November Notes

I don't really have anything really interesting or cultural to share this time around. But, for a few tidbits on life this month...

1. I've started (fairly) regularly attending ZUMBA at the gym. It's a latin dance inspired aerobics class. It's super fun to dance around than, say, marching in place on an elliptical.

2. Speaking of marching, I definitely saw an Okinawa taking a "march." Which I assume is similar to taking a walk or taking a jog, but this guy was definitely marching. Windsuit and all.

3. I think we're halfway through!!!

4. Communicating to Afghanistan is rough. Especially when one party does not have reliable internet. Without that, all the miraculous inventions of the last 10 years are useless, if not completely frustrating. I'm surely thankful for anything I can get, but it just gets old after a while. It's exhausting emotionally and relationally (word?).

5. Fortunately, we got in a GREAT Skype session Sunday afternoon. Probably haven't had a good talkin' to since September. A little breath of fresh air sure goes a long way for the soul.

6. Speaking of souls, I've been teaching the Confirmation class at church this year. Let me tell you, it's not the same as my confirmation experience with 300+ kids going through at the same time. My class is 5 boys. 5 eighth grade boys to be exact. What a trip! I hope and pray in some form or fashion I'm getting through to them. Even if I do use doughnuts as a bribe from time to time...

7. Thanksgiving is in a week and a half! Holey smokes! I'm off again to Tokyo for a girls' trip! Konnichiwa Tokyo!

8. I think I'm used to the fact that stores start the Christmas decorating thing before Halloween. Although, I wasn't quite prepared to hear Christmas music playing so soon. I think there must be market research that says people buy more when they hear Christmas music. The BX was already blaring their Christmas tunes this weekend! Ha, I beat them, though. After spending $500 on contacts and glasses (thanks to my fabulous Tricare coverage...you sure you want government insurance, America?) I escaped the BX with just my cotton balls and paper towels, booya. [And who knew glasses were so dadburn expensive? Probably doesn't help that I'm legally blind. And they were very generic, no Gucci glasses here.]

9. I officially switch over to Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving. I have quite a collection going, and usually add a new album every year (or two). This year, the new addition definitely going to be Dave Barnes. It looks like there are some new songs and a couple of oldies/goodies. If you've never heard of Dave Barnes, his song "Nothing Fancy" is a great one...and the namesake of this blog!

10. Zac told me the other day that the Josh Groban version of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" will be especially hard to listen to this year. I had completely forgotten about it until he mentioned it. If you don't know, this particular version has messages in from deployed military to their families played intermittently throughout the song. Makes me cry on a normal Christmas, and now makes me just thinking about it. Note to self: Do not put on Ipod!

Where Did October Go?

Can anyone believe that it's November already? Shoot, one month closer is all right with me!

I expected October to fly by, and fly it did. (And now that I finish this post, November is halfway through!) I started the month on the tail end of a whirlwind trip back to the homeland: Texas. I got to spend some good quality time with friends and family (though so much less than I needed to see everyone!) and be in my friend's wedding! My trip back to Okinawa came all too soon and it was a little sad coming back to an empty house. But hey-oooo, there certainly was no sitting around!

My first week back was super busy at work, which made the week fly. Fortunately, I had Okinapa to look forward to at the end of a tiring week and the beginning of a long weekend. It was fantastic to reunite with my wonderful Okinawa friends and, of course, drink wine!

It was a good weekend: wine, friends, relaxing, sleeping, and THREE DAYS. I think the world would be a better place if all weekends were three days long.

I wasn't settled for long before I left on a 2 week trip for work. I'm not sure I've ever really talked much about my job, but I do accounting for the USO centers in mainland Japan, Guam, and Hawaii. So my boss and I headed to mainland for a week and Hawaii for a week to train some new employees. It was such a great opportunity for me to meet the people that I've been emailing and calling for 6 months. It definitely makes me feel more invested in the job and the people. 

We started out at a naval base in Sasebo, Japan. It really had an sleepy wharf town/east coast vibe going on. I guess what I would imagine Maine to be. And yes, there certainly is a different feel to mainland Japan and Okinawa! Probably the same difference as mainland USA and Hawaii! Anyway, Sasebo...a co-worker from Sasebo took us up on a mountain that overlooked the entire city. It was a spectacular view!

