Uruma Park- the awesome sled down the mountain park!

This park is totally awesome. Okay so the park itself is alright. The super slide is AWESOME. It's actually a really big park, baseball fields, tent and cabin camping, playgrounds and bumper cars oh and a restaurant too. You can rent plastic sleds to slide down the smaller hills. Those run 200 yen for an hour or maybe it's two, in any case small fee, tons of fun. They have tracks made for a smooth ride. Assuming you want smooth. When we went the boys were more into extreme sports. Brandon now has his first extreme video on Youtube! The bumper cars are more individual cars you steer and drive yourself but if you choose, you can bump others. That is 100 yen per ride and lasts about 5 minutes. The highlight of this park is by far the Super Slide. It costs 100 yen each ride you take but worth every yen of it. Make your way to the little shop and let them know you want to go on the super slide. They speak English pretty well. BONUS! They'll give you a ticket (if it's busy) if not then the guy will just walk with you up the steps and to the loading 'shoot'. He'll give you a quick lesson (maybe). We only got it because Luke was being a little wild with the lever. In case you don't get the lesson here it is. Sit with your legs extended to the front (kinda a give it). Then hold onto the lever that sits between your legs. If you want to break pull it towards you and if you want to accelerate, let it go forward. I don't think you actually have to push it down to go forward. The walls bank as you take the turns and you really don't ever have to slow down. There is a huge stuffed bag to slow your go once you've reached the bottom, if you don't break first. :) The hardest part about this park (is not hard at all) is the climb back up to the top to go again. I took two trips down and the boys each took 3. It was such a blast. So much so, that we're making a special trip back up there this afternoon just for the slide. This park has hours, or the slide & equipment rental does. I think it's M-F 10-6 but during the summer and on weekends the hours are extended. I'll have to double check today and update this blog later.
Now for some pictures & maybe a little video!
Here's a map of the park:

& the tent camping and cabin areas. It looks like there is only one fire pit for the whole tent area. I don't know prices for any of this, but thought someone might be interested.


Luke getting ready to get the lesson, those legs just wouldn't straighten out for the world- until we told him he'd have to get off. :)

They actually have two slides, only one was open the day we went. I took this pic as I was about to jet set down the mountain!

Here's the video of my ride.

A little bumper cars.

and some sledding down the little hills. They have maybe 5 or 6 different tracks worked into the hill so you can take your pick of incline and length of slide.

There is also a small roller slide, maybe 30 feet long. It isn't high either, it rolls down the hill with the decline and sits only about 2-4 feet off the ground the whole way. Even has a small zip line! Great for the little kids.

Directions to this awesome park are pretty simple. So simple I can't believe it took me 2.5 years to find it. From McTureous or Courtney make your way to 329. From anywhere south of there you want to head north on 329 passing exit 5. Travel north on 329 towards exit 6 passing the 329 split. Stay straight. You will see a hospital on your left side, pass the hospital and at the next light make a left. You will be turning into the Wago Sports Complex. Follow the road up and park in the parking lot for the driving range. Once out of your vehicle walk down the road (further away from the 329). There is little to no vehicle traffic, pass the restaurant on your left then you'll see the baseball park. Walk around the ball field and you'll see the playground on the hill, the rental shop is just past the playground. You can't miss it!

Manta Park

We went to Manta Park about a year ago but it's definitely worthy of sharing with you all. The roller slide is pretty awesome and the obstacles that surround the base are tons of fun too. We ran relays as a family trying to see who could climb up the tree roots, then down the rock wall, up the rope then down the pegs, then to run around the base and up to the top of the slide, talk about a work out, but oh my gosh, like I said, TONS OF FUN. Aside from the slide and obstacle course that surround the base, there is a huge open field and a smaller wooden playground.
A view of the slide

Brandon working his way down the rope while Melanie & Derrick are already heading back up the rock wall.

Taking a look down at some of the obstacles from the top of the slide. This park one of the smaller ones, but tons of fun!


Because I'm coming from the north I took a different route. It was too long ago though so I'm not sure I'd know how to give proper directions. I can tell you this though, if you're familiar with the Jusco on 85, it's not to far from there (behind it kinda) and just back off the main road (85) a little ways. Directions courtesy of Japan Update: To visit Manta Park, take Gate 2 Street straight through Takahara intersection to the second traffic light following, then turn left. As a hospital is viewed on the right, travel straight past the Awase Lawson to the second traffic light. Turn right and you’re at Manta Park.

time for some change

I am revamping this site. I feel like the ones who want/need the deployment updates are getting them through one of many other means, that and I feel like I have an unwanted spy I can't quite block without blocking half of my intended readers. So with that, this blog will take a shift. I'm sure there will be some of my traditional blogs here, but for now- for the summer at least, I am going to enjoy Okinawa and share with anyone (everyone) who reads this what I've found. To start I'm going to tackle some parks. Amanda, this is for you! ;)

Just a quick update

I'm not even sure who follows this, I mean as far as family is concerned, so I'll keep this brief- well that and I don't have much to pass along right now.
I had my "little" procedure last Friday. That was seriously no joke. Natural childbirth felt less painful and at least then I had a child to show for it. In this case, what I have to show is well, nothing yet. Give me two weeks, or in military time 4, and I'll let you know. I'm gunning for the cancer free bill of health but am ready to handle what ever comes my way. I've got love and support from so many.

