The Tall Ships Races 2013 in Helsinki, Finland

by Christine M.July 21, 2013

Above photo: The breathtaking Mexican Tall Ship, Cuauhtemoc!

Above photo: My favorite photo I took from the event, the breathtaking Mexican Tall Ship, Cuauhtemoc!

What an exciting time to arrive in Finland! We were very excited to be able to experience The Tall Ships Races right here in the neighborhood that we just moved to!

Over 100 vessels were here this weekend for the races which began on July 17th and continued until July 20th. The event ended with the Parade of Sails, when the ships go onto the next Tall Ships Races location, the Port of Riga, Latvia. The races will later end in Szczecin, Poland the first week of August, 2013.

We enjoyed viewing all of the beautiful ships on Thursday, July 17th after they were all docked:

The highlight of the event was watching the departure of all of the beautiful ships during the Parade of Sails event on Saturday, July 20th:

Mia enjoying the Parade of Sails!

Mia and I having a great time on Saturday!

We were a little sad to have to say goodbye to all of the ships. What an amazing experience it was to see so many beautiful vessels in one weekend/location:

For more information on this event, please visit:
http://www.tallshipsraceshelsinki.fi/

Our Visit to the Office

by Christine M.July 9, 2013

Mia and I were finally able to see where her daddy has been working since November. We had a great time visiting the office on Friday and meeting some of his co-workers. Many were on their summer holiday, so we will try to visit again after the summer is over. Mia thought that her daddy’s office was a very cool place to work!!

Mia and I at the entrance to the office.

A cool display in the lobby.

Mia and I sitting on one of the chairs in the store.

One of the cool work spaces!

Mia and her daddy at the cool slingshot display.

A fun work/play area.

Mia and I having fun at one of the little break areas.

One of the cool meeting rooms. Mia loved this room!

Mia had a lot of fun writing on one of the creative boards.

Mia and I in the Mighty Eagle room! These two girls are ready for business! 😉

One of the drink coolers at the office.

Mia was checking out the beautiful view at the office!

Happy 4th of July from Finland!

by Christine M.July 4, 2013

We decided to take our first journey on the train today and made it downtown. We celebrated the 4th of July at the Hard Rock Cafe Helsinki. They were giving 20% off to anyone from the U.S.A. today!
We also went across the street to check out their big department store called Stockmann. It was really nice and we ran into a reindeer!

They were celebrating the 4th of July at the Hard Rock Cafe downtown today!

They were celebrating the 4th of July at the Hard Rock Cafe today!

Made it to the Stockman Dept. Store Downtown today and found a reindeer!

Made it to the Stockmann Dept. Store downtown today and found a reindeer!

We made it! Our first few days in Finland… Wow, there’s so much daylight!!!

by Christine M.July 2, 2013

We arrived safely in Helsinki late Saturday afternoon, and have been busy unpacking and exploring all of the different areas around us. After the first day, we knew we needed to find Mia something to help her get around. We have been doing so much walking, so we found her a cute little scooter to easily keep up with us. She is really getting around great now and having a lot of fun with it!

The time zone difference (7 hours ahead of Orlando) has really been tough on us these first couple of days. It is also daylight out most of the time. The sun set on our first night around 11:00 p.m. and then sunrise was at 3:58 a.m.!!! We have to wear sleep masks just to try to keep some of the light out to sleep (we have blackout shades on some of the windows too). On our second night, we were wide awake from 2 a.m. to around 6 a.m. We went out for a walk/scooter ride at 3 a.m. and made it over to Mia’s school so she could see it. Not one soul was out! I was a little surprised since this is the capital city of Finland! We have been here for almost 4 days now, and I have yet to see a police car or officer and have not heard any sirens from ambulance or police. Seems very strange for a big city. I heard at least two or three a day in Central Florida! It is certainly a nice peaceful change. It is also refreshing to see so many people out with their families, walking their dogs, bike riding, and just simply enjoying this beautiful weather!

Danny was back to work Monday morning and we start to look at new places tomorrow. However, we are really enjoying the simplicity of going from a 4 bedroom home to a cute little studio apartment with a view of the beautiful canal…. Not sure if we really need a little bigger place anymore! We’ll see how tomorrow goes. 🙂

Last photo of Mia and her dog, Audrey before we left. My parents are watching our two dogs while we are away. Not a day goes by that Mia is not talking about her dog. :(

Photo of Mia and her amazing dog, Audrey before we left. She was originally my parent’s dog, but quickly grew attached to Mia after she was born. Grateful that my parents are watching our two dogs while we are away. Not a day goes by that Mia is not talking about her dog. They are like two peas in a pod! 😥

Made it to the Airport with all 15 of our bags! Thanks to my brother, Richard for getting us there. Whew!!

