Christmas Time

December has been a pretty uneventful month for us! Chad's squadron was put on lock down for about a week and half because a couple Airman in his squadron got in trouble for an alcohol related incident. Since tensions are so high between the Americans and the Japanese right now, anything alcohol related gets your squadron put on lock down. This means that nobody in the squadron was allowed off base unless you were going to eat. I thought it was pretty nice of them to even allow them to go off base and eat. That made the lock down less painful! We've been under all sorts of crazy restrictions lately. Well I guess I shouldn't say we, really it only applies to the service members but I still feel like I'm being restricted! For awhile there they weren't allowed to purchase alcohol after 10PM on or off base. That just got lifted this last week though. They still have a 11PM curfew and are not allowed to drink in off base establishments. The purpose of these restrictions is to show the Japanese that we can be responsible. There are always going to be a few bad apples in a bunch though!

Last night, Chad and I attended his work's Holiday Party. It was a pretty fun time! They served us a delicious dinner and even had money on the bar, so the free drinks were nice! They were playing all sorts of entertaining games. Chad and I didn't partake in any but it was fun to watch! One game was like the show Fear Factor. They had to drink squid ink and eat nasty stuff. One thing they ate was an egg with an undeveloped bird inside. Disgusting! I'm glad I wasn't up there but it was fun to see the people who were brave enough to try it! Haha! They also gave away lots of prizes. It would have been nice to have won of the door prizes, maybe next year! :) The party was Las Vegas theme so they had Roulette, Black Jack, and Poker tables set up to play at. That was pretty cool. Overall, it was a fun night out of the house!

Today is Christmas Eve here in Japan! Usually I would be attending Christmas at my Grandma Cogswell's, but instead Chad and I are just hanging out. I am going to miss all the traditional things that we usually do with family. Tonight, at 10PM our time, we're going to Skype with my family and open all the presents that my Mom sent. I think I am more excited for them to open what we sent them! I can't wait :) I also can't wait to open all the presents that have been sitting under my tree for oh so long! Even though I won't be there on Christmas morning to open presents, I'm happy that technology allows us to still enjoy the time together in a sense. Tomorrow morning, we'll wake up and open presents via Skype with Chad's family. We bought all the fixings to make a Christmas dinner, so I look forward to that as well!

Merry Christmas all! I hope your holiday is filled with family, gifts, and happiness! :)

Snapshots 2

Now that we've been here for a few months, I don't have as much fun stuff to blog about. So I think more and more of my posts will be of random pictures that I find on my phone that I have a story to tell about. I think those posts are more fun anyways!

Last Wednesday was my first day of my new job. So far, I am really enjoying it! I am starting to catch on to all the different processes, so that's good. Plus, all the people that I have worked with are super nice! I'll be working every week day now, so that will keep me busy! It'll be nice to have extra money in the bank too! I'm excited! We started off leaving Myah out of her cage while we were away. She was good for the first couple days but on Friday, I came home and saw that she had unwrapped several of the presents that my Mom had sent us. I was very upset! So now, she'll just have to stay in her cage all day everyday! I feel bad, but I can't have her destroying my place because she's bored!

Myah has started to sit on the back of our futon in our spare bedroom and just stare out the window. She loves the outdoors! She has even started laying on the back of our couch like she's a cat, a BIG one!

The bases around here have been having several concerts lately. There was a Hoobastank concert at the bowling alley on our base a few weeks ago. Chad and I aren't really Hoobastank fans, but we took a walk up to the bowling alley to check it out. We took Myah with us too! She liked staring at all the people.

Our neighbors went to Toyko and brought us back these little treats as a token of thanks for helping them out while they were on vacation the week prior. I thought they were so cute with the giraffe print! They are banana carmel custard cream filled or something like that. I didn't think I would be a fan but they were actually really good! Chad and I hope to go to Toyko sometime while we're here, so we'll have to look for these to send home!

