Hawaiian Vacation: Mele Kalikimaka!

  Douglas and I took a trip to Oahu, Hawaii before his deployment. We soaked in the sun and the shopping (squeeee!!!). We relished in eating American food and enjoyed the little things like being able to read the road signs.

  I can't think of a better word to describe the whole trip than GLORIOUS. Mai tais, sightseeing, my handsome husband, and killer sunsets? Yeah, glorious about sums it up. It was just what we needed before he left and it was so wonderful that I didn't want to go home!


 We're so thankful to sweet Melissa and Moriah for helping watch our baby girl at home. Due to her heart treatments, Annie needed to be on "kennel rest", so the normal fun times at doggie camp just weren't in the cards for her. 

 Hawaii has always been on my travel list and we'd love to go back.  Here's some pictures from our travels. I'll work hard to post more later!

Our view from the hotel. AMAZING.

So funny to see people driving the "wrong" way. We missed it!

We found an Outback Steakhouse and sort of had to go. This was so delicious and such a treat! Maybe in another year or so we'll have another. ha!

Fireworks from our hotel balcony. We drank mai tais, hung out, and enjoyed the show. So perfect!

Waking up to another beautiful Hawaiian day - and rainbows! I didn't want to leave!

Waikiki Beach

Did not miss this about America. No one in Oki sags. It's fantastic.

Santa played for us as we shopped. Geez...

Flags at Pearl Harbor

Oorah!

USS Missouri tour was great!

Our sweet ride for the week.

One of my favorite days! We drove up north and found a beautiful, completely empty beach!

This looks like Jurassic Park. It made me uneasy...

Pipeline

watching the surfers

Luau at Paradise Cove.

Beautiful

Sunset at Paradise Cove.

Luau time

This was AMAZING. I kept waiting for him to catch his grass skirt on fire - did not happen.

Part of the Diamond Head Hike. Holy stairs!

The view from the top of Diamond Head.

Beautiful view from the top of Diamond Head!

Our drive to Moana Falls - more rainbows!

After 30 minutes of trekking through the nastiest, muddiest trails - we finally got to this waterfall. Maybe we've been spoiled by how lush and beautiful Okinawa is, but we felt a little underwhelmed.

Happy New Year!!!

a thankful heart

If I had to vote for a favorite holiday, it would be Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is about wearing jeans to the table. (If your family made you dress up, I'm so, so sorry.) It's about thanking God for what you've been given and most likely take for granted. It's about seeing family you haven't seen in a while. It's hugs in the hallway when you first walk in the door. It's the smell and promise of an amazing meal. It's a parade and a nap in the afternoon. It's eating turkey for WEEKS on end.


If you know me, I'm all about these things. All. About. Them.

You don't show someone you're grateful for them with a gift. Show them you love and appreciate them by bringing over that side dish. I'm down with that. 


Thanksgiving doesn't come with high expectations. No one's worried about having just the right outfit, making the best impression, who they're going to kiss at midnight, or if they'll get flowers or jewelry. Thanksgiving doesn't require breaking the bank, weeks of planning, or an elaborate vacation.


I love Thanksgiving because it's genuine. It's low-key. It's about family and friends and God. It's about remembering how precious our time here is and how blessed we are to be able to enjoy it.

Sure, it might involve road trips and you need to plan what to make. That's minimal compared to what you get out of Thanksgiving. 


The heart of Thanksgiving happens during the meal and after. Everyone eats and enjoys themselves. Hearts and stomachs are full.



You can't beat that. You just can't.
  
This morning, my first thoughts were thankful ones.

I'm thankful to have woken up to my husband's voice. Phone calls while he's gone are the best ever. I am so, so thankful for him.


I'm thankful for Annie. I am especially thankful that she has recently learned the beauty of sleeping in.


I am thankful for my family and friends back home. I am lucky to have such spectacular people to miss.


I am thankful I have sweet Okinawa friends to share today with.

I'm thankful that even though things don't always work out the way I plan, I have a God that loves me and makes sure things always work out okay.

Lastly, I am sincerely thankful that I don't have to bring the turkey.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, y'all. God bless. 

Cape Hedo

Cape Hedo was the kind of trip that I won't forget in a long time. Our trek north came at a very opportune time for me.

