A beautiful shot of Mount Fuji that a jet squadron shot last week!
The scenery here is awe inspiring!! Each season brings the most amazing sights!!
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Baker Maddy
This girl LOVES to bake these days!! Keeping it simple with some box mixes...and it still makes her happy!
Base tree lighting
The base held its annual tree lighting event this past Friday night. As a bonus, Abby performed with the school's drama club, showcasing some of their songs they will be singing in their show this coming week! She LOVES to perform!!! We cheered her on from the audience!
Overseas Life- Reflection-- as it comes to an end
The thought of leaving Japan in less than six months has me thinking, reflecting, and thankful......living here overseas has a lot of perks, and has taught me a LOT about myself!! Not to mention resulted in a ton of stamps in our passports ( 6 new countries and counting...) but it also leaves me anxious and excited for what we are going back to!! AMERICA!!!
We've been blessed with an amazing family experience living on base for the third time in our Navy career over the past 13 years.....and being part of a warm and inviting squadron "framily" that helps make all the struggles worthwhile! But the travels, and fish bowl life of friends don't compensate for the shortcomings of overseas life!! Overseas life definitely comes with sacrifices beyond those that you assume when you sign up for it (IF you sign up for it.........most people here did not CHOOSE to come.....) But if you get the blessed opportunity to complete an overseas tour, especially in Japan where we are forward deployed, here is a short list of the things you should appreciate stateside before you do.......
In six months..........oh the little things.......my top 20......
1-Driving a car......a real, beautiful car that I will love because I picked it out for real reasons and not because it was "cheap and runs"!! And doesn't have dents and scrapes (that I didn't cause) and a window that doesn't roll down.....
2-Park in a spot (that I don't pay for hourly or every 30 min) bigger than a mini-cooper fits
3-Go out to dinner and not have to use google translate to decipher the menu or wonder what we will be ordering/eating
4-Grocery shop and actually get everything on the list. Because who is ever out of mushrooms and
lettuce indefinitely?? Base grocery store for the win.....NOT!!
5-Back to cheap nail salons!!!! Nails aren't a THING here in Japan! Very few Japanese paint their nails---I'm NOT paying $50 for a crappy pedicure at the base salon.....NO MORE!
6-Shopping, oh the shopping!!! Walking into a Target at almost all hours to get--ANYTHING. Sayonara to waiting 7-21 days for a package that gets trapped in the FPO black hole
7-A gym membership!!! Yes I will be back to a routine! Me me me me me!!!! The base "family" gym here is suited for kids under 5......with padded blocks and a slide climber. So yeah nowhere to workout with my older kiddos in tow.....oh and said gym is closed Sundays.....go figure, family day and all.
8-Flights to family that cost less than $600 per person!!! I will never criticize a flight cost again after living out here.....or 8 hours drive-able in a car! Easy peasy!
9-Healthcare.....yes I want to pick my own darn dentist and medical provider; call me crazy!! Back to Standard we go!!!! WOOHOO!
10-Drinking a glass of wine while out to dinner and still being able to legally drive home!! Yeah....can't do that here!!
11-A garage!!!! Oh how I will never take for granted having a garage.....of any size.....EVER again! Storage is so valuable! Living in 1300 sqft leaves a LOT to be imagined and stored indoors.
12-A yard.......again something of any size I'll never complain about! Our 8x10 cement patio with chain fence is.....well, sigh......annoying.....and lacks privacy!!
13-A real Christmas tree!! I know it sounds tedious and most probably assume that US bases overseas have them delivered in droves.....but it's generally not the case! In fact I heard our base was one of 4 in the area that actually got a delivery of live trees! So amidst probably tens of thousands of people....you can imagine how fast they go! No less how much they cost or how long they last. By 12/1 they were sold out
14- We won't be paying $10-20 or more each way to travel the highway by car!! Any trip around here adds up quickly!! Going hours away could be $100, $200.......
15- Traveling the highways and missing an exit and just "getting off at the next one". That isn't a thing here! The highways have very minimal exits--so a simple "I missed my exit" doesn't go over well! You could travel miles past that point to cover your tracks and will pay more because the highways charge by distance!