Made it to the Airport with all 15 of our bags! A big thanks to my brother, Richard for getting us there. Whew!!

In Orlando, getting ready to board our flight to Manchester.

On the plane, ready to go!! Not sure why Mia wanted to show off her toothbrush they gave her! Lol Total travel time was about 14 hours from Orlando to Finland.

First part of our flight was from Orlando to Manchester. 2 hour layover, then to Helsinki! Whew… it was a long journey!

Ready to explore! We hit the ground running (and scootering)! Mia on one of our journeys out to explore the area!

Our cute little studio apartment. Love it!

View from our apartment! So peaceful!

Mia having fun on her new scooter at 3 a.m. We were wide awake (it was only 8 p.m. Florida time)!

A cool sculpture on one of our many walks. Hope someone can tell me the name of this beautiful sculpture!

I will end with a glimpse of the perfect weather and the sunrise/sunset times!

All packed and ready to go!! Less than 20 hours until our big move…. Finland here we come!

by Christine M.June 28, 2013

Here we go!!!! We are finally all packed and ready to go! Moving to Finland in less than 20 hours!!!! Our master bedroom turned into packing central this past week. Only moving with suitcases and donated about 3/4 of all of our belongings to various charities and friends in need. Whew…. It feels great to simplify our lives and we are now ready for our adventure in Europe!! We will miss you all!! ♥

The beginning of all the packing! Moving with only suitcases!

A bunch of our furniture went to the Salvation Army today. This was the 2nd truck to visit our home for the move. Feeling great! 🙂

Finally all packed and ready to go!!

After 30 years… Our trip back to my homeland: The Beautiful Island of Okinawa, Japan!

by Christine M.June 27, 2013

The big day is almost here… We will be flying to Finland tomorrow!!! It has been a very busy week getting everything packed, but we are looking forward to starting our new adventure! I am finally posting the photos from our trip back to my homeland. It was an amazing experience and also a very emotional one. It was so nice to see all of our family in Japan after so many years and also to meet many of them who were not born until after we moved away. I had forgotten how beautiful it was… It felt like we were in paradise!!

First evening in Okinawa. Dinner with some of our family!
June 5, 2013. — at Okinawa｜沖縄.

Our first evening together with our family!

What an amazing view! at Itoman-Shi, Okinawa.

Such a peaceful place! — in Itoman-shi, Okinawa.

My mom at the WWII memorial site. She is pointing out her uncle and great grandfather.

The Cornerstone of Peace Memorial.

Mia and her daddy enjoying some beach time at sunset. — at Araha Beach Okinawa Japan.

So cool… meeting my Aunt for the first time at the airport and her purse matched my wallet! I gave it to her as a gift before we left! 🙂

Mia and her cousin feeding Koi fish.

This is a cave that I visited 30 years ago on a school field trip! It was amazing! — at Gyokusendou Caves.

Mia and I with our cousin — at Gyokusendou Caves.

At Gyokusendou Caves.

A beautiful waterfall in the cave. — at Gyokusendou Caves.

Being brave at the Habu Snake show! — at Habu Museum Park, Okinawa.

Having fun on our last full day in Okinawa! — at Okinawa world.

Mia and I having fun in front of the beautiful Shisa dogs. — at Okinawa world.

At my Aunt’s home for an amazing family dinner!

Our family butsudan at my Aunt’s house.

Mia and her cousin having fun!

Danny enjoying some good food and drink!

Mia and I on the balcony where we are staying in Okinawa... very close to where I was born! June 9, 2013. — at Okinawa｜沖縄.

Mia and I on the balcony where we stayed in Okinawa… very close to where I was born! June 9, 2013. — at Okinawa｜沖縄.

Danny and I at the beach where we stayed. We are very happy to be back together again! ♥

Mia having fun at the playground close to where we are staying... June 9, 2013. — at Pirate Ship Park, Araha Beach.

Mia having fun at the playground close to where we stayed… June 9, 2013. — at Pirate Ship Park, Araha Beach.

Our family at my Aunt’s house.

Mia and her cousin enjoying the yummy dinner my Aunt's family prepared for us. It was amazing!!

Mia and her cousin enjoying the yummy dinner my family prepared for us. It was amazing!!

Mia playing with all of her cousins! They had a blast together!

Mia and her cousin. They are the same age and only one day apart! March 15th and March 16th. 🙂

Mia trying on her cousin’s cool school backpack.

At Camp Lester… where I was born!

My mom and I in front of the hospital where my older brother and I were born in the same room, by the same doctor, and exactly two years apart!