Ever since we've gotten to Japan, Chad has been obsessed with Dragon Ball Z. They have these Dragon Ball Z drinks in some of the vending machines around here. Whenever we see one, he has to get one! Not only do they taste good, it's like an orange energy drink but he also is trying to collect all the different cans. I tease him and say "gotta catch 'em all" ... but I'm like oh wait, that's Pokemon lol. We started collecting them when we first got here, but Chad had drank them so now he's trying to collect the unopened cans. A full set actually goes for a lot of money on Ebay! Some of the cans are harder to get than others. I think we're missing 2 or 3 to make a complete set. We also found a Dragon Ball Z puzzle in one of the local stores, so we spent a few nights putting that together. It was fun!

It's not everyday you see one of these in the mall! There was some performance going on in a shopping center that we were in one day. This thing like came out of nowhere and was like prancing around. It even like tried to bite Chad's crotch, lol I don't know what that was all about but it was pretty funny!

It rained all last weekend, which was a bummer! Trace Adkins came to town to put on a show for the military bases. He was on Kadena on Saturday night. It was an outside concert, unfortunately it was raining! That didn't stop Chad and I from attending though. I am glad we did because it was a lot of fun and a great concert. We enjoyed it! The best part is that it was free, can't beat that!

We're getting ready for Christmas around here, only 21 more days! I've only been staring at the presents my Mom sent us for 40 some days! Half way there :) She also sent this door cling to hang up on our door, so we put that up this last weekend. I really like it! :) We sent out our families' gifts last week, so they should be getting those hopefully this week! I can't wait for them to open them. I am horrible with surprises!


That's about all the fun that I've had in the past few weeks. Hope you enjoyed! :)

Cars, Cars, Cars!

There are so many cars over here with unusual names! I started snapping pictures whenever I saw some interesting ones. I am sure over time, I will have enough to make another blog post, so this is just part 1!

Probox

Space Gear

Moco

Life

Terios Kid

Leaf

FunCargo

Cube to the third?

Swift

Fun fact: That symbol on the left hand side of this Swift means that it is a new driver. You must have this symbol on your car if you've had your license for a year or less. It's to warn other drivers that you are a new driver, so you might do stupid things lol.

Tanto

Cefiro

Dingo

Fun fact: Almost all American owned vehicles have a Y on their license plate, like shown above. That is how you can tell if it's an American driver or not.

Note

Latte

Spacio

MarkII

Familia

Stingray

That's

Naked

 

While we're on the subject of cars, the Japanese aren't required to have their kids in car seats. We will often see kids climbing all over the car, in the front seat, infants being held. It's crazy!

Well that's it for now! I've seen lots of other car names that are unusual and funny, so I'll have to do a part 2 when I get pictures!

Long Weekend

I wanted to do some exploring today so we set out to find the Ishikawa Kougen Observatory. I should have added in my last post where I listed things I was thankful for, that I am thankful for street signs/names. Here in Okinawa, there aren't a whole lot of street signs so you are given directions by landmarks. "When you see red graffiti on a building, take a left, go to the 3rd stop light, take a right, go 5 km down and you'll see a big turtle, take a right here" lol, I swear the directions are always something like that. It makes it hard to find places! We found the Observatory pretty easily. It helps when you've been on th
e island for awhile so you know where different roads are. After you park at the Observatory, you have to climb a bunch of steep stairs. There were a lot of them! We were definitely huffing and puffing by the time we got near the top. We may be a little out of shape! It was definitely worth the stair climb. The view was beautiful and you could see so far!

Since we were only at the Observatory for like 10 minutes, I still wanted to do some more exploring. At this point, we just drove until we saw a sign for something cool. I noticed a sign for Cape Manzamo ahead, so we followed the signs leading there. I do have to say that is one good thing about finding places, is if it's a pretty popular place, there are usually signs pointing in the direction to go all the way there. Cape Manzamo was very pretty! I am glad we went!

After seeing the pretty sights, we decided to head back home. We wanted to take Myah to the beach to get her out of the house! We took her to Araha beach, since that's the only beach around here that I know allows dogs. She doesn't really like the water, which I think is strange for a dog, especially a black lab! She runs away from it when a wave washes ashore.

