Farewell Catherine!

Along with CoC comes the farewell of his COW (CO's wife). Catherine and her family headed back to the Land of Milk and Honey this week, but before they left, we had one dinner together as the OSSG.

The job of a COW is just that, a job. Her husband may be getting paid for the job, but she does a lot of work as well. She keeps us updated while our husbands are gone and has the somewhat difficult job of keeping spirits up.

Catherine did an amazing job during her time as our COW. I definitely thought of her as a mentor and her organization and communication has made my time here even better.

Good luck in Washington D.C., Catherine! You are going to be missed!

Happy Birthday Sarah! Hello Jackson Tvedte?

Today is Sarah's birthday and Missy's due date! I hope you both have fabulous days and Mr. Jackson makes his appearance!

Update: Jackson Owen was born on 2/20/11! I can't wait to meet him some day. Congrats Missy and Ben!!

What's for Dinner? Curry Coconut Ramen

The Stars & Stripes newspaper ran a contest to use the 40 cent ramen packages in a different and inventive way. One of them sounded good so I gave it a try. I had to buy some veggies, a lime, ramen and coconut milk, but I already had the rest of the ingredients (which looks like a lot now that I see the picture).

I cooked the garlic in a little bit of oil, sauteed the cabbage and veggies. Set them aside along with the cooked noodles. Then I made the sauce using coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, rooster sauce and curry powder. Then I added the noodles and veggies back and tossed everything together while adding a little pasta cooking water and lime juice.

 I topped it with cilantro and chopped peanuts and a few more squirts of lime juice. I'd definitely make this again!

It's so tiny!

So I know this post is a little yicky because it's a picture of a public toilet, but when I stopped in the bathroom of a local shopping mall, the bathroom stall had this tiny toilet! I guess that's easier than having a kiddo use the big toilet. Most women's bathrooms in Japan also have a mini urinal as well for little boys out shopping with their moms. I guess when you live in a society where only the women riase children, you can have this kind of set up.

I know tiny things are suppose to be cute, but tiny toilets just don't count.

Guam in a Nutshell

I did a lot of this in Guam. Reading by the pool/beach. I'm currently reading a book called What's Mine in Yours about the theories of collabortive consumption. It's an interesting look at society and a nice change from US Weekly and the like that I usually read by the pool. Don't get me wrong though, I read that too.

We ate some delicious American  style food. Another nice change from the usual. This particular dinner was at a restaurant called House of Brutus. If you make it to Guam, I definitely recommend the restaurant. Don't let it's location disuade you althought it is tucked behind and under an abandoned parking garage.

We also did our fair share of drinking. :) That's what vacation is, right?

On Saturday, Glenn's squadron had the change of command (CoC) ceremony. The current Commanding Officer (CO) decided he wanted to have an airborne CoC so the current CO flew lead with the new CO following behind. After reading their orders on the broadcasted radio (so those of us watching the ceremony knew what was going on) the new CO "took the lead" by flying ahead of the former CO symbolizing that he is taking the lead of the squadron. It was neat to watch and since the new CO is an NFO and not a pilot, Glenn got to fly his plane during the ceremony.

The new CO, Glenn and John. Since this was also CDR Martin's last flight he got "hosed down" with the fire hose following the flight. That is another Navy tradition.

Glenn and his old boss (hence the wet flight suit and no patches).

In the eveing following the CoC, several of the JOs (Junior officers, O1-O3) had their Wet Down. Free drinks for everyone! Sounds good to me!

On Sunday, Glenn and headed to the beach with our rental gear and tanks to do some scuba diving. This was the first time we had gone on our own and not with a tour, but it was really nice. We went for one dive looking for an old WWII Japanese plane, but turns out we entered at the wrong spot (ok, so maybe a tour would have helped with that), but we still enjoyed the fish and coral reef. Then we got some lunch, went shopping at the Navy Exchange and then headed to a second locations for our second dive. It was nice and relaxing to be on our own schedule.

Immediately following diving, we drove to Two Lovers Point to check out the view and sunset (hence the wet swim suit, not sweaty pits).

I know some people say Guam is not a very nice place, but I have a great time every time we go. I told Glenn I wouldn't mind be stationed there for a little while (a year max) just to enjoy the nice weather and the great diving! I have a feeling that if we end up in Guam, that means Glenn did something wrong in his career though. I wouldn't mind another trip back someday!

I wish I could go back...

I spent a long 5 day weekend in Guam visiting Glenn while he is there for an exercise. I'm not ready to be back in Japan! I want to go back!

Wordless Wednesday: Nice Idea

What She Knows

A couple of friends posted this on Facebook which can be found here  originally. Many of the things she lists don't ring true (yet) but I'm sure they will some day when we have children. For you other military spouses, try to read this without crying, I couldn't...

What a Military Spouse Knows

As many of you know, my husband came home from our third deployment not too long ago. During the deployment, a reporter asked me to share “What I Knew” about deployments and military life. This was my answer:
As I forced my hands to unfurl from his neck, feeling the familiar sting in my nose as tears pushed against my will, the words rattled and echoed in my brain. “Not again.”

