Alexander Adventures

Mike's Promotion!

2010-07-16T16:46:00.004+09:00

Mike was awarded the honor of "Below the Zone". To translate, he was recognized for being amazing. =) He's done a great job at his work, winning awards like Maintenance Professional of the Quarter and taking on more and more responsibility in his year here in Japan. He has taken the position of Vice-President of the MOS society, which plans events like the squadron BBQ and fundraising for the Friendship Festival in September. He's earned a 4.0 during his first term taking classes online, and volunteers every week with our Junior High youth group as "Macho Mike" =)

One of the perks of "Below the Zone" is that he gets to "sew on" (move up in rank) 6 months early. My guy is no longer an Airman First Class, but a Senior Airman! He's the highest you can get in the Airman category. Next stop, Sgt!

Here's a short clip from his promotion ceremony. At the beginning, the crowd is yellow "MOS - BRIDGING THE GAP!" That's their motto!

what to write...

2010-04-11T15:48:00.003+09:00

Every blog I've ever written has started with me sitting down to the computer feeling like I should write, but clueless as to what I should be writing about.

Any other bloggers feel this way? It's kinda discouraging. Confusing.

Also, with every blog I've ever written, I've started out by typing something along those lines.
"I don't know what I should be writing about"
"I know I haven't written in a while, but I know that I should"
"Not long ago I thought of something to blog about, but since then I've forgotten. Darn."

Then I delete whatever I wrote because I know that it's not the correct way to start a blog. No one wants to hear "Today I'm going to talk about blah blah blah." I remember English teachers saying over and over again - you don't need to tell me what you're going to talk about. Just start talking!

But.... what if the process you use to start writing something worthwhile (the process outlined above) doesn't work like it usually does? Does that mean that you should just delete everything and sign off?? Or can you keep writing and writing and writing... about not being able to write about anything worthwhile.

Pretty deep right? haha! I'm going to blame the cold medicine I'm on for that one.

Yesterday or the day before, I started getting symptoms of a cold / allergy thing. I've been going back and forth as to whether it's a cold or not. You see, the cherry blossoms are past the blooming stage and the petals are now floating around in the breeze. While it's very pretty, it's not so good on my nasal passages. This morning I woke up thinking it was a cold because I'm achy, but I'm still not sure what it is. My go to allergy drug just isn't cutting it so far. It's just making me feel in a fog with my box of tissues.

WELL - I don't' know about you, but I think this is one worthless entry! Like I said before, I feel like I should write, but don't know what to write about... hopefully this will suffice that "gotta blog" feeling. At least for a little while.

Greetings from Japan! =)

ouchy!

2010-03-31T20:54:00.002+09:00

So I wrote about spring cleaning this week... Since I've decided to be a cleaning maniac (slight exaggeration) my nails have gone to crap! They are all weak and flimsy, cracked and peely. =( Next time I'm wearing some good rubber gloves.

Today, I somehow tore a good chunk of my thumb nail off. It was awful. It hurts to type now. I had to cut it so short that it seems like it should have bled, but it didn't. I think it's just because the skin has been protected by a good strong nail for so long it's not used to the elements (my keyboard).

Also, after a week of normal people skin, my yucky dry skin is back. Bleh! For most of the winter I've had tight, red, dry skin on my face and last week it went away. I'm super bummed that it's back. Maybe I'll have to once again seclude myself in the house and keep applying some heavy duty super greasy lotion to the dry spots all day long. I want normal skin again. Dry skin is no fun.

Lastly, today while I was carrying a basket overflowing with the comforter to our bed out the door (on the way to the laundromat for the industrial sized washer) the wire screen on our door took off about 5 layers of skin from my knuckles. OUCH!

On a brighter note, I found 3 pairs of dress pants for my job at school for only 5 bucks each! They will need to be hemmed, but that will just give me something to do while I'm taking time to doctor my dry skin this week. =)

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-30T13:32:00.004+09:00

Our apartment is pretty small, so I didn't figure spring cleaning was really that big of a deal. Actually, being a new wife, and having a place to call our own for an entire year straight for the first time EVER, I didn't even think of cleaning until a friend here in Japan commented that she got her cleaning done in record time because our houses are so small. =)

This week Mike is working 12 hour shifts because of the base "exercise" (pretend wartime). I decided instead of wasting time on the computer or tv, I'd clean. It's sorta worked out - I've still wasted time on facebook or watching movies in the middle of the day, but I've also got lots of cleaning done.

What I'm wondering is, how did my walls get so dirty? Tomorrow (maybe this afternoon...) I'm planning on cutting open one of our milk jugs and scrubbing down the walls. We do have a bucket, but it's excessively large. I bought it for Mike to wash his car, it was the only one I saw! ANYWAY, there are dirty smudges on our white walls, and not just on the normal places like light switches.. I found some down near the floor boards! I'd like to blame the dog, because I'm not sure how else they got there.

