the food with their underbelly mouths. Katie said she ended up dropping the food every time a ray came near her hand because she was afraid that they’d vacuum up her hand. We also got to hold the sting rays in our arm and kiss their noses if we desired. I may have been the only one to do this. The rays were so friendly and i kind of bonded with a large female who kept swimming into my arms. Lauren enjoyed them, but she had a hard time moving around because they were swimming all around her feet. It definitely takes some getting used to. Kory was the resident photographer again but the choppy waves made it difficult for him to get steady shots. He desired to get under/over shots but the wind and waves didn’t cooperate. One the boat ride back to the marina, we saw giant iguana lounging in trees and also sitting on walls in the marshy areas near the docks.

In the van driving back to the dive shop from the boat, Jeff asked us if we wanted to go on a shore night dive. Although it would have been exciting to do a night dive, we were all so exhausted from five days of diving that we just wanted to shower, get dinner, and head to bed. We went to Camana Bay and ate dinner at Mizu Asian Bistro. Katie had chicken fried rice, Kory and I had sushi and fried calamari, and Lauren had an excellent Mongolian Beef and Broccoli dish.

Lauren’s Baptism
This evening, Lauren prepared her heart for her baptism that she chose to take part in on the last day of our vacation. The Holy Spirit had been working in her for several weeks prior, and she announced to Kory earlier that week that she was ready to be baptized. We rejoiced in her decision! Here are a few of our pictures…

BRIGHT Lights Anniversary

This month marked the first anniversary of the BRIGHT Lights group that meets in our home. This week, we were blessed to have the organization’s founder, Sarah Mally, join us in person! It was a complete surprise to the entire group.

Sarah led the group in discussing the fear of the Lord versus the fear of man. Below is a video of the surprise…

We are grateful to Sarah for her willingness to come to Arizona and be such an encouragement to these wonderful girls.

Seaside Vacation

This summer our family vacationed in Oregon where we enjoyed a week-long reprieve from the hot Arizona sun. We flew to Portland where we first visited my relatives. It was nice to see my parents and to share my hometown with Kory, Katie and Lauren. We were warmly welcomed by my aunt and uncle who prepared a nice BBQ for us on their back patio. The girls learned how to play a game called “Banana”. That evening we enjoyed dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

The next morning we drove to McMinnville where we toured the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. The girls enjoyed the “Fighter Pilot” movie the most, and Kory and I were awed by the massive Spruce Goose airplane that Howard Hughes designed and built and is now completely housed in this museum.

This giant plane made only one flight on November 2, 1947 and flew just over one mile at an altitude of 70 feet for one minute. The short hop proved to skeptics that the gigantic machine could fly, but that was it’s only flight. It was quite a site to see the original airplane and hear the fascinating stories behind it. We were also captivated by the Titan II Missile and were able to explore this large booster rocket from underneath its missile silo and then watch a simulated launch sequence. Other planes of interest were the SR-71 Blackbird and the Ford Tri-Motor. The girls were planning on going to the Wings and Waves Waterpark next to the museum, but they were too excited to check into our beach house and head out on the sand. So, that’s just what we did.

We arrived in Seaside late afternoon on the second day of our trip and were thrilled when we opened the front door to our deluxe beach house. The views of the ocean were spectacular, the home was cozy and warm, and the location was prime. We were literally 50 feet from the sand. Katie and Lauren put their suitcases in their room and were immediately clamoring to head to the beach.

Lauren and Katie were pleasantly surprised to find a swing set beside a path to the ocean. They spent quite a few hours over the course of our vacation swinging and laughing and meeting other beach-going kids. Kory was the designated swing pusher and made quite a good impression on the other young children around. He said, “kids like me”, to which Katie and Lauren laughed, but I nodded in agreement.

The fine, and ultra soft sand proved to be great for sandcastle building. Lauren built two fortresses, with a moat, castles, and pyramids over the course of our vacation, but the tide washed them away by morning. I think she was sad at the disappearance of her first great work of art, but understood the inevitable when she proceeded to build the next day.

Both Katie and Lauren did endless cartwheels and gymnastics tricks in the sand as well, although Katie was most interested in trying out the skimboard.