Where it all began… My mom and I in front of the hospital where my older brother and I were born in the same room, by the same doctor, and exactly two years apart! We were told that this hospital would be torn down later this year. So glad that we made it back when we did!

The glass bottom boat tour to see all of the beautiful coral and fish. It was unbelievable!

We had a lot of fun on a glass bottom boat tour to see all of the beautiful coral and fish. It was unbelievable!

Having fun on the glass bottom boat ride!

Mia and I on the beach. Mia and her daddy drew a note in the sand for me. :)

Mia and I on the beach. Mia and her daddy made a note in the sand for me. 🙂

My family enjoying an afternoon together at the beautiful aquarium…. — at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

Entrance to the Churaumi Aquarium.

Mia and I enjoying the beautiful view… — at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

An amazing tank at the Aquarium!

Mia posing with a cool fish at the aquarium.

At my family gravesite. Reunited with my mom’s Uncle and his wife. We had to cut through the jungle behind us to get to it…. Luckily, there were about 12 of us to hike through it together. Yikes!!!

We made it through the jungle to my family’s gravesite.

Danny introduced my Great Aunt to Angry Birds! Now all of my family in Okinawa are playing the game!

This was on the drive to Motobu to visit my family’s gravesite.

Grocery shopping… Holy Daikon! — at Okinawa｜沖縄.

Our last dinner in Okinawa. We miss all of the yummy food!

I will end with my favorite photo from our trip. Mia couldn't stop laughing from these Doctor Fish! ;)

I will end with one of my favorite photos from our trip. Mia couldn’t stop laughing from these Doctor Fish! 😉

Our exciting adventure in Tokyo, Japan

by Christine M.June 25, 2013

This post will include some of the photos from the Tokyo area of our trip and the next post will include photos from our visit to my homeland: the beautiful Island of Okinawa, Japan. We really enjoyed our trip to the Tokyo area of Japan and were able to experience many beautiful sights as well as some amazing food! Visiting the Tokyo area was a first for all of us and the most exciting part was our ride on a bullet train! Wow, what an amazing experience that was!! I’m sure the look on all of our faces after the first one flew by us while we were waiting for our train was priceless! The sound of them flying by will certainly make you jump and say, “Wow!!!!!” right afterwards!

The highlight of our trip for Mia was when we visited the location of the Hachiko statue from her favorite movie, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale.

Mia in front of the Hachi statue! The highlight of her trip to Tokyo! at Shibuya Station.

My mom, Mia and Mayu at the Hachiko Statue!

A cool building in Atami!

Mia feeding Koi fish at a restaurant in Tokyo.

My mom and her family at Atami Station.

View of Atami.

Our cool room for a night… sleeping the traditional way (on a tatame)!

One of the many amazing meals from our trip!

My cousin and I having fun at dinner!

Mia and I getting ready for a hot bath (onsen) in the robes they gave us at check-in!

A beautiful butterfly near Mt. Fuji.

On a side road near Mt. Fuji. Not going to say why we are on a side road… that was a whole other adventure all by itself! 😉

My mom and her two brothers finally reunited after 30 years!

Enjoying some sake! Kampai!

Mia relaxing after the bullet train ride! at Atami Station

My family in front of the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo.

Mia and I at the Sensoji Temple.

Sensoji Temple.

Mia with her fortune and her Godzilla toy she picked out! Lol

Mia and I at the Sensoji Temple.

Mia and her daddy at the Sensoji Temple.

My mom and I at the Sensoji Temple.

Peaceful… at Sensoji Temple.

Tokyo Skytree.

We enjoyed way too much sushi!

Holy Wasabi!! Ask the chef and you shall receive....

Holy Wasabi!! Ask the sushi chef and you shall receive….

My cousin enjoying a tall mug of Asahi beer! Love her! 😉

On the bullet train!

The Bullet Train! So cool!!!

Our view of Mt. Fuji from the plane ride to Okinawa! Wow!!

I will end with a photo Mt. Fuji that I took from the plane ride to Okinawa! I felt so lucky to get this shot. Amazing!!!

I will end with a photo of Mt. Fuji that I took from the plane ride to Okinawa! I felt so lucky to get this shot. Amazing!!!

Our family is finally reunited and our VERY long awaited family reunion in Japan!

by Christine M.June 21, 2013

Word on the street is that I need to update my blog!! So sorry, I am a little behind…. things have been crazy here!!! We are very busy packing up the house and are down to only one week until our move to Finland! Wow! It has been a great couple of weeks of family reunions for us. The first photos are from Danny’s return home from Finland and the rest are the airport pics from our trip to Japan. It had been 30 years since my mom and I had been home to Okinawa, so it was a VERY long awaited family reunion! I will post the rest of our photos from our trip in my next two blog posts.

