Merry Christmas from the Cooks!

Zac's battalion Christmas party at The Palms

We hope everyone had a blessed and joyful Christmas! We have a lot to catch up on, but we're off to Hong Kong for the week! We can't wait to explore yet another country! And we're excited to tell you all about it. But for now, a short sayonara...Enjoy your Christmas tree for its last few days and have a very Happy New Year!

The beach where Zac works, Christmas Eve after mass

Baking, etc.

Just call me Martha. I finished a DAY of baking...2 batches of Granny's icebox cookies, a batch of ginger snaps (= over a hundred cookies), pizza dough, and pesto all from scratch. Whew. I don't think my Kitchenaid has ever worked that hard. It was a pretty good day, baking in my Anthropologie apron, listening to Christmas music.

P.S. Just was listening to the Josh Groban "I'll Be Home for Christmas"...the one with the servicemen saying their Merry Christmases from Iraq...I cry everytime I hear that one.

Speaking of baking...a few weeks ago I picked up some sweet potatoes from the commissary. Mind you, the commissary usually carries produce flown in from the US (which usually means it is overripe/bad, but that's another story). These were apparently Japanese. I baked 'em up and came up with this:

I don't know about you, but every sweet potato I've ever had was orange. These were for sure sweet potatoes, tasted sweet and everything, they just were white! (And a little dry.) You never know when you're going to run into something new over here. They were pretty good, but I guess we miss out on some beta carotene.

And Happy Birthday Mom!

Holiday Open House

Since I can't have any of you over for a little hot cocoa or to watch It's a Wonderful Life this Christmas season (although you're welcome anytime!) I thought I'd give you a peak at our halls a'decked. There's not much, I mean, we've only been married 6 months, and there's no Hobby Lobby here to strengthen my holiday decor stock. Most of it I bought after Christmas last year, packed away, and haven't seen it since. It was like a pre-Christmas surprise to open up all the boxes and see what I had! So grab you're cup of eggnog and a Christmas cookie or two, turn on Nat King Cole, and enjoy our (sparse) holiday tour.

Come on in!

Let's see, we'll start here, though probably pretty mundane. Except that all of these decorations have interesting and different backgrounds. The clear ornaments in the pitcher are all of the ornaments that Zac has made me each year we've been together (this year will be our EIGHTH Christmas!). If you're good at counting, there's only 5...I think my mom is holding a couple of them ransom in her plethora of holiday decor. The small red block is from a craft show that I went to here...gotta support the arts in Okinawa too. And the little jingle bell tree is from the Japanese version of Bed Bath and Beyond, Nitori. So you've got a little Asian flair in there too.

Mantle #1. We don't have a fireplace to roast our chestnuts over here, so we have to improvise by using our lovely air conditioners to catch our holiday gear. I guess we could call this "mantle" this silver mantle. Our stocking holders hold  ornaments from Thailand (or the Philippines, or something...and I don't just mean it just says "Made in Thailand" on the sticker. There are several gift shops on base that sell arts and decor from neighboring countries, and these are some of the "one of a kind (?)" imports. So these are real Thai (or whatever) crafted ornaments! Annnnd back to the main event.)

Our makeshift Advent wreath. I didn't have another wreath, nor were there purple and pink candles at the PX, so we've got a cake stand (circular like a wreath, right?), some burgundy and white candles (almost the right color, just off a couple of tones), and some gold balls. We have enjoyed doing some Advent devotionals each night at dinner, so it serves its purpose!

 

Mantle # 2. I guess the big one. (Excuse my reflection) It houses our brand new, beautiful new nativity, garland, lights, candles, and pears. Pears are Christmas-y...think partridge in a PEAR tree. Actually, I have all of these fake pears and they seem to find their way in all of our seasonal decor. Whatev.

And a close up.

And now, what you've been waiting for...dun duh DUNNNN. Our very own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree! (Presents courtesy of Zac's mom)

And now in all of its ethereal glory...