View of "99 Islands" According to our native Sasebonian friend with us, this was the background for a scene in The Lost/Last (?) Samurai...some Tom Cruise movie

....Sorry, just had to take a second to pinch myself. Sometimes I forget the amazing places and opportunities that are part of my everyday life!

After a couple of days there, we went north to the naval base in Yokosuka (pronounced ya-KOH-ska). Yokosuka is right outside of Tokyo, a suburb, if you will. Yokosuka had a very different feel. Maybe like Chicago in the 80's. Because I obviously know all about Chicago in the 80's...

I don't think I took any pictures in Yokosuka. We pretty much just worked. We walked to the commissary once. That's about all the sightseeing we did. 

THEN, here comes the big one, we headed out to HAWAII!! 

Ok, I'm going to be honest here. I was certainly excited about Hawaii, but probably not as much as a normal human would be. I thought since we pretty much live on a tropical island, what's another tropical island a paddle down the ocean?  Well, let me tell you. I can't wait to go back to Hawaii. It's so beautiful AND it's America. It's like the best  (in my homebody opinion) of all worlds - the island feel and English/Target/highways/Cheescake Factory/.... I suppose being away from all of the American conveniences can make you appreciate the little things. 

So Hawaii was great. We stayed at a hotel a block from Waikiki Beach and walking distance from tons of shops and restaurants. The weather was fantastic. We were there for about a week, including travel days on both ends. Fortunately there was a weekend in the middle. I used my free time wisely: either by the pool, shopping, or watching the sunset at the beach. It was a tad bit awkward being a loner in the land of honeymooners, but I made myself useful taking pictures for other couples/families. 

Waikiki Beach - take me back!

I told Zac that I wouldn't mind him staying in for another assignment if we lived HERE! He said he was ready to be somewhere where he can drive to visit people, but I think that's just his exhaustion talking. Who would give up living HERE!! 

We did do a lot of work, and I loved meeting all of the people that I have "worked with" for the last few months. It makes it so much easier to communicate when you know who you're communicating with! It wasn't all a vacation, but I really think that it will help in my work (and morale) moving forward.

The rainbow was wishing me farewell on my last day in Hawaii.

After two weeks, 3 hotels, 4 airports and dragging my suitcase all over tarnation, I was more than ready to be home. All it took was a 20 hour trip and a little time traveling and I got back to Okinawa....just in time for Typhoon Chaba!

I'm thanking my lucky stars to have flown in just in time (though the flight was quite bumpy). I went to work the next morning for 2 hours before we were sent home for TC-1Caution. Fortunately, I stopped in at the Shopette for some milk and bread (I hadn't been grocery shopping since mid-September) merely an hour before it shut down. I got the rest of the day off to hang out with friends, which was such a blast. 

Friday night, I was catching up on some shows and cuddling with Shish when my eye swole (a word?) almost shut. I thought I was going to have to go as Quasimoto or a pirate. It was the weirdest thing ever. I still can't understand what happened, and there was no irritation, itching, gooey things, nothing. It wasn't even that red. I have a picture, but it looks like a mug shot gone bad. So I took a Benadryl and went to bed. It was still pretty swollen in the morning, halfway better by Saturday night, mostly better by Sunday morning, and pretty much normal by Monday. 

Thank goodness one more month is down!!

Happy Veterans Day

This week is just chock full of military celebrations.

I read this on someone's facebook status today:

"A Veteran is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including, their life. That is beyond honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer remember that fact."

I always identify veterans as old guys sitting around the VFW hall wearing black caps with the pointy middles and the gold wings on the brim (you know the ones):

But it's funny to think that now my 24 year old husband is (will be? I don't know when you "become" a vet) one of those that we honor today. So thank you, veterans, for all of the sacrifices that you make and continue to make.

Happy Birthday, Marine Corps

Happy 235th Birthday, USMC! Oorah!

