Our Adventures

Feeling like a princess

2011-05-15T08:55:00.002-05:00

I saw this and thought it was way too funny not to share. No wonder I feel like a princess ;)

New House (Part one)

2011-05-15T07:02:00.002-05:00

So as most of you know Justin and I moved into a new house off base just over a month ago. It's been great. Not far from base, about a block from the seawall, and right across the street from a great Turkish restaurant and a coffee place.

Our move was a whirlwind. Justin was TDY when the movers came so I unpacked as much as I could. When he got home it was straight back to work, unpacking in our spare time, while trying to spend some time together before he left again….this time for a deployment. In between all that, we managed to get in our awesome trip to Taipei. All of that is to give my excuses as to why there are still boxes in the house and why I am just getting around to posting pictures of the house (and why the house pictures will be posted in at least two parts … because there are still boxes and messiness in all the parts that I didn't take pictures of!!)

So here is our house.

This is the game room/extra room. That door to the left leads into Justin's bathroom. This is on the first floor. Other than the garage, it's the only thing down there.

On the second floor is the kitchen, living room, and one tiny half bath. Here's a picture of the kitchen and bathroom below. Living room and upstairs to follow!

Isn't that the tiniest sink you've ever seen?? :)

Different Cultures

2011-05-02T07:22:00.004-05:00

There have been many great things about living overseas (traveling, adventure, BEACHES!) as well as not so great (the lack of mexican food and Wal-mart spring to mind!) But one of the things that I hope to take away from this experience is just how different cultures can be. For instance, before our recent trip to Taipei, I researched some of the Do's and Don'ts of their culture. Did you know that you never EVER point to a tombstone? Or whistle at night? Both are seen as an invitation to ghosts. You should never give a friend your umbrella but should "rent" it to them (for like NT$1 which is about 30 cents) because the word for umbrella in mandarin is very similar to the word for break up. Funny how things work.

During one of our last days in Taiwan, Justin and I hopped on a train and headed in search of a small (in comparison) town with one big Buddha.

Three hours later we arrived in Changhua City. After gazing at the Buddha, we grabbed a

cab back into town. I must add that being that far away from the usual tourist sights, english speakers were a rare commodity. Luckily to find the Buddha, we were able to show a picture in the travel guide and POOF! we were driven directly there. The ride back however, was a little more difficult. Finally "CHOO CHOO!!" was able to drive home the point that we wanted to go to the train station!

Anyway, back in town, while waiting on our train we walked around and found a little dumpling place, pointed to a picture, hoped it was edible and ordered. As we were eating we heard music begin to play down the street. Like an ice cream truck coming. We waited and watched in amusement as people from everywhere began to come out with bags of garbage. Yup. That's right … people deliver their garbage to the garbage truck! We even saw one older lady on a second floor put hers on a crank and lower it down to street level where someone else took it in for her. I think if our garbage guys knew how good other garbage guys had it, we'd have a strike on our hands!!

I know that was random and kind of silly, but I thought it was just a perfect example of "Everyone has their own way of doing things"

Taipei 4/2011

2011-04-30T23:09:00.011-05:00

As we prepared for Justin's rapidly approaching deployment, we decided to take some time for ourselves and take a trip. We searched around and picked Taipei, Taiwan. After only an hour and a half flight on China Airlines, we arrived in busy, bustling Taipei. It had a great mix of modern conveniences, shopping as well as touristy things, and temples. I think we made a good pick!

This is one of the temples right in the middle of Taipei. You can see a Buddhist monk knelt in prayer.

The scenery was absolutely gorgeous as well. This picture was taken in the park surrounding the Chiang Kai Chek memorial. It almostlooks fake!

It was crazy to see the amount of food everywhere. There were markets filled with lots of food on nearly every street (a lot of it unidentifiable!) I have no idea what this really is, but Justin was brave and tried it. Some kind of gelatin/lime drink.

I guess this is Taiwan's version of escargot?? We didn't try that!

We took an awesome Gondola ride over tons of tea farms to the top of a mountain where we were able to partake in a tea ceremony. Definitely a cultural experience I will never forget.

When we went in search of the Maukong gondola, we came across the Taipei zoo. From what I've seen so far, typically the zoos in asia are kind of sad but this one was amazing! Complete with pandas!

And last but not least, one big Buddha!

My derby player's card

2011-04-02T20:50:00.002-05:00

Here is my player card for derby. As you can see, I decided to change my name. Introducing:

Babblin' Bruiser #7

Proud Air Force Wife

2011-03-16T00:02:00.007-05:00

Unless you've been under a rock, in a coma, or in a deep state of denial, you've heard about the tragedy that is occurring on Mainland Japan. First a massive earthquake, then a devastating tsunami, and now a nuclear disaster. Of course no matter where in the world I was, my heart would be heavy for the people of Japan in the wake of this tragedy, but living here - on this tiny island of Okinawa - this literally hit close to home. The Japanese people are so sweet and polite. Giving and good natured. Humble and respectful. And even during this time of devastation have shown the ability to thrive to survive yet not resort to looting and violence as we as Americans have sadly almost come to expect in the wake of a disaster.

While I can do very little to help, though I wish I could, I am so proud to say that Justin, his squadron, along with the rest of our American Military Forces are doing all they can to help the country of Japan and it's people. It's not often (never) that I get totell (and rarely that I even know) about Justin's job. But this time, the Air Force posted an article online so I think that makes it fair game, right?? :) Here is a picture of Justin's plane (MC-130H Combat Talon II) taking off from Kadena heading to the mainland to deliver help. If you'd like to read the article that talks about this particular flight, here is the link http://www.353sog.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123246559

While I have no idea of the specifics of what Justin and his squadron are doing, I know it's important, and I know it's needed. I can honestly say that I am a proud Air Force wife. Actually, I'm just a proud wife.

Now, with all that said, I've had several people ask me if this nuclear mess will affect us here on Okinawa. I'm obviously no expert, but everything i've read (and it has to be true if I read it on the internet, right??) says that we should be perfectly safe. I don't think most people realize just how far away we are from the nuclear plants. Its about 1200 miles. And right now the area of concern is about 30 miles around the reactors. So we have about a 1,170 mile buffer zone. AND even if the wind does carry some of the radiation this way, by the time it reaches here, it should be dissipated enough that it wouldn't be harmful to humans. Less than what you would get with one x-ray.

Here's a little map to show you where we are in relationship to everything. We are that tiny little island next to the big blue arrow.

Stay tuned for more updates. Big things to come. The movers come in exactly one week to pack up our things and we will officially say GOODBYE base housing, and HELLO new house!! WOOHOO!!!

One more!!

2011-03-04T06:41:00.003-06:00

Okay, so remember I said we had three teams under our league, The Kokeshi Roller Dolls? Well here is our official "Shisa Slammers" photo!! All of the girls on my team are so great! It's a good thing that I absolutely love every girl on my team since we spend 6 hours a week together skating and bumping into each other!

If you are looking for me among all the awesome-ness that is my team, I'm front and center!

MORE DERBY!!!

2011-03-01T03:37:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to share our League photo with you guys! The Kokeshi Roller Dolls - Spring 2011 - I think we all look GREAT!! Just so you aren't having to do a "Where's Waldo" hunt to find me in all the awesome-ness, I'm on the right hand side, second row from the bottom, third person from the right.

I know, I know, I know …. that my last several posts have been about Roller Derby. I do occasionally do other things - like soaking in a hot bath, laying on a heating pad, and online shopping for roller derby clothes :) I know I said it before, but I'm having a great time. It's great exercise and great friends! Who would have ever thought i'd like something that involved EXERCISE - not to mention falling down repeatedly! HA!

Just more derby pictures

2011-02-27T01:02:00.004-06:00

Nothing exciting - Just wanted to post a couple more derby pictures.

Derby Update

2011-02-20T20:38:00.002-06:00

I promised a derby update, so here it goes. After lots of falls, bruises, and an accident that nearly broke my nose, I am proud to say that I am now an OFFICIAL Kokeshi Roller Doll as of this past Saturday. I have fulfilled my two month probationary period!! I fell and I got back up. And I kept coming back for more. Now I can get my offical KRD tank top with my name and number on it. I can't WAIT!!

DelectaBelle #7

About a month ago, the league (KRD) split into three teams. We each have our own logos, our own coaches, and our own practice times. That way when the time comes, we will be able to bout each other. I am a Shisa Slammer!!

And here is a picture of my team. Such great girls! I couldn't imagine having a better team!

I know it was a short update, but I hope you get the gist. I am loving derby. Regardless of the falls and occasional bruised ego! :) As for the nearly broken nose incident….well, let's just say that I hope that never, EVER, happens again - and thank goodness for mouthguards!!

Birthday

2011-02-10T03:09:00.004-06:00

This past Sunday was my **th birthday. (censored to protect writer's self esteem!) I got so many wonderful things for my birthday. Justin came home from a TDY just in time to help me celebrate, I talked to Logan and my grandparents bright and early that morning, and I received so many Happy Birthday's from all the people that I miss so much. Later that day, Justin and I went to sushi then to the seawall to watch the sunset, and then home to watch a movie and eat popcorn. It was a great day!

And on top of all that, Justin got me an awesome present!! A new Apple MacBook Air complete with all the accessories! This thing is awesome. This is my first official blog post from it. Look at how thin it is! Even when the laptop is closed it is not even as thick as half a penny! CRAZY! And super fast.

For those of you who know me, I'm sure you can imagine how much i've been geeking out over the last week or so. Reading articles, watching "how to" videos on how to get the most out of your mac….I love gadgets!

Okay, I'll wrap up this post. But, stay tuned for a Derby update coming soon. I promise.