That was about our excitement for the weekend. We did check out the International Festival that was going on right outside of our base on Saturday. I think we went at a bad time because there wasn't much going on, but I know they had a parade and different performances throughout the day. Then at night they were going to have a tug of war, which is a big thing over here! They had a lot of different food vendors with different international foods. Now the weekend is winding down and tomorrow Chad will be back to work! I think I will begin work on Wednesday, but it still has to be confirmed. I was able to get all my paperwork in last week, so just waiting for a couple things to get clear before I can start! I'm trying to enjoy my last few days of having nothing to do before I have to go to work everyday!

Thanksgiving

Chad and I spent our first Thanksgiving away from home this year. I am not going to lie, I didn't like it! I miss being surrounded by family! On Wednesday, we got to enjoy a Thanksgiving lunch that Chad's squadron put on. On Thursday, we successfully attempted to make our first Thanksgiving feast together! We only had a little 3 pound turkey for the 2 of us, which was perfect. I don't even know it if was considered a turkey, more like a turkey breast haha! I put Chad in charge of cooking the turkey and he did a wonderful job! It came out moist and flavorful! We also cooked my Grandma's mashed potatoes recipes. I was pretty proud how those turned out. Chad claims they taste just like my Grandma's! We also had corn, rolls, and gravy. I attempted to cook my Mom's broccoli cheesey rice but that didn't go so well. I'm not sure what went wrong there, she claims it's the easiest recipe in the world! lol Other than that, our Thanksgiving dinner was delicious! It turned out really well!

I'll end this post with 20 things that I am thankful for...

1. My family – I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them! I am also thankful that I get along with my in-laws because I know not a lot of people do!
2. My Mom – She’s my best friend who will always be there for me. I am so much like her in so many ways, it’s kind of scary!
3. My husband – Chad is also my best friend who loves me unconditionally. I am not the easiest person to love yet he continues to put up with me every day!
4. Electricity – We’ve had 4 scheduled power outages this month, so it makes me realize how grateful I am for electricity!
5. My Home – A lot of people complain about base housing but I really love our home. We got lucky with our newly renovated place and therefore I am thankful!
6. Brittany – We’ve been best friends forever. I am thankful to have someone in my life who understands me.
7. My health – Not everyone is healthy, so I am thankful that I am!
8. Beachbody – Without being introduced to this wonderful company who makes all sorts of work out programs I would probably be 200 pounds now. I remember laughing at my Mom when she bought like 3 different workouts. Little did we know, it changed our lives and I am thankful for that.
9. Airplanes – I am thankful for this wonderful form of transportation. I think in the last year, I have been on an airplane more times than in my entire life. I can’t wait until I am on one again!
10. Our Armed Forces – I am thankful that there are people willing to fight for our freedom every single day. It truly takes someone special to do that.
11. The Air Force – Even though I truly hate it at times, it has provided for our family many things that we would not have otherwise. We are financially stable with money in the bank and we get to experience a whole different country and culture on their dime.
12. A car – We didn’t have a car for the first month that we were in Okinawa, and that really sucked. It was probably one of the worst times of my life because it made the transition of living here 100% more difficult. I am thankful to have not only 1 car, but 2 cars which are both really nice!
13. Myah – I was hesitant about getting a dog at first but I am thankful that we got Myah. We got lucky with her because she’s a really good dog (don’t mind that she chewed up one of my new candles the other night)!
14. Amazon.com – This site is amazing. It pretty much has everything we need and it’s one of the few sites that ships here super quick. I am also thankful for my Amazon Prime account, especially when I lived in the states for the free 2 day shipping. I miss that so much!
15. AF Wingmoms – This facebook page is truly a blessing from God. They help families who have an Airman in Basic Training. I met some very wonderful people through our Flight group who will remain forever friends.
16. Snail Mail & 15 minute phone calls – I’m wrapping this all up in one but I am thankful for these 2 things especially when Chad was in basic training. I wrote a letter every day for 60 days and I lived for those 15 minute phone calls every single week. Not knowing when he would call was horrible anxiety but I am thankful for when my phone rang.
17. Skype/Facetime – The technology of video calling these days is amazing. It helped me stay connected with Chad while he was at tech school & now it’s helping me stay connected with family and friends back home
18. Facebook – I will admit I am totally addicted to Facebook but that’s just because it keeps everyone connected! It’s nice to have a place to share stories and pictures with people that you know!
19. iPhones – Even though I totally was an avid Droid user before moving, I am now thankful for iPhones. I have the ability to text & facetime other iPhone users for absolutely free (without the use of a stupid app), which has made staying in touch with family and friends so much easier. I am thankful that my Mom, Chad’s Dad, and Brittany all invested in iPhones!
20. Crockpot – Chad and I make so many of our meals in the crockpot and each one is delicious! It makes dinner so easy! I am also thankful for Crockpot Liners because they make clean up that much easier!