Two really good skimboarders were showing off their skills when we first arrived at the ocean’s edge and asked if we would like to try. Lauren and Katie first declined, so I decided to have my hand at it. What a mistake that was. Not only did I fall on my backside one time (fully clothed, I might add), but I fell a second time really hard. I thought for sure I’d get the hang of it, but it took me down and I accept my defeat. Katie, on the other hand, mastered the skimboard. She bravely got out there and started skimming the water like she’d done it before. The owners of the rental home had a skimboard in their garage, so Katie was able to take it to the beach on another occasion and really get into the hang of it.

A couple of mornings we got up at the break of dawn and walked along the misty beach collecting seashells. Lauren came home with quite an array including two slugs, or as she referred to them, “sluggards”!

The Seaside Promenade is an 8,000-foot long concrete boardwalk between central Seaside and its spectacular beach. The bike ride along the prom and through town was a highlight for Lauren, and Kory and I enjoyed seeing the Lewis and Clark Saltworks that was set up in 1805 and still remains.

We also spent quite a few hours in the local arcade playing a gamed called “Fascination”. This became a favorite memory of all of ours. The Fascination Parlor in Seaside dates back to the 1950’s. It’s a game that used to be common in amusement parks, boardwalks, and arcades mostly in oceanside resort towns.

Our favorite restaurant was Pig ‘N Pancake where Lauren savored steak and eggs two days in a row and Kory had one of the best jalapeno jack cheeseburgers he’s had in a while. Katie wasn’t too thrilled eating at the restaurant two meals in a row, so Kory surprised her by bringing in a small pizza from the pizza place down the street. The Pig ‘N Pancake restaurant has a fascinating story. It all began in May 1961, when the Poole couple opened the restaurant with only $100 cash and $2000 worth of borrowed equipment. Today there are six locations in Oregon. Other eating spots included Dooger’s Seafood & Grill, Mo’s, BeeBop Burgers, Fultano’s Pizza, and McDonald’s.

Another great memory was kite flying. One of our kites was pretty traditional and easy to get in the air. The other was more tricky to maneuver, requiring at least 7mph winds. This beauty was called the “Skydog Squadron”. On a couple of rainy days, Kory went to the beach briefly to get the kite in the air as high as he could, then he’d tie it to a beached log, and head back to the cozy beach house where he’d back and watch the Skydog Squadron fly from a cozy window seat.

One of the days of our trip we drove down Highway 101 along the coastline to tour the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It wasn’t what I remembered growing up. They used to allow hands-on tours, but now you just view a portion of the cheese-making process from an observation deck. I think the triple scoops of ice cream that we each purchased and took with us on our way out of the factory was the best part. The girls slept most of the drive back to Seaside, and we decided to stay at the beach the rest of the vacation instead of making any more day trips.

My mom drove down and stayed with us one evening. We spent time at the beach and mom got to fly a kite and enjoy the sand. It was a little cool the afternoon she came, so we spent most of the time inside. We ordered in pizza for dinner, played games, and went to bed early. The next morning mom joined us for church services at Cannon Beach Bible Church. It was a great time of worship for the whole family and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting the people at this small congregation. We all enjoyed sandwiches, fruit, and chips back at the house for lunch and then mom headed home. That evening, we watched the movie, “That Darn Cat” for about the fourth time over the course of our vacation.

There were many other great moments, but the time spent with the family relaxing and loving one another was the best part. We all rated this vacation about a 7 on a scale of 10, but looking back now, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Fall Break 2011

How quickly the school year passes. It seems like Katie and Lauren just started school and now Fall break has already passed. What an enjoyable break we had. We headed to Flagstaff right after the girls got out of school on Friday, October 7th. There was so much excitement in them, to a large extent because their good friends, and our neighbors, Summer and Elise (Liesy) got to join us.

We loaded the trailer with all of our clothes, food, and supplies to tow behind the truck since we had two adults, four children, and two dogs to fill every inch of interior space. Pokey and Frito took up the whole trunk area and Summer begged to sit with them since she is such a dog-lover. She braved hot stinky dog breath and drooling. The other three rode in the back seat with blankets, snacks, and games to accompany them. There was never a moment without singing or laughing. Someday when the girls are grown and have families of their own, we will miss the sound of giggling girls and angelic voices.