16- Not using an ATM machine on a weekly basis!! I've used it here more in the past 20 months than I have in 20 years!! Cha-Ching!! Japan is cash friendly.....CC not so much
17- Hair salons.....I will be back to the land of salons and I will never complain about cost, time spent......just to get my hair done and enjoy it!
18- Clothes......so "Japan size" items don't fit the average 5'8" American!! You can imagine why!! Neither do their shoes! A US 8-1/2 equivalent is very hard to find. So I will thoroughly enjoy not having to shop online anymore!! Base shopping results in everyone wearing the same pieces, so that's not a great obvious option! Best I've found here is Old Navy.....best.
19- Mail that gets delivered......to your HOUSE! It's quite the concept right??!!! Here we frequent the small and inefficiently run mail office and wait in horribly long lines, for unknown packages.....and have to remember a ridiculous 3 variable combo lock code just to retrieve flat mail! I'm coming for you, mailbox on my driveway!!!!
20- Extra-curricular activities!!! My kids will finally know what it's like to do something fun after school! Or maintain a hobby or skill!! They are already making their list of things to try when we get back! And I'm excited to know I can finally help them fulfill those checklists!
We've been blessed with an amazing family experience living on base for the third time in our Navy career over the past 13 years.....and being part of a warm and inviting squadron "framily" that helps make all the struggles worthwhile! But the travels, and fish bowl life of friends don't compensate for the shortcomings of overseas life!! Overseas life definitely comes with sacrifices beyond those that you assume when you sign up for it (IF you sign up for it.........most people here did not CHOOSE to come.....) But if you get the blessed opportunity to complete an overseas tour, especially in Japan where we are forward deployed, here is a short list of the things you should appreciate stateside before you do.......
In six months..........oh the little things.......my top 20......
1-Driving a car......a real, beautiful car that I will love because I picked it out for real reasons and not because it was "cheap and runs"!! And doesn't have dents and scrapes (that I didn't cause) and a window that doesn't roll down.....
2-Park in a spot (that I don't pay for hourly or every 30 min) bigger than a mini-cooper fits
3-Go out to dinner and not have to use google translate to decipher the menu or wonder what we will be ordering/eating
4-Grocery shop and actually get everything on the list. Because who is ever out of mushrooms and
lettuce indefinitely?? Base grocery store for the win.....NOT!!
5-Back to cheap nail salons!!!! Nails aren't a THING here in Japan! Very few Japanese paint their nails---I'm NOT paying $50 for a crappy pedicure at the base salon.....NO MORE!
6-Shopping, oh the shopping!!! Walking into a Target at almost all hours to get--ANYTHING. Sayonara to waiting 7-21 days for a package that gets trapped in the FPO black hole
7-A gym membership!!! Yes I will be back to a routine! Me me me me me!!!! The base "family" gym here is suited for kids under 5......with padded blocks and a slide climber. So yeah nowhere to workout with my older kiddos in tow.....oh and said gym is closed Sundays.....go figure, family day and all.
8-Flights to family that cost less than $600 per person!!! I will never criticize a flight cost again after living out here.....or 8 hours drive-able in a car! Easy peasy!
9-Healthcare.....yes I want to pick my own darn dentist and medical provider; call me crazy!! Back to Standard we go!!!! WOOHOO!
10-Drinking a glass of wine while out to dinner and still being able to legally drive home!! Yeah....can't do that here!!
11-A garage!!!! Oh how I will never take for granted having a garage.....of any size.....EVER again! Storage is so valuable! Living in 1300 sqft leaves a LOT to be imagined and stored indoors.
12-A yard.......again something of any size I'll never complain about! Our 8x10 cement patio with chain fence is.....well, sigh......annoying.....and lacks privacy!!
13-A real Christmas tree!! I know it sounds tedious and most probably assume that US bases overseas have them delivered in droves.....but it's generally not the case! In fact I heard our base was one of 4 in the area that actually got a delivery of live trees! So amidst probably tens of thousands of people....you can imagine how fast they go! No less how much they cost or how long they last. By 12/1 they were sold out
14- We won't be paying $10-20 or more each way to travel the highway by car!! Any trip around here adds up quickly!! Going hours away could be $100, $200.......
15- Traveling the highways and missing an exit and just "getting off at the next one". That isn't a thing here! The highways have very minimal exits--so a simple "I missed my exit" doesn't go over well! You could travel miles past that point to cover your tracks and will pay more because the highways charge by distance!