In short, I've decided maybe I should be spring cleaning more often. Not just laundry, kitchen counters, bathroom... Maybe a monthly scrub of our cupboards? Creating wonder with the magic eraser on the walls? Heck, washing the puppy nose smudges off the patio glass window should probably be done more than twice a year. =)

I'd like to say I'm not a slob, but I think my sister and husband would remind me of the truth.
How about a recovering mess-a-holic? Can I be that instead?

Darn Wagon

2010-03-29T10:00:00.002+09:00

Remember last January, when I wrote about getting on the "fit wagon" and losing weight, getting healthy?

HA! Like a week after I wrote that blog, I fell off the wagon. Actually, it was more of a hop of the wagon. I had decided I was done counting calories because it was a pain in the butt. I was tired of measuring and I was fairly confident that I could guess my way around losing weight. Well, because I wasn't counting calories, I didn't feel the need to track my exercise. Because I didn't feel the need to track it, it didn't happen. And here I am, a month and a half later - the same weight I was when I hopped off that wagon.

I would like to say "YEAH! Good job Jess. Same weight. Didn't gain" But honestly - I've probably gained some. I've probably lost some of the muscles I had built up by running, walking, rowing - whatever. I've continued eating crud (at least lately) and I can feel it in my energy levels! I'm back to feeling yucky, not sick but certainly not fit. Too much sugar, too much fat, not NEARLY enough veggies or fruit.

So, instead of getting back on the wagon - I'm going to walk beside the wagon. Before, I was all about counting calories - aiming for over a pound a week (not more than 2). This time, I'm going to conciously eat more veggies, but not deprave myself. I'm going to have dessert or ice cream, but in moderation. I might track the sugary stuff, but just so I can actually have it in moderation. Otherwise my mind tells me
"3 bowls of ice cream is moderation!"
"Of course you can have a cupcake, you'll just skip some ice cream"
"Huh? what cupcake? You didn't eat the frosting - this is the same calories as that yucky frosting..."
"Taco Bell isn't THAT bad for you... right? There's lettuce. That's healthy"

Silly me. I know the above statements are dumb. But I do what I want. So anyway - yes, I should track the desserts and fried food. More veggies. Veggies at every meal (besides breakfast. That's what enriched cereal is for, right?)

Here is goes. Maybe I'll hit the gym today. Or at least go for a long long walk. The dog will love me for it.

2010-03-29T09:27:00.002+09:00

Some of you know, Mike and I are traveling to Iowa in May for a 3 week visit! =) Laying in bed last night, unable to completely shut down and fall asleep right away (completely unusual for me...) I started to think about going back to the states.

I decided that part of me is really excited, and other parts are not so excited. I'm excited to get off the plane, speed walk through the Des Moines airport, come down a flight of stairs and see my family. I remember when I went back to the states in September you would have thought I had risen from the dead. There were tears, lots of hugs, a fountain of happiness. AND I had only been gone for something like 6 months. I'm excited for Mike to experience that gushing of happiness. It makes the long flights worth it. And I'm thrilled I get to sit in on the regular laughs and jokes made at the dinner table. You just can't duplicate that through a phone call or even skype! I'm excited to run a race with my mom, to tell everyone about Japan as memories come to me, I'm excited to spend mothers day with my family. I'm excited for a good steak and some lovely mexican food. Ooo and chinese. I love me some American Chinese food. They've got chinese food in Japan - but it's not the same as Iowa Chinese food. haha!

I'm not so excited about going home because I know that life in Iowa doesn't freeze when I leave the country. Life goes on, other commitments are made, and events happen. Going back home means recognizing that I've been disconnected from my family's lives - even though unintentionally.

Another reason I'm not completely ecstatic that we're going back to Iowa is that I know other people can't drop everything that's happening in their lives to spend time with us. It just can't/doesn't happen. That may be selfish - but I'm thinking WE"RE dropping everything to come be in Iowa... We've said to our Jr Highers, sorry 2/3 of your leaders will be taking a vacation and won't be around to have an event this month. Oh, and good luck on having worship without a guitar or piano player! And Mike's guitar lessons - I know you just started taking lessons a month ago, but go ahead and take a month off. =) And my English lessons - Yes, we're one month into the new school year with a dauntingly new English curriculum. Oh, by the way, I'm leaving the country to visit the states. You can make that work right?

Ok, ok... I AM being a little dramatic. It's just that I'm remembering a twinge of disappointment when I was in the states last September. I had a great time with people - when they were around. But there were plenty of times when seemingly everyone was busy and I would take naps in "my" car in a park. Or wander Wal-Mart for an hour or more. Or count the hours until mom came home for lunch and then for good. Boring.