We made it to the Stewart’s cabin (which they were kind enough to let us use) around 5:30pm and everyone helped to unload the trailer and get settled in the house. After that, we went to dinner at Bun Huggers where we all enjoyed greasy cheeseburgers and fries. Katie and Summer made up a funny jingle that fits right along with our junk food dinner: “…right to your thighs.…”

Saturday morning the girls headed into the forest along a path not far from the cabin and they gathered together for an ELKS Club meeting. Over the summer, the girls had formed their club in our basement, but had to abandon their original clubhouse under the stairs due to a scorpion infestation. Now, the girls were able to hold their first official outdoor meeting. (By the way, ELKS stands for Elise, Lauren, Katie and Summer…pretty clever, huh!) The girls spent all morning creating their clubhouse. They worked as a team clearing brush, making walls out of logs, lining a rock pathway to the entrance, setting up a stage with a microphone, planting a garden with forest vegetation, and crafting a bench. They even wrote “ELKS” with a Sharpee pen on a tree to mark their territory. After hours of work and play, the girls invited Kory and me to attend an meeting of the ELKS where we were given a tour and detailed explanation of the clubhouse and how it came together.

After the outdoor meeting, we assembled our jackets, hats, and gloves and headed out to get some lunch which happened to be at yet another non-nutrituous restaurant, Burger King. We ate in the car as we headed to Lava River Cave, a mile long tube cave formed by molten rock that erupted from a volcanic vent in nearby Hart Prairie. The top, sides, and bottom of the flow cooled and solidified first, after which the insides of the lava river continued to flow, emptying out the present cave. We dressed appropriately for the cool cave temperatures (about 32 degrees inside), but we did not bring sources of light to help us see our way through the tunnel, so we weren’t able to make the trek this day. Knowing that Summer and Liesy’s parents, Brian and Carrie, were going to be joining us Sunday evening, we thought we’d return to the cave with them on Monday to explore it together, this time with proper lighting.

We made the short walk back to the car through the beautiful pine and aspen trees and then drove to Mt. Humphreys. It had been quite cold the week prior to our arrival, so there was a decent amount of snow at the top of the mountain, at least enough to play in. We drove up to the base of the highest lift chair and planned to ride it to the top. When Kory went to purchase the tickets for us, the man at the booth asked him, “Is all of your party dressed like you?” When Kory respond, “yes”, the man advised us to stay at the bottom of the lift so as to not freeze ourselves. For the record, Summer committed the unthinkable as we headed in to the lodge for hot chocolate. As Kory was “innocently minding his own business, filming the girls playing”, she dropped in for the snowball sneak attack.

After we got back to the cabin, the girls headed straight back to their ELKS club while Kory and I enjoyed the warmth of the cabin and read our books. The girls came inside when the sun was setting as they were getting quite cold and were ready for some hot chocolate and dinner. Kory went to pick up pizza from Stromboli’s, which has become a favorite of ours each time we visit Flagstaff. Katie and Summer helped make brownies after dinner and then the girls watched the movie “Saving Sarah Cain” before bed. Apparently, the girls stayed up half the night laughing and planning silly tricks on one another. Lauren and Liesy read all of Gunther’s books. All of the girls laughed hysterically at one of Gunther’s book called “Bye Bye Diapers”.

The next morning, Sunday, we had a time of worship in the girls’ clubhouse. Katie opened us up in prayer and then Kory led us in a study and discussion of Matthew 5:16 which says, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” We talked about standing out as Christians and being aliens, not part of the world. We discussed Joshua 24:15 which says, “…then choose this day whom you will serve.” And Kory stood with Joshua in stating that, “as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Liesy led us in a song titled “……….” and Lauren led us in singing “This Little Light of Mine”. Summer gave the closing prayer. The girls stayed in the clubhouse and played after that and Kory and I read books, took photos outside, and explored the trails nearby the cabin.

We all gathered for lunch back at the cabin and enjoyed grilled cheese and turkey sandwiches, chicken noodle soup, carrots and chips. Katie and Summer spent time moving all of their belongs out of the master bedroom and into the office area, to prepare the room for Brian and Carrie. We then all went on a hike through the trails behind the cabin. Kory drew arrows in the dirt on the ground with a stick to help us guide us back in case we got lost, and we strategically placed logs along the path to point the right direction. The sun was shining beautifully through the trees in the late afternoon of the day.

