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!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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...;)
Saturday, August 14, 2010
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...
Monday, August 9, 2010
Update
So I never finished the Cook visit week, but I will. Promise. It just seems like I have more time to write while...errrrr....at work...(don't tell anyone) than at home with my computer that has the pictures, which definitely MAKES the posts. Alas, no pictures, but I suppose our lives have been somewhat interesting lately, so I'll just talk about it and you can imagine our lives in your head.
We'll start with July 31st, since it was my b-day, and since it's the day that I started (life), we'll start there. (Such a good sentence.) Zac promised me he would finish packing before my birthday, and he did, so we were able to spend the whole day enjoying ourselves. Zac was such a great husband and brought me doughnuts and a caramel macchiato in bed. Then I got to see my whole family on Skype...I think they were having a birthday party for me...without me...in Katy. That was super fun, and I can't believe how much all those little nieces and nephews are getting! Please stop growing, niece and nephews, until I move back to the states...k thanks.
Then we headed off to lunch at one of my favorite places, (which will soon be featured WITH PICTURES in a Cook visit post) Transit Cafe. It's a little cafe right on the seawall with delicious food and drinks and a great view. We stuffed ourselves with cheese fondue, bellinis, teriyaki chicken naan pizza, open faced sandwiches, etc. YUM-O. After that, we checked out Chula-U, which I guess you could say is a cross between a country club pool, spa, and bath house. It had a couple of pools, a hot spring pool ("healing waters"), sauna, and public baths and more. We did not participate in the public baths...we're not that brave or Japanese yet. It was fun, but a little too crowded and crazy. The hot spring pool would be awesome in the winter. The regular pool had tons of kids crazing around, but when you put your head underwater there was some very relaxing Asian tunes playing underwater! So to make my underwater escape, I floated while Zac kept me from floating into other people. We also tried Dr. Fish, which is where you put your feet in a tub with a bunch of small fish and they eat the dead skin on your feet. It was crazy and ticklish. I'm glad I tried it, but I think I'll stick to conventional pedicures in the future.
We were going to try a new place, Sam's by the Sea, a teppanyaki (or hibachi for your Americans) place for dinner. There are tons of "Sam's" restaurants on the island...kind of the Japanese equivalent of Landry's or Pappa's lines of restaurants. But we were still so stuffed from lunch we didn't want to go out for a big dinner. So we ate some cheesecake with our friends Jon and Alayna and ended up having a great, light sushi dinner at one of our faves, Delicious. (Really, the name of the restaurant is Delicious.) I was glad that Zac got to have some sushi before he left, too, so it really worked out perfectly! Overall the day was relaxing and fun, and most importantly I got to spend some wonderful, last-minute, quality time with Zac.
We woke up nice and early the next day (4:15 am to be exact) to head off to the airport. Zac loaded up his 4 huge bags into my little Will (that's the make of my car, I didn't name it) and left behind apartment 306 for the Middle East. I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't emotional. But I tried my very best to put on my brave face as he left. You can't really prepare for how you will feel when you're saying goodbye for ~7 months, but we survived. I think it still hits me (and will continue to hit me) in waves. Our best way to deal with it, though, is to just live in the present and enjoy the life that we have because no amount of wishing or hoping will change anything!
An enormous blessing to me has been the amazing support system around me. Thoughts and prayers from the states mean so much, but it's the friends here that are physically with me to support and distract(!) me that really keep me going. The morning Zac left, two other girls went to brunch with me. It was perfect so I didn't start the whole deployment thing out sulking at home...just jumped in and got busy! We sat around, ate like crazy, and talked for almost 3 hours! Afterwards, we did a little grocery shopping, I did some other shopping, and one of them cooked dinner for us. It was so perfect, I hardly noticed Zac was gone!
Throughout the first week, I literally had something every night, whether a kind dinner invitation from a neighbor, or bible study, girls night, cook out, etc. It made the week fly by! I couldn't have imagined how much easier it all is with a couple of good buddies and lots-o-plans (oh, and a little wine splashed in there doesn't hurt either!)!
This week hasn't been bad...but perhaps a bit more emotional. I think when things around me are going good, it's easy to move through it, but when they're not, it magnifies the "missing him syndrome." Yesterday was one of those days - some "difficult" people at work and horrible weather because Okinawa was being side-swiped by a typhoon - just made for one of "those days." But I think that we all have "those days" and they are normal and you eat Ben and Jerry's & pizza and chat with a neighbor and move on tomorrow. And I'm ok with that.