It's quite small. Hence it's Charlie Brown title. I picked the small one to save some money, and it ended up quite small. This is the first year in my living memory that I haven't had a real Christmas tree, but short of cutting down a bonsai down the road, fake was the only way to go. It houses our collection of ornaments (mainly my lifetime collection of hobby horses and Madame Alexander dolls) just great and just the right size for our little Japanese apartment. P.S. Did you know that it take 20 years for a consumer to reuse their artificial Christmas tree before it has a lower carbon footprint than a real tree. Interesting...

We also have our own neighborhood (Japanese) Clark Griswald. I have a pic, maybe I'll share it later.

Well, that's about it. But please continue to enjoy your hot chocolate and Bing Crosby!

And a big shout out to my Dad on his big Birthday!! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you!

Love you Daddy!

Botanical Gardens

On a random Thursday afternoon, my friend and I decided to do an "activity." We started out with the goal of checking out the "nature park" down the road from the base. That ended up being a dirt road along a bayou (could you even call it a river?). So not really much nature to enjoy. We then set out to find some nearby castle ruins. We weren't really sure where they were....and therefore we never found them. But we did find the Southeast Botanical Gardens, not too far from our base, and something we drive past every time we go to the BX. It was a blustery day (we would have been better off with a light jacket), and ended with some ominous clouds, but I'm so glad we got to experience it. I can't wait to go back in the spring, where we can enjoy the sun and some new blooms.

I took a TON of pictures (you just can't stop once you start snapping with the SLR) So I'll try to pare it down and show you some good pictures/interesting things.

Shisha dogs. This is a very traditional Okinawan "symbol." You find them outside almost any building or house on the island, including our apartment building on base! They always come in two lion/dog- looking animals. One has it's mouth open to share the goodness of what's inside (the building) and one has it's mouth closed to ward off evil/keep bad stuff out. 

It was a huge place with acres and acres of plants, trees, flowers, and ponds. There was probably even more that we didn't even get to see. This is one of the larger lakes/ponds of the park.

Not so much an interesting picture, but we couldn't decide if this was a baby pineapple or just another spiny object. What do you think? Do pineapples start out as smaller versions of themselves and grow, or do they start out as a bulb like this and mature into what we buy at the store?

One of the more unusual flowers. I took a lot of flower pictures. I mean, it WAS a botanical garden. I might just have to do a whole post of all the flowers. 

This is where we will return in spring. Nothing better than a hammock with beautiful surroundings. Ahhhhh.

Totem pole. Not sure what this is doing in Japan. I thought it was an Indian (excuse me, Native American) thing. You know, I'm starting to think that these Okinawans just take little parts of lots of cultures and made a new one. I swear half of the culture is Mexican. I'll save that for another post. 

Japanese fall foliage

Our Rockefeller Plaza-esque tree - except in Japan and most likely artificial. Complete with hibiscus and butterflies. I think at night this place may turn into a watered down Santa's Wonderland. Unfortunately, the previously mentioned ominous clouds prevented us from witnessing the lights (in the dark). Plus we had husbands to feed. (Well, my friend fed us all. I made cupcakes. )

Overall a good way to pass the afternoon (and 1000 yen). As green and beautiful as it was in December, I can't imagine what it will look like in the spring/summer!

So much to be Thankful For

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30

I am writing this on the morning of Thanksgiving Day, while the rest of you are probably eating your Thanksgiving Eve dinner (pizza, right?). In a way, this is a monumental holiday for Zac and me. It is our first major holiday as a married couple, and maybe more importantly, our first away from home and family. For me, Thanksgiving jumped from location to location around Texas every year (usually Corpus, Dallas, or Houston). So I was never accustomed to a "traditional" Thanksgiving, simply because it changed every year. But we were always around family, whether that be extended aunts and uncles (and in my family, there are plenty of those) or our immediate family or over at the Cooks' house. The most rich and blessed part of the holiday was being around those we love.

Now, halfway around the world, we are building a new family. Not only the "Jena and Zac Cook" family, but a network of dear friends that will carry us through the next three years, and no doubt beyond that. Sure, it's hard to be away from family and home town friends. But, I am so thankful for the relationships that are growing here.