Okinawa Bullfighting

2011-01-29T05:48:00.003-06:00

Last week I was able to experience my first bullfight here in Okinawa. It seems to be a pretty big sport here on the island, although it's different than what you would imagine. In Spanish and Mexican bullfighting, it's bull against versus Matador - and in the end, the bull is killed with a sword. In Okinawa bullfighting, two bulls are lead into the ring by their owners and then they fight to determine which bull is the strongest. I wouldn't call it "humane" but this would be as close as it could get. The Okinawa rules are - two minutes of bull on bull contact and then the crowd picks who was the best. One article I read said to think of it like Sumo wrestling....that's actually pretty accurate.

Now that's a face only a mother could love ;)

Before the actual bullfighting began, they did a little demonstration to show all the different moves that the bulls do.

The "Demo" bulls were even anatomically correct. The Japanese think of everything!!

The CHAMPION!!

Tug of war

2011-01-29T04:47:00.003-06:00

I'm trying to do better with this whole "blog" thing. We'll see how long it lasts!

Here are some pictures from the Tug-of-war on Gate 2 street that Justin and I went to back in November. It was quite the experience. I wish I had a picture that really demonstrated just how big this rope was....! This was actually a SCALED DOWN version of the tug of war that is held annually down in Naha. Here are some fun facts about Okinawa's claim to fame: Around 15,000 people participate in a tug-of-war during an annual event in Naha, in Japan's southern island of Okinawa The rope used in the event - 200 meters long, 156 cms in diameter, weighing 43 tons and made from harvested straw - was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest rope. We're famous!!

Me....posing. Pretending like i'm actually going to participate in this crazy event!

Here it goes. Everyone pulling with all they've got. Chanting, "Pull, Pull, Pull, Pull" I think the rope actually moved about two inches, but it was enough to make our side the winner!!

Roller Derby

2011-01-26T06:50:00.003-06:00

After hearing that I joined the local Roller Derby League, the Kokeshi Roller Dolls, some people have asked me if I've lost my mind. Maybe. But I am having a great time on that slippery slope to insanity! How did it happen you ask? What made me think, "Hey...I'd like to fall down, get hit, and skate until I want to puke!" Well, one day in December I was looking on facebook and saw an all call event for the league. And I thought about how much fun that would be, but "who am I kidding?? I can't join a DERBY LEAGUE! I have zero experience and zero skill!" But then I read the qualifications for joining the newly formed league. 1. Be at least 18 years old 2. Be a woman and 3. Have health insurance. Well, check, check, check! Turns out I was perfectly qualified!! ;) We have a wide variety of skating skills, but I can say that i've never seen such positive reinforcement from a team. It doesn't matter WHEN you fall, it just matters that you got back up. We practice three nights a week, skating our hearts out. Our first bout will be at the end of April. I hope I'm ready!

Christmas

2011-01-07T23:50:00.002-06:00

Here's a little post to show just how much we got into Christmas in the Norton household. Even Shadow squelched her inner Grinch and got in to the spirit.

Blowing the dust off ....

2011-01-07T23:01:00.005-06:00

My blog has been pretty stagnant lately (my inherent laziness) but I decided to blow the dust off and make a post. Hopefully i'm not too rusty! ;)

The day after Christmas, Justin and I headed to Kyoto (on mainland Japan) for a few days. It was awesome. Yes, Okinawa is technically Japan, but they have their own culture here. A mixture of Japanese, Chinese, and American. (I'm sure there are many other influences that I'm just not aware of) So needless to say, we were very excited to experience the Japanese culture.

There were so many amazing temples in Kyoto. They would be tucked back into alleyways and around corners....even in the middle of street shopping. I can't imagine trying to take on the task of visiting them all.

This street was a really cool street that you could walk down. So cool, just tucked down an alley right off one of the main streets. There were just tons and tons of restaurants on this street. We hit it up a couple of nights while we were there.

While in Kyoto, we had some amazing and different foods. Here is Justin trying an octopus on a stick. I have to admit that I passed on that one!

Some nepali food. DELICIOUS!

And sukyiaki --- basically just thinly sliced pieces of beef, vegetables, and tofu that you cook in a hot pot on your table. And THEN you dip into raw egg before you eat it. I was definitely worried at first. Can you say salmonella?? But thanks to the wonders of the iphone, I did some research while dinner was cooking and found out that the risk of salmonella from raw eggs is only 1 in 30,000. We decided to take the risk to get the full experience. (Justin was much braver than I was....I only tried it a couple of times and then ate the rest sans-egg, but he dove right in! Luckily we dodged that food poisoning bullet!)

On the day that we were leaving Kyoto to head back to Osaka to catch our flight, it started to snow. It was so pretty! AND COLD! It was nice to say that I saw snow before coming back to 65 degree Okinawa weather! (You will never hear me complain that it's not cold! I'm not a fan! lol)

So that's a quick synopsis of our trip. It was awesome. We were able to take the bus most places that we wanted to go. That was an experience in itself! We would have a full bus and I would think, "No way can one more person get on here!" and then we would make another stop and five people would shove their way on! Claustraphobics would not be able to handle a Japanese bus route, that's for sure!

Hopefully it won't be long before the next post. I'll try to do better, but I make no promises!

-Misty

New job, new office

2010-09-13T05:42:00.003-05:00

Well, I've FINALLY started my new job. Sort of. They still haven't granted me computer access yet and without it, basically all I can do is stare at a blank computer screen and see how many times I can spin around in my chair without stopping. (It's three by the way) Hopefully they will activate my CAC (computer access card) soon or I may go nuts. Or they may decide to send me home. Because I am LITERALLY doing nothing. So stand by for the update on how the job is going. But until then, you can get a peek at my office. That's right, I have an office. A very empty office, but still. Do you see that empty shelf? And those empty walls? And all that empty desk space? I think I need some MSU stuff. I'm just saying! Who am I kidding. I just need some help decorating in general!

Almost everyone in the clinic has a dry erase board on their door with their name on it so that you know who's office is who's and you can write a message if you need to. Everyone else's is white. I couldn't have that! This one looked much more like me.

Everything's bigger in ... Okinawa?

2010-09-13T05:15:00.002-05:00

Okay, so maybe it's supposed to be Texas, but I bet we have bigger snails!! Look at this monster that Justin and I found creeping in front of our front door the other night. I put my car keys down as a size reference. Can anyone say ESCARGOT? :P

Busy weekend!

2010-08-23T02:12:00.003-05:00

This weekend was a very busy one. It started out on Saturday when I went paraGLIDING with my friend Morgan. She had won tickets for two and invited me to go. We thought we were going paraSAILING but we were wrong. I didn't know there was such a difference!! It was an awesome experience.

This is the "jet pack" that the instructor had on that took us up in the air. No boat. just a big fan!!

I think I look a tad bit nervous!!

On Sunday Justin and I finally got to have our deep sea fishing trip that we've been planning. We've talked about it several times, but just hadn't seemed to get the schedule to cooporate. So we set out for an 80 mile boat trip(Roundtrip) -- leaving the dock at 6:00am and not returning until after 8pm!! What a long day! About half way to the fishing point, I started to feel sick. REALLY sick! So I spent the first half of the day curled up in the fetal position on the floor of the boat. But once the dramamine kicked in, I felt fine. Note to self: take dramamine before anymore sea experiences!!

We only caught 9 fish between the 8 fishers that we had on the boat so it wasn't exactly a productive trip either, but it was still fun. Justin caught 3 of the 9 fish. :)

Ikea Island

2010-07-25T04:41:00.003-05:00

Today, Logan and I decided to go exploring and head out to find Ikea Beach which is on an outlying island from the main island of Okinawa. There are several islands connected by bridges off to the ...East?? Oh, I have no idea if that's right. I have a one in four chance though, right?? :) Anyway...we found it. It turned out to be quite a nice little beach that even had glass bottom boat rides that you could book so OF COURSE we had to do that! Who could pass up that opportunity? It was really awesome. I enjoyed the boat ride just as much as getting to see the fish!

Sea Wall and Doctor Fish

2010-07-24T08:24:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures from our trip into American Village for a quick trip to the "Doctor Fish" and down to the sea wall. What are Doctor Fish you ask? Well ... it's like nature's pedicure. Basically you pay to have these tiny fish eat the dead skin off your feet. Yup. Apparently it tickles ... :)

Playing in American Village

2010-07-11T03:04:00.003-05:00

Logan and I went to Araha beach the other day and afterwards we went into American Village for some ice cream A & W style!!

And then decided to just explore a little. Here are our pictures with the giant Shisa dog that greets everyone out front.

and here is Logan being a goofball ... :)

Churaumi Aquarium

2010-07-04T02:06:00.005-05:00

A couple of days ago Justin, Logan, and I took our first trip to the aquarium. It was quite an impressive aquarium...according to the internet, it's the world's second largest. Very amazing! We had an awesome time. Here are just a few of the TONS of pictures that I took

It was exhausting...

2010-07-04T01:55:00.004-05:00

But we made it!! Logan and I are finally on the same continent again!! :) YAY!!

The countdown begins!

2010-06-13T20:33:00.002-05:00

It isn't long now that I will begin my journey back to the States to pick up Logan so that he can spend the month of July here in Okinawa, Japan with Justin and me. And I am SO EXCITED!!

There are so many things that we want to do when he gets here!! Snorkeling, the aquarium, deep sea fishing, eating at the vending machine restaurants, sushi, exploring the castles, the battle grounds...the list goes on and on. I hope we can get it all in!