Brian and Carrie pulled up around 5:30pm. Carrie was so generous to bring up a full dinner for all of us that she had made ahead of time. We warmed it it the oven while we said our hellos and headed off to the ELKS clubhouse where we watched the girls present their clubhouse to Brian and Carrie and explain how it all came to be. Then, Carrie and I worked in the kitchen to do the last minute dinner preparations while the guys talked about electronics and discussed movies that have good family values. Carrie’s meal was fantastic: poppyseed chicken over either white or brown rice, green beans and rolls with butter. The poppyseed chicken was so good that I requested the recipe. After an easy clean-up, we all got comfortable on the couches and floor and watched the movie “Facing the Giants”. Katie and Summer helped me make s’mores halfway through the movie. After the movie, everyone got ready for bed and Katie and Summer snickered because they had secretly hidden all of the books that Lauren and Liesy had been reading. I don’t think they even knew because they made a discovery of a new pile of books to enjoy while falling asleep.

Monday morning we all spent time doing our own things before breakfast and then we filled up on eggs, sausage, toast, fruit, and cinnamon rolls before heading back to Lava River Cave. Once at the cave, everyone was handed a headlight and put on their coats and gloves in preparation for exploring the cave. It is a beautiful part of creation inside. The lights helped guide us through to the end and allowed us to see cracks and crevices, large rocks and melted lava all over. It is a fascinating cave and well-worth exploring. We had one mishap the whole time. Lauren tripped on a rock that was ticking up out of the ground and fell in the cave. She got a small cut just below her kneecap but apparently it hurt quite badly because she insisted on Dad walking her (and partly carrying her) the rest of the way out of the cave.

The Smith’s treated us to lunch at Chili’s after the cave hike and then we went back to the cabin. The girls, of course, headed back to their ELKS clubhouse and us adults lounged around and read books and enjoyed the cozy Treehouse. Brian and Carrie left around 4:30pm to go back to Mesa. Kory and I watched a little of the movie “Love Comes Softly” together while the kids were busy in “creativity land”, and when they when it was too dark to see anymore, they came inside and ate macaroni and cheese and leftover pizza. We then watched “Amish Grace” before bedtime. This was the favorite movie of all.

Tuesday morning was busy with lots of chores to be done by all. Each person was assigned jobs such as cleaning bathrooms, changing sheets, emptying trash cans, packing up clothes, laundry, mopping, vacuuming, loading the trailer, cleaning the patio, etc. My good husband even went to Walmart to get supplies we needed to replenish the one’s we had used at the cabin and he got a nice “thank you” card and fall floral basket to leave as a gift for the Stewarts. We locked up the cabin and headed home early afternoon. We were graced with more singing and laughter on the way home, but I assure you everyone was tired and not quite as energetic as when we first left. We all got a good night’s sleep upon our return.

Branson Vacation

Last year’s family vacation to Pennsylvania would be hard to top but we may have just done it…

This year, our family decided to visit Branson, Missouri as we have heard about its wholesome family atmosphere and entertainment. We awoke at 2:30am on Thursday, June 30th for a 6:29am departure from Phoenix. Although none of us got more than four hours of sleep the night before, our excitement kept us going well into the night. We had one plane stop in Denver where Katie ate fried rice from Panda Express at nine in the morning and the rest of us snacked on chocolate covered peanuts and candy (healthy breakfast). We played wooden board games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and then caught the last leg of our flight to Branson.

The Ozarks this time of year were lush and green with lots of oak trees, pine trees, and lakes winding their way around the city. We rented a Chevy Traverse SUV for the week and made our way to The Wilderness Cabins where we were pleasantly surprised at our quaint and cozy cabin #2, appropriately named “Pa’s Place”. It was decorated inside with a fishing and hunting theme. We even had a stuffed deer staring at us from the wall. The girls had a trundle bed which was new for them. Lauren got the lower pull-out portion for her bed. The cabin had a kitchenette with a table and a small bathroom and outside the cabin was a front porch with a bench, a back porch with two rocking chairs, and an expanse of forest with lots of squirrels foraging for food.

After quickly surveying our cabin, we headed to Marvel Cave at Silver Dollar City where we took a step back in time and experienced the cave just as the early explorers did – by lantern light! Guides shared historical facts and little known stories as we walked over 500 feet below ground. We saw pools of water, a spectacular waterfall, bat guano and the only known “Spanish ladder” left in the cave circa 1541. After riding in a train car back to the surface, we headed to our cabin for some much welcomed sleep.