From the Halls of Montezuma,

To the shores of Tripoli;

We fight our country's battles

In the air, on land, and sea;

First to fight for right and freedom

And to keep our honor clean;

We are proud to claim the title

Of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze

From dawn to setting sun;

We have fought in every clime and place

Where we could take a gun;

In the snow of far-off Northern lands

And in sunny tropic scenes;

You will find us always on the job

The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps

Which we are proud to serve;

In many a strife we've fought for life

And never lost our nerve;

If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven’s scenes;

They will find the streets are guarded

By United States Marines.

And a little "fun": Top ten things Marines did (last year) to celebrate the USMC birthday

(Shisa watched this quite enthralled when I played it on the computer. She also sat at "attention" as I played the Marine Corps Hymn. Whatta (devil) dog ;) )

Cocok's

Recently, I realized that I haven't really introduced the United States to the greatness that is Cocok's (the k is silent). Cocok's is a nail spa in Okinawa...every woman, girl, and probably even man knows or has been. There are dozens of nice comfy chairs and very nice pedicurists just waiting to make your day. They give some of the best pedicures ever...the best part is the 20-30 minute massage  (where other places are more like 5-10). It's definitely one of my favorite indulgences.

But a big difference between Cocok's (and many nail salons in Okinawa) and nail salons in the states is you basically NEVER get a plain color. When you go for your appointment, they hand you a 50+ page book of nail designs. And while in the states it may not be common to get flowers on your toes, it is "the thing" to do here. From colonels' wives to 5 year olds, pretty much everyone has "designer toes!"

I've tried to take pictures of most my designs that I've gotten since being here...it's pretty amazing what they can do on a tiny toe!

 Striped toes. 

Tropical toes...never really loved this one...I'm not a blue nail polish type person.

I think these might've been some of my favorites

Cherry blossom toes...in season of course.

Holly's toes: Sunset with palm tree, mountains, and sail boat on the horizon. Yes, on a toe.

My current toes (taken just now, here in the hotel)...or as my mom like to call them - gothic. I like the mum flowers though!

I'm pretty excited about getting some Christmas toes soon!!

Seen enough feet?

In One Year...

One year ago to the day, Zac and I arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun. Merely four and a half months after tying the knot, we jumped head first into a new adventure in a new country. I don't think either of us could ever imagine then where we are now (probably in more ways than one - literally and figuratively). We've been through alot this year and have been blessed so much.

In one year....

...we saw 3 new countries together; Zac saw 4 more on his own.

...we met some of the most amazing friends.

...we said goodbye and hello and goodbye once more.

...we got used to driving on the left side of the road.

...we became a family of three (ish...Me, Zac, and Shisa dog)

...I went from being a desperate housewife to a workin' woman (and now probably wouldn't mind going back to housewife again...)

...we set up house, painted walls and trim galore, and got used to tile floors and ceilings.

...we learned to love so many new cuisines - Thai food, curry, Korean bbq, soba, sushi, and teppanyaki are some new favorites.

...we figured out that the odds and ends we used to be able to get at Target and Home Depot can now be found at Nitori or the "monkey store"...or for free at Eagle Hardware if we're lucky.

...we automatically bow when we come or go.

...we learned to order off menus based on pictures.

...we started communicating in large part with big gestures and sign language.

...we are (almost) on a first name basis with the local Thai restaurant ladies (they at least know exactly what I'll order every time...and recognize me at the commissary).

...we've gotten used to eating dinner at restaurants without shoes...and often on the floor.

...we learned to use chopsticks like pros...and sometimes even prefer certain foods with "wood" instead of "metal."

...we haven't worn a coat (except on vacation to Hong Kong).

...we haven't handed cash over to anyone...cash transactions are always done via money trays.

...we explored the ocean floor of the Pacific Ocean and East China Sea.

...we learned to calculate time differences in several time zones as second nature.

...we've lived a year of adventures.

It's hard to believe that we are 1/3 of the way through our time abroad. We have so much more to see and do!

And lately I've (literally) been all over the place. After an amazing week back in the states, I worked like crazy for a week, and am now on a 2-week "business trip." We spent 3 days in Sasebo (southern tip of mainland Japan), arrived today in Yokosuka (45min-1hr outside of Tokyo), and leave Wednesday for Hawaii for a week. It's great to see so many new places, but I also can't wait to get settled back in at home!

