These days my life seems to rush before my eyes. Where did the year go? Didn't we JUST get here? Well, I guess maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are your typical Americans running in the typical American Rat Race! Business is booming and during the day if I'm not working on clients, I have to work on advertising, purchase product, adjust my website, balance the budget (both business and home), grocery shop, clean the house and run any other errands that I wasn't able to fit in any other time. By the time I finally get a chance to sit down and take a moment for myself, it's time to help Dawson with his homework, go pick up the babies from preschool and then get dinner started. After dinner, Dave and I usually tag team the clean up and then it is time to sit for a few minutes before we start bath time, story time, prayers and finally the tucking in commences. Fast forward 8 hours and do it all over again!
This holiday season kind of slapped me in the face and I realized that I missed an entire year while I was chasing my tail. That got me to thinking... "Why?" I mean, yes, business is good, but I work for myself. I don't have to work at all if I don't want to, so why am I killing myself by running the clock out every single day without even knowing where the time has gone? Well... that's easy; It's the American way... It's what we know. It's the constant struggle to make every moment of the day count for something in order to justify our existence to ourselves and, in some cases, to others.
I rarely make resolutions, but this year I resolved, (if you noticed on my Facebook post ;) ), to smile more, spend more quality time with my loved ones and to just stop and smell the roses. I have already started to do all three and plan to make it a wonderful year full of memories that I intend to try to share with everyone a little more often.
This week I started my New Year off by keeping my little ones home from Preschool on Monday and Tuesday and just spending the entire day with them. They are such a joy to be around and I love just watching them interact with each other and their environment.
Monday, we played on the deck and then I spent time teaching them how to use both the desktop computer and my notebook computer, (Normally we would do crafts or play-doh, but Dave and I had a huge cleaning fest on Sunday and the house was spotless so I wasn't inclined to destroy it so soon!). After they had both mastered, I set them each to playing their own age appropriate computer learning games and reading interactive online E-books, while I sat back and sang along to the cute little musical tunes, counted bananas or pointed out that a Fireman doesn't wear a tutu.
Tuesday, we got up bright and early, packed a backpack with snacks, extra clothes and necessities for the day, sliced up an apple each for breakfast on the go, and got on the road for our 90 minute trek to what is inarguably one of the most incredible Aquariums in the world, located at Expo Park, the Churaumi Aquarium. Churaumi ranks #7 in the Top 10 Most Magnificent Aquariums in the World, and is the 3rd largest aquarium in the world holding 1.98 million gallons of water and housing THREE whale sharks! Although I have been there dozens of times this past decade or more, (I finally wised up and went ahead and purchased an annual pass for my future visits... the same price as two day passes), I always experience something new and the boys are always mystified at the experience.
As beautiful and awe inspiring as the aquarium is, it pales in comparison to the way that my toddlers' faces light up every time they experience it. I started out in the mid 90's bringing Raider to the Aquarium when he was no bigger than DJ is now. It was just as amazing then as it is now. Now I get to share it with Dawson and my littlest ones... truth be told, a pre-teen isn't nearly as interested in it the second and third time around but DJ and Drake are in heaven!
The aquarium itself is a wonder to behold, but it is only one of several different places that you can explore inside a huge park called Expo Park. Besides the aquarium, Expo Park is home to one of Japans most beautiful beaches, Emerald Beach, it also has an Oceanic Culture Museum, a Native Okinawa Village, the Omoro Arboretum, a Tropical Dream Center, (That my boys affectionately refer to as "Ra-puzzle's Tower"), another Tropical and Subtropical Arboretum, two separate dolphin viewing programs and shows, a turtle exhibit, a manatee exhibit, a huge children's playground filled with climbing nets, gift shops and restaurants galore, and all of the beautiful flowers and flower sculptures located throughout the park. It is no wonder that I never tire of visiting this place!
I spent the entire day with a permanent grin on my face from watching DJ and Drake dart back and forth, to and from each exhibit. Half way through the aquarium is a little cafe situated in the most perfect location possible... adjacent to the gargantuan main tank that holds three Whale Sharks and a multitude of giant Manta Rays among many, many other species of sharks and fish. We were fortunate enough to get a table located directly on the glass wall of the tank and ate and gazed with amazement at these beautiful underwater creatures.
After leaving the aquarium with their new little gifts in hand, DJ and Drake ran the trails in the park until they could run no more at which time we found ourselves nearby one of the dolphin exhibits and they were getting ready to start a show. The boys decided to rest their tired little legs on a bench next to an elderly Japanese man who was as amused by DJ and Drake's awestruck faces and squeals of glee as he was the dolphins! We then made our way to the second dolphin exhibit which was also getting ready to start a show. After that, it was time to make a weary trek back to the van where we took the leisurely route home, (My way of saying that I was daydreaming and went North when I should have went South and added an additional 45 minutes to the trip!).
It was a truly magnificent day and one worthy of my New Year's Resolution. I plan to make time each week to do something with the children whom are with me now so that I don't feel like I missed out on so much of their childhood like I did Raider's. 2011 is truly going to be a great year for the Mulder Clan!!
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| My little guppies. |
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| The "Petting Zoo" area of the aquarium. |
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| Expo Park. You can see Ie Island in the backgound. |
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| A Wall of Wonders! |
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| DJ, amazed by the Whale Shark. Table with a view please! |
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| Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! (This was taken while sitting in my seat at our table.) |
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| A Japanese lady was kind enough to take our photo for us. |
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| Ra-Puzzle's tower! |
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| Leaving the dolphin shows DJ and Drake couldn't resist "Riding" the Shisa... Mommy couldn't resist taking their picture! ;0) |
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| Best Friends. The End! |
LOVE your blog and love you! Thank you for sharing this with me! You said everything so perfectly. I truly feel the same way that you do. Where does the time go? For me, I need to get into my head that sometimes the housework can wait and that spending this small time that I have with my children cannot. I feel like I'm missing it! I'm so thankful that I have you as a friend.... And that you can so eloquently say everything that I'm thinking.... So that I don't have to.. Lol! Love you!
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