We were back at Silver Dollar City the next morning for a full day of fun as we stepped back in time to the 1880’s theme park filled with thrill rides, a craft village, shows and numerous wholesome family attractions. The favorite rides of the day were The Great Barn Swing and Powder Keg which were bravely ridden by Katie and Lauren about a half dozen times each. We saw the Stunt Dog Experience combining tricks, comedy and unique skits by extremely talented stunt dogs with lights and special effects for a fun show. We also saw The Fabulous Wallenda’s Family Circus! Katie and Lauren were in awe and Kory and I reminisced about seeing the family in the Barnum and Bailey Circus when we were young. The girls made wax molds of their hands by dipping them many times in warm wax, which were then painted in three colors and sprinkled with glitter. The concept of preserving a mold of their child-sized hands is great but the wax was so thin that fingers broke off when we tried to transport them. We had to give them a burial in the trash. Overall, Silver Dollar City proved to be a great family experience.

Day three started with a tour of the Titanic Museum which took us back to 1912, where first class maids and a variety of officers and crew members brought the stories of the ship and its fascinating passengers to life by retelling their tales. The artifacts throughout the museum shed additional light on the lives of those passengers and crew members. We saw actual belongings of those on board and artifacts that sailed on Titanicʼs voyage. Upon entry to the “ship” each of us was handed a boarding pass bearing the name of a Titanic passenger. The fate of this passenger was revealed on the Memorial Wall. Along our tour we got to walk an elegant replica of the Titanic’s Grand Staircase, touch the frozen surface of an ‘iceberg’, examine the world’s largest Titanic ship’s model on display, see a First Class Stateroom; Third Class cabin, and learn about Molly and Carter, the dogs that were onboard the Titanic.

As hungry passengers, we decided to leave the museum and get some lunch at Starvin’ Marvin’s, a country/Cajun restaurant. We all selected items off the buffet which ranged from fried chicken, catfish, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, green beans, salad, biscuits and gravy and more. The meal ended with our own personal ice-cream cup. We weren’t starvin’ when we left, that’s for sure.

We then headed to the Sight and Sound theatre for the day’s grand finale where we saw the musical production of Noah. This great Bible story was presented on a 300-foot wraparound stage with 40 foot high sets, a cast of 50 actors, elaborate costumes, amazing special effects, and hundreds of live and animatronics animals. We relived an amazing time in history when God told Noah to build the ark and fill it with every kind of animal, then came the first raindrops and God shut the door. “For just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will also be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.” We watched a reenactment of Noah and his family as they experienced being cooped up at sea for more than a year. When their trying journey was finally complete, we marveled at the wonders of God’s reward for Noah’s unquestioning obedience and devotion to Him. What an amazing story and lesson. I think we all walked away with increased love for and faith in our God. This was the highlight of our trip.
On our way back to the cabin, we stopped to get burgers at Steak ʻN Shake, which turned out to be a favorite of the trip. We ate there three times during our vacation. The “steak burgers” were some of the best fast food burgers we have had. Too bad there arenʼt any franchises in Arizona. We ate these in the cabin while we played Uno.

Sunday morning, July 3rd, we went to Friendly Baptist Church. The people were definitely friendly, as we received hugs in the parking lot before even getting inside the church. After church we ate Steak ʻN Shake burgers in the car as we drove to Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. We were going to rent Segways but Lauren and Katie didnʼt weigh enough to make them operate correctly. We then tried to ride horses, but Lauren wasnʼt big enough (by their rules). After that, we paid for two ATVʼs to ride around the park, but we missed the start of the tour and were unable to do that so we had to get a refund. We decided maybe we werenʼt meant to do any activities in the park that day, so we took a nice leisurely ride back to Branson.

We checked into a new hotel at Still Waters Resort where we stayed the rest of the trip. We had a nice room with a view of Table Rock Lake which was just a few minutesʼ walk to the lakefront. The resort had several pools, one with a waterfall and hammocks, a marina, playground, market, and Parmesanʼs Restaurant.

That evening we went to Dolly Partonʼs Dixie Stampede. We had a fantastic four course feast that we ate with our hands. The meal included a cheese biscuit, cream soup, a whole mini chicken, pork loin, half of a baked potato, corn on the cob, and an apple turnover. We were stuffed. We ate all this while watching an exciting dinner show filled with friendly competition between the Union and Confederate armies. The show included great horse stunts and a live musical production. Katie deemed this her favorite attraction of the week. That night back at the hotel the girls went down by the lake to watch fireworks which were also visible from the balcony off our room. We thought we were going to get to see a big fireworks display on the 4th, but apparently almost the whole city did their fireworks on the 3rd, so the small display we saw near the lakefront was the biggest display we would see this year. I guess I should have researched that better, but no one was overly disappointed.