I'm thinking that May will be a better time to visit anyway. In september, colleges were in session and my old friends were meeting new friends and getting adjusted to their classes. It wasn't a planned trip - I decided to quit my job as a lifeguard and visit home, so I went. I didn't make a schedule so people could have notice of when I was coming home. I didn't call people as a heads up before I left Japan. Looking back, that was my problem.

Now - don't get me wrong, I'm really excited to hug my mom, and watch biggest loser as a family, go play with Mike's nieces and nephews, play cards with the Alexanders... I am. I'm just praying that there's less downtime, and more funtimes.

Weird Dog

2010-03-24T16:16:00.005+09:00

Our dog Cheeky isn't like every other dog.

She doesn't bark or growl. Actually, I think Mike taught her to growl! Whenever he would play with her, he would growl and now she does only when she's REALLY into playing with you. But I've never EVER heard the dog bark. That's not to say she doesn't make noise - no, she'll cry when she sees a dog being walked through our patio window. She'll sigh if Mike and I are ignoring her while making dinner. She'll squeak when she yawns, sometimes. She yelps when she feels threatened by another dog... That's all normal.

Also, she'd rather sit on the top of couches than the floor or on the cushions - much like a cat likes high places, this dog likes high places. And she doesn't chew on anything or get into trash like a normal dog... No, she'd rather sit on the couch with you and chill, or follow you around the house as you clean. Only if you leave her alone in the house will she chew on anything, and even then it's more like drag shoes around by their laces. Not destroy property. Maybe we've trained her to be this way? If you only look back in the history, I talked about how awful this dog was. How she ate books and scissors and paper... I don't know. Whatever we did, or she's done, I like it. =)

One thing that I think I did to mess her up was her routine. Every night for a long time, I would take her out to potty before bed. Well, one night I asked Mike to do it - and she wouldn't go for him. I took her shortly after she got back with Mike and she would piddle shortly after being outside. This has happened several times now... Maybe she's nervous to piddle with Mike? Maybe when I go out with her she knows what's she's supposed to do? I don't know, but it was a mistake. That's my job now - take the dog out every night. Bummer.

One of her quirky little habits is looking at us through our full length mirror. Sometimes after a haircut, you can tell she doesn't like her new do because she can see herself in the mirror. Sounds odd, but it's true! She'll mope around the house for a day or two if she doesn't like it! The mirror is in the bedroom, and she's only allowed on the bed if she's invited. So, she'll stand facing the mirror and either look at herself or look at us reading on the bed. It's so odd! The real dog is focused on the mirror, but her reflection is focused 100% on you!

Weird dog.

Technology Overload

2010-03-24T16:09:00.002+09:00

I know what you're thinking... "Jess, you're never on the computer! Otherwise we'd get to read more blogs!"

haha, well - unfortunately, you're wrong. I'm on some sort of technology pretty much all day. If it's not using the computer for email, it's facebook, if not facebook, then it's reading blogs, if it's not blogs, then it's watching tv on hulu.com! HOURS go by without me knowing because I'm stuffing my face with useless information. Even when I'm away from home and the computer, I've got my iPod Touch that I can whip out and mess with.

This is a habit I'm not proud of. In fact, I waste a lot of time that I could be doing other things everyday because of this habit. If you're a prayerful person - you could pray that I would find the strength to let technology go more often and have the same need for Jesus that I have for technology now. What a better place I'd be in if that were the case!

Maybe I should take a step like my sister Danielle took, a technology fast. She's said goodbye to facebook and is somewhat limiting internet access for herself. She's made resolutions to be more crafty, to pray more, to have a closer walk with God. What am I saying?!? MAYBE I should?!? If I'm posting a public blog about my addiction to Technology, then I definitely should.

hm. More on that later. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength - even be disconnected from in the internet for awhile. hm.

Test Time!

2010-02-25T10:09:00.003+09:00

SO!

I think I've told you before, in Japan, students' grade number start over when they come to Jr High. Elementary school is 1-6, then when they get to 7th grade they move to a different school and start back at grade 1. When I refer to 1st graders, I actually mean 7th graders. 3rd graders at 9th graders. =)

Quick thought before I start how my classes went this month - WHY is February spelled the way it is? There's an unnecessary 'r' in there that I've never heard anyone pronounce, and yet there's no gramatical rule that explains why it's left out. It's terribly confusing to my students... They can't spell the month if they say it correctly, and they can't say it correctly if they spell it right. =)

1st and 2nd grade had to give speeches as a test for the month of February. This is a big deal because for the 1st graders it's their first speech. They did very well - usually Japanese students are very quiet and afraid of making mistakes. The teacher must have emphasized the importance of speaking loudly and clearly. I've told them countless times, if a student speaks loudly, even if their grammar isn't 100% correct, a foreigner can understand them most of the time. But, if they mumble, there's little chance for conversation. The 1st graders did a speech introducing their friend. The speech had to have 5 original sentences and went something like this "Hello everyone. I talk about my family. Her name is Yuki. She is my sister. She likes tennis. She is very cute. Thank you" Only one of the teachers taught the speech correctly, every other one just photo copied a layout that forgot the words "going to". =) It was too late to correct the problem, so I just let it go. I think it's more important to encourage the students to try than to point out their failures! Anyway, native english speakers know what they mean. The kids are only 7th graders!