16- Not using an ATM machine on a weekly basis!! I've used it here more in the past 20 months than I have in 20 years!! Cha-Ching!! Japan is cash friendly.....CC not so much
17- Hair salons.....I will be back to the land of salons and I will never complain about cost, time spent......just to get my hair done and enjoy it!
18- Clothes......so "Japan size" items don't fit the average 5'8" American!! You can imagine why!! Neither do their shoes! A US 8-1/2 equivalent is very hard to find. So I will thoroughly enjoy not having to shop online anymore!! Base shopping results in everyone wearing the same pieces, so that's not a great obvious option! Best I've found here is Old Navy.....best.
19- Mail that gets delivered......to your HOUSE! It's quite the concept right??!!! Here we frequent the small and inefficiently run mail office and wait in horribly long lines, for unknown packages.....and have to remember a ridiculous 3 variable combo lock code just to retrieve flat mail! I'm coming for you, mailbox on my driveway!!!!
20- Extra-curricular activities!!! My kids will finally know what it's like to do something fun after school! Or maintain a hobby or skill!! They are already making their list of things to try when we get back! And I'm excited to know I can finally help them fulfill those checklists!
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Third Grade Fieldtrip
The buses had to park 2 blocks away....in true Japan style there is no adequate bus parking at the school we visited. This was our walk to the school along a main road. FUJI!!!!
The day at the Japanese school was a rotation of fun activities! And then we all ate lunch together.
Bean bag toss
A badminton type game
Jump rope
We got name tags with our names in kanji!
Dying paper!
Calligraphy
Both schools in the gymnasium! Japanese on one side, Americans on the other
From the roads of Japan
Abby's third grade class had a field trip today and I chaperoned!
Along the way these were some of our views.....
24 hour rice dispenser!!!
How they dry their laundry!
Mount Fuji!!!! Snow capped and beautiful!!! This view never gets old
Halloween in Japan
My "Japanese girl" and "Superwoman"
The Japanese kids who come on base and trick or treat, are ADORABLE!!
Abby and her good friend/neighbor Ava
So creative.....hah!!!! Soldier that lost his arm!!
The girls got to carve pumpkins in California at my moms!
Last week and weekend of November!!!
I'm subbing a LOT at the kids school these days.......and one of the perks is getting to occaisionally sit down and enjoy lunch in the cafeteria with them. And man do they love it!!!
Daddy got home just in time to attend Maddy's class Thanksgiving event!
On Thanksgiving day, Mike and I hosted 8 single Junior Officers for the big meal! And it was 35 degrees and SNOWED all day!!!
The day after Thanksgiving we went to the New Sanno hotel in Tokyo for two nights! Enjoyed some family R&R!!!
Christmas decor in Roppongi in Tokyo
Tokyo Tower and holiday lights
And this is what the past 2 weeks have looked like! Maddy LOVES to read him her new found interest in chapter books!
Final Japan Homecoming
November 15th we celebrated our LAST homecoming in Japan......and it was also our last one with the squadron on this tour!!! Hallelujah!!!! Our 4th homecoming in 18 months!
Their main squeeze came home!!!!!
Maddy said "Dad.....did you get us flowers in Korea??" (Korea was a month beforehand.....the Navy has tricky ways of getting flowers onboard the planes once they land......sneaky enough to evade these girls!!!)
First family selfie
The perfect way to describe the past 18 months.....and 6 more to come......American and Japanese!!! Going back with both in our hearts!!!
The amazing women I have been sharing this experience with
Maddy turns 7!!!!
This amazing girl brings so much light into our lives! If you need a good laugh, or a hug, or lots of kisses......come spend an hour with her! She will light up your day!!!
I can't wait to see what her future brings, but for now we celebrated her turning 7 on Nov 4th!
The kids had the day off school, and we headed to Tokyo with Brenda and visited an interacting Owl Cafe! There are lots of ODD cafes in Japan......and this was the girls first! THEY LOVED IT
Homemade cake by Maddy's request! Blue Velvet!!
She had a sleepover with friends at the house......(and I'm not hosting another sleepover for 2 years min.....someone kick me if I do otherwise)
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