On July 4th, we started the day off with much excitement. We rented a brand new 24ʼ triple pontoon boat and everyone went tubing and swimming for the first couple of hours of our morning. It was beautiful out on the water and turned out to be so much fun that we decided to rent the same kind of boat the following day. Both days on the boat were a blast and kept us cool and energized. We also found out that the 115hp Mercury motor was powerful enough to pull all of us out of the water with ease. We were all famished after the first morning on the water and went to Steak ʻN Shake yet again for lunch.

We then went to Ripelyʼs Believe It Or Not Museum and saw some really strange oddities. The next stop was to the Worldʼs Largest Toy Museum which took us on a trip down memory lane. We saw thousands of toys, from die cast cars and trucks, to antique bicycles, dolls, action figures, Kaleidoscopes, cap guns, games, figurines, lunch boxes, and tin wind-up toys. Interacting with the salesman was an experience in itself. He was like a kid in a candy shop with so much passion and childlike enthusiasm for the toys and the patrons who visit the museum and toy store. If only we could all live with such zeal and fervor as this guy. Katie was able to guess 9 out 10 songs in his ‘name that tune’ contest which he played on his plastic clarinet. She became an instant hero and was even given a write-up on their Facebook page. Here is an excerpt:

HOOOOOOEEEEEEEE! What a great 4th of July at the Museum. We were visited by a ton of cool people, but kudos go out to the awesome Nakatsu family, with the Golden Bear Award going to Katie Nakatsu. Katie smashed the record of our mind boggling game of “Name that Tune”. The most ever gotten before was about 5 out of 10 but Katie crushed all other competitors with an astonishing 9 out of 10!!! So everybody join me in the “Krushing Katie” cheer.

Katie, Katie you’re the best,
10 times greater than the rest!
“Name that Tune” is where you rule,
you’re so awesome and so cool!

Thanks for the fun time at the museum.

Our next stop was to Shepherd of the Hills where Katie and Lauren zip-lined their way down the side of a hill from the top of Inspiration Tower. They were both so brave to try the Vigilante ZipRider (170 feet high, 1/2 mile long and 50mph). They werenʼt afraid at all and both loved it.

That evening we were back at The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Theatre to watch Harold Bell Wright’s epic story of love, loss, power, hardship, and faith come to life on an outdoor stage . It took over 80 actors and actresses, 40 horses, a flock of sheep, several guns and rifles, an actual burning log cabin, and a vintage 1908 DeWitt automobile to create the live action performance. The Shepherd of the Hills show told us the story of the Ozarks which leaves us with a greater appreciation of the surroundings we visited on our vacation.

Day 6 started out with three hours on the boat, this time with a tube and a knee board. Boating on Table Rock Lake was definitely a favorite activity for the family. What a fun memory.

Our day continued as we drove to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where we saw an evening performance of The Passion Play recounting the last few days of Jesusʼ life on earth, his death, burial, and resurrection. The story was presented amidst a scenic background with the sun setting in the distance as the story began but it was much more than a production, it was clear that the writers and producers have ministry in mind over mere entertainment.

The last full day of our trip was spent at White Water, Bransonʼs only outdoor water park, featuring rides like Kalani Towers, Pipeline Plunge, Aloha River, and Splashaway Cay. Katie and Lauren had a great time getting soaked while Kory and I found lounge chairs in the shade and read a book together. We were so exhausted from being out in the heat all day that we picked up a quick dinner to take back to our hotel room and played Uno on the kidsʼ pulled down Murphy bed until 10pm.

The final day of our vacation we explored the Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure, a tropical experience with an interactive and educational expedition through the butterfly aviary, living rainforest science center and Emerald Forest mirror maze. We ate brunch at IHOP before heading to the airport and flying home.

Last yearʼs trip to Pennsylvania and this yearʼs trip to Branson were unforgettable family vacations. It will be hard to top these next year, but we have some ideas in mind that weʼre sure will be just as exciting and memorable, maybe with just at a little slower pace.

The Nakatsu Family

Author: Kerry Nakatsu