Funny Stuff

In times like these, it's the funny things that get me through the days/weeks/months.

I just ordered a book Sh*t My Dad Says the other day. It's a short collection/"memoir" of quotes and stories a son wrote about his dad. It originated as a Twitter page (you can look it up if you're on Twitter) and grew to over a million followers, became a book, now a sitcom is in the works. Anyway, I've been sitting in bed reading this hilarious book LAUGHING OUT LOUD. I'm always afraid my next door neighbor will think I'm crazy (we share bedroom walls) or Shisa will think something's wrong. It's that funny. Zac and I have started reading a quote or two when we get a chance to talk to lighten the mood a bit (plus I just love to hear him laugh).

I've recently become a huge fan of The Pioneer Woman. She's basically this mega-blogger that talks about pretty much everything. Her recipes are amazing, and she even puts step by step photos on many of them, which is helpful for a burgeoning cook(/Cook....oh I'm so funny) like myself. I read through her forty-some-odd-chapter online romance chronicle in about 2 days. [Which, by the way, is coming out in book form in February...and possibly a movie.] She is a great writer with a great voice . Point being (a paragraph and 100 links later) she has a photography section on the blog and had contests every once in a while. The last one was "Funny." Oh em gee. I'll just send you to the winner. But all of them good. I was browsing during work, probably making odd noises to stifle my laughs. My favorites are the belly button one, the winner, and the last one with the baby. And the little boy with the glasses reminds me of one of my nephews in this picture (far right, minus the glasses).

Check it out. Tell me what you think.

Afterall, laughter IS the best medicine.

Oh passport, where art thou...and other stories

September has been dragging, it seems, but then again it's almost halfway over...go figure!

It's been an exciting month, what with a typhoon, an almost typhoon, Labor Day, birthdays, sporadic communication with Zac, dog walks, wine, Okinawan dance/beer festivals, bowling, canasta tournaments, Sunday school, and general lazing about. But man, it just seems like springtime can't come soon enough.

I am SO excited to return to the great US of A in a matter of (single-digit) days! I can't wait to see nephews and (a) niece [who have grown so much in the year I've been gone], sisters, parents, friends, celebrate a wedding, and shop till my little heart drops. Oh, and of course eat mexican food and Blue Bell ice cream.

A short time after I return to Okinawa, I'll be leaving for a "business trip." [Am I really old enough to go on a business trip?] It'll be a week in mainland Japan and a week in Hawaii...I highly encourage anyone with a hankering to travel to meet up with me! It will certainly be exciting to see a bit of the world. I'm just hoping October will just fly by, and then it's one month closer to a big, fat, Zac reunion.

Speaking of travel, I was looking for my passport last night, and I couldn't find EITHER of them. Yes, I have TWO passports, and they are both nowhere to be found. That could throw a big fat wrench in all these international travel plans. And I just KNOW it has to be around somewhere, becuase I haven't even been anywhere with one of the passports! And the other one I used to go to Singapore, but I had to have it to get back in the country, right? I'm sure it's just in some genius spot from my last use... Let's just say St. Anthony and I have been good buds the past 24 hours....

Deployment

We have a guest post today! Well, I suppose it's not a guest post since the author is technically a co-owner of this blog...his name comes first in the address after all. And here I (Jena) am commandeering the blog and taking it over all the time. Anyway, I was so excited to hear what Zac had to say and I'm sure you are too...so without further ado...on his blog debut...

As Jena has mentioned earlier, I am away on a “business trip” to southwest Asia. All the events surrounding a deployment are kept close to the chest for security reasons but I will share with you what I can.

It was a whirlwind of transitioning from my job on the MEU to coming back to my home unit and preparing for deployment. Luckily I was able to get a lot done early and so the last few days before I left weren’t so hectic. I was packed up in advance and spent my final days in Okinawa enjoying Jena's company and, oh ya, celebrating her 24^th birthday.

When it is time to leave for 7 months, no matter where you are going, it finally hits you and there is really no way to know exactly how you are going to feel until you are in that moment. I have to say that that was the hardest part, walking the other direction knowing you will not see your wife until you are a year older. 