But first things first. Our first adventure will be the flights. Logan hasn't flown since he was little so that will be a "new" experience for him. We'll start off with a night in Slidell at our Grandparents (Yay!) and then the next day we'll head to New Orleans where the real fun begins! (for Logan i'm sure it will start out as fun...for me, not so much! lol But having him with me will make it tolerable!)

So we will fly from New Orleans to Los Angeles, California where we will stay the night because we will have to be back at the airport at 4:30am the next morning. Again, Logan will probably be so excited that he won't notice. Maybe his excitement will rub off on me. I HATE standing in those long international lines!! But I can remember when Justin and I went to Paris for the first time and when we came to Japan for the first time...they didn't seem nearly as long. :)

From Los Angeles we will go to San Francisco then on to Tokyo then finally to Okinawa only to do it all over again in reverse a month later. It will be quite a trip but totally worth it!

My trip back to the states will be a quick one, but I hope to see as many of my friends and family as I can. Things are amazing here, but that doesn't change how much I miss you guys!!! See you soon!! ;)

Random

2010-06-13T19:33:00.001-05:00

BBQ Season

2010-06-06T18:43:00.004-05:00

This weekend was spent beginning to get our patio ready for BBQ season (and hopefully the end of rainy season!!) We finally have some patio furniture and thanks to Justin we now have a fully put together grill ...

We even have a fountain and an umbrella that we purchased from the gift shop that I work at. It's like a huge version of those little umbrellas that they put in those fruity drinks that you get on the beach ;) Now I need some plants to kill. I mean nurture and love. I am actually growing two right now. I've had one for about two weeks and the other for about four days.

Hopefully it will stop raining long enough one day soon so that we can enjoy our patio!

The Barrel Restaurant

2010-06-06T18:30:00.003-05:00

So you're driving along and you see this....a two story restaurant in the shape of a giagantic wine barrel. I ask you - How can you NOT stop and eat there?? Okay, so that isn't exactly how the story went. It was kinda like this .... Our friends Garrett and Melissa called one night and said, "Dude guess what we just saw out gate 2?? It was a two story restaurant shaped like a big huge wine barrel!! Wanna go??" And I was like, "What? I'm sorry...I didn't hear what you said, I was too busy getting in the car. I'm half way there already." It was kind of like that. ;)

Come on guys. Don't act like you didn't know I get excited over stupid things! Anyway, to sum it up it was cool. We literally ate in a barrel. And the food was awesome too. No really. When Logan gets here i'm up for round two of the barrel!

My mis-adventures with Shadow

2010-05-13T05:01:00.003-05:00

Many of you know about Shadow the cat. She and I have a love/hate relationship. I love, and she hates....but I digress. When Justin is here, things go pretty smoothly. She goes her way, I go mine. She doesn't pay me any attention (until Justin pays ME attention and then I get "the glare") But when he's gone, she is forced to acknowledge my presence. I give her what she wants most in the world...FOOD!

We have been doing our little dance where she pretends to like me to get food for almost a week now during this current TDY and getting along pretty well ... until the other night. One of us almost didn't make it out alive. In the light of day, I can see the comedic value in the story (which is why it's making the blog) but that night?? Well ... NO!

Picture this: It's about midnight. I'm comfy. Sleeping soundly. And I'm awakened to this...this...NOISE. At first, I laid there motionless. The room was dark. Everything was quiet except for these screeching, screaming noises coming from downstairs. I didn't know what it was. My mind was racing. The CAT was the furthest thing from my mind. So I crept down the stairs and what do I find?? Shadow, standing at window by the front door, her face pressed into the glass, screaming at the top of her lungs...and on the other side? Another HUGE cat ... doing the exact same thing. They are nose to nose. Separated only by double paned typhoon strength safety glass.

At first, relief washes over me. It wasn't some screaming banshee that had crept into my house to do ... whatever screaming banshees do. And it wasn't the world's loudest burgular. But it was the two loudest cats on the planet!! So I continue down the stairs, yelling for them to be quiet. Imagine my threats not working!! So I begin to bang on the glass to get the stranger cat to go away. No luck! So I risk life and limb and pick Shadow up and take her upstairs and hope that she has the memory of a gnat and that the other cat will give up and go away quickly. No luck. Back downstairs I go...chasing Shadow as she screams the whole way to immediately press her nose back against the glass again. So I then lower the blinds to the window so that the cats can't see each other...we now have bent blinds! I am probably now the most hated neighbor in all of Terrace Heights...My final plan was to just pull the blankets over my head, say something under my breath about how she may be a set of mittens by morning, and fall back asleep. What do you know - that one worked. At least for me. I think she and the other cat screamed all night! Ahhh...the mis-adventures with Shadow. Things like this never happen when Justin is here!!

Pennies, pennies...no where??

2010-05-09T20:34:00.004-05:00

Did you know that they don't use pennies overseas? Well, maybe you did. But I didn't. So therefore, I thought it was a very cool fact that I would share. Apparently the Department of Defense decided that it costs more than what a penny is actually worth to ship them overseas to use as currency so if you are purchasing something and you would need to pay or be paid in pennies, your total would be either rounded up or down to the nearest nickel.

For those of you who know me well, you know that this throws off my entire day when I total my register at the store and it's off by two cents because there was a 15% off sale and I had to round up or down. I hate it when things aren't exact!! :)

But I can say this...

Dear Penny,

I won't miss you. Finding you deep down in the recesses of the sofa cushions. Trying desperately to reach you in the great abiss that is the cracks between the car seats. All those times that I've sucked you up into the vacuum cleaner. Nope. There is no love lost between you and I.

Sincerely,

Misty

Random

2010-05-05T20:41:00.001-05:00

Dragon Boat races

2010-05-05T20:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Justin and I drove down into Naha to watch the Dragon Boat races. It is a huge festival that is part of Golden week. When I googled what the races were actually about, here is the story that I found (sorry to the newspaper that I'm plagiarizing this from!!!)

The Naha Dragon Boat Races date back to the 13th Century in China and are based on a tale of the imperial servant, Kutsugen. Although Kutsugen was a devoted servant of the Chinese Emperor, there was also a bond and mutual friendship between the two. Because of this strong relationship, many vassals grew jealous and began spreading the rumor that Kutsugen had betrayed the Emperor. Kutsugen was horrified by this false accusation and committed suicide by throwing himself into a river. The Emperor was saddened by this tragedy, so he decided to hold a dragon boat race in his friend¹s memory. As the Ryukuan Kingdom actively engaged in trade with China, their histories are intertwined. After hearing this story, the King of the Ryukyu Islands, was very moved and wanted to hold dragon boat races on the island that would become known as Okinawa. To this day the dragon boat races are an extension of the Chinese influence on Okinawas heritage.

The same but different ...

2010-05-05T20:25:00.003-05:00

Really?? Even here? Half way around the world in JAPAN, I have to deal with **shudder** Rebel fans?? Is it wrong that when I saw this, I was torn between knocking on their door to ask them where they were from and the urge to retaliate?? ;) Someone should send me a Bulldog flag STAT so that I can sneak up during the night and replace it!! ha ha ha!!

I'm going to have to start taking a different route to work and to the BX. I see this almost daily. I get all fired up!! It's good to know that I still bleed maroon and white I guess =)

Shopping in Japan

2010-05-02T06:46:00.003-05:00

As i've gotten more and more comfortable with my surroundings, I've started doing a little bit of shopping off base. Yesterday, my friend Melissa and I were in "MaxValu" and she noticed that even in Okinawa, you can shop for a bargain -- Here are two bottles of the same chili spice ... only one is "Topvalu" brand. It's a lot harder to compare ingredients here than it is in the states to see if it is really the same, but it LOOKED the same, and the Kanji on the bottle was the same. And it was like 30 yen cheaper. Guess which one we bought?? :)

For those of you who know me well, you know what a direction follower I am. Especially when it comes to cooking. I hate when I ask people for a recipe and it calls for a pinch of this and a dash of that. Well, this experience is going to loosen me up in that arena. LOL I bought some gyoza dumplings yesterday and tried to cook them today. Here were the directions ....

Everything is that way. So when I end up with food poisoning, you'll know why! Ha! The dumplings turned out okay. I actually burned them a bit. Next time I'll have a better idea of how to do it. That's why I bought more than one package!

Random sightings

2010-04-26T05:21:00.002-05:00

You never know what you are gonna find while exploring. This first picture is a park that I saw on the side of the road. I hope the figure out the significance of the fish flags soon. They must have some meaning for this time of year because suddenly they are every where. They are in the 100 yen stores, in our BX, in the Jusco...and then this random park. It was a really awesome sight to see ... just dozens of fish flying in the wind.

And here is a picture of the Agena bullfighting ring. Apparently bullfighting is big around here. Not like bullRIDING in the states or bullfighting in Spain where there's a guy with a red sheet, this is just two bulls fighting it out. The last one standing is the victor. Some places it's a fight to the death, but I from what I see online, they don't let it go that far here. So in that case, i'd like to see that. I don't think i'd want to watch if one of the bulls wasn't going to make it out in the the end. (Sorry if one of my two readers is a PETA advocate). I found the place, but I have no idea how to find out when they do the ... matches? Would that be the appropriate word? I tried to look it up online and just found directions. Thanks to my inability to stay still, i've got that covered!!

My name in Japanese

2010-04-26T01:48:00.005-05:00

Today I went to my very first "Luncheon" for work. It was a big lunch that hosted all the different organizations that raise money for the different charities on island. They had representatives from some of those charities there to help show where the money goes and how it helps. It was cool. Leave it to me to find something trivial to get excited about ... but we all got name tags, and because several of the members of the group were Japanese (There were translators throughout the room to help bridge the communication gap) our name tags were written in both languages as well. I asked to be able to keep mine because I thought it was so cool seeing my name written out in Japanese. And because I thought it was cool, you guys get a picture!!

