Finding Stuff To Do!

So, ever since Chris went back to work, I've been trying to find neat things to do around Okinawa... partially to entertain myself and partially to show him later when he had time off.
From the first day I got here, all the girls have told me about Cocok's nail salon... they give amazing peticures with really long massages and incredible nail art. So, this past week, Melissa and I went one afternoon... it really was as great as everyone made it out to be... we were pretty pampered. So, I doubt that anyone has really wanted to see my feet this close up, but here's a pic of my pretty toes!! The detail is pretty incredible and they're all handpainted. We need a place like this in the U.S!!

On Chris's birthday (which was last Monday) we also happened to buy a new car. Wasn't exactly what we were looking for, but it runs well and has working AC and it's a practical alternative to the convertible we got!

I've also discovered a place called Jusco, which is like a big shopping mall with lots of separate stores, all located within one big store. Kind of hard to imagine but it's pretty overwhelming when you walk in... so much to look at! Here's a pic of just one of the stores... they do have pretty contemporary stuff in the stores, although it's a little on the pricey side.

Right next to Jusco is a place called the "Markman", but the Americans all call it the "MonkeyMart" because there is a monkey holding a hammer on the sign. It's kind of like a Home Depot type place, but I especially love their huge variety of flowers there... (we've given them quite a bit of business already). Here's a pic of some of their beautiful orchids... a big pot of them will cost somewhere between $70-$100, so I've just bought the little ones for like $7 and hopefully I won't kill them...

On Friday, Chris's squadron had a "spouses day." They showed us what it was like to brief before the flight and then we actually got to go up into a KC-135 and refuel another plane. The airplane was ridiculously hot, but it was really neat to see what Chris actually does in the planes. They let us wear the headsets, check out the cockpit while we were in flight, and even lay back at the rear of the plane while the boom operator was directing the boom and refueling another plane in the middle of the flight. It was pretty amazing... here's a pic of us sitting in the seats...

And here's one of Chris and I before the flight... he didn't actually get to come with us, but he got to hang around before we left....

I got some really cool pictures of the plane behind us being refueled, but since some of that stuff is confidential, I can't post those pics on the internet.

Chris and I just got the news today that our stuff is going to arrive this week, so we're really excited! I won't have too much time to venture out anymore though cause I'll have lots of unpacking to do! Love and miss you all!!

Eating Out!

So, this past weekend, Chris and I met up with a few of our friends (who also happen to be our sponsors) to go out to eat at a sushi place. It's supposedly one of the best places for sushi on the island, and it's pretty inexpensive, so needless to say, it was a pretty popular place. The first thing we noticed was that all the tables are located at the floor level, but there's a cut out place underneath the table to put your feet... so, it kind of feels like you're eating at a regular table, but it's very low to the ground. Chris really likes sushi, but I've never been that big of a fan. I just don't like the seaweed taste to them, but I was informed that not all sushi has the seaweed taste to it... so, I ended up getting some with crab in it. It was actually okay tasting, but the individual rolls were SO huge, it was impossible to to fit it all in my mouth at the same time. Plus, since I was scared of the sushi, I decided to get a piece of shrimp that had a layer of rice under it....YUM! Until I realized that the middle of the shrimp had a huge glob of wasabi under it.... honestly, it was the HOTTEST thing I have ever tasted in my entire life!! My eyes were watering and I thought my head was going to explode! Thankfully, the burning sensation doesn't linger like normal spicy food... Here's a pic of us at the restaurant with Sarah and Ari.

And here's a picture of me being brave and tasting octopus. It pretty much tastes like rubber with tenacles. I eventually just had to swallow the piece because I wasn't getting anywhere by chewing it.

... And Chris and I took this picture just because we think that the drivers here are the craziest ones either of us have ever encountered. This is supposed to be one lane of traffic, but as you can see, people just do whatever they want to do. Plus, the Air Force has clearly informed us that any accidents we get into are automatically our fault, because their government uses the logic that if the Americans weren't here, the accident would have never happened... nice, huh?? So, we're learning to be very defensive drivers!!

That's all for now! We love and miss everyone!!

Exploring the Island...