Mid-November Update

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week already! Where is the time going?? Chad and I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner for ourselves this year. Usually we're surrounded by family and delicious food, so that will be a little different! I hope I can make my Grandma's mashed potatoes like she does because that's what I'll miss the most! Well.. and family :) I bought a small little turkey today for us to cook; I'm kinda excited to see how it turns out!

Since I haven't updated in 2 weeks, I'm trying to think of all the exciting things that have happened. Well for one, I got a job! I'm not sure when I will start it yet, as I have to fill out a bunch of paperwork and get an extensive background check done but I will doing clerical work at the base's Youth Center. I've always done clerical work and I actually like it, so I'm pretty excited to start working again!

We've been taking Myah to the dog park a lot. She loves it there! She's like the perfect size where she can hang with the big dogs but she can also play with the small ones too and not be overwhelming. I like it! She likes to chase the dogs all around. The nights that we don't take her, I think she begs us to go because she always gets really antsy at night time. I told Chad, I wonder if she thinks when the two of us leave if we go to the dog park without her. Haha! She's been doing really well though. She did chew up Chad's shoe.. actually twice. That's really the only bad thing that she has done. Thankfully she didn't get too far into the shoe so both are still wearable.

We were going to foster a dog last weekend through the same organization that we got Myah from. This organization adopts dogs from the local kill shelter and then places them in foster homes to be adopted by military members and their families. When I saw this dog, Layla, on Facebook looking for a foster home, it pulled at my heart strings for some reason. The dog was another young black lab mixed that looked just like Myah! Before the dogs leave the shelter, they get spayed/neutered, well Friday when Layla was getting spayed, she passed away :( They think she had an allergic reaction to the anesthetic. So that was sad.

On Monday, Chad and I went bought our first artificial Christmas tree. I couldn't wait to put it up! My Mom has already sent all her Christmas gifts to us, so I needed a tree to put them under. I feel silly putting up my tree before Thanksgiving, but I love it! I told Chad that I want to keep the tree up all year, it's so pretty sitting in our living room! I got the last batch of boxes today that my Mom sent, so now our under our tree looks even more amazing! Chad and I need to finish up our Christmas shopping for our families so that we can get those gifts sent out! I am excited for Christmas! I wish I could be home for Christmas, but I love that my Mom sent us gifts so that we can feel like we're home. I'm sure we'll Skype while we're opening them too, so that will be cool! Technology is really amazing these days!

Okinawa Zoo

It's been about 2 weeks since I updated my blog! You're probably wondering what we've been up to! We haven't really done a whole lot, but we did go to the Zoo last weekend!

I had heard interesting things about the Okinawa Zoo before going, so I didn't expect it to be like the Zoos that we're used to visiting in the states. We arrived there with low expectations but I was pretty impressed. You can get pretty close to all the animals. They don't have fancy cage exhibits like stateside Zoos where the animals are usually in the farthest hiding spot they can find. I felt kind of bad for the animals though since all their cages were pretty small, especially the bigger animals like the lions and tiger. They had all the typical Zoo animals that you expect to see at a zoo; monkeys, lions, tigers, a bear, hippos, giraffes, elephants, etc. We didn't really see anything too unusual. They did have a raccoon caged up, which I thought was funny since back home we see those found dead on the side of the road all the time or find them digging in the trash. I wonder if they are uncommon here. Even though the zoo wasn't as glamorized like the zoos that I am used to visiting, we still had a good afternoon looking at all the animals. I wish there were more exotic animals here. You think there would different animals since we're on the other side of the world!

The one funny thing is that since you can get so close to the animals, you have to be careful. I've heard stories that the animals will throw their poop at you. This sign was outside the lion and tiger's cages. I think it's funny! Thankfully we didn't get sprayed on!