At the airport leaving Okinawa

After the goodbyes it was back to the states for the first time in almost a year. If there was any culture shock on the way to Japan, there was certainly culture shock on the way back. Being able to go to the customer service desk and have my question answered immediately and without a pickup game of charades was one thing that really stood out. I ordered food without needing pictures on the menu and was no longer a giant. It was great. When I got to North Carolina I had a rental car to get me around. I don’t know if that was the best idea, giving someone a car to someone that has been driving on the other side of the road for the better part of the year, but I made it. Needless to say I played plenty of games of "chicken" as I turned onto roads, and changing lanes usually called for a quick swipe of the windshield wipers.

After North Carolina it was off to the middle east. A quick jaunt in Kuwait allowed me to realize how hot the desert is and allowed me to acclimatize a little to the culture. This is a picture of one of the larger Mosques in Kuwait.

Large Mosque in Kuwait 

(Nice caption, Zac)

It wasn’t long until I was able to catch a flight out to Afghanistan. I have been here for a couple of weeks now and am settling in. I am safe and learning a lot about my new job.

I do have to mention one thing about the country as a whole. It is the only place I have been to where it is exactly as you imagine. When people think of Japan they usually get an idea of Sushi and people walking the streets in Kimonos. When you think of China you may get some image of rickshaw carriages and the Great Wall. When people think of Texas (I’ve come to realize), they imagine the wild west with cowboys and horses.

When you actually visit these places the reality is usually a lot different. They have McDonalds, KFC, and American style clothes in Japan, China is a predominately modern society, and Texas is far beyond the days of cowboys and Indians.

Afghanistan is not.

The majority of the country lives in mud huts exactly as you imagine. They push wheelbarrows or ride donkeys to move things (although there are vehicles as well). They dress exactly as you imagine an Afghan would dress. It is almost like stepping into a time machine and going back a century or two. It is a nation of farmers and people with simple homes and simple lives.

Camels on the side of the road

Typical Qualat (or house)

Kids in the typical dress of the area

Well I think I will wrap it up for now. I will hopefully get you some insight into my daily life later on, but obviously a lot of stuff is not for internet distribution. Thanks for all your prayers and support. I miss everyone back home and can’t wait to get back.

Day 6: Shuri Castle and Battle Sites

The 6th day of the Cook visit was a big site-seeing day. Since Zac and I have been here, we've done plenty, but we've saved a lot of the "touristy" stuff until we had visitors. Shuri Castle (or Shurijo - what it says on the road signs - castle) is a big stop on the Okinawa tour. It's a centuries old palace (though it's been revamped a few times) and the center point for the Ryukyu kingdom.

 [A little sidenote: Okinawa is part of the Ryukyu (pronounced "rye-you-koo") chain of islands, Okinawa being one of the biggest. Before Okinawa was taken over by the Japanese, it was its own kingdom, and a major hub for the Asian trade routes.]

We also combined our Shuri Castle tour with a mini battle sites tour. Zac took his MEU platoon on the "official" tour at the end of June, so he took us to the same spots and shared the knowledge that he got from the tour guide.

Gun hole (I know there's a better/real name for it, I just can't remember). It's a place through which  someone shot a machine gun back in WWII. 

From a lookout point. All of the buildings you can see from this vantage point are from after WWII. During the war, most of the buildings and vegetation were wiped out and it was all basically mud. I also think this is a funny pic with the Japanese grandpa and grandson. 

A fighting cave from the war.

On to Shuri...

One of the main gates/entrances to the palace grounds.

The Castle has its own centuries-old water system combined of little pools like this and small ditches running throughout.

Bell building. 

I think this building was a main eating hall

The workers at the castle wore old Japanese/Okinawan dress

These rooms were where the emperor would conduct his daily business and meetings. The floors are covered with grass mats called tatami mats, which are still very common in Japanese homes. Not your average office, huh?

Gardens surrounding the emperor's work place.

A gateway within the grounds.

The emperor's throne for official business.

exit gate.

TCCOR 3

While most of you back in the states are prepping for Danielle and Earl, Okinawa is gearing up for a typhoon!