This is the time of the year where we all sit down for a few minutes, let the world sit still in our lives, and think for what we are thankful. I thought about this the other day while driving (on the left side of the road, of course). Every part of our lifestyle can be attributed to living in such a wonderful country, a country rooted in the very thing we are celebrating today. Thankfully, there are thousands of men and women committed to protecting all that we have. And they have families that support them at home and at war. There are families giving much more than Zac and me. I've met so many wives who have been through multiple deployments, celebrated several holidays by themselves, moved 3 times in 3 years...and the list goes on. To me (and certainly not because I'm in a military life), the families make as big a sacrifice as their military dad(/mom).

I am also so very thankful for friends and family, old and new. The past year has been one of MUCH change for me, and I have been so blessed with such wonderful and rock-solid friends and family to support me through it. And it's only growing...two beautiful new nephews this year, many new friends, a new family-in-law...all of you have made our lives infinitely more rich. And we are so thankful for you.

To end, I'll end with something my mom always reinforced. Our happiness has been overflowing, but sometimes things are just hard. I'm thankful for those challenging times. (As my mother always said...) "it's character building." They have/still are shaping us into a resilient, strong family. And while I'm am not thankful of the situation then, I am so thankful for what it is making me.

I love you all and I hope you have a most blessed Thanksgiving, full of smiles, hugs, family, and friends. And pie. We'd love to hear from you, so Skype or call!

Casualties of War...errrr...Moving

We've had all of our "stuff" for a little over a week now, and thankfully it's slowly but surely being put in its home (i.e. AWAY!). Well, at least in the common areas. But still plenty to go.

Now, for all of you non-military-eds or those of you who have never moved, or moved overseas, I'm going to give you an exclusive, in-depth look at the innards of  a military move. Get ready for the ride of your life.

It all started on a morning in September. The moving company was supposed to arrive to pack up the rest of our belongings and send them away on a ship. We woke up early, treated ourselves to Starbucks, and waited. Turns out they forgot about us. Soooo, 3 hours later the crew arrives.

It was an all-day frenzy of packing paper and boxes. Not a thing missed. Well, actually, they did forget a few things...and now they are in Katy instead of Japan...You win some, you lose some. It was all packed and mashed into wooden crates and loaded in a truck to take it to its home for the next 2-3 months.

Next came the waiting. While we pranced around Texas, our stuff was on the arduous trip through the Panama Canal and around the world. We had a few worries...apparently in bad conditions, the sailors will toss off extra weight (i.e. our prized possessions) into the ocean so the boat won't sink. Glad it didn't come to that! The crates were no doubt tossed and turned and pushed and shoved. But they finally arrived in OKINAWA!

Fast forward to last Tuesday. Another crew unloaded and unpacked ALL of the stuff (imagine rooms with stuff all over). That's when the adventure started...seeing what survived the war...I mean move. We were pleasantly surprised. A glass here, a lap desk there...not too shabby. Then there were some surprises. Like the love seat that now has a downward slant to the left (diagnoses: lost leg/twisted frame). And like our queen-size duvet cover AND down comforter conveniently shoved into a carry-on-size suitcase. Really Darrell? (Darrell was a packer in NC...I'm not sure if his name was really Darrell, but he reminds me of Darrell from The Office.)

Now we take pictures of everything broken or damaged, make a list, and submit it to an overworked/inefficient office to be reimbursed for our expenses. Or we try to fix what we can. Zac glued together a few cracked chair frames and dresser drawers. I took the duvet to be dry cleaned...another fiasco...I think they washed instead of dry cleaned our silk duvet, and now our great BEFORE:

Photos from Pottery Barn and 1stwishes.com

Looks more like crepe paper:

So there you have it. Can't wait to do it again in another 3 years. And in all honesty, we got it great, comparatively, to other horror stories I've heard. No broken electronics, no cats packed in the dresser drawer, no old garbage packed in a box. And after all, they are all just worldly things meant to get us through the day.

Want to see some more war wounds? See below. [Sidenote: we didn't take these pictures just for the blog. We had to anyway for our claims. Just so you don't think our lives are THAT boring that we just take pictures of our broken things. We really aren't that self obsessed. Promise.]