Erykah Badu

2010-04-18T20:22:00.004-05:00

Last night, Justin and I had the opportunity to see Erykah Badu in concert here on Okinawa. It was really cool. Although...I must say that the WAITING to see the concert was less than cool. It was supposed to start at 8:00 and since it was a free concert, you can imagine how crowded it was (see photo below for an example) ... Erykah didn't grace us with her presence until about 9:10. Apparently her kids weren't feeling well. That long flight will get you every time!! lol Once the concert got started though, it was great. She sounds exactly the same in person as she does on her CD's. That rarely happens these days! We weren't able to stay for the entire concert because Justin had to get up EARLY this morning to get ready to head out for another trip, but we were able to see plenty to be able to check that off of our list of people that we'd like to see. Who would have thought we could have seen her here?? And free?! Too funny.

Sunset beach

2010-04-18T02:58:00.004-05:00

Sunset beach ... Apparently (according to the name and the signs) is a "beautiful place to watch the sunset". Standby for future pictures of that. Justin was at home working on his masters homework when I decided to try to find this particular beach ... I'll wait until we can both go to check out the sunset and see if it holds true to all the hype! The weather was kind of gloomy but but it was still pretty on the beach anyway. I can't wait for it to be sunny around here again. Apparently we are in the "rainy season". I'm not sure how long that lasts!

I'ts my ferris wheel again :) I told you, you can see that thing everywhere!! lol

Here's some of the graffiti that is painted all along the sea wall. I think it's really cool. I'm sure there are people who would disagree with me. But I like it. lol

Signs, signs, everywhere signs....

2010-04-18T02:29:00.009-05:00

As i've said before, getting along here isn't so bad. I thought that coming to JAPAN would be so difficult. Not only do I not speak the language in anyway, I can't even recognize any of the letters!! Talk about culture shock! But it wasn't like that. Everything here is very "user friendly". As you would expect, almost everything is in Japanese, but there are pictures to go along with most things.

Like take these signs for example...I know that if I need to go to the restroom, take a shower, or need to lock up my briefcase, this is the building to do it in (I don't know why anyone would bring a briefcase to the beach, but I'll tell you that while I was exploring Sunset beach on this particular day, I saw two guys walking around in suits...lol). Or in the next picture....Bathrooms, first aid, or food. Yup. Easy enough. This made me wonder...back in the states, is it as easy for someone who doesn't speak English to travel around? Or are we so conceited that we assume everyone speaks English? Somehow I doubt that it is. I've never looked around and wondered...would I know where to go or what to do if I couldn't read or speak one word of English? I'll have to think more about that the next time i'm back.

Luckily, when it's something really important, the Japanese will write it in English AND Japanese so that the warning is heard loud and clear!! Like these signs! Heard ya!!

This sign seems pretty self explainatory. I know that I'M not getting that that water!! Warning successfully delivered!! But just in case it wasn't, about 10 feet to the left, was the sign below. LOL These guys are very effective with their signage!! I love it! I got it. Don't get in that water. CHECKS!

I wonder if they know what this sign actually says?? Surely no one REALLY loves mornings, right?? Sorry...this made me smile.

2010-04-17T07:29:00.002-05:00

Here's another picture of the ferris wheel in American village when it's lit up at night. Justin says i'm obsessed with it. LOL I just think it's pretty. It changes at random. It's like watching a light show. Very mesmorizing!! So anyway, tonight it was pretty (and actually NOT raining for once) so we went down into American Village to eat some Indian food and while we were cruising around looking for a parking spot (AKA making the block over and over) I snapped this picture. Hope you enjoy. The battery on my phone was dead so I couldn't take any pictures of our food, but it was delicious. Only my second time to have Indian food. The first was in Paris. That will always be my favorite :)

My favorite thing to do...

2010-04-15T19:07:00.004-05:00

My favorite thing to do (so far) on island is to just drive around and explore. And consequently get lost...but that's fun too. Poor Justin has been so busy with either work or his masters homework or being sent TDY that he hasn't had much time to do that, but this past weekend, after I got off work, the weather cooperated and we were able to put the top down and drive around for a little bit and explore before winding up at Sushi Zen for an early dinner. It was my idea of a perfect afternoon.

The view driving off base. You can't really tell in this picture, but straight ahead is the water. It's a beautiful sight :)

The ferris wheel in American Village lit up at night. You can see it for miles it seems. It's so cool as it changes colors in the distance. I'm not sure if the Japanese like it or think it's an eye sore, but I like it!! lol

New Job

2010-04-13T04:23:00.002-05:00

I've been so busy with getting back from/recovering from my previously posted about trip and starting my new job that I haven't had time to blog about it. But yes, I do indeed have a new job. It isn't a nursing job like I had hoped for, but it is a job none the less. And I enjoy it. I am working at the Kadena Gift Corner here on our base. The store is only open a few days a week so once my training is over I will only be scheduled a couple of days a week, but there are lots of volunteer opportunities and the people that I work with are really nice. We have some amazing stuff in the store from all over the world. Cambodia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Germany, Bali, of course Japan...my goal is to work my way up through the ranks and be able to go on the buying trips! How sweet would that be?? For right now, i'm just a "sales associate" so I take your money and look at you blankly when you ask me questions about which country what came from or what something is made from...I'm a pro at that last part!

Feel free to look at our website. I noticed as I put this link up that they have added me to the list of employees. That must mean that i'm doing okay, right? I mean that's practically written in stone ;)

http://www.kadenagiftcorner.com/Kadena_Gift_Corner/Meet_the_Staff.html

Quick trip

2010-04-11T23:15:00.004-05:00

As most of you know, I was recently a part of a quick, jet lag inducing, rescue trip back to the states to get Shadow the cat. In a quick 30 hours (insert sarcasm here), I went from Okinawa to Tokyo to San Francisco to Phoenix to Albuquerque picked up Shadow, took her to the vet and caught a flight back and did it all in reverse only with the cat in tow. (The entire trip took four days total ... 2.5 of which were spent either in the air or in an airport. lol) She was less than happy to be in her little cage...note the mean eyes.

But even with all that, I think she knew it was all in her best interest...because there was only one injury. And I deserved this one...The vet, tech, and I were holding her down at the clinic trying to force her to take pills. She was fighting for her life. There were plenty of other opportunities for her to take me out and she didn't take them. Like when I had to take her out of her cage TWICE (once in Albuquerque and then again in San Fran) while we cleared security. I just had to stand there and hold her. I kept waiting on her to just start to claw me unmercifully and bolt through the airport to get away from me and the dreaded cage, but she was a good kitty.
It was mind numbing. I knew it wasn't going to be a "fun" trip, but I had no idea just how tired I was going to be!! The first chance we got, Shadow and I both CRASHED for a couple of hours!!

But we are home now, and she seems to be adapting well. I think Japan suits her. She even seems to be much more tolerant of my existence these days. Maybe the trip was good for our relationship ;)

Relay for Life

2010-04-11T21:26:00.005-05:00

Over the past several weeks, my friends from the health center have been working hard getting things together to participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. I am so proud of these guys!!

I wish I could have been there to help and participate. I was there in spirit. Wearing my t-shirt that they mailed me in support.

They even made a luminary to honor my grandmother for being a cancer survivor.

They did an amazing job coordinating and putting things together. I'm so proud of those guys!! I hope they make it an annual event to join in...even though I know it was hard work! KUDOS!!

The same but different ...

2010-03-27T06:52:00.003-05:00

So I thought once I got here, it would be this huge culture shock. I mean what could be more different than Starkville, Mississippi and Okinawa, Japan? But what I am realizing is that things are the same but different. The culture shock was more like a tiny little twinge. At least so far anyway ;) Here are a couple of examples of what I mean. They have sweet potatoes. Very delicious, sweet potato tasting, sweet potatoes...they are just purple!! (I know, right??)

We have stop signs, but they are shaped like triangles. This was a little harder to get used to. Because in the states, what does this look like??? Yeah...a yield sign! You better stop, buddy!!
This is the Japanese version of a shopping cart. The funny thing about this is that the English on the sign for this (I should have taken a picture of it...) said, "Medium size shopping cart" I'm not sure you can get the feel for just how small this cart is, but the little green basket sitting in the cart is one of those little baskets that you can carry around with you if you don't want to push a cart. I'd hate to see what size they would call our American sized shopping carts!! Monstrous, Colossal, Mammoth!!
Today, I went to McDonald's and I had the Shaka Shaka Chicken. Something you won't see on an American menu. It was quite tasty. Basically, it's just a piece of chicken without the bun or anything, in this little bag...with your choice of seasoning...and you can see the directions. You pour it in, "shaka shaka" up, and enjoy!!

Here is a picture of a Pepsi that I bought after a quick pit stop at one of the many vending machines. (Oh how I love the vending machines!!!) See...the same, but different!!

Anyway, these are just a few examples of how life has SLIGHTLY changed. As you can see, it's all still relatively the same...just a little spice was added and "shaka shaka" :)

SKYPE!!

2010-03-19T09:16:00.004-05:00

Oh Skype...how I love thee. Logan is on spring break this week, and today he was at his Uncle Lee's house. So I was up kind of late and decided to call and see how his morning was going. (Time difference, you know) and we asked if Lee had skype. He didn't, but he downloaded it for us so that Logan and I could see each other and talk. It was great!! I took some snapshots from our conversation...

Logan eating some of the strange seaweed snacks that I sent him. He said he loved these things in particular. I should say he did. This was the last one out of a huge bag!!