The 2nd graders gave a speech on what their dreams were. It was really interesting to hear what everyone wanted to be. Many of the boys' speeches went something like this "Hello Everyone, I talk about my dream. I have no idea about my future, but I am interested in baseball. I hope that someday I will have a job in baseball. I will study baseball very hard. Thank you" Many of the girls wanted to be Nursery School Teachers, but there were quite a few designers as well. Also, there was a nail artist, a fashion model, a make up artist, and one boy who wanted to be a hair stylist. =) He had cool anime hair. It's amazing to me that boys here spend the same amount of time, if not more time, on their hair as the girls. They mold it to look just like the hair in Japanese anime - straight ironed to be very dramatic, or hair sprayed to stand up all over the place. =) I love it. Mike always says that he wants hair like that, but I'm thinking he'll never get his chance. Maybe I should get him a wig!

The 3rd graders did not have a speech. They had given several speeches throughout the school year, and were supposed to have a solid vocabulary by now. Their end of the year test was to have "free conversation" with me. I had to sit out in the cold hallway as the students came out, one by one, and had a 1-2 minute "conversation" with me. I have conversation in quotes because you can't have a real conversation in only 1 minute and a half... To add to the hilarity, almost all the students asked the same questions. By the end of only 2 class periods with the 3rd grade classes I had my answers memorized.

They would sit down and ask
"What sports do you like?"
I would reply "well, I cannot throw, I cannot catch, and I cannot run fast... so I like swimming. What sports do you like"
"I like baseball/basketball/soccer" (pick one)
"what position do you play?"
Confused look....
"Pitcher, catcher, 1st base 3rd base...."
"Oh, short-stop"
BEEP BEEP BEEP conversation finished.

OR
"what japanese food do you like?"
"I like pasta, so I like Oodon, Ramon, and Soba noodles. I also like Sushi"
"oh! I like sushi too"
"that's great - I like salmon, tuna, and shrimp. What do you like?"
"I like salmon."
"oh. =) What kind of food do you like best? Italian? Japanese? Indian?"
"I like Japanese food."
BEEP BEEP BEEP conversation finished.

The other top questions were "have you been to Tokyo Disneyland?" "What Disney character do you like" "What Disney attraction do you like" There were a handful of conversations that were REALLY interesting and I didn't want to end. I got to find out what Japanese places I should visit, and the various places the students have visited around the world. One girl was visiting Guam in March, while another was going to Hawaii. Several have visited the States, california or the east coast. It was amazing to me how much improvement there was in the students that had visited the states, or an English speaking country. Even just 2 weeks of being immersed in the language improves their pronunciation and conversation flow. I love it. =)

I know this is already a long long blog - but I have one more thing to share. One of the 3rd grade classes made me a poem book. They learned about 5 line poems (the kind we wrote in elementary school) and each student wrote out a poem about English class.

Here's one from a girl who LOVES the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana - her english is top notch for her age... She actually came on her own to talk to me about Jonas Brothers on my first day at school in October. How brave!

Hello!
Talking, Listening
America, JonasBrothers, Miley Cyrus
You made me happy
Thank you!

Here's another that I like...

English
Cute Smile
Very interesting time
Very happy laughing time
thank you

My kind of speller!

Teaching
Teaching in English
Tenk you
I interested in English
Tank you (LOVE IT!!! )

This last one is my favorite... It's by Emi Tsushima

Jessica
Jessica love
love love love
You like very much
Bye <3

So, on that note,

Bye <3

Exercise

2010-01-31T16:25:00.003+09:00

I've been exercising all month, and not only that - but counting calories too! It all started when I downloaded a calorie counter on my iPod... Counting calories is pretty easy when I have a database of nutritional facts at my finger tips. No carrying a notebook around, writing everything down... That's too hard, and time consuming. I can just click (or touch) a food and double check the nutritional facts then save it to a meal. Easy as pie.

One thing I've learned is, it's not terribly hard to eat good food. And by good food I mean healthy food. Another thing I've learned is eating terrible food is REALLY REALLY EASY. haha! For instance, at burger king if you get a grilled chicken sandwich (no mayo) and a small order of french fries - that's over 700 calories. That's about half the calories my body uses to run. CRAZY. The first or second week I was counting calories, we went to Cold Stone Creamery. It's an AMAZING ice cream shop, and a sweet taste of home. Well, I ordered a mudpie mojo - it's coffee ice cream, peanut butter, some chocolate and other yummy things. I would say I got about 2/3 a cup of ice cream, and online the nutritional facts said that little amount of ice cream had over 1000 calories. Wow! 1000 calories?!? Was that really worth it? Not to me...