There is always a typhoon status (ref: title) that goes from TCCOR All Clear to TCCOR 1E. Outside of typhoon season, it is always labeled TCCOR All Clear, while during typhoon season, it is TCCOR 4, which means typhoon wind speeds possible within the next 72 hours. For the first time since we've lived on island, we've been upgraded to TCCOR 3, or typhoon winds possible within the next 48 hours (expected to hit around Tuesday). PS, I have no idea what TCCOR stands for...

See the pink dot with "Kadena' near it? That's Okinawa...pretty much a direct path!


I have no idea what strength this typhoon is, so it might not be serious. I was ahead of the rush at the commissary, though, and stocked up on some supplies. I have plenty of tuna, bread, peanut butter, vienna sausages (haven't had those since I was 4), ravioli, wine (duh), extra propane tank for our camping grill, batteries, and bottled water. I'm totally not worried about it...growing up in a coastal city with parents who grew up in a coastal city, hurricanes just weren't that big of a deal. Serious, but doable. And since everything around here is earthquake- and typhoon-proof, I'm not worried in the least.

I'm really quite jazzed up about the possibility of a typhoon coming our way...it's the closest thing we get to a snow day in the sub-tropics! A few days off would suit me just fine! I have TV shows, Season 1 of Lost on standby, and books and magazines and a painting project to keep me busy if the power goes out.

I'll be a little irritated if it goes on by without being "serious" enough to cancel work, like a couple of weeks when we got sideswiped a couple of weeks ago and last week when we got some residual rain and wind from various tropical storms. In that case, we just have to drive and be out in crazy wind and rain. And my little Toyota Will feels like it will up and blow away when winds get too crazy. (oh, and Zac's car battery is dead, so I can't use his...whoops. Should probably take care of that sometime soon...)

En Okinawa

This post is a continuation of the Cook invasion series...dinner on Day 2. In real time, it's a regular ole Sunday morning. I'm finally catching up on some blogging, TV, and hopefully some projects, cleaning, and reading. It's been a great weekend with a little beach time, a looong nap, karaoke, doggie cuddling (pathetic, I know), etc. ON the other home front, Zac is officially in another country, en route to his final destination somewhere in Afghanistan (I guess?). He was semi-stuck in North Carolina for almost two weeks, so it's good to know that he has safely arrived (back) on the Asian continent and to get this deployment on the road. We'd really appreciate your prayers for: Zac's continued safety on his travels, our other friends/neighbors who are also travelling in the same "direction," communication opportunities with Zac, and continued patience and reliance God throughout the coming months.


(Update: I just found this post wasn't published, though it was written a couple of weeks ago. It still is a Sunday morning, but way after I originally wrote this...and also makes the cook trip saga a little out of order! My bad!)


Day 2 was fun-filled, and we ended the day with a really fun dinner at a great Okinawan restaurant, En Okinawa. It was a great Japanese eating experience and the most exciting part of the evening was a Eisa dancer show in the restaurant. Eisa (pronounced ace-uh) dancing is a cultural Okinawan dancing comprised of sharp moves and drumming. The restaurant also has a HUGE drum that is hundreds years old.

As I was writing this post, I realized that I didn't take many (errr...any) photos this night. I do have a couple of videos and some pictures from another time we went to En Okinawa with some friends.


En Okinawa was also the first time the Cooks tried sashimi! Zac loves En Okinawa's sushi/sashimi, so when in Rome...I think they did VERY well with their first try with raw fish, and maybe even enjoyed ?!

(These pictures are from a separate time we went to En Okinawa. I also tried to upload some videos, but after several hours of not uploading, I gave up.)

The Shisa dog dance. It isn't in this video, but the shisa dog would go around "biting" peoples' heads, which is said to bring good luck! 

Cook Visit: Day 3, 4, 5

Continuing on....

I don't have much for Days 3 & 4....because I was working : / At the beginning of every month, we close the books for the month prior, and have an 8 day time crunch during which we have to get everything on the books before they close. Therefore it's a busy(er) time for us, and we're not allowed to take off during those days. I think they filled the days shopping, snorkeling, and hiking the falls.