Chair Fracture

No use crying over broken glass

Our couch just wanted to LEAN BACK like his bro from the hood, Darrell.

Happy 234th Birthday, Marine Corps!

This weekend, we attended our second Marine Corps Ball. Every year, the Marine Corps celebrates its birthday, and we get to celebrate too! It was a good time for all, and Zac did a GREAT job :) (see previous post). I have attached a few photos, and I will try to upload some video of the event, if I can get it to work!

Us in our ball get-up

The traditional Marine Corps Birthday cake

Part of the ceremony (you can see the band playing and Zac at the podium!)

Until next year, the ball gowns and dress blues have been put to rest. It is a special time of year to celebrate what the Marines have been and still are for our country. What an incredible history. Like the National Anthem and "The Spirit of Aggieland," the Marine Hymn gives me chills everytime (yes, it's a hymn, not a song...the only branch of the military with an official hymn...a little trivia for ya).

We've been getting the house together ALOT this weekend. We've done a ton, but there's still a ways to go! I can't say how excited we are to be connected to the world again! So Skype or Vonage us away! (But please kindly remember our 15 hour time difference :) ) I think now that we feel more settled, we are more comfortable and excited to see all that is around us.

AND, to close, some exciting news...we have reserved tickets to go to Hong Kong after Christmas! We'd love some travel tips if you've been there!

Big Week

I don't have much to update on...we had a pretty uneventful weekend...stuck on base. We did have some fun times chatting with new friends, eating, and bowling.

But this week, it's all going to change. We have the big furniture move-in on Tuesday. We have the big internet hookup on Thursday. AND we have the big ball narration on Thursday night. Ohhh, it's a big week.

As much as I know that we should not be tied to earthly things, it will be so nice to have our stuff back. We lived out of suitcases for close to 2 months and with the minimal for another 3 weeks. We are just so ready to watch TV on a couch instead of a folding chair or air mattress (our previous living room furniture). It will be heavenly to eat my delicious home cooked meals at a table...sitting down. And to finally be warm at night under a comforter! Ohhh, what a big week.

Zac has a busy week of rehearsals for the ball! I can't even wait to see it! (Oh, wait, I already did...a couple of weeks ago...at the OTHER ball). But I'm sure that Zac will give a convincing performance. And shortly thereafter will probably be hired to be the background voice of Japanese movie previews.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is only a week and a half away! We have some plans set, and I'm excited to see our first Thanksgiving abroad...and as a cook/Cook. The holidays are just going to fly by!

I've posted a few pictures on Facebook, so you can check out our new digs!

Life in Oki

I apologize for the lack of updates in the past couple of weeks. There have been a couple of posts that I thought had posted, but the good ole internet must've tuckered out before they did.  So, a little update on our life in Oki (that's Okinawa, not Oklahoma ;)):

Zac had a "96" this past weekend (which means 4-day weekend in military speak). Friday, we ran a lot of errands and did too much shopping. Zac had long awaited the "Veterans Day Sale" at Tsunami Scuba so he/we could stock up on some snorkel gear. And stock up we did. We each got some masks, snorkels, flippers, and slippers (high-top water socks), and Zac got a fish spear to realize his long time "hunting/gathering" instinct. He says he's going to come home with some fresh fish someday. We'll see...but he's been practicing with the spear all around the house since then.

Friday night we had the first of two Marine Corps Balls. The Marines celebrate their birthday with the annual Birthday ball. It was my first ball experience, and we had a great time. I got to meet a lot of Zac's coworkers and even some of our neighbors. (Fortunately, I had the foresight to back my dress in the express shipment.) We have another ball in a couple of weeks, and Zac "gets" to be the narrator! Ha! Maybe I'll take some video...

We stopped by the beach on Saturday, and spent the rest of the weekend hanging out and painting trim. It was nice to have a long weekend and some companionship during the days!