Since I've been counting calories and trying to exercise, I've lost about 3 pounds. I'm not impressed. But, if weight loss was easy - everyone would be their correct size. I do feel stronger, and my clothes fit slightly more loose, but I still wish I was smaller. I don't think I'm fat really, I just want to be comfortable in my skin and right now I'm not. I don't feel comfortable in the clothes I used to wear, and my jeans are fitting differently. I would like to blame being in Japan, but I don't think that's why. I think I would have gained 15 pounds in my first year of marriage even if I was back in Iowa. In fact, knowing me and my habits - I'm positive I would have. haha. I might have gained more because I occasionally go on day long walks around Tokyo.

Mike has been losing weight too, only he's actually successful. I can't remember when he started losing, but it was back in december or even before that. In January he's lost about 6 pounds. His goal is to be 190 or smaller - he wants 6 pack abs... I don't need to be that toned. I don't care if I have so little fat that you can see the muscles in my stomach, I just want my belly button to not be a cave anymore. haha =) I haven't had any kids (obviously) so there's no excuse for having a belly like I do.

Wanna hear something a lady asked me at the gym? It's fueling my fire to get thinner.

"So how long has it been since your last child?"

Can you believe it!?!?! The time is now. I WILL NOT be mistaken for a new mother. Or an mother with several children. I'm 21. Come on...

ICE!

2010-01-05T08:07:00.002+09:00

I don't know whether to be excited or sad. This morning Mike went to work, hugged me goodbye, I said have a good day - then I went about my morning business. 3 minutes later, he was back in the house. My heart sank. What was wrong? Was his car not starting again? He answered my questions - "I have to let it defrost. Do we have an ice scraper?"

What?!? Ice? On the windows of your car? That's never happened in Japan. I thought it wouldn't happen. Of course it COULD, but surely it wouldn't. No, we didn't have an ice scraper. It had rained in the night and frosted in the chilly early morning. I don't expect the frost to become a frequent visitor like it is in the fall and winter in Iowa. No, because that would mean we need to invest in an ice scraper. =)

It was a great start to a cheerful Tuesday!

The Holidays

2009-12-30T19:27:00.003+09:00

This Christmas was a good Christmas in the gift category. I got an iPod Touch, a new bike (with a bell, AND a basket, AND a light, AND a lock. Pretty sweet), and a lot of other things that made my day. I could list them, but what's the point? The point of Christmas isn't to receive gifts, or even give gifts. It's about remembering the birth of Christ. I don't feel like I did that this year. Like, at all. We didn't go to the Christmas Eve service, we didn't do a lesson on the birth of Jesus at youth group, we didn't read Luke 2 before opening presents (just now remembered that tradition that my parents instilled in me...)

While I do enjoy the things I received, and I've been tinkering and creating glee with them, I still feel like that extra piece of the puzzle is missing. That relationship with my Savior part. It's something to work on - maybe New Years resolution? But I feel like that's silly, why should I need to make a resolution to change? Why can't I just change on my own? I guess I don't want to make that commitment just because this is the time of year to do so - it should be something that comes from the heart, not another tradition we carry on every New Year.

I don't think 2010 will be too much different than any other year, and yet I still hope it is a good one. Haha, as if this year wasn't good. That's not true! This year has been very special to me. I started the year as a new wife, searching for answers on our trip to Japan and wondering about my new future with Mike. We moved to Japan in March smoothly, and began to make our space feel like home. That goal is nearly accomplished, there are still a few things missing in our home but I couldn't tell you what exactly they are. =) We've settled into the community here on base and have made several awesome friendships on the way. It's hard to believe we've been here for 9 months now! It seems like both nothing and everything has happened in that time period. haha

Well, I've accomplished my goal of blogging more this month! Perhaps I can keep up the habit in 2010 as well. =) I've got one more thing on my list before the year ends (in only a few short days) A Christmas letter. Mike and I wrote one together, and it's been sitting on our computer desktop for about a week and a half now. =/ whoops!

New Years letter anyone? haha. Post your address if you would like one.

2009-12-23T08:06:00.002+09:00

It's the eve of Christmas Eve and there's so much to do. While the house was spotless on Sunday, now it's Wednesday and clutter is beginning to build. Tomorrow we're having company over for dinner and games (maybe the 2nd or 3rd time we've had people over to our place EVER) I feel like I should be doing something to get ready for that. Grocery shop maybe? We're out of sandwich meat. Like Our guests are really going to eat sandwich meat! But really, I should go shopping. We're having Chili and Red Potato Soup. Chili is easy, but I've never made this potato soup. I think I should make it in the morning while my mom back home is still awake and can walk me through her recipe!