Hey everyone! So, Chris and I decided to be adventurous the other day and we went scuba diving for the first time. We also had our underwater camera with us, so we took a few pics while we were underwater... check 'em out!

Ok, we didn't really go scuba diving... instead, these pics were taken at Okinawa's huge aquarium about two hours from where we live. It's the 3rd largest aquarium in the world... and there's lots more to do in the park surrouding the aquarium as well. This is actually a picture of us on our way to the aquarium... we followed the roads up the coastline and we had quite a view! I thought that a lot of the water was dirty looking, but Chris informed me that it looked so dirty because the water was virtually clear and you could see right to the bottom of the ocean... pretty crazy!

This pic is of the entrance to the park... the whole place was covered in gorgeous flowers and tropical plants.

Chris was pretty enthrawled with all of the sharks they had there... this is a picture of a relatively small one, especially compared to the enormous whale sharks in one of the tanks... they're the world's largest fish (fun fact of the day).

Chris made me take this picture... I'm sure I looked thrilled. I really wouldn't have minded except there were about 100 Japanese people staring at me as he was taking the pic.

My absolute favorite part of the day was the free dolphin/whale shows they had going on outside. The first one we went to wasn't very big, so most of the audience got to come right up to the side of the tank and watch them in action. (Another fun fact...) The brain of a dolphin is about 15 times bigger than the brain of a shark... and from the looks of it, I'm guessing a dolphin's brain is bigger than a lot of the humans I know. (Just a guess...).

This is the second show we went to... I was pretty amazed at some of the tricks.

Overall, we had a pretty fun day (except we got lost on the way back!) Thanks for your prayers... everything is going exceptionally well here!!

Moving In!!

Hey Everyone - Chris and I are moving into our new apartment today and we're stoked!! No more small, smelly hotel room for us! Today has been the first gorgeous day here in Okinawa (it's rainy season right now...) and the view from our balcony is so pretty!

We have all the windows and doors open and the breeze feels like we're on the beach right now...

The other day, Chris and I went to the Botanical Gardens... we didn't actually go in for the tour, but we bought a couple of pots of flowers and a palm tree for our balcony. Please pray that I don't kill them... I don't have a very good track record for keeping plants alive!

We also bought a new car this last week... it's a VW Golf convertible. We got it for really cheap too! Although, we haven't had too many opportunities to put the top down since it's been raining every day (so the picture is clearly posed!). Anyways, our movers came today with all our government furniture and those guys are beasts! They don't look very big, but each of them were carrying up a separate piece of furniture (one had the couch, one had the dresser, etc!), although it took two of them to carry up our refrigerator... they were pretty amazing! Anyways, hope everyone is doing well!! Love you all!

We Made It To Japan!!

Hey everyone!! Sorry it's been a few weeks since I updated but we arrived safely in Japan on Friday...

It was kind of a crazy flight over here... Chris and I could not find the right ticket counter at the airport and we didn't even think we were going to make our flight... but we prayed about it (a lot!). And we not only made our flight, but we got into first-class all the way to Japan! (Imagine seats similar to recliners and touch-screen personal tvs... it was fabulous).

Anyways, we're quickly getting settled in... The last few days we've been checking out places to stay on the island and yesterday we signed a lease on an apartment in Okinawa City. The place is really beautiful. Everything around here is made out of concrete (cause of the serious typhoons). Our place has marble tile on the floors and a view to die for... we have several balconies that overlook all of Okinawa City and the ocean. Here are a couple picks... one is of the view and the other is of the living room. We move in on Saturday and we can't wait to get out of this hotel room and stop living out of suitcases!!!

I must say the culture shock hasn't been too bad, but Chris and I did decide to eat the "Japanese" breakfast this morning at our hotel. They brought us each out a tray with a dozen little dishes with a little bit of food in each one. The only thing we even recognized was a bowl of rice and an sunny-side-up egg. The rest of it seriously looked like strange animal parts (probably not meant to be eaten). Chris was pretty adventurous in trying the food, some of which was good and some we will hopefully never eat again... anyways, we both left breakfast still a little hungry! We also went to a pro-Japanese baseball game (see pic).

There's more to come soon!! Thank you all for your love and prayers! We miss everyone!