...Back.

I'm pretty sure it's been a solid 6-7 months since I've posted a juicy post to update the world on our lives. I don't even know if blogged about Zac coming home (in February), details about our time in Thailand (hopefully you caught the pics on Facebook), or, most importantly, our upcoming addition!

So now that the summer is pretty much over (it's September already!?), I guess it's time to get back to updating. Our lives are no less interesting (well, sometimes) while living over here, and now there's an added layer of interest as we anxiously await for Baby Boy Cook! It's been quite an experience planning, purchasing, and plain ole being pregnant in a foreign country, especially the first time around. So far the pregnancy has gone smoothly and as of 30 weeks, he seems to be growing great and fortunately leaving me with minimal discomfort. We are beyond thankful that everything seems to be going normally and healthily, and it makes us all the more anxious and excited to meet him! He's an active little guy (as I type, my stomach is visibly bumping and rolling as he moves inside). I'm not big on posting pics of my bump, but since very few of you get to actually see me, I'll indulge in a (recent) bump picture.

This is at 26 weeks - 4 weeks ago...but I haven't changed TOO much

Okinawa  has been hit by 2 big typhoons (the Pacific version of a hurricane) already. The first hit Memorial Day weekend (which was a bummer since it cancelled plans we had to head out to a neighboring island to a cabin with friends). The second sat on top of us for a whopping 40 hours, dropping over 40 inches of rain. We have to laugh a little at the hype surrounding Hurricane Irene (though I realize it left a large amount of damage and flooding, which is no laughing matter), when our "little" typhoon left us inside for days. Fortunately we are on the 3rd floor, so no flooding...per se. However after 40 hours of typhoon strength winds, our concrete fortress started showing weakness and with a change in wind direction, water started seeping in through windows and doorways. We spent most of the night taping windows and changing/washing/drying towels stuffed around doors and windows. We had much less damage than many neighbors above us who had completely flooded living rooms and much more damage. While we suffered a bout of cabin fever, we never lost power or internet - we are thankful for that!

I celebrated my 25th birthday on the beach with some friends. It was a WONderful day of sun, beach, and water sliding. My special birthday treat was a new Ipad, which I LOVE, and I think it will come in handy for the hours of holding/feeding the baby soon. If you have FaceTime, I haven't figured it out yet, so add/call me! 

I recently stopped working full time and am now working every other day until...? It has been really nice to have some time to breathe, clean, and rest, especially as everything might get a little bit harder as we near baby time. While it's nice to have time to do extra things (like blog and go to the beach), it's also nice to keep busy and on a schedule. I know once the baby boy comes along, we will be walking in a 24 hour fog, so I'd like to keep as much normalcy as possible for as long as possible. 

ANYWAY, that's enough for now. I will be more active around here in the time to come!

So Sweet

Short story, it just required more than a Facebook status.

Zac was being a wonderful husband Sunday afternoon: he took me to the beach, did dishes, and offered to take care of dinner while I enjoyed some lemonade and Better Homes and Gardens on the balcony. I was looking forward to chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes.

I came in kitchen to the to the smell of the steaks frying, though they looked a little darker and less...crusty...than the normal chicken fried steak. Zac mentioned that the breading just wasn't sticking. I just brushed it off as maybe a different "recipe" than I usually use.

When it came time to make the gravy, Zac wasn't so sure because he had had some trouble earlier this week when he was making biscuits and gravy. I told him to go ahead and try, as gravy is only learned through practice (and a necessary skill for our family!).

As Zac finished up, I started tidying up, putting away ingredients, etc. I noticed the container that Zac was using to "flour up" the gravy....[I keep the baking supplies in those vacuum sealed plastic containers, not the original packaging]...was short instead of the tall container I usually put the flour in. I tasted the white powder, and...it was powdered sugar. Whoops.

So the chicken fried steak and gravy ended up as sugared steak and caramelized gravy . The breading wasn't "sticking" because the sugar was dissolving into the meat. His trouble with gravy making was more of a chemical problem than skill - hey, if he can make gravy with sugar, I think he's mastered the regular kind. Not exactly what was on the menu...but...bless him...Zac gets an A for effort.

Oh, and the result...the meat wasn't inedible, just much more sweet than normal, and the gravy was strangely addicting (it would've been a great dip for bacon...because bacon dipped in gravy is just what everyone wants)...but I've had strange food attractions these days...

The Land of Smiles

It's hard to believe that Zac has been home for over a month now. It's been more than wonderful to "resume" life. I tried hard to continue to live adventurously and fully while Zac was gone, but the best part of marriage is sharing your life with someone else. So resuming and experiencing life together has been my favorite part of having him home!

We had been planning a post-deployment trip since January, way back, when Zac was still sandy. Originally, our plan was to go to Bali...because... why not go to Bali? Unfortunately, because of recent (?) "terrorism" in the Indonesia area, Bali is off limits to military personnel for the time being. I pouted for a little bit, then set out to find a new and improved vacation locale. And oh my goodness. It was probably the best vacation we'll have for a loooong while.

I started checking out places to visit in Thailand, knowing that it was on our "travel list" while we live on this side of the world. Zac had already visited Thailand with the MEU last spring, but was mostly in the field and a not-so-desirable-for-a-married-man port stop of Pattaya Beach (so he was more than happy to take another trip to see the Thai sights). I knew we definitely wanted to make a stop in Bangkok, and then head to a "beachy" location to relax.

