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.