Good news: our household good shipment has arrived in Japan! Zac gave the moving company a call yesterday (paraphrased by me):
Zac: So, do you know when our stuff will be here?
Okinawan moving company lady: Eet shood bee hee....uhh TOODAI! Eet arrives TOODAI!
Zac: Oh, so it's here?!
OMCL: Hai! Hai! ("yes" in Japanese...they say it all the time, can also be substituted with OK, umm, etc.)
Zac: So, when can we have it?
OMCL: Hai, eet must go thruuu cusTOMS, sooo wee can deliver next week?
Zac: (in his head) Yahoo!

We will be so thrilled to have a kitchen table, some couches, and a normal life! Our trusty air mattress has served as couch/table/chaise lounge for the past few weeks, and we're ready for an upgrade!

And, Zac wanted to share some random "Life in Okinawa" tidbits.

 - Construction workers wear Crocs. The parking spaces outside our apartment building are being re-striped (sorry Mark M., they beat you to it), and Zac noticed that their footwear preference is Crocs. Such a versatile shoe.
 - Construction crews "work out" together. Zac noticed a construction crew near his work doing some morning exercises together. Think arm circles and some low-impact/non-jumping jumping jacks. Way to stay fit, Okinawa!

Happy Birthday, Marines (Nov. 10), and Happy Veterans Day (Nov. 11)!!

Dislocation Adjustments

   Every move has its frustrations. Moving halfway around the world is no exception. We’ve run into several differences in the Japanese and even military culture that take some getting used to. Some of these differences have been fun to learn and discover, while some are just downright maddening. Now, I’m not trying to whine (we’ve had an amazing first 2 weeks on the island)…which is why I’m calling these “adjustments” instead of “frustrations.” Here’s a little compare/contrast, if you will, of how we do things over in O-town:

• Driving on the other side of the road. Everything that has to do with driving is opposite. We drive on the left side of the road, the driver’s seat is on the right side of the car, even the blinker is on the other side of the steering wheel. (This has been a humorous adjustment. Both Zac and I have turned on our windshield wipers several times as we were trying to signal a turn.) Fortunately the gas/brake pedals are the same, or else we’d be in big trouble.
• Slurping. It is perfectly acceptable to slurp your noodles. It’s actually pretty necessary – Soba noodles (a noodle soup comparable to Ramen noodles, but much better) are eaten with chopsticks. Yes, they eat their soup with chopsticks. So it’s impossible to do the twirling we do with spaghetti and a fork. We like this adjustment. It makes life easier (although it might be hard to desist once we’re back in the states). And, if I do say so myself, we are becoming quite dexterous with our chopsticks.
• No room in the inn. Well, not literally. There was plenty of room at the Courtney Lodge (where we stayed for a week and a half before we got the apartment). However, today I went to set up our internet. Mind you, the place is only open on Tuesdays and Fridays (how can I get THAT job?). So I went in, thinking we’d sign up and I’d soon be connected to the World Wide Web once again. Come to find out, there’s no room for any more internet customers on the base. What? I didn’t know the internet could run out of room? We’re number 6 on the waiting list…which means 6 people have to cancel their service on base before we can get hooked up. I might be going door to door this weekend spreading nasty rumors about the internet company so people will cancel. Until then, we’ll still be stealing some unknowing neighbors (spotty) wireless. [Side note: this is more of a military “adjustment.” The company has a monopoly on base. Un-American…I think so. If we were off base, we’d be set up with fiber optic miracle internet. If you feel as passionate as I do, write your congressmen ;)]
•  Off white walls with peachy trim. To be changed ASAP, once the paint store’s mixing machine gets fixed.
• Time difference. It took us a while to adjust to our new time zone (stay up past 8:00pm). But it still never ceases to amaze me that I can enjoy my morning coffee and pumpkin cake on Friday as everyone in the states is watching Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday night. (It’s a 14 hour time difference from Central time to here…soon to be 15 hours after the US “falls back” for daylight savings time.)
• Online experience. Minus the fact that we don’t really have internet, our experience is quite different. Many websites, like Google/gmail and even this blog site, come up in Japanese. Eeek. It’s been quite a task to figure out which symbols mean “sign in” and “password.” Even the ads on the sidebar are in Kanji. (Sorry, sidebar ad, you won’t be getting my business… I can’t read you.) On that note, since the genius internet knows we’re coming from a Japanese location, we are unable to access a few sites. For example, we cannot watch online shows on any TV network’s website (ABC, NBC, FOX, hulu, etc.), not even Netflix, which we pay for. I would think that they could detect that we are on a military base (i.e. American soil), and allow us access. [If you believe in our right to view American masterpieces like Grey’s Anatomy and Glee online like the rest of our fellow citizens, write your congressmen] Se la vie.
• Microwave-less. This is more of a personal problem for us (that will probably be solved as soon as possible).  We don’t have a microwave. It’s not much of an issue, but it’s an adjustment. It brings us back to a more simple time where you bake in the oven and heat water on a stove. It’s enjoyable to get creative…like heating up some Chef Boyardee in a pot. Fun!