Even though we talk nearly everyday, it was awesome to actually SEE him while we talked. THANKS, Lee! Maybe we can do that more often. :) I'm signing off now, with a smile on my face. Goodnight everybody! My webcam purchase has now officially been worth it!

Package home...

2010-03-19T06:20:00.004-05:00

I mailed a package off on Saturday to Logan that was full of random things from the island. Mostly the weirdest, "non-perishable" things that I could get that would clear customs. He called me this morning and loved it! I'm putting this post here so that hopefully Logan and Mrs. Jackie will read it and will email me a picture of him in his new shirt, direct from Japan, eating his undecipherable snacks, so that I can insert the picture below :)

My blog NEEDS that picture!! I've already started accumulating things for his next care package. I'm going to have to start making a list of all the things that I can't find here at the BX that I miss from the states and have him mail me care packages in return!! We'll trade ;)

Exploration

2010-03-19T04:29:00.003-05:00

Some days it's just so pretty outside that you can't stay in the house. Today was one of those days. So I decided to drive until I found a beach (hardly a huge feat on a tiny island in the Pacific!). But parking is always a huge issue here, so I went to my source of information okinawahai.com and read up on all the beaches, which ones had easy to find parking, and came up with Zanpa beach. It's about 30 minutes from Kadena Air Base...so I was off. Top down, directions in hand, fully charged camera battery, and sunscreen applied. It was beautiful! I took some photos. I wish the blue-ness of the water had come through in the pictures. It was so pretty!! I even met some people who were vacationing from Tokyo and staying at a resort across the street from the beach. They were really nice and really wanted to talk to me. (I think it's the southern accent) but my lack of Japanese and their broken English made it nearly impossible. It was funny to try though. We all laughed a lot. There was a lot of pointy talk. It was like charades! I was set until I needed to say more than hello, good afternoon, yes, and thank you!! ha!

After a hot day relaxing on the beach, that's when these random vending machines that are literally EVERYWHERE all over Okinawa come in handy. I just put on my caution lights, pulled over, jumped out and got a drink. When in Oki, do as the Okinawans do ;)

Adjustments

2010-03-18T02:26:00.003-05:00

I seem to be adjusting pretty well here in Okinawa. I hardly even notice the F-15's flying over head in formation anymore. When I first got here, I would stop and stare and watch them in awe. Now, I don't even pause my conversation...just kick it up a few decibels. The constant sound of construction behind my house has become rather soothing. I rarely ever try to get in on the driver's side of the car when I'm a passenger and vice versa, I only drive on the right side of the road when I want some excitement ;) And the sight of everyone else's toes, that at first made me scoff, has since made me rather jealous. So, like a lemming, I took the plunge. Apparently, "EVERYONE has to get their toes painted" by one of the very talented Asian women with a tiny paintbrush and acrylic paint. It's art. You go into the shop, are seated in a very comfy recliner, they cover your legs in a super soft blanket, and give you a book of designs to peruse while they get started on your toes. In the meantime, someone brings you tea, and you sit and talk and sip your tea and fret over what design you want to be marked with for the next couple of weeks!! It's quite the decision! Here's what I picked for my first time. There will be others. I liked it ;) It's completely out of character for me. Which MUST mean that i'm adjusting to island lifestyle, right?

Lost in translation

2010-03-14T06:07:00.002-05:00

Sometimes some of the translations crack me up!! This was the box to a frying pan. Wonder what the "idea for cooking" is?? And are daddy's allowed to use it? Hmm... :D Sorry. It made me giggle when I saw it. I had to share.

New car = freedom!

2010-03-13T22:31:00.003-06:00

So I finally got my car!! Isn't it cute?? I love riding around with the top down! I've always wanted a convertible! And this is the perfect place to have one! I'm gonna need some sunscreen STAT!! So far, I haven't seen another one of these cars on the island...not even in another color. No one can say they didn't see me coming, that's for sure!!

And with my new car, means freedom to explore the island a little bit. Yesterday was my first time to really be able to drive around, so I stuck to base and just got acclimated to driving on the "wrong" side of the road, and to my new car and it's odd transmission (half manual - half automatic) ... but today, I got brave. I went OUTSIDE the gates! Oh yeah. All on my own. I found my way to Jusco. It's kind of like a mall/walmart. It has a lot of little stores in it with clothes and things, and a starbucks, etc. But then it has a huge part that has home stuff, and a grocery part, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Here's a picture of the grocery part...It had a lot of stuff in it. All in Japanese. I had NO IDEA what I was looking at!!

Case in point...I saw these little things in a plastic case. No English on the label, but it looked yummy. So I bought it. What was it you ask?? Well...I ate one of the balls and it seemed to be a molasses covered ball of dough. I ate two to decide if I liked it or not. I'm still undecided!! lol

This is the HUGE ferris wheel that is in American Village. I can't wait to ride it. It moves so slow that you can barely tell it's moving, but I bet the view from the top is amazing!! I was going to try and go to the beach or walk down into American Village and take some pictures after leaving Jusco, but it was sprinkling so I decided to head back home and eat my (not sure what adjective to use) sticky, doughy, interesting balls and the weird undecipherable lunch that I picked up. I'll save the walking for another day. Logan will be so proud of me that I've ventured out of the house! He asks me every day what I did, and generally my answer consists of the gym or the grocery on base or laundry. I think he's been concerned that by the time he got here this summer I would still be a hermit that was afraid to drive or carless!! His fears can subside now! I've breached the base gate all on my own and made it back to blog about it! ;) More pictures to come now that I've got wheels!! Stay tuned!!

Our house

2010-03-08T18:55:00.008-06:00

So i've had several requests for pictures of our new house here in Japan, so here they are...!! Keep in mind we don't have everything in place just as we want it yet. Especially upstairs!! We haven't hung ANYTHING on the walls upstairs!! We have three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. I spared you the pictures of our bare walled guest rooms with just beds in them...you'll get that experience when you see the master bedroom ;)

Our House!!

The front door

The backyard

Our gameroom/breakfast nook area

our very bare walled master bedroom

The living room

The kitchen

Whales!!!

2010-03-07T19:43:00.003-06:00

Once a year, the humpback whales come into the warm waters of Okinawa to breed. This would be where I would put the awesome pictures of our whale watching tour that we went on yesterday ... had we been able to go. But unfortunately, it was cancelled due to weather. Oh well, there's always next year!!

Justin and I decided to make a day of it anyway and head down into the capital city of Naha and try to find the fish market. (Thank goodness for iphones and GPS!!) We picked up some fresh sashimi (raw fish) and fruit and brought it home and had a great lunch!

I also finally found Logan some cool chopsticks ... I'd say overall, it was a very productive day!!

A perfect day

2010-03-06T07:55:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures of the beach...it was a great day.

Okinawa...weeks one and two

2010-03-03T21:50:00.007-06:00

The first two weeks here have been a blurr. Buying cars, moving into our house, getting our japanese drivers licenses, getting cellphones, learning to drive on the "wrong" side of the road, an earthquake, tsunami warning, all while recovering from jet lag. Yeah. I must say, the people here are amazing. Everyone here is so nice. Like "southern" nice. The people and family of the people that Justin works with, and the Japanese people as well. It's crazy. So far, I haven't met one person who hasn't been willing to go completely out of their way to help you out. This was our "welcome basket" that was in our TLF room when we arrived from the airport. It was nice to have food and snacks waiting on us after getting off such a long flight!!!

Without a car for the first week, we haven't been able to do THAT much exploring, but we've gotten out a bit. We went to a couple of the beaches see the sights. They are beautiful. I took these pictures with my cellphone, so they don't do it justice! It was a little chilly and rainy this day, but it has rapidly warmed up. I can't wait to hit the beach for the first time. It shouldn't be long now. It is about 77 degrees here today. So nice!

I had the opportunity to go down to Naha for an afternoon one day. It was really cool. It's much larger and "city-esque" than the area that the base is.

There is a large fish market there that is pretty cool. Locals catch fish and bring it into the fish market. You can buy it there, fresh out of the ocean and either take it home, or point to what you want and then head upstairs and they will cook it for you right there. There were several things that I saw there that even I wouldn't want to eat (having looked at it in the pre-cooked stage) like these little guys...

Standby for more pictures and posts. On Sunday Justin and I are going on a whale watching tour and then a trip into Naha. It should be amazing and definitely photo/blog worthy!

Update

2010-02-22T20:24:00.002-06:00

In case there is anyone out there listening...I haven't forgotten about my blog. With the lack of wi-fi, and blogger's inability to work when I do find access, I am having a hard time updating!! I will update as soon as I can though. I tried to add pictures and stuff today, but of course, it wouldn't let me. I would just write, but as witty as I think I am, I know you guys want pictures, so you will have to wait. In the mean time, we are doing well, happy as can be, and loving it.

Miss you all!!

Misty

Back to San Francisco

2010-02-22T19:52:00.004-06:00

So, without wi-fi, the blog has been at a standstill, so here's a post that goes back to our night in San Fran. That was our stop over before boarding the plane to Okinawa by way of Tokyo. We had a great time!!! We stayed at an awesome hotel ...

and had dinner with a friend of Justin's from high school who showed us some sights,

and then crashed and prepared for the next day's LOOONNNGGG plane ride! I got to see the golden gate bridge, but there are no pictures. It was at night, and, well...the picture didn't turn out. So you will just have to take my word for it!!

We made it!!

2010-02-18T22:06:00.002-06:00

Well, I type this from the library across the street from our temporary housing (glorified hotel) so I can't really upload any pictures yet...but as soon as I get actual access to the internet with my laptop, and I get over the jetlag to take some...there will be pictures!!