We scheduled the trip well after Zac's scheduled return date because, as we have found out on numerous occassions, the military can do whatever they want, whenever they want. Thankfully, Zac came home just in time, about 6.5 months after leaving, which left a little over a month for us to get excited about our trip. It was a little rough, especially for Zac, to go to work straight away without a break after returning. So the trip was heartily welcomed.

I did most of the planning while Zac was in Afghanistan. At first, I got a little thrifty and adventurous and had the great idea to stay in a hostel or small B&B/inn in Bangkok - a little throwback to '06 and my time in Spain. I found some pretty cool deals - small suites for $30 or so a night (you can find all kinds of neat hole-in-the-wall places at hostelworld.com). Then I considered that Zac had been sleeping in a box on a cot for 6 months and probably didn't want questionable sleeping arrangements in Thailand (though he was a great sport in the discussion). So I found a 50% off 5-star hotel in the center of the city with great views and transportation. Part I, done.

For Part II of the trip, we landed on Phuket, Thailand, a very beachy vacation spot. I researched different resorts and hotels (via tripadvisor.com) for top-rated abodes, seeking a (relatively) affordable, but totally luxurious place to stay. The pictures and views looked out of this world. The Thai Baht is one of the few currencies in the world that is OK against the dollar, making it a "reasonable" splurge. (It was well worth it and did not disappoint!)

I'm SURE you're just dying for more, with that juicy backstory. As soon as I get all the photos uploaded and a free moment, I'll finish the trip!!

A Happy Valentines Day

I have to say...Zac really outdid himself this year for Valentines Day.

I received a lovely bouquet of tulips at the office. It's always kinda been a dream for me to get flowers at work...especially since I've never really had a job...so this was exciting.

But the icing on the cake: coming home to a clean house. Ahhh, nothing better than that!! (Take note you men...if any men even read this) Granted, the house was clean a mere 5 days before for Zac's homecoming, but soon became an explosion of camo to be laudered, sea bags, and other military paraphenalia that has yet to find a home. So a big public smooch and thumbs up to my wonderful husband :) Best Valentines ever....which would've been great JUST because he was HOME!

[Side note: YES he's home!! Can't wait to share all about his homecoming!!]

We broke our "tradition" - well, default tradition - of pizza on Valentines day. Through college, mostly because of various testing schedules, lack of cars, etc. we just celebrated Valentines with pizza. This year we upgraded with yummy steaks (compliments of this PW recipe). Most of all though, I'm just so thankful to be able to spend an evening with my love.

A special XOXO to all my lovely friends who weren't with their loves this Valentines for various military trainings, deployments, exercises, or duties. You are loved, even if from afar :)

- End mushy love post -

2010: In like a tiger, out like a...rabbit?

[Ok, maybe a stretch on the old adage "in like lion, out like a lamb"...]

After taking a long break from updating all you fine readers about life in Okinawa, it's about time to get back to it. My lack of posting is partly from a semi-boring life and partly because I was afraid of whines taking over the posts,  rather than the inside scoop of life in Oki (which was the point of this blog, no?). So now I'm back, whine free and ready to roll.

Living in the eastern half of the world, I'm greatly exposed to, of course, Far East culture. A big part of the culture is the New Year and the animals assigned to it. While I don't know much of the "official" descriptions of the said animal assignments, I'd say 2010 (the year of the tiger) was indeed a tiger.

Let me pull out my 11th grade, metaphor-making skills and explain.

Tigers are quite vicious animals, but are sly, quiet, and conniving. Also, for their prey, tigers are unpredictable in their attacks. They are the kings (princes?) of the jungle, beautiful, fast, and feared. I feel 2010 pretty much much follows that description well.

We started the year in true "tiger" style - well, at least Chinese style - as we celebrated in Hong Kong at the stroke of midnight. The busy, fast paced city thrilled us with so many fun places to see and experience. Who would've thought a mere 3 months after moving to Japan we would already be exploring such exciting places?

By mid January, Zac was off on a ship as a last minute replacement on a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) "cruise." It was a mini-deployment, wonderfully punctuated by a rendezvous in Singapore, another beautiful Asian city.

Zac returned around March. Spring and summer flew at "tiger" speed. We explored the island, settled more into our little apartment, celebrated our anniversary "up north," and enjoyed a visit with the Cooks. Oh, and we got a dog and I got a job...can you say changes?

At the end of June, we found out that Zac would be deployed to Afghanistan within weeks. (Sneaky, sly tiger year...surprise/unexpected deployment #2 of the year). Typically (and I use that word loosely, as nothing in the military is predictable or typical), deployments are known of a few months in advance. So it was a whirlwind of preparations and emotions preparing for Zac to leave.

Zac left the day after my birthday for his "tour." (Gee, the military really has some euphemisms for their deployments...cruises and tours...sounds like the servicemen are going on a bunch of vacations!) We spent the second half of the year in separate corners of the world, continuing our adventures in very different ways. Zac learned another (middle) eastern culture, while I traveled to the US, Hawaii, and mainland Japan (twice). Looking back, the time really flew. I can't believe we've made it 5 months, and I'm more than thankful that it's behind us.

I got to end the year with some time off with my parents. I think that was the best Christmas present I could've gotten this year (except maybe a surprise homecoming? ;)) I loved showing them around the island and the place we call home thousands of miles away. The visit was the perfect combination of relaxing/enjoying time together and sightseeing. We rang in the new year cozy at home....quite different from the rowdy Hong Kong new year. As different as, say, a tiger and a rabbit?

So, as 2011 starts, I'm anxious to see what this year-of the rabbit-brings. I hope it is more "rabbit-like"...quiet, comfortable, and steady. Happy New Year!

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!!