I promise as soon as I get these biopsy results I'll post. I know I was a slacker with many of you even knowing I had a first, let alone second scheduled procedure. It honestly slipped my mind, I was just so excited to have Derrick home. (& having him home when the first results came in was a life/sanity saver).
With communication as shot-y as it has been you the reader may have my results before even Derrick does. Either way, you'll be in the loop. Love you all!

Destination Unknown

If you're on my Myspace blog list then you've probably already read this, I just copied and pasted it here for everyone who follows me through Blogger, and I'm sure I'll link this in some way shape or form to Facebook too. I really need something (like Twitter) that ties all three pages together more easily. :)
Blog begins:
Where we'll go next, that is still a mystery, one we won't know until just a few weeks before we jet off this tiny rock. What I can tell you is we'll end up (over the course of 3 years) in two different countries out of a possible 105!
I've been a little tight lipped about this, but if you've seen me or Derrick in the past 2 weeks then you know, if not then this is most likely news to you. Now that things are rolling along and Derrick has been accepted I feel a little freer about talking now. We've spent countless hours of his R&R up at his parent command working with his career planner and command team (I just LOVE them) getting all of the prerequisites in for his package. We went in 2 weeks ago with the idea of heading back to the east coast and Derrick landing a position as a Marine Combat Instructor, when that was shot down because of his rank we had to consider other options. The first thing that was suggested happened to be Derrick's dream job but he thought I would say no. Turns out, me being there with him then was all we needed to know that I was just as on board as he was. The career planner gave us a little bit of info, not that we needed any persuasion, and the next 3 to 4 hours ended up being jam packed with admin, medical and dental checks to make sure all of our chicks were in a row. We wrapped it up with our financial check list and we're done with everything we could do on our part.
It took a little longer then we'd have liked, but the package went through the command- Thursday night the first part of the screening was done (phone interview to VA) and again last night a follow up call/screening was done, this one made it official. Derrick (the kids and I) have been accepted and he has his course date set!
I'm not sure if he will have to formally extend us on Okinawa or if his orders will include the extension, in any case the boys and I will be here through March or April of 2010. Derrick will return this summer, go through his 30 and 60 respectively and will then punch off in January for 10 weeks of school before we find out which US Embassy we'll be going to first. More specifically, let me quote this so I don't get it wrong, "Each Detachment is commanded by a Staff Non-Commissioned Officer, being one of the few instances where an enlisted Marine may hold the title of commanding officer. Generally between the ranks of Staff Sergeant and Master Gunnery Sergeant,
Marine Detachment Commanders serve two tours which generally last 18
months each." Derrick will be given another (his 2nd & 3rd) opportunity to command a team! Tell me that's not awesome. I am so stoked about all of this and sooo very proud of him and his accomplishments.
There are some definite ups but also some downs about this tour and there are some kinks I'm going to have to work out, like when we're going to make it home for visits and when and who will be able to come and visit us. We'll need to get new passports and oh darn, I'm going to need to go dress shopping. I'm not sure how I'll manage that. ;) This is going to be another awesome adventure courtesy of the United States Marine Corps and I'm so ready.
The biggest hurdle Derrick says he faces now "is doing everything he can to not earn a medal through the rest of this deployment." All I can say is he better not.


(translation, medals usually = injury/death. huge no-no in my book)

Hello visitors

I just wanted to give a shout out to all my readers. I've noticed an influx of people from the California Bay area as well as Sacramento area reading my blog. It's kind of nice to see IP addresses that are not all APO AE addresses (though I love my local readers). I'd like to think that my blogs are now making it to our family, but if these are just random people searching "denicordo" on Google then I suppose hello to you too. Shoot me a comment, let me know who you are, send some love or something.