All is well here. Everything went smooth with the trip. We just got our new japanese cell phones (I was able to get an iphone so YAY! I don't miss out!) In case anyone is curious, my new cell number is 080 4379 3639 (I don't know what the country code is just yet...)

I will post more later. PROMISE!! Oh, here's a tidbit. The stop signs are triangle. Yup. Signing off ...

Just a quick update

2010-02-12T19:34:00.003-06:00

For those of you who have been wondering (And for those of you who haven't but stumbled here anyway and decide to read on...) we finally have departure dates. FINALLY!

I have been hanging out in Starkville for the last few days, seeing some friends, and spending some time with Logan ...

And then on Tuesday, I will fly from here to San Francisco where I will meet Justin and Wednesday (17 Feb 2010) we will fly to Okinawa.

Road Trip!!

2010-02-09T18:27:00.006-06:00

Things are finally wrapping up here in the states. Justin finished up his training last week, and we made our cross country trek back to Starkville for me, and as I type, he continues all the way to Reading, PA.

As you can see from our zig zag map, we made a couple of pit stops...almost crossing into Mexico. ALMOST. Not without having to talk to border patrol though. My first experience with Mexican border patrol.

We went through some very interesting places while on the drive...like the Cactus Capital of Texas. Who can go through THAT without being intrigued???

Ooooohh look!! A RoadRunner!!!

And then we saw some "nothingness"

But never fear. We kept each other entertained....! What is Justin going to do without me on the rest of his trip? It's going to be torture!

Weekend in Taos

2010-01-25T21:04:00.007-06:00

This weekend, Justin and I headed up to Taos, NM for the weekend. We stayed at this great bed and breakfast called, "The Inn on La Loma Plaza" ......

....and Justin got in some awesome snowboarding (I'll have to take his word on that...I stayed behind. Somehow this didn't seem like the RIGHT time to try to learn. I think i'm going to need some moral support. Read as, someone who is just as uncoordinated and inexperienced to learn with me!!) I was able to walk around Taos and do some shopping and get my fill of the snow.

On Sunday, we went to see the Rio Grande gorge bridge. It was really cool. According to google, it has been in several movies ... Natural Born Killers, Twins, She's Having a Baby, Wild Hogs, and Terminator Salvation. It was really pretty.

Random Facts

2010-01-11T16:45:00.002-06:00

With my last day of work rapidly approaching, people seem to be asking me more and more about where I will be living for the next couple of years. While I have NO IDEA what this island will have in store for me, google has helped me once again. Here are some random facts that I found. I apologize to the many people and websites that I plagiarized from!! I even found one site that said that there was approximately one vending machine for every seven people on the island. If that's true, that's a LOT of vending machines!!! Ha! Enjoy the random facts.

________________________________________________________________

Okinawa is a small tropical island in the Pacific Ocean, just south of mainland Japan and near Taiwan, measuring 485 square miles in size, 67 miles long and varying from 2 to 18 miles wide.

It’s climate is semi-tropical with an average annual temperature of 72 degrees with an average of 82 degrees in July and 61 degrees in January. Often referred to as, “Japan’s Hawaii”, the average annual rainfall is about 82.7 inches per year. Sugar cane, pineapples, bananas, papayas, guavas, mangoes, passion fruits, and other tropical fruits and plants are grown on Okinawa and its surrounding islands.

The average life expectancy of men is 76.3 years and women 83.7 years -- this was the longest not only in Japan, but also in the world. The people of Okinawa live on a diet of low-fat and low-salt foods that include tofu, seaweed and fish. This diet could be why they are some of the longest-lived people in the world

The area of 14 US bases are 233 square kilometres (90 sq mi), occupying 18% of the main island. Okinawa accounts for less than one percent of Japan's land, but hosts about two-thirds of the 40,000 American forces in the country.

Flowers

2010-01-08T16:23:00.003-06:00

Not that he doesn't make me smile on a daily basis anyway, but look at the beautiful "just because" flowers Justin sent me today! (With chocolates I might add...) He's great. And not because he sends me flowers. But for a million other reasons. That just sparked me writing it in the blog. I'll leave it at that.

They do brighten my apartment up a lot, don't you think?? =)

Snow Day!!!

2010-01-08T09:59:00.005-06:00

This week has been FREEZING here in Mississippi!!! As I type this right now it is a "balmy" 16 degrees. We aren't used to those types of temperatures! And we certainly aren't used to snow. Any chance of ice and snow and the state shuts down. Yesterday was our version of a snow day. The forecast called for snow, so the schools, businesses, and the Universities barricaded the doors. Except for the John C. Longest Student Health Center that is. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night.... (Well, maybe not gloom of night. 5:00pm and we are OUT OF HERE!! but you get the picture.) We pushed through the 15 snow flurries that the state got and suffered through the day. Here are some pictures of us playing in the snow.

Reality...

2010-01-04T15:03:00.004-06:00

Reality comes in many forms...for me, it came in the form of a moving truck.

Not only did I get a moving truck today, I also got snow flurries...! I was hoping they would show up in the picture, but our Mississippi Blizzard was less than impressive by the rest of the country's standards.

So it looks like this is happening. It's really happening. =) For the next couple of weeks, i'll be camping in my living room, on my couch. Feel free to stop by and visit. Bring your own chair!

SURPRISE!!!

2009-12-11T14:29:00.003-06:00

Last night was our "Annual Nurse's Christmas Party" at one of the local Mexican restaurants here in Starkville. To my surprise, it wasn't ACTUALLY our annual party, but a surprise going away party for your favorite blogger ... ME!!! It even included PRESENTS!! I got some excellent things...some things that will help me in my new adventure in learning to cook, and some things that will help me to always remember that i'm a true southerner at heart!!

I work with some of the sweetest people in the world. I can't imagine my life without them. Luckily, I won't have to because I know that no distance is going to keep us apart. (I can bug them from a world away!!)

Thanksgiving 2009 -- Albuquerque style.

2009-11-27T21:23:00.004-06:00

I write this on my phone as I'm cruising at about 30,000 feet flying home, so please forgive any errors. It's a lot harder to type on a phone than you think!

Thanksgiving week in Albuquerque was great (entirely too short, but excellent none the less). It was actually very different for us in that usually we eat almost every meal out when we are together and this time we attempted to cook nearly every meal in. It was good. And fun. One night we made Thai green curry chicken that was delicious but so hot that I couldn't eat it. (granola bar dinner for me that night! Ha!)
One day we went to the commissary to do a little food shopping and Justin saw a package of scrapple in the freezer section. I'm not even exaggerating when I say I think it made his week! Don't know what scrapple is? Well, if you were like me and thought that everything left over after bacon and ham and pork chops made hot dogs, you were sadly mistaken... That's what scrapple is for. It's a lower food group. Here is the unaltered ingredient list with a photo to follow. The omlet on the side was MY breakfast because Justin loves me and knows I'm not eating that stuff ;) I will admit, I was brave enough to try a bite. So now I never have to do it again! (ingredients: Pork stock, Pork, Pork skin, Corn Meal, Pork livers, Wheat flour, Pork fat, Pork hearts, Salt, Spices)

Here is our thanksgiving dinner. Excluding the pumpkin pie that I slaved over. All that stirring was killer! Ha! We had a turkey breast that Justin grilled, some cranberry sauce, and some veggie-kabobs. And the bottle of wine was one that we picked up while we were in Italy and saved. It was nice.

That sums up the food portion of my trip. Not sure about you guys but it has made me hungry!!

I don't have any other pictures to post. We went out to the air base one day and Justin took me on a tour of his plane. I got to go inside it and sit in the cockpit and everything, but they had a "no picture" policy. I was bummed out. I looked really cool sitting in the seat playing co-pilot. You'll have to take my word for it I guess. I was amazed at how big the plane was and how many buttons and functions it has. And I know he only told me a small portion of it!! So much went over my head. It's a good thing there wasn't a quiz at the end!

I hope everyone else had a great thanksgiving as well!

Signing off from delta flight 1014
Sent from my iPhone

Anniversary in Albuquerque

2009-11-23T12:59:00.004-06:00

Today is the two year anniversary of Justin and I's first date ... I wish I had a picture from that night to put here, but I don't. I can describe it. It was an excellent night with the worst service ever!! We went out for sushi at the ONLY sushi place in Columbus, MS and ordered. About two hours and lots of angry walk outs later, right before we both slipped into a diabetic coma, we got our food. Luckily, conversation has been one of our strong suits from the beginning or that could have been disasterous! ;)

Maybe to celebrate, we will go out for sushi tonight to reminisce. Here is a peak at the awesome present that Justin gave me. The picture doesn't do it justice but it will have to do until you can see it in real life. I'm going to have to start going better places besides home and work to accomidate all the shiny things he keeps buying me!! One of these days he will learn that he doesn't have to buy me stuff like that to make me happy...until then, i'll keep quiet! ;)

"Take Your Kid to Work" day

2009-11-07T19:52:00.002-06:00

So it wasn't REALLY take your child to work day, but Logan tagged along with me anyway while I worked first aid at the Basketball game and then came along while I gave flu shots to the team afterwards in the training room. And he just HAPPENED to bring along a basketball and a sharpie...Just like a boyscout, always prepared.

Boredom = new blog post

2009-10-19T12:19:00.005-05:00

So, this entire week I have the "honor" of handling first aid at the Wood Magic Science fair on campus. It has now been four and a half hours and I've seen one person. Splinter. Imagine that. With all this wood. So...that means that I am scrambling to find things to occupy my time. So I decided to work on the blog. I really must get some things to post about in between trips.