So anyway, that's a little glimpse into life as of late. I've chosen to enjoy my married-bachelorette-dom and just keep on living...
We'll start with July 31st, since it was my b-day, and since it's the day that I started (life), we'll start there. (Such a good sentence.) Zac promised me he would finish packing before my birthday, and he did, so we were able to spend the whole day enjoying ourselves. Zac was such a great husband and brought me doughnuts and a caramel macchiato in bed. Then I got to see my whole family on Skype...I think they were having a birthday party for me...without me...in Katy. That was super fun, and I can't believe how much all those little nieces and nephews are getting! Please stop growing, niece and nephews, until I move back to the states...k thanks.
Then we headed off to lunch at one of my favorite places, (which will soon be featured WITH PICTURES in a Cook visit post) Transit Cafe. It's a little cafe right on the seawall with delicious food and drinks and a great view. We stuffed ourselves with cheese fondue, bellinis, teriyaki chicken naan pizza, open faced sandwiches, etc. YUM-O. After that, we checked out Chula-U, which I guess you could say is a cross between a country club pool, spa, and bath house. It had a couple of pools, a hot spring pool ("healing waters"), sauna, and public baths and more. We did not participate in the public baths...we're not that brave or Japanese yet. It was fun, but a little too crowded and crazy. The hot spring pool would be awesome in the winter. The regular pool had tons of kids crazing around, but when you put your head underwater there was some very relaxing Asian tunes playing underwater! So to make my underwater escape, I floated while Zac kept me from floating into other people. We also tried Dr. Fish, which is where you put your feet in a tub with a bunch of small fish and they eat the dead skin on your feet. It was crazy and ticklish. I'm glad I tried it, but I think I'll stick to conventional pedicures in the future.
We were going to try a new place, Sam's by the Sea, a teppanyaki (or hibachi for your Americans) place for dinner. There are tons of "Sam's" restaurants on the island...kind of the Japanese equivalent of Landry's or Pappa's lines of restaurants. But we were still so stuffed from lunch we didn't want to go out for a big dinner. So we ate some cheesecake with our friends Jon and Alayna and ended up having a great, light sushi dinner at one of our faves, Delicious. (Really, the name of the restaurant is Delicious.) I was glad that Zac got to have some sushi before he left, too, so it really worked out perfectly! Overall the day was relaxing and fun, and most importantly I got to spend some wonderful, last-minute, quality time with Zac.
We woke up nice and early the next day (4:15 am to be exact) to head off to the airport. Zac loaded up his 4 huge bags into my little Will (that's the make of my car, I didn't name it) and left behind apartment 306 for the Middle East. I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't emotional. But I tried my very best to put on my brave face as he left. You can't really prepare for how you will feel when you're saying goodbye for ~7 months, but we survived. I think it still hits me (and will continue to hit me) in waves. Our best way to deal with it, though, is to just live in the present and enjoy the life that we have because no amount of wishing or hoping will change anything!
An enormous blessing to me has been the amazing support system around me. Thoughts and prayers from the states mean so much, but it's the friends here that are physically with me to support and distract(!) me that really keep me going. The morning Zac left, two other girls went to brunch with me. It was perfect so I didn't start the whole deployment thing out sulking at home...just jumped in and got busy! We sat around, ate like crazy, and talked for almost 3 hours! Afterwards, we did a little grocery shopping, I did some other shopping, and one of them cooked dinner for us. It was so perfect, I hardly noticed Zac was gone!
Throughout the first week, I literally had something every night, whether a kind dinner invitation from a neighbor, or bible study, girls night, cook out, etc. It made the week fly by! I couldn't have imagined how much easier it all is with a couple of good buddies and lots-o-plans (oh, and a little wine splashed in there doesn't hurt either!)!
This week hasn't been bad...but perhaps a bit more emotional. I think when things around me are going good, it's easy to move through it, but when they're not, it magnifies the "missing him syndrome." Yesterday was one of those days - some "difficult" people at work and horrible weather because Okinawa was being side-swiped by a typhoon - just made for one of "those days." But I think that we all have "those days" and they are normal and you eat Ben and Jerry's & pizza and chat with a neighbor and move on tomorrow. And I'm ok with that.
So anyway, that's a little glimpse into life as of late. I've chosen to enjoy my married-bachelorette-dom and just keep on living...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Cook Clan: Day 1
I think we saw more of the island the week that Zac's parents and sister visited than we have the entire 9 months we've lived here. It was a whirlwind week, but soo so fun to see stuff that we hadn't seen yet and get to share our little slice of life with family.