As soon as I was out of work for the week, though, I was ready to par-tay. For dinner Wednesday night, we went to one of our favorite places, Transit Cafe. I think it talked about it before, but it's a hip, delicious dive right on the seawall. We timed it perfectly to enjoy the sunset over the seawall. What a treat!

After our leisurely dinner, we headed to a karaoke place so the Cooks could have a truly authentic karaoke experience. In Japan, karaoke is not the same as karaoke bars in America...you don't have to stand up in front of hundreds of strangers and sing. You and your group get your own individual room with a TV, microphones, and phone book-sized catalog of songs to choose from. [Fortunately, the songs are played on the screen in English and Japanese!] So you only have to be brave enough to sing in front of your closest friends and family with whom you came! Plus, you get to pick all YOUR favorite songs.

I think the night was a success with homage paid to the Beach Boys, Four Seasons, Eminem, Taylor Swift, Frank Sinatra, and many many more! It was a great night, and I was really looking forward to my first "vacation" since I started working!

Zac's Address

I added a new little feature-ette on the sidebar over there ----->

It's Zac's new overseas address. I'm sure he'd love to hear from anyone and everyone...even just for a little "Hey, how are ya!"

He's getting into his new job and is doing well! He also has access to email and Facebook, so you can still reach him through those modes of communication. Maybe one of these days he'll catch us all up on the blog!

Oh, and if for some reason you cannot see the address or it's not working as I thought, please let me know so I can fix it!

Military Homecomings

So this video has been viral on Facebook lately (at least in my friend circles). It's a good watch, especially if you're looking for a good cry. The kids' reactions especially just MELT MY HEART. The little girl at about 1:35 (time into the video) is my fave.

Word of warning...don't watch this at work...;)

Cook Visit: Day 2

We started out Day 2 with church and brunch. We have brunch at the club on base, which Zac and I take advantage of every once in a while. It's so great - omelet station, crepe station, mimosas, salad bar, full breakfast layout, full lunch layout, sushi....etc. So we had to share it with the Cooks! The club, Tengan Castle, sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and fortunately it was a beautiful day which gave us a great view!

My camera fogged up a little when we first got out there

The Cook family

And the Cook Family

Then we headed north to Nago (the other larger city on the northern part of the island.) Our first stop was a glass blowing factory, somewhere Zac and I had discovered on our anniversary weekend. Ryukyu glass is definitely very popular on the island, and at this particular spot you can make your own glass. Zac opted out since he already made one, but Jeff, Veronica, and Holly all made a glass of their own. Veronica claimed that "hers would be the prettiest." She may have been right ;)...

Holly showing off her glass

Jeff blowing his glass.

Jeff shaping his glass

Veronica showing off her "prettiest" glass

We also spent a little while perusing the glass shop that was part of the factory. You could not imagine the intricate and crazy things that they make out of this glass! Not to mention the beautiful colors and varieties of regular glasses.

After glass blowing we headed up the road to Pineapple World. Yep, you guessed it, a theme park dedicated to...pineapples. It may have been the best $5 we ever spent. ;) When you first arrive you get in line for (for lack of better term) a pineapple-mobile in which you tour some of the pineapple fields and learn more than you could imagine about the types and life cycle of pineapples. 

Zac and I just as excited to be at Pineapple Park as the Pineapple guy.

This "music video" of sorts was playing the entire time we were in line. They sang and danced to a very repetitive jingle, and even taught the dance at the end of the video. "Da da da da da da da da Pineapp-oo" (that's how the Japanese pronounce "pineapple")

Getting in the "pineapple-mobiles"

I had some ice cream while in line...What kind? Pineapple, of course.

Lots of pineapples!

At the end of the tour, we got to sample pineapple wine and probably a hundred of other pineapple creations. Oh, and of course, we ate some pineapple. Deeeelish.

Veronica sampling some sweet pineapple wine.

There was also (very randomly) a "gallery" of seashells. Because obviously pineapples and seashells go hand in hand.

Zac playing around with some fun things in the Pineapple Park shop. 

After a fun-filled day in Nago, we headed south for dinner at En Okinawa. But that deserves a post of its own...