Well, that’s a wrap for now. I’ll probably be presenting some more “dislocation adjustments” in the future. It really is another world over here, and even though I make fun, we are really enjoying it here! I can’t believe it’s been 2 weeks already!

We'll be back in a few

Today (Tuesday) is move-in day!! We are finally moving OUT of the Courtney Lodge and into our new (to us) apartment! We don't have a lot to move in, just what we brought on the plane with us, but we have some loaner furniture coming later today and our express shipment coming tomorrow! Things are slowly but surely coming together.

We'll probably be without internet for the next few days until it gets set up in the apartment. Until then, I'll be cleaning bathrooms and lining shelves!

I'll be taking lots of pictures, so stay tuned!

Did you know?

This is more of an "FYI" post than an update of our life, but a perhaps useful lesson, especially as we near the holidays. I'd like to introduce my friend: The flat-rate priority mail box.

As the name implies, it's a flat rate to send the box, no matter the weight (I think up to 70 lbs...but unless you are shipping a box full of lead, it's probably fine.) The cool thing is you can order the boxes from the post office, and they will deliver the boxes...all for FREE (i.e. box and delivery = free). Then you just pay the shipping.

My interest has piqued on this subject as I have tried to figure out how to get Christmas gifts back to the states. I suppose this is my solution.

(For our moms...in case we still rate* Christmas gifts ;) ) Lucky for us, since we are "military personnel overseas" we have an "FPO" box, which basically means mail gets to us through the normal USPS. So only domestic fees apply. PLUS, the post office gives you a discount on the flat rate box shipping! I'm pretty sure both our moms love a good deal, right?

Besides that, if you feel so inclined to send a soldier/marine/airman (yes- a little military trivia- they all have different names based on the branch of service) that may be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan during the holiday season, these boxes and rates apply. Here's some info: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_082.pdf#search='fpo'

Unfortunately, the US Health Services (or whoever is in charge) is not using this nifty, thrifty, swift(y) method of shipping...the swine flu vaccine isn't coming to the island until the beginning of December...

Footnotes:


I apologize for writing a post entirely about boxes. Don't worry, I'll be back with more from our ever-exciting life soon (enter sarcastic face)! I also think I've met my allotment of parenthetical phrases for the year. 


*"rate" in the military means "earn" or "can get"...I've forgotten what is normal word usage and what is military talk.

In the Beginning...

What an awesome start to our stay in Okinawa it has been! The island is absolutely gorgeous, as we were able to experience our first weekend! Our sponsors took us up to the northern part of the island, which has very little "city" but does have some beautiful scenery. The boys went snorkeling while the girls hung out on the beach (it was a little chilly to swim for us.)

The Beach

That little head is Zac snorkeling. It was much more rough than usual.

We also visited the northern tip of the island, Cape Hedo. Gorgeous views. It characterizes a lot of the island - there are many hills/mountains and cliffs around the edge, but many great beaches also.

Cape Hedo: behind those rocks is a ~75 ft. drop

Looking down from Cape Hedo to the coral below

Sunset on the way home

We've eaten alot of sushi and soba (Asian noodle soup) since we've been here, and we're loving it! We're slowly but surely settling in. We will get our apartment and the second of our cars on Monday. I got a car on Friday, so we are finally independently mobile! I can't believe we've been here for only a week! We've experienced so much and are looking forward to much more!