Saturday morning, after the Cooks (and by Cooks, I mean the visitors, as we are Cooks too) survived the ~20 hour flight and managed to fight jet lag until 5:30 am, we decided to dive in to show the island. We started by going east, I suppose, to some small islands just off the east coast of Okinawa. Ikei and Miyagi islands are tiny and connected by bridges to the big(ger) island of Okinawa. There are some pretty beautiful views , and where Zac and I made our first Okinawan snorkeling plunge.
We swung by our favorite local Thai restaurant (literally across the street from base) for lunch. The restaurant is actually run by a few Thai women that are married to US Marines. MMMmmmm. I've never had Thai food before we moved here, but it is so absolutely delicious. Their pad thai is like crack on a plate...addicting. We had to go on a Saturday because they make thier fresh spring rolls on Saturdays only (and if you don't get there early, they'll be out, so lunch is the best bet!)
Then we headed south...all the way south...to Kokasai Street in Naha (the main city in Okinawa). Kokasai Street is a market area with about a mile of shops, market booths, fresh fish, and fruit. I think it was a good first glance at the city and a little bit of the culture.
We came back home and then walked to a local restaurant, Goen Yakiniku, which is a Korean BBQ restaurant down the street.
We love it...you basically order as much (raw) meat as you want, then you have a little grill in the middle of the table to grill it.
Maybe if we're lucky, we'll get some comments/feedback/backstories from the Cooks themselves!
Saturday morning, after the Cooks (and by Cooks, I mean the visitors, as we are Cooks too) survived the ~20 hour flight and managed to fight jet lag until 5:30 am, we decided to dive in to show the island. We started by going east, I suppose, to some small islands just off the east coast of Okinawa. Ikei and Miyagi islands are tiny and connected by bridges to the big(ger) island of Okinawa. There are some pretty beautiful views , and where Zac and I made our first Okinawan snorkeling plunge.
We swung by our favorite local Thai restaurant (literally across the street from base) for lunch. The restaurant is actually run by a few Thai women that are married to US Marines. MMMmmmm. I've never had Thai food before we moved here, but it is so absolutely delicious. Their pad thai is like crack on a plate...addicting. We had to go on a Saturday because they make thier fresh spring rolls on Saturdays only (and if you don't get there early, they'll be out, so lunch is the best bet!)
Then we headed south...all the way south...to Kokasai Street in Naha (the main city in Okinawa). Kokasai Street is a market area with about a mile of shops, market booths, fresh fish, and fruit. I think it was a good first glance at the city and a little bit of the culture.
We came back home and then walked to a local restaurant, Goen Yakiniku, which is a Korean BBQ restaurant down the street.
The Cooks posing for a "typical/peace sign" Japanese picture at Goen
Just a peek at some of the food we made. The Cooks did great with their chopsticks the whole trip! We have gotten so used to them, but forget that it's the only option most places!
You can also order veggies, fish, etc. to grill too. It's all you can eat, so ya just have to press a button and they bring you whatever.
The little grill and naan.
Happy (and probably pretty tired)
My favorite part by far is naan bread (an Indian flatbread) dipped in garlic & soy sauce. Jet lag creeped up by about 7 or 8, so we walked back, and it was time for bed.Maybe if we're lucky, we'll get some comments/feedback/backstories from the Cooks themselves!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tit for Tat
Definition of our happy marriage:
Last night we had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and beer.
Then we watched Pride and Prejudice.
Just a little tit for tat.
Last night we had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and beer.
Then we watched Pride and Prejudice.
Just a little tit for tat.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Whoops
So I just realized that I haven't posted in a whole month. Whoops. It seems like life has just happened around here too fast for me to keep up.
We're having a great time with Zac's parents and sister this week. Once things get back to normal, hopefully I'll catch up and tell you about all of our exploring and adventures from the week. Maybe I can get them to write something from an "outsiders" point of view, too!
In other news, we're preparing for some big changes in the near future, and I guess you could say we'll both be doing some major travelling soon...though not together.
Oh, ps, the dog's ok...fully recovered from the needle incident. Phew.
We're having a great time with Zac's parents and sister this week. Once things get back to normal, hopefully I'll catch up and tell you about all of our exploring and adventures from the week. Maybe I can get them to write something from an "outsiders" point of view, too!
In other news, we're preparing for some big changes in the near future, and I guess you could say we'll both be doing some major travelling soon...though not together.
Oh, ps, the dog's ok...fully recovered from the needle incident. Phew.
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