I watched him walk away–that uniform, identifiable gait—and my heart bent and splintered as the reality of a third deployment began to shower over me.

I picked up the phone, dialing the numbers my numb fingers always meander toward, and sat in silence while she tried to ease my pain. “I can’t imagine…He will be home….I’m here.”

And then she said six words that shot through my ears, penetrated my brain, and stiffened my spine: “You know how to do this.”

She was right. I do know how to do this. I intimately know the all-too familiar lump in my throat. The year of being both father and mother, making the best of a situation. I know exactly how one year feels  as I X each day off my calendar. And I know how to ensure that while our lives are on hold, we still live.
The truth is I know a lot:

• The thought of being alone for a year doesn’t bother me. The fear of being alone for a lifetime—does.

• Flat rate boxes can hold twenty whoopee cushions, four kindergarten projects, and five perfume-scented letters.

• Technology can be a double-edged sword—one side delivering his face; the other a brutal live-action feed of explosions and camouflaged body parts.

• Murphy’s Law is a constant companion. The moment he walks out the door, anything that can break, collapse, bleed, or explode–will .

• Five hours of uninterrupted sleep is a gift from the deployment gods

• Holidays are hard, but manageable.

• Deployments come and go, but sand from his boots never leaves.

• Nothing can replace a handwritten letter. Through those beautifully folded pages, he is holding my hand again.

• When the National Anthem is played, I know goosebumps will rise on my arms, and a lump will fill my throat.

• The silence in communication following a war zone attack is agonizing.

• Laughter is a powerful ally.

• Each deployment offers two options: grow or regress. This is a choice.

• Cereal is always a dinner option.

• Videos of lost teeth, ballerina recitals, and preschool graduations can be emailed to Iraq nearly instantly.

• Five powers of attorney and the intimate details of his will are needed to navigate a deployment.

• White out blizzards can actually bury a truck in five minutes.

• Rosie the Riveter was right: We can do it.

• Children cling to hope and the promise of tomorrow.

• Living in each moment together is possible when facing the fear that it could be your last.

• Welcome home kisses are sweeter than the finest chocolate.

• Anger will grip me and depression can hold me, but another military spouse will steady me.

• A six-year-old child can feel the absence of her father so deeply that she can suffer from clinical depression.

• A military spouse will often hold her/his tongue, silencing a story, for fear of sounding “unpatriotic.”

• The sound of a bugle can make my heart swell with pride or collapse in sorrow.

• Duct tape and a monkey wrench can fix nearly anything.

• Despite the protestors and those who tell me I “knew” what I was getting into, I know there are countless American citizens who will go above and beyond to show they support us.

There are many things I know.
I know how to change the brakes on my truck, rappel from the side of a cliff, shoot a double-barreled shotgun, balance a checkbook, earn my keep, and kiss a child enough to feel like two.
But there are still so many things I don’t know.

• I don’t know how to start my heart again when I see a death notification car on my street.

• When that knock echoes on the door of my neighbor, I don’t know how to forgive myself when I am relieved.

• I don’t know how to hug him enough to last a lifetime, or kiss him just so in order to feel satisfied—should our reunion be at the foot of a pine box.

• I’m not willing to learn how to pretend he doesn’t exist, to keep him out of our life while it goes on without him, or to build a wall so high he has no way to scale it.

• I don’t know how to stop his panic attacks, and I have no idea how to make my nightmares of rampant bombs and lifeless limbs disappear.

• I don’t know how to adjust to his presence in my house when our floor rarely feels the weight of his boots.

• I don’t know how to tell his small children that, yes, he leaves them all the time. But because he loves them so deeply, he is willing to die to keep them free.

• I can’t understand those who would question my desire to stay with him, or how I can peacefully sleep beside a “killer.”

• I am amazed and confounded that despite all he has seen, he still has the courage to laugh.

• I don’t’ know how to give up on my family.

But, most importantly:
I have no clue how to still my pounding heart when he finally walks through our door again, I don’t know how to pull my hands from his sand-stained neck and say goodbye, and I don’t know how to ever walk away from a man who stands while many choose to sit.

Hachiko!

Hachikō (ハチ公, November 10, 1923–March 8, 1935), known in Japanese as chūken Hachikō (忠犬ハチ公, "faithful dog Hachikō" ('hachi' meaning 'eight', a number referring to the dog's birth order in the litter, and 'kō,' meaning prince or duke)), was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture, remembered for his loyalty to his owner, even many years after his owner's death.

In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo took in Hachikō as a pet. During his owner's life Hachikō greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachikō was waiting. Every day for the next nine years the golden brown Akita waited at Shibuya station.

Hachikō was given away after his master's death, but he routinely escaped, returning again and again to his old home. Eventually, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for the return of his owner.

The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.
This continued for nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.

Richard Gere also starred in a movie recently about the story of Hachiko! The above article is from Wikipedia.

Happy Birthday Laura!

Here's an oldie, Laura! Miss you!