Also, It's officially winter. The 21st is the first day of winter, and yet it's still not too cold. I thought it was the other day when I walked the dog, but I only needed sweatpants and a sweatshirt (no coat or gloves). Yesterday I bought some earmuffs hoping I would need them later in the season. I've learned that if I walk the dog during the day, preferably late morning, then it's not cold. It MIGHT be mid 40s. The other day I took her on a walk at 7:45pm and boy was that a mistake! It's COLD when the sun goes down. Well, by cold I mean in the 30s with a light breeze. Anyway, it was enough to make my nose wish it was covered. Cheeky wore her new coat to keep warm, but her ears were still cold. I need to research to see if they have doggie earmuffs. I love earmuffs.

Last night at youth group I felt old. It was odd, because I never feel old - I'm only 21! But those darn Junior High kids made me feel old. You see, every night before youth group starts we play a game. I figured because it was the 22nd, we'd play Christmas charades. Chaplain Dashner and myself made a list of Christmas characters they had to act out for their team to guess. Characters like Bob Cratchet, Tiny Tim, Scrooge, the abominable Snowman, Herbie the elf dentist, and Clarice (Rudolph's girlfriend). Even the three wise men were in there. If you'd believe it, the kids at youth group don't watch A Christmas Carol, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and other Christmas Classics. Each time a Junior Higher picked a name, they had to walk into the hallway so we could explain who Bob Cratchet was, who Herbie the elf dentist was, who the abominable Snowman was! Literally, every one of those listed above had to be explained. Even how to act out THE THREE WISE MEN! It blew me away.

Looking back, instead of using Clarice or Bob Cratchet I should have used Papa Elf, or Buddy the Elf, or Cindy Lou Who... Characters from Christmas movies released in the past 4 years. These kids are 11-14 years old, and they are military kids so they don't get TBS which devotes half the month of december to these Christmas specials. Unless they watch the channel with Bob the Builder they aren't going to see those antiqued Christmas shows that were created in 1964. I was born in 1988 - but these movies were my parent's favorite so we watched them every year. Oddly enough, it wasn't until this year that I realized each "movie" was only 30 mins long. The old Grinch who stole Christmas is 25 mins long. Charlie Brown Christmas is 30 mins long. I can't remember the length of Rudolph's "movie" but it can't be more than an hour. That's pushing it.

Mike says that many people our age (20-25) haven't seen those great old Christmas tv specials. Let me hear you - do you know who Clarice is? What animal the king of the island of misfit toys is? Who is the Winter Warlock? Mr. Heat Miser or Mr. Cold Miser?

sigh.

Bowling

2009-12-21T09:26:00.003+09:00

Last Saturday Mike and I volunteered to babysit for a couple that works with Mike. About half an hour before we were headed over to their place they canceled. The baby had a cough and it was getting worse. We already had our shoes on and had put Cheeky the dog away in the kitchen... so we decided to go somewhere. Mike's first suggestion was bowling and I wanted pizza. The bowling alley has pizza AND bowling. It was decided.

Well, I know I'm not a good bowler. I make Mike laugh when I get that heavy ball down the lane. Apparently, instead of taking 3 or 5 steps then gently sending the ball down the lane, I take 4 steps with a skip/hop then loft it so I don't hit my leg with the ball. I'm incapable of hitting pins without skip/hopping when I bowl, I know because I tried not to in order to better my score. Actually, when I didn't skip/hop I hit my leg with the ball and that hurt a lot. Mike says that it's OK to skip and hop as long as I do it the same way every time. haha! Form is everything!

Well, the first game I had 37 and Mike had over 100 points more than me. The second time I was determined to get a better score than 37, and I did! I got in the low 50s. Victory - but only kind of because there still were A LOT of gutter balls on the scoreboard. The third game I got in the low 60s I believe (I forget now, but I know I beat my second game score.) Three games were enough fun for me and I was done playing. For three games, MIke tried to help me improve my score, but to me it just wasn't happening. Maybe it was the smile on his face every time I got another gutter that stopped me? =) It got so bad that after a few frames of gutters I finally got 2 pins and excitedly yelled "PINS!" and ran back to hug MIke. haha! What a great bowler I am.

I saw that the bowling alley offers lessons, but the fee for lessons includes buying a bowling ball and a bag for over 100 dollars. Um, no thanks. I'll stick to my laughable low score. At least I make everyone else look AWESOME!

brr!

2009-12-16T08:10:00.002+09:00

Today I got up and walked the dog before 8:00. =) Usually I wait (or forget) until its warmer and I'm ready for the day. Today, I wanted to be productive and getting the dog out and emptying her tanks is a good way to start a day. Then I don't worry about having to clean a mess later.