I started out my day fairly productively. My friend Jared made me a copy of his Rosetta Stone CD to help me learn Japanese. I did this for a couple of hours until my brain felt like it was leaking from my ears. It is a really cool program, but it's a full immersion program. No English. It's jump in and see what you can figure out. Wrong answer? Keep trying...you'll get it. Same questions over and over and over. Eventually you figure out what's right and why it's right (or at least you hope you do) Remember when you were an infant and you didn't know English? Same theory. Or so they say. I've had fun with it.

Here are a couple of pictures that I thought I'd post. Since this is a post about nothing (kind of like a Seinfeld episode) these random pictures should fit right in!!

The first one is a picture of my friend Casey and I after my very first 5k walk/run in May. The second is Logan, hiding from the camera on the first day of school, and the last is my friend Sonja and I.

My latest trip...

2009-10-14T21:25:00.005-05:00

I've been back in the land of the "bulldawgs" for almost 24 hours now and I realized that I have yet to post one picture or one blog from my weekend with Justin in Albuquerque. Of course it was great fun!!

My excuse for going out there this weekend was the Balloon Fiesta...unfortunately the winds were not cooperative. Both the Saturday and Sunday balloon functions were canceled because of the high winds. (I did see a couple of balloons before they deflated them!! AND we still saw some pretty awesome fireworks.) Luckily the balloons were just my excuse to go. My REASON for going was still there!!

Since the balloons were a no go, we used our time doing a lot of hiking. Hard core (for me) hiking. I even had to get my very first pair of hiking shoes. Oh yeah. I'm a pro now. When we hiked part way up the Cabazon, peak, we did pretty well about 2/3rds of the way up, and then SLID the rest of the way down on our butts. It was pretty comical.

Cabazon Peak

Me...with no way up, no way down...

While we didn't make it to the top of Cabazon Peak, we did make it to the top of Battleship rock...

Battleship Rock

and went to Soda Dam and saw some hot springs

and met some locals...

Big news for some...old news for others

2009-09-29T12:15:00.005-05:00

As I begin to get things in order and squared away, I decided to write a new post. I know several of you know this already, but there are probably several of you who don't. So this seemed like the best way to update the masses. (Read as, the two people who actually read my blog.)

In January 2010, Justin will be transferring to Okinawa, Japan and I will be joining him. I am very, very happy with my decision and have the support of my friends and family. This will be for an extended period (a couple of years). But you guys are all invited to visit any time you want. Just google Okinawa. It's beautiful. Beaches, sushi, snorkeling, lots of cool stuff. :)

This was a big decision. And not entered into lightly. There will be a lot of people and things that I will miss here, but I am so very excited about my decision. You guys will DEFINITELY have to bookmark my blog now....stay tuned to see what's next!!!

Vocanoes and Petroglyphs

2009-09-21T18:31:00.004-05:00

Today we went hiking to see the petroglyphs (google's definition: rock carvings made by pecking directly on the rock surface using a stone chisel and a hammerstone. When the "desert varnish" on the surface of the rock was pecked off, the lighter rock underneath was exposed, creating the petroglyph. Archaeologists have estimated there may be over 25,000 petroglyph images along the 17 miles of escarpment within the monument boundary) and the volcanoes. It was really cool. Apparently the volcanoes aren't active anymore but they still lie on an active fault line. Pretty cool. Lots of rock climbing. or at least as close as I've ever been. Here are some pictures.

The veiw from the top of one of the volcanoes.

Holding on for dear life as the wind almost took me down!!

Exhausted!!!

Comments...

2009-09-19T17:45:00.003-05:00

There has been a problem that has stopped anyone from being able to leave comments on any of the posts ... I think I finally fixed it. It has been driving me crazy for months!! Luckily I've had some down time today to address that pesky issue since Justin had a SIM. ;) So, feel free to add comments if you want. Or don't. But now I know that my blog is fully working. And that makes me smile ;)

Dinner in Albuquerque...

2009-09-19T13:57:00.006-05:00

Last night Justin and I went this really nice french restaurant here in Albuquerque. It was really good. Here are a couple of pictures before we left the house. It was as close to a trip down memory lane for Paris as we could get in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Complete with escargot.

Bonding

2009-09-18T12:31:00.000-05:00

Shadow?? Sitting in my lap? Had to document it with a picture. She
came up on her own, and no, I don't have tuna in my pocket ;)

The end of the rainbow...

2009-09-17T18:17:00.000-05:00

Look at the beautiful rainbow I saw this afternoon!!! Just had to
share! Stay tuned for more pictures...

Food, big guns, and movies...

2009-08-15T21:34:00.002-05:00

Food, big guns, and movies...that about sums up my Saturday. We went out to lunch went to the gun range, and then went to see District 9 at the theater. Fun times, fun times!!! Here are some pictures.

Dinner at 10,378 feet

2009-08-15T14:30:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from our dinner at "High Finance" and the tram ride up. The view was amazing. It was crazy how much colder it was up there! I was less than prepared! ha!

Made it!

2009-08-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

My plane landed last night about 9:30. Just a little behind schedule.
Haven't had a chance to see much of the city yet but here's the view
from justin's patio to get started. It's cloudy, rainy, and even a
little chilly here this morning. Hopefully that changes or my wardrobe
choices are going to prove to be a little problematic! Tomorrow is
suppossed to be pretty and hot again though I think.

We have dinner reservations at "High finance" tonight which is a
restauraunt at the top of the Sandia peak at like 10,000 feet
elevation. Stay tuned for picures from that, as well as from the 2.7
mile tram trip up there :)

Albuquerque

2009-08-09T17:23:00.002-05:00

As I'm sure all of you know, since Justin and I have been back in the states from Europe, he has changed bases and is now in Albuquerque. In just four short days, I will make my very first trip out there to see him and I am so excited!! I know, I know. That's so out of character for me...ha! Anyway, this post was just to blow the dust off my blog, give you guys a heads up to start watching for pictures from the great state of New Mexico, and maybe brag a little that I'm about to go and see him!! ;) (Or something.) So stay tuned -- departure date in T-minus 4 days and counting.

Even more pictures....

2009-07-14T14:49:00.005-05:00

Forgive me if some of these pictures are duplicates...I am trying my hardest to remember which ones i've already posted and which ones I haven't....there are just so many great ones to pick from!!!

Stepping into our maps....

In the center of this picture is the miniature Statue of Liberty as seen from the Eiffel Tower

The Vatican

Enjoying some great food...

More pictures

2009-07-09T20:54:00.005-05:00

another picture of the one of the bridges in Rome ... I just liked how it turned out.

The original Statue of Liberty

Michelangelo's tomb

Back home in Starkville

2009-07-09T20:24:00.003-05:00

Now that i'm back home and officially settled back into a routine, I thought i'd add more pictures to the blog. There are SO MANY to chose from that I don't know where to start. Paris, Rome, Florence, and Pisa were amazing.

Bridge in Rome, Italy

Justin and I in front of the Trevi fountain -- Rome, Italy

Pantheon Rome, Italy

Sunset from the top of the Eiffel tower -- Paris, France

Fountains at the Boboli Gardens -- Florence, Italy

Pisa...Home of the leaning tower...

2009-07-06T17:34:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures from our quick day trip to Pisa. The leaning tower was quite cool. You could actually FEEL it leaning when you walked up the stairs. All 300 of them. We got into Pisa kind of early on Sunday and spent the day and rushed to the airport to make sure we made our flight back to Paris...only to spend the next SIX hours there because our flight was delayed and then the destination airport was changed from Orly to Charles De Gualle. It was quite a late night experience. We didn't get into CDG until after 2am and had to be back at the airport by 8am this morning to catch our flight back out.... Not sure what happened with the plane as the explanation was in french. Something about the Tour de France and Nice?? Who knows. I ate more gelato as we waited. What a shame.

Anyway, I write this in Houston, Tx. I'm back home...nearly anyway. I tried to grab on to the base of the Eiffel tower and hold on for dear life, but Justin just pried my hands loose.

FIirenze

2009-07-03T18:26:00.003-05:00

Florence is amazing!!! Just popping online for a minute to update and give you a couple of quick pics. The pictures of the sunset and the Duomo are taken from our hotel (it is absolutely amazing!!!) and the picture of the two of us was taken from the top of the Duomo...463 steps up. I nearly DIED!!!! Will be home in a couple of days....blah. Reality will be a bummer compared to the life i've been leading the last two weeks.

Buona Sera.

Florence Bound!!

2009-07-01T16:51:00.005-05:00

We leave for Florence, Italy in the morning...Rome has been amazing. On the one hand I can't wait to get back and share my experiences and pictures with you all, but most of me doesn't want to get back to reality. Once we leave here in the morning we won't have access to the internet until we get back to the states ... So I just wanted to say arrivederci!!!!

Roma!!!

2009-06-30T10:52:00.004-05:00

There has been so much happening over the last few days...it's so hard to know where to start!!! We've seen the pantheon, the Colliseum, the Roman Forum, Crypt of the Capuchin Monks....the list goes on and on.

Our hotel is right next to the Spanish steps and smack in the middle of shopping central. Stores like Prada, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Versace...i'm in window shopping heaven!! I saw one shirt that I liked today in Versace that cost 995 euros. That's about $1400.00. Ha!

The food has been amazing. Last night we had pasta, wine, and creme brulee at a cafe' just off the banks of the Tiber River

It's been a while...

2009-06-28T10:30:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's been a couple of days, but Justin and I have been making the most of our days and nights in Paris. Very little down time left for blogging. We got up EARLY this morning and successfully made it to Rome this morning. The last couple of days in Paris were amazing as were the first few...We went to the Eiffel tower and saw the sunset, saw Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde's graves, the catacombs, Basilique Du Sacre-Coeur...amazing experiences.

As they say, when in Rome....eat Gelato. Ciao.