For those who follow regularly, expect an update soon. It's been a busy few days/week planning out where our next adventure will take us. Right now I feel like tossing a dart at map would give us as good a clue as to where we go next as the military is giving us. :) It's definitely an adventure, but what would life be without it. Just plain mundane.

normal is relative

This is not my normal deployment blog, more of an update on what's going on with me. Before I start all of that though, things are going well here at home. We've had Derrick here just over a week and unfortunately we only have him for another 6 days before he starts his trek back to Afghanistan. We've been able to spend quite a bit of quality time with friends and of course plenty of time just the 4 of us. We miss Melanie tremendously. All the time, but now it seems even more. Derrick is making sure to call her often while he can and it seems like they're both loving it. This R&R feels like such a blessing right now. I know in a week I'll find the curses it left us with, the separation issues, sleepless nights once again and the anxiety that goes with the territory of having him in a combat zone once again. It doesn't help that I sat in on a meeting with his Colonel talking about the specifics of his location. Some things are best left unknown until he's home for good. I'm a tough cookie though, I convince myself I want to know these things, and I'll manage alright even knowing all I know now.
I'll manage because I'm tough, but also because I have to. There is plenty going on in Afghanistan, but there is also plenty going on right here in Okinawa with me. I hate to say I've anticipated these results, but for the past two to three years I've known they were coming. I had my first abnormal pap shortly after we arrived here. I had a follow up and was cleared. 'Possibly just a mix up at the lab, or maybe just some slight abnormality.' The following year everything checked out just fine as well. This time around I wasn't as fortunate, the difference was how it was handled. Two years ago it was just a please repeat the procedure, this time around it was straight to diagnosis procedures.
About a month ago I went in for a colposcopy and possibly biopsy. My doctor was great. I guess it helps that she knows me and the kids really well. Most specifically Melanie, through the procedure she kept the conversation on light humorous things about Melanie and teenagers in general. There was only one awkward moment. She stopped mid sentence and said to the nurse, "okay, I'm going to take two, one at one o'clock and anther at five." She resumed her previous thought then explained that she was taking two samples for biopsy. The rest of the time I tried to keep it light as well, I let my mind wander a little. Is it my 1 o'clock or her 1 o'clock? I never really knew a cervix could tell time. How precise or accurate is it really?
I left the clinic with a ballpark time frame of one to two weeks for results. I waited until the two weeks expired before I even tried to call. The next day I was told it could take about 3 weeks so give it one more. At 3 weeks and a day I called back and was given a little more run around. (anyone on Okinawa, if you have biopsies done they are sent to San Diego [Balboa] for testing- & now you know) It took exactly four weeks for results and they came via a phone call.
When I talked to my mom this afternoon I told her my doc called which means it could always be worse. I wasn't asked to come in to talk with her. :) The biopsy results are not terrible but they're not what I'd like them to be. Both came back with abnormal cells but one came back as 'a high grade lesion that is not yet cancer.' She reiterated over and over that precancerous cells are not cancer and don't have to become cancer. I'm kind of glad it took a little longer for the results, that gave some time for Derrick to get home. He was sitting a few feet away when she called. Her suggested course of treatment is a LEEP procedure. I've done some research and I don't like anything really about it, but I guess I'm going to do what has to be done.
While I had my doctor on the phone I asked her about skipping this procedure and just opting for a hysterectomy. Not to be extreme or hasty but to be proactive, my maternal grandmother had one at the age of 28 and my mother was 28 when she had her first pre-cancer diagnosis, it took a little longer for her hysterectomy but she also required having one. I'm 31, and clearly this is either one wild coincidence or genetics are doing their job. In any case, my doc told me that she wouldn't recommend the procedure for me, but I could talk to the gynecologist to see what he thinks. Her biggest reason was my age and the idea that I might want to have children later, that I have so many viable child bearing years left. (I had to remind her she knows my kids. I'm teasing, sheesh.) I was okay with this until I did research on the procedure she is recommending. I have yet to find one resource that doesn't include an extreme high risk for pregnancy and fetal problems for pregnancies post LEEP, I'm talking 70-85% greater risk.
My question is, assuming I wanted another child, why am I going to try and have another one knowing that there is a 70% chance I can't carry to term and an 85% chance that it will have a low birth weight? Seriously, Derrick had a vasectomy for a reason, we don't want anymore. Why not cut out a huge risk of cancer by removing all the cancer prone areas. If we decide to have a child at a later date (I can't imagine, but if so) then we'll adopt. The other thing I forgot to mention was the fact that my doc told me I would probably have to come back in a few more times over the years to remove precancerous cells and a hysterectomy will probably be the end result, but later. The logic makes no sense, but I guess I'm on board for the time being.
I have an appointment later this month for the procedure, I am debating either meeting with that doc beforehand or rescheduling the procedure and using that appointment time to discuss my options a little further. Either way, by the end of April I hope to know a little more about my options and my pre-cancer-free self.
Until then, I'll remain my overly optimistic self and will update on other 'normal' blog worthy things. :)