I only wore a sweatshirt to walk her, not thinking it'd be that cool, but I could see my breath! For the first time all winter I could see my breath. This could be because I don't leave the house until close to 9:00 most mornings... but even then it was in the 40s at the coldest. I got back to check the temp on our patio and it's 38 degrees out. This is exciting for me - but please don't take this tid-bit as bragging because I heard it'd be -1 in Iowa this week. I don't wish it was -1, but to be in the 30s is great. A little frozen precipitation would be appreciated.

Another thing I noticed, nearly all the trees on my "walk the dog" route don't have leaves anymore. They are all bare, or mostly bare. Why, oh why, is the tree outside my window still green??? I swear it's not an evergreen tree. It has actual leaves, not needles. It is a very full, big tree, so when the leaves do go (probably sometime in January) it will be great fun to run around in the mess. =)

For the past couple weeks Japanese workers have been blowing, raking, vacuuming, and bagging leaves on base. Yes, I did say vacuuming - they have road vacuums they push along the sides of roads and parking lots to clean up leaves. It was an odd sight during my first encounter, although I must say it makes sense. One day when there were loads of leaves on the ground I wanted to crunch through them but couldn't because of something (no idea what). By the time I remembered I wanted to crunch the leaves were all gone. Those workers are quite efficient!

This is all the blogging I have time for on my first productive day in a long time. I'm breaking my streak of laziness and squabbling all my time away on the internet. 2 and a half hours till I go to work and I have got stuff to do! Among those reading my bible with a lovely breakfast. Mmmm. That's next on my list.

We're Winners!

2009-12-12T07:58:00.005+09:00

Last night was Mike's work Christmas party. At these parties they have all sorts of prizes to give out, and we are winners!

But first, let me tell you about my wardrobe conundrum. At the last work event I went to I wore a simple black dress. When I showed up to the party, people were dressed fairly formal and I felt out of place. I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice - anyway I only have 3 options when it comes to dresses. White strapless dress I wear to weddings, black lace dress I wore to the last work event, and my green silk prom dress. Now as silly as this might sound - the prom dress was actually a contender for this Christmas party! I've heard that people go all out for these events, but I didn't want to risk it. A week before the party I was on MSN reading articles and I saw an article titled "top ten holiday dresses" Of course I clicked the link and was reminded of how I still hadn't gotten a holiday dress! I found a dress I especially liked on Overstock.com and ordered it exactly one week before the party. While I knew ordering a dress online to ship overseas one week in advance probably wasn't advisable I thought it could get here. Anyway, Christmas presents sent by family back in the States only took a week - why would a dress be any different?

Let me tell you, it's different. Everyday this week, I checked the mail. Everyday, I received a package. Everyday - there was no dress. Only Christmas presents (darn! haha) At noon the day of the party, I went to the post office to pick up my dress, and still it hadn't come in! I asked the post office lady to check the system for me - the dress was very important. She said it wasn't in but that they had just gotten a shipment of packages and I should check later. So I went and got my nails painted (not manicure, just polish. That's how you save money haha) and after my appointment was over I checked again. Still no dress. =( I ran into one of the ladies that Mike works with and she said that the BX had gotten a shipment of holiday dresses in just a few days ago. I went over to the BX and after finding the women's section is for mostly for old Japanese ladies, I wandered over to the Juniors. JACKPOT! I found 2 dresses and 1 black skirt that I could wear to the party. I bought all three (not wanting to leave to any of behind) and happily went home. =) After covering my bedroom with nearly every clothing option I had, Mike and I decided I would wear the new grey and black dress. After a few modifications for modesty I was ready for the night! It was a bit of a stressful day with a very happy ending - BECAUSE we're winners.

Once we arrived at the party we had to put our names in three containers. Each was for the money tree, games, and the grand prizes. Throughout the night, people drew names out of each of the containers for the money tree and games. Both Mike and my name were called for a gift wrapping contest. Of course, it wasn't judged by the quality of job done - it was judged on how far you got in the wrapping process within the time limit on 1 minute. Mike and his partner's box was completely covered in 1 minute, so he won. I like to think that my teams box was a close second (the tape just WOULDN'T work for us...) Anyway, he (we) won the new iPod Shuffle. No word yet on whether we're keeping it. When I was visiting the States in September, I washed my iPod Nano in a load of jeans. It still plays, but only on a dock - and you have to change songs and genres using a remote. The buttons on the iPod are useless. SO - if we had a shuffle, then I wouldn't have to borrow Mike's iPod to go to the gym (HA! like that ever happens...)