Interesting cultural fact: The Japanese don't have normal cemeteries. They are mostly cremated, and families have collective "shrines" where they place the ashes. This is an important part of their main religion, Shintoism, which places an lar emphasis on ancestry.  We saw a ton of them on the drive north.

Adventures in Time Travel

We made it to Okinawa.

It was a long ride. To be honest, I don't know how long it was. Here's a short rundown. We left out of Seattle at 1 a.m. Seattle time. We landed in Anchorage, Alaska at 3 a.m. Anchorage time. After a 2 hour layover we left for Yokota Air Force Base and arrived there at 6:30 a.m. Yokota time. Then after another 2 hour layover we landed in Okinawa at about 12:30 p.m. Okinawa time. You figure out how long that is.

[Hint: Seattle is 2 hours behind Central time. Anchorage is 3 hours behind Central time. Yokota and Okinawa are 14 hours ahead of Central time...you can see how this gets pretty complicated.]

Oh, and by the way, we landed at 12:30 on Friday afternoon...so I guess we just skipped Thursday all together.

We've had a fabulous time here already, though our bodies are worn out (and thoroughly confused about when to sleep and wake up). Our first night (last night) here, we were exhausted by 7:00 pm and were in bed by 8:30. Our sponsor warned us that we would probably wake up, ready to go, at about four in the morning. Even though I felt like I could sleep days, 3:54 a.m. rolled around, and both Zac and I were wide awake. Tonight we are trying to fight the jet lag...It's almost 10 pm and we're still up...on our way to an almost normal night's sleep.

Our first full day in Okinawa was great. It's already feeling like it's going to be okay to live here for a few years. (Yesterday was a little overwhelming...I mean a lot overwhelming. I think I have material for a year's worth of blogging explaining all of cultural differences that we've noticed in our first 36 hours.)

We got good news this morning: our express shipment has arrived, which means we will have some necessities (and some Halloween decorations...of course...) as soon as we move into permanent housing. Can't wait to have my good ole coffee pot back. For some reason, having just a little portion of our stuff made me feel much more at ease in being here, and one step closer to making this home.

Our sponsors have been incredible and took us all around the island today. We started with a local lunch of (super cheap) soba/okinawa noodles at Dragon. Then, we went to another base to check out cell phones. (Umm, I think they're a little behind on the cell phone plans...for a normal US priced plan, you get about 45 min. a month, no mobile to mobile and no free nights and weekends. It's like a flashback to the early-90's-with-the-Zack-Morris-huge-mobile-phone plan.) Then we made a stop at another base to look at the "lemon lot" - basically a car lot on base where people are trying to sell cars. We then went to base number 4 of the day (or maybe back to a previous base...they all look the same to me) for FosterFest, a little festival with some entertainment, food, carnival games, etc. We wrapped up the day with dinner, frozen yogurt, and a tour of a base apartment.

We've only been here one day, but it already feels like a while. I don't think we really feel like we live here yet, but it's amazing how fast we are getting there.

Well, I made it to my 10:00 pm goal, so now I'm going to rest my poor tired body.

Sayonara USA

What a wonderful whirlwind of a month. There is so much to talk about, I don't even know where to start. So I'll go backwards. Right now, Zac and I are sitting in the USO lounge in the Seattle airport. After a semi-long flight to Seattle, we have a few hours before the flight leaves for Japan (it leaves at 1 a.m. Seattle time, 3 a.m. Texas time). It should be a long night, but maybe we'll be just exhausted enough to sleep on the plane.

Last night, we had our last dinner at the Taste of Texas (a great steakhouse in Houston) for our last "taste of Texas." The four months in North Carolina made us realize how much Texas is truly our home, and we will miss it dearly for the next few years! It was so wonderful to be able to spend a few weeks there with all of our friends and family!

This has been a long week of goodbyes...But Zac and I couldn't feel more blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family offering so much support and so many prayers. We are confident this will be an amazing adventure, but we will miss sharing the day to day with so many of y'all!

I will get pictures and stories up as soon as I can of (what Zac calls) our "Farewell Tour." We tried to take as many pics as possible! Hopefully we'll have internet access soon, and I'll update on our Okinawa arrival!