Day 2

2009-06-25T14:22:00.007-05:00

Day two has been a blurr. An amazing blurr. We woke up bright and early and went down to breakfast complete with fresh fruit, cheeses, champagne, fresh croissants, juices...delicious!! Then it was off to the Louvre

The Louvre was quite an undertaking. I'm pretty sure you could spend weeks in there and still not appreciate all it has to offer, but we just spent several hours. There are so many great works of art. I don't know what to include on the blog...Of course when everyone thinks of the Louvre, they think of the Mona Lisa...so that's what I'll show. (Although, I must say, I saw so many much cooler things!!)

After walking MILES around the museum, we took off on foot and walked the 3.6 miles to the Arc de Triomphe....and then proceeded to walk up the 284 steps to reach the top. I was exhausted!! But I made it! I'm not sure Justin realizes just how proud he should be of me for not stroking out half way up. GEEZ!! And it wasn't a slow pace up either. NO WAY! It was a tiny spiral staircase with a stampede of people right behind you, so you practically ran up. I deserve a tiny Parisian medal! ;) No worries. My reward was the view!

When we were done at the Arc, we decided to try our hand at the metro to get back near our hotel to grab dinner (Paris's subway) After staring at a map for a bit, we finally figured it out and crammed ourselves into a subway car like a sardine and away we went. We only got lost once...at the corner of "Rue Ravioli and the place where the map folds" but I guess as long as you know where you are, you really aren't lost, are you?? ;) Once we were acclimated again, it was off to dinner at a Parisian restaurant complete with wine and escargot. The battery was dead in the camera or I would insert pictures here. Quite yummy. Then all topped off with pistachio and cherry vanilla gelato for Justin and I. It couldn't have been a better day. Tomorrow is PACKED with things already. I must get some sleep. Au revoir!

Day one...from the beginning...

2009-06-24T18:26:00.007-05:00

Okay...so here goes...are you ready?? To preface this, it's 1:30am Paris time, which means it's 6:30pm my time...which means it's been about a day and a half (I think...I can't really keep up anymore) with no sleep...I actually did get an hour and a half sleep in the hotel, so that's not entirely true. Anyway, all that is to say that if this doesn't make any sense, it's not my fault. 36 hours without sleep does a lot to a person's brain. The neurons stop firing at about 24 hours. Justin and I figured that out the hard way when walking seemed to be a difficult task. Sleeping on the plane proved to be an impossible tasked. For me, I was just too excited I think.

So, to pick up from Memphis. I boarded the plane and ended up smack in the middle of a heavy metal band named Seven Witches. (Pictures to follow, right Jack???) They were totally cool and kept me company the whole way...I know you guys can't imagine me fitting in with a heavy metal band, but I'm cooler than you give me credit for!! And if I hadn't been already sleep deprived, I would have a group picture to insert here...but Jack is now a follower of my blog and is going to send me a pic. I have faith ;) ha!!

Anyway....once in Houston, I after standing in line forever, then waiting on Justin, we finally boarded our flight and were inbound to Paris!! :) We had several movies to watch, but never really got around to watching any of them...we played games, read books, talked, and kind of goofed off. And then nine hours later....ARRIVED!!!

Once we were here, we managed to make our way to the hotel. And it actually wasn't that tough of an experience. Even though we ended up in the "slow" line of the train ticket machine...but it was fine. We only missed the first two. ha! We weren't sure that the hotel was going to let us check in early anway, but we got here at 11:00 and they were nice enough to let us go ahead and check in and we were able to shower, change clothes and head out. We went to the place where Marie Antoinette was held. Then grabbed some lunch at an Indian place. It was awesome!! Then we were so sleep deprived that we came back and took a nap for about an hour and a half and half. Then we headed back out again. This time we went to Notre Dame and walked around and took in the sights. We finished it off by drinking a few glasses of wine at a cafe on the banks of the Seine. It was the most amazing night. I can't imagine what the rest of the trip can possible have in store!!

Eating at the Indian Place.................

Notre Dame

Completly jet Lagged and about to call it a night

Made it!

2009-06-24T13:15:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update to say we made it. We got in at 8:00am local time
and hit the ground running. We've already seen the ace where Marie
Antionette was held, Notre Dame, and a couple of othe museums that my
very tired and jet lagged brain wo tet me process right now. As soon
as I fiqure out how to hook up the laptop to the wifi and I get some
sleep, u guys will get some picutres and some coherent posts, I
promise. Until then, stay tuned!!

Sent from my iPhone

Touched down in the land of the delta blues

2009-06-23T08:15:00.001-05:00

So, I've successfully completed the first leg of my flight. I sit in
Memphis as I update the blog. It was fairly uneventful (which is
always good ... ) But not without it's comedic moments ... Probably
more funny to me though because A) I was there to witness and 2) Ive
been up since 3:45 am. Sleep deprivation always makes things a lot
funnier!

First of all ... Apparently I look very suspicious because my carry on
had to be "bag checked" and scanned twice. I mean completely emptied
and scanned. I didn't think my granola bars and hoodie could be so
ominous when viewed through x-Ray!! Lol it was quite funny. And the
metal detector kept going off when I walked through it. For no reason.
Funny stuff.

And the flight attendent on my flight was new. Very obviously in
training with another attendent helping him. And he looked EXACTLY
like Clay Aiken from American idol. And his name was Clayton. He read
everything straight from the manuals (except for the occassional ad
libbed, "ugh...I hate this part!") it made me chuckle. Think Clay
decided to give up the singing thing and go flight attendent?? I wonder!

Sorry if this all seemed like a lot of rambling ... I was too excited
to sleep well last night. Stay tuned!

Singing off from the land of the delta blues!

Misty

Sent from my iPhone

Yay!!

2009-06-18T20:08:00.003-05:00

Cleared for take off!!

For those of you who are keeping up, Justin finished everything up and is CHECKRIDE COMPLETE!! Oh yeah! So that means that in 4.5 days we will be en route to Paris! Can you FEEL the excitement in my words?? lol

Now I can get back to thinking about this packing crisis and all the cool, and awesome things we are going to do in France and Italy.

Stand by for another post coming up soon. I'm kind of liking this blogging thing. (As soon as I think of something to post about!)

My first attempt at blogging from my phone

2009-06-18T09:38:00.001-05:00

As I try to get all my ducks in a row before the big departure date
(which will HOPEFULLY happen in just five short days...) I wanted to
see if I could post a blog from my phone. So bear with me while I test
out my theory. If this works, who knows! You guys can even keep up
with me while I'm bored and in the airport waiting on my plane! The
possibilities are endless and I know you are waiting with baited
breathe ;)

For those of you who are keeping up with the status of our trip, one
flight down, one to go ... Justin should be flying right now, as I
peck away on my phone, hopefully completing that final checkride.
Stay tuned!! And as Dr. Story says, eat two cookies.

Sent from my iPhone

High Hopes...

2009-06-17T10:59:00.002-05:00

Apparently, "I've been warned..." But my hopes are as high as the Eiffel tower. :) WE (and I use that term loosely because I had nothing to do with it except for my good weather dance...lol) got one flight out of the way. One down and one to go!! SCORE! But there is still the shadow of one flight that looms over our departure date. Tomorrow afternoon I'll know whether the trip is definitely on or definitely still in limbo. So keep the positive thoughts coming our way! Cross those fingers and toes. Somethings working! And stay tuned!!

Glass half full...

2009-06-13T18:25:00.003-05:00

Bad weather and broken planes all around....

So...as the frustration and worry set in, I decided to see if a little blogging will make me feel better. Maybe i'm becoming addicted?? Will the trip even happen?? (insert some heavy duty scary music here...) Stay tuned to find out. This next week has to go PERFECTLY as far as scheduling, weather, and maintenance for Justin in order for it to still take place. And considering it has taken three weeks to get 1/2 of one flight done?? Well...who knows at this point. So, light a candle, think good thoughts, say a prayer, hop around on one foot...what ever it is that you do to send some good vibes our way! ;)

Misty

The plan for our first night in Paris...!!!

2009-06-12T15:39:00.003-05:00

So, as I peruse the internet, waiting for our departure date to arrive, what do I find?? On June 24th, Paris celebrates their annual, "Midsummer Festival." Here is what google has to say ... "Paris sees in midsummer with a bang on June 24th. The French capital celebrates the shortest night of the year with a massive firework display held right in the heart of the city."

How awesome is that?? What a way to celebrate in our arrival into the city of lights than a huge fireworks show? Have I mention that I love fireworks?

As I patiently wait....

2009-06-09T09:41:00.006-05:00

I'll use this time to do a "test" post with pictures so that way when Justin and I are in Europe there won't be any surprises and I'll know what i'm doing! Here are some pictures from the Old Mill in Little Rock from a few weeks ago. Here is what I found on Google about the place -- "A short drive from McCain mall will bring you to a quiet, tranquil place that looks like something from an old movie. As a matter of fact, it was featured in the opening scene of Gone With the Wind. It's believed to be the only remaining structure from that film". It was very cool. Enjoy the pictures.

The Nitty Gritty (Otherwise known as the When and Where)

2009-06-08T18:46:00.002-05:00

June 24, 2009 Paris, France -- Hotel Jardin de Cluny http://www.paris-jardindecluny.com

June 28, 2009 Rome, Italy -- La Lumiere Di Piazza Di Spagna http://www.lalumieredipiazzadispagna.com/en/hotel.html

July 2, 2009 Florence, Italy -- Antica Torre Di Via Tornabuoni http://www.tornabuoni1.com

Now if only I can figure out how to pack for all this fun into ONE airline sized suit case!! Oh the problems! ;)