Hokkaido Trip: Day 4 in Otaru

On Monday, our last day in Hokkaido, we weren't really sure what to do. Skiing? Check. Snow sculptures? Check. Ice sculptures? Check. We'd heard about a cute town a little ways away on the train, so we decided to head there. Otaru, here we come.

The train ride was pretty beautiful. It was right along the coast of Japan with the waves crashing just a few feet away. It reminded me of the ride from Enoshima to Hase in the Kamakura area. We arrived at the train station and headed for Sushiyadori. Sushi Street.

There were 100s of sushi shops ranging in price from ridiculously expensive to pretty cheap. We settled on the cheaper end of the scale and were pretty happy with what we got. Yummy eel, crab, tuna salmon and a few rolls. Perfect.

We wandered around the canal district and the cruise ship port, bought a few souvenirs and walked around some of the shops.

This guy was for sale, but I thought he might be hard to get home. Also, he was crazy expensive.

After exploring the surprisingly western looking town, we headed back to Sapporo on the train and then caught a bus to airport to head back to Japan. We walked in to our house around 12:30 am and crashed immediately.

Dave and Jen, these are for you!

These are a few of the more than 200 snow sculptures we saw in Sapporo. They reminded me of you guys! I think you should make one in your front yard with all that snow you have!

Happy Birthday Emily!

Happy Birthday Emily! I hope you had a great birthday! See you soon!

Honey, can you turn off the lump?

 At our hotel in Sapporo, we had a night stand with the light switches built in. Oh how I wish I could get paid to be the spellchecker in Japan! I'd be a millionaire!

My students last week asked me if any thing funny happened on our trip. I explained the nightstand and how it said "Lump" instead of "Lamp". They looked at me quizzically. I finally wrote it on the board along with a picture of a lump _/`\_ . Then they got it, but apparently it was not as funny as I thought it was. Oh well, I guess that's why the signs stay the same.

Yes, my Princess!

This adventure goes down in the books as one of the weirdest experiences in Japan. For my friend Nicole's farewell party, 11 girls headed to downtown Tokyo (Shibuya) to go to dinner and experience the Butler Cafe. Here's a video on CNN of the cafe we went to:

We had reservations at 6:00 pm, we arrived after 2 hours on the train, bathroom stops, drink stops and general dilly dallying that 11 women take to get anywhere. We arrived and were greeted by our butlers with rounds and rounds of "My Princess." "Yes, my princess" "As you wish my princess" etc.

Oh and a list of 50 "House Rules". We weren't allowed to take pictures of the butlers (unless we paid 1000 yen/$12). We had to be escorted to the bathroom. We had to order at least 2 things for the table. And on and on.

So we are seated, given water to drink and then our butlers reviewed the menu for us. What to eat, what to drink, their recommendations. We ordered a round of drinks including several "Image Cocktails". I'll get to that.

We were allowed to take pictures of eachother and our food. So here is our lovely group.

After we were seated for a bit, they came by with information cards where we could fill out a series of questions.
     1. What is our name?
     2. Where are we from?
     3. Why did we come to the Butler Cafe? (to drink, to speak English, for fun)
     4. How did we hear about the cafe?
     5. What languages do you speak?

They asked our name so that when our food came, we could have our Princess name on it! Also, so they could make small talk and conversation with us throughout our dinner. "Oh, parlez-vous Francias, Princess Kelly? Ou est-ce que etudiez?" We all giggled and laughed, mostly because the "Bulters" were mid-20s Americans, Canadians or Europeans who were all a little creepy.

So 30 minutes after Amy ordered an Image Cocktail, they came by to "capture her image and put it in a cocktail" all with a hand flourish of pulling a mask off her face and throwing it into a glass if you can imagine. They asked her a series of questions such as "What two objects would she bring on a deserted island?" "What one word would your friends use to describe you?" "What are you hopes and dreams for the future?" And on and on. Finally they finished with 3 seconds of awkward eye staring eye contact so they could capture her image..."ah ha! I've got it!"

30 minutes after that, they finally brought out the drinks. Amy's drink was green because of her adventurous spirit and pink because of her wonderful smile and other cheesy things like that. It was a fruity drink that I'm pretty sure any girl would like (and $18).

When our meals were brought out, they also came with a "magical surprise". We all closed our eyes and we received tiaras to enjoy while eating our meal!

Princess Nicole got a fancy red one since it was her farewell party.

Throughout the night, the Princesses in our group would order more drinks which we would do so by ringing a small bell on the table and the entire group of butlers would respond with "Yes, my princess?" and come running to take our order. Not far though, the entire restaurant couldn't have been more than 600 square feet.

They did in fact escort you to the bathroom as well. And wait for you. And walk you back. So. Weird.

We laughed and ate and drank and felt generally awkward much of the evening.

We left 3 hours after we had gotten there and spent nearly 3.5 hours getting home this time. Stops for drinks, Forever 21 shopping breaks, impromptu dance parties with street performers, bathroom breaks, coffee breaks and an amazing cream puff experience.

A night I know none of us will ever forget with a lady that we all miss dearly! Fair winds and following seas, Nicole!