  Growing up on the east coast (with a brief stint in Illinois), I've been lucky enough to enjoy all four seasons every year - with fall being my favorite season of all.  To say I've been a bit mopey over the severe lack of fall in Okinawa is like saying Lady Gaga is a bit eccentric. I had a laundry list of gripes. I was bummed about buying pumpkins at the Commissary instead of going to a pumpkin patch. I am really missing out on Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I hate that it is nowhere near sweater and boot weather at the end of October. In short, I have not been a joy to be around lately. 

  Going up north never fails to set me straight. Northern Okinawa is less populated. It's lush and wild and scenic. We set out for Cape Hedo in the afternoon. Cape Hedo is the northernmost point in Okinawa. It faces the South China Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.  We spent the day soaking in the sun and scenery and taking pictures. We even stopped at a nearby beach on the way home to search for sea glass.

   The trip up north was a simple one, but it was exactly what I needed to see to be able to appreciate that although I'm lacking some of the comforts and familiarities of home, I am lucky enough to have been given a chance to experience things most people don't. 

The drive up. Can't hate views like that.

Shrines on the side of the road.

Pretty sweet life in the passenger seat

Finally at Cape Hedo!

Cape Hedo in all its glory

Waves crashing against the Cape.

Beautiful water below

Beautiful

Perfect

I don't always understand why the Japanese do things a certain way. Therefore, seeing Super Chicken at the top of the Cape just made me laugh. After a little bit of research, I found out the monument is meant to honor the friendship between Kunigami Village (where Cape Hedo is) and Yoronjima (an island you can see from the shore).

We traveled up a narrow, winding road off to the side of the parking area. At the top, there was a HUGE kuina bird. They're considered an endangered animal here. There were so many roadside signs for them that I was a bit sad we didn't actually see one. At any rate, you could climb inside and get a view of Cape Hedo from the bird, but we passed on that.

We stopped at this little beach on the way home to hunt for sea glass.

Happiness :)

Perfect ending to a perfect trip.

 

Kobe: Days Three and Four

We spent our third day in Kobe touring around Chinatown, nearby temples, shopping districts, and mapping out our dinner plans for the evening. I'm not particularly proud to admit that I spent most of Chinatown stuffing my face and therefore only have one picture of it. Chinatown was a burst of color, music, smell, and amazing food. The fat kid in me was rejoicing!

The temples and their surrounding gardens are beautiful, peaceful, and quiet. We toured them dutifully, but not much was in English - so most of it was lost on us.

This is a Torii - a Japanese gate and they symbolize the passing from sacred to profane. You find them mostly at shrines and sacred places. You can also walk under one to go into the Kadena BX. I guess that is sort of sacred.

As mature and cultured as I was trying VERY hard to be, I still laughed out loud at this.

That's one big Buddha!

I will also grudgingly admit to the fact that I was THRILLED about the prospect of shopping later that day. I had done some research and learned that they had American brands in Kobe. I had every intention of boosting the Japanese economy. Alas, what I forgot is that I'm slightly taller, rounder, curvier, etc than the average Japanese woman. I did find a Gap AND a Banana Republic but since I'm neither 5'2 or size 0 - 2, nothing in the store would even come close to fitting. I didn't even bother trying to shove my size 10 feet into any of the darling flats. I left defeated. Later on, we passed by all the high end designers and stumbled upon my husband's favorite: Eddie Bauer. I tried warning him against getting too excited. What do you know, they had clothes big enough to fit Americans. We got a few things just for the sake of being able to say we shopped at Eddie Bauer over the weekend...and didn't pay for shipping. :) We ended up finding L.L. Bean and Land's End too! So cool!

Hoorah!

We wound down the evening with fancy drinks at our hotel and dinner out at a Swiss restaurant in town. (Again, you can find ANY kind of food in Kobe. Love it!) It was a great end to a great day!

Cool reflection!

The next morning, we decided to squeeze in a tour of the Arima Hot Springs before heading back to Okinawa. With all our luggage, we toured the area. I think seeing steam rise from the sewers was the creepiest experience I've ever had! We enjoyed some local snacks and headed to IKEA and the airport. (IKEA was so overcrowded that it ended up being a bust - no pictures of that, sorry!)

Lastly, at the airport, I finally snagged a picture of the infamous Pokemon plane that I arrived (almost a year ago!) in Japan in. I just had to share! Isn't it fantastic?

We loved spending time exploring Kobe. It was the perfect way to celebrate one amazing year of marriage. :)