Tears of Joy! Sorry this photos is blurry... mom was too excited to hold the camera straight! Lol

Tears of Joy! Sorry this photo is blurry… mom was too excited to hold the camera straight! Lol

At the airport in Orlando… getting ready to leave for our Japan trip!

At the airport in Tokyo…. Reunited with one of my mom’s brothers and meeting his daughter for the first time!

At the airport… Greeted by some of our family. We made it to Okinawa!

My mom and her Aunt reunited at the airport!

Less than 24 hours and our family will FINALLY be reunited!!! Yippeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Christine M.May 29, 2013

We are FINALLY down to only hours until our family is reunited!!! Danny will be boarding a plane in Finland in about 5 hours and will be on his way home to Orlando! Mia will finally get to finish her bike riding lessons with her daddy and I will get to sleep in for my b-day on Friday (Mia’s an early bird like her daddy and I am a night owl so I could really use some sleep)!!! We are so excited that the day is almost here and have a very busy month ahead…

We will be leaving on Saturday for our long awaited trip home to Japan. We will spend a few days in Tokyo visiting family as well as Mt. Fuji and then we are off to Okinawa (where I was born). We are very excited to finally be reunited with our family in Okinawa which we have not seen in almost 30 years! We will then return home for a short period and will be off to Finland for our big move on the 28th of June!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN

by Christine M.April 5, 2013

Our family enjoyed a nice weekend getaway during Mia’s Spring Break. This was the first time for all of us to visit the Great Smoky Mountains. It has to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. We all felt so relaxed and enjoying having our family together again. The pictures below show how peaceful and beautiful this area is. It was breathtaking! I hope that we will have the chance one day to spend more time there and see the rest of the Smoky Mountains National Park.

On our last morning there right before leaving to catch our plane back to Orlando, it started to snow… We thought the first time that Mia would see snow would be after we moved to Finland. She screamed with such excitement when she saw the snow coming down out the window. She had the time of her life trying to catch all of the snowflakes. Such a special memory that we will never forget! ♥

Mia and I at the John Oliver cabin (Cades Cove).

The view from the John Oliver cabin. Such a beautiful sight!

Mia and her daddy having fun at the John Oliver cabin property.

Mia and I at the John Oliver cabin. I’m ready to move in… so relaxing!

Me in front of the John Oliver cabin. It was a nice long walk up an unpaved driveway before getting to the cabin.

Mia and I sitting on the porch at the John Oliver cabin.

Mia and I in front of a pretty little waterfall on the drive through the Smoky Mountain National Park.

Mia and I in front of a pretty little waterfall on the drive through the Smoky Mountains National Park.

Mia looking at all of the cool rocks at a river on the drive.

Mia and her daddy having fun skipping rocks on the river.

Mia in front of the beautiful river.

Mia and I at one of the stops along the drive through the Smoky Mountain National Park.

Mia and I at one of the stops along the drive through the Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Gatlinburg sign on the drive to the Smoky Mountain National Park.

The beautiful place we stayed at. It snowed the last morning we were there.

Mia catching snowflakes!

Mia in front of the place we stayed… loving the snow coming down!

Mia catching snowflakes with her hat. This is the back of the place that we stayed.

Mia getting ready for our first snowball fight! 🙂

Mia and I at the Titanic Museum. What an amazing place!

Mia getting her cookie signed at the Lumberjack Feud show!

Mia at the Ripley's Aquarium. One of her favorite things are sharks, so she loved this place!

Mia at the Ripley’s Aquarium. She loves sharks, so she had a blast here!

A beautiful deer on the drive through Cades Cove.

I will end with a beautiful sight on the drive through Cades Cove!

I will end with a shot of the beautiful Smoky Mountains on the drive through Cades Cove!

Central Florida Bucket List… Monster Truck Jam!!!

by Christine M.January 28, 2013

Mia and I were invited by my brother and his girlfriend to attend the Monster Jam on Saturday evening at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. I have heard about this event, but never actually went to one until this weekend. It was a very exciting experience and Mia had a blast! She has always loved trucks, trains, and superheroes… so the Monster Jam was a perfect event for her to see.

I believe that the Citrus Bowl holds over 60,000 people and the event was sold out. I was so surprised to see so many people at this event and so many families that brought their kids along. Luckily, I was warned by one of my friends right before the event to bring earplugs. It was very loud and the earplugs were a must have. Overall, it was a great time and certainly something to see at least once in your lifetime!