Our Future Honba

[Honba = Home in Japanese]

We're off to Okinawa, Japan October 14th. We don't know much about our future home, but to give you an idea of where we're headed, we'll share the research we have.

Okinawa is a small island on the southern-most tip of the Japanese islands. Basically, it's nowhere near the mainland - it's about 950 miles from Tokyo. It's just about as close to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia as it is to the mainland.

Weather-wise, it's tropical. The coldest it will ever get is about 55 degrees. So it's sayonara to sweaters and pea coats. BUT we'll have year round beach trips and scuba diving, which I'd trade for cold weather any day. (It will be interesting how a palm tree will work as a Christmas tree, though....;))

The island has over 10 U.S. military bases. Zac will be working on Camp Schwab, which is in the middle of the island. We will probably live on Camp Courtney, which is a little further south. (See here for a map of the island.) Housing is very different than here in the U.S.! Amenity-wise, since we will live on base, everything will be Americanized. Architecturally, everything's concrete and blocky... When the first typhoon rolls through, I'm sure I'll appreciate the strong, concrete walls. We'll either live in a mulitplex or a highrise apartments.

Lovely, right?

We're already on the list for a three-bedroom "house." It will probably be in the high-rise, since we don't have any pets. I guess it's pretty standard, but I think the washer and dryer are in the kitchen! Ha! Maybe I'll end up liking it...I can do laundry and cook dinner at the same time...?

It won't be too long until we get to see it in real life! We are so looking forward to being there, but enjoying our last few days visiting friends and family!

The Many Moons of Jena and Zac...

Well, the summer is almost over! It's been such a wonderful time, and it's (kinda) sad to see it go. I guess it's on to bigger and better things now! Here's a little rundown of Zac and my summer of love....

We start in early May...Jena's college graduation. It was bittersweet, as it ended my 5 years in Aggieland. 

Highlight for the summer....for sure. We took a trip down the aisle, and was no doubt the most wonderful night of our lives. It was incredible to share that time with our friends and family. I would do it over every weekend if I could. Afterwards, we both went to our first home in Jacksonville, NC, and spent the next weekend at Myrtle Beach for our "Mini-moon." 

[Side note: Because Zac and I did not have a typical honeymoon, we decided any special time together was going to be a different "moon." Several more to follow...] 

Due to a lost camera, the next couple month's worth of pictures are non existent. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the peak summer months with pool time, beach time, grill outs, and just loving life!

The Cook family came to visit in late July, where we had some fun family time, and I got to celebrate my 23rd birthday with everyone! This is my b-day dinner at the Melting Pot.

Our day at the beach: Zac in his homemade lounge chair.

Delicious Ben and Jerry's birthday cake after dinner at Marina Cafe. 

The next day was the end of the Cook trip and the beginning of our "Flu-moon." Zac came down with something, went to the doctor, and was told he had the swine flu. We still don't know if he really did, but it gave him a week off of work, and an early start to Texas for Blake and Kristan's wedding!

August flew by, but definitely a highlight was a rendezvous in Wilmington, NC with Kelley and friends. We ate on the water at Elijah's (my first highly enjoyable encounter with oysters), and enjoyed a great outdoor concert.

We returned to Wilmington the next weekend for Labor Day. We started with a wine tasting at World Market (they have one every Saturday afternoon!) and then headed to the park for a wine picnic.

And we returned to Elijah's for some more oysters. We also semi-crashed the wedding at the restaurant next door. 

What a ham!

And, finally, we enjoyed one of our last North Carolina weekends at a beautiful B&B in downtown Wilmington, the Graystone Inn. One of our most relaxing "moons," the "Labor-moon" (?) was a great way to close out our summer and time in NC. 

Welcome!

Well, we've jumped on the blogwagon....

Since we will be out of touch with much of America for the next few years, we figured this would be a great way to share our way of life, adventures, and keep in touch with everyone. Hopefully, Japan will provide enough fun material to keep it interesting!

Zac and I are excited, if not a little nervous about our big move! Over the next month, we will hopefully be able to see many of you before we say "Sayonara!"

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