After all the games were done and most of the gifts were gone, they started to draw names for the door prizes. One name after another, I thought we would win. But needless to say, it didn't happen. Finally, we were down to the last prize, the GRAND prize.... A name was called and it was not Alexander. =( However, the person who was called was a high ranking gentleman. He opened the present and it was a 19 inch television with built in DVD player. The crowed started to chant "lowest airman, lowest airmen, ALEXANDER!" So - the guy who was called came to our table and set the tv in Mikes lap. Mike said "what just happened?!" haha. So, now we have a new 19 inch tv. Same question comes to mind - do we return it to the BX and get the cash value? Or set it up somewhere in the house? In my mind it's really not necessary to have 2 tvs in our tiny apartment - we have a 32 inch tv in our living room. Granted, it's old, but there's nothing wrong with the picture and it works fine for our purposes! I suppose we could set it up in Mike's room, or even our bedroom, then move the xBox to that room... I think I like that idea, actually! Of course it's up to Mike and this is just me rambling so all you readers out there have an "in" into our silly life here in Japan.

Last, but certainly not least, each shop had to do an impromtu skit during the night (like Who's Line Is It Anyway). Mike's shop was chosen to act out an intervention involving Santa's cookie addiction. Needless to say, the skit got A LOT of laughs. =) It's really a double win because Mike helped pick out ideas for the skits and this was one of his better ideas. Yay Mike! So, once all the skits were finished the crowd voted by cheer on which shop did the best. Mike's shop, of course, won. WINNERS! For a prize, he got one day off! That's REALLY exciting news because from what I've learned most military members on the base get to have 1 week off for the holidays. They can't go anywhere overnight, but they can spend the time with their families or kids who are out of school. Mike's shop isn't granted this luxury. We don't know yet if there are restrictions on when he can take the day off, but I'm hoping he's able to use it for our first wedding anniversary, Monday December 28th. =) It would be so nice! But, like I said - we'll see.

So - we're totally winners. Actually, maybe Mike's the winner and I'm just a benefactor of the winning. HE won the comp day by putting on a terrific act, HE won the tv by being the lowest ranking airman, and HE won the iPod by wrapping the present the fastest. hm. I won - the pleasure of a finding a dress on sale for a Christmas party. HA!

Mike's a winner!

Christmas lights... =(

2009-12-11T18:34:00.003+09:00

So night 2 of Christmas light wonderful-ness and it's raining. BOO!

I want to plug the lights in, but both the extension cord and and the christmas light plugger are wet. I'm no genius - but I'm pretty sure putting the two together will end in an unpleasant shock to me and my hands.

Better luck tomorrow!

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!!!!

2009-12-10T19:33:00.008+09:00

Above is the new-ish additon to our living room. A friend and myself painted it and hung the pictures. Paint is REALLY expensive in Japan, so we only painted a square on the wall. It's enough of an accent for me!

As for the title - Yes. I've conquered the icicle lights! I'm pretty excited... I went back to the store tonight to see if they had anymore icicle lights and they were sold out of 90% of all outside Christmas lights because some Squadron bought them all for their holiday party. BOO! So, I bought 3 packs of 3M Command strips and went on my way.

After much ado (see last post) I decided that the 3M Command Strips would be best. Although the actual cement walls are texturized, the top of the wall is smooth. SO, deciding to ignore the directions to wipe surface with Rubbing Alcohol (even though is explicitly says to follow directions carefully), I simply wiped down the walls to get excess dirt off with a wet rag. I attached the little buggers to the wall and clipped the lights into the hooks! There was some confusion as there weren't enough lights to do the entire perimiter of the balcony (BOO!). Fortunately, one strip of lights was the exact length of the cement wall. I hung our wreath in on the railing (using a hefty handy Command Strip) to finish the setting. =) Here's a picture of the finished product!

LOVE IT! However, I most definately will buy more icicle lights next year first chance I get. It'd be nice to have some where I can see them - perhaps in the windows? Doesn't matter now - it can't happen until next year!
Now that I look at the picture, it doesn't look all that impressive. But I don't care. It's more than any of our neighbors have. I bet it'd look better without the patio light on...

Cheeky and her Christmas bow like the lights!

2009-12-08T12:36:00.004+09:00

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately... it makes me feel bad for not writing on my own. hm

My biggest problem with writing is find things to write about - Have I told you all that before?

I heard that in Iowa there's snow... There no snow here. Not even close - the tree outside our patio is still green. =( In fact, it's 50 degrees outside. No frost on the car windows in the morning. It's just not right! It's december!

Yesterday I tried to put up Christmas lights outside, but there's nothing to connect the lights to. Out patio railing is really just a 6 inch think, 4 foot high cement wall. Tape can't work, and I can't use hooks because it's cement. If anyone has ideas - PLEASE let me know. I wanna hang my icicle lights.

On the bright side, we've got loads of presents under our tree! Presents from family back in the states are coming in the mail, and I'm nearly finished shopping for Mike! It's so fun looking at all those boxes in the living room. =0

Also - the thing I've learned from reading my friends' blogs, they don't have to be long!

Talk to you soon (that's my goal!)

Disneyland with Junior High Students

2009-11-12T09:29:00.005+09:00

We went to Disneyland with the Jr High yesterday - it was CRAZY... Three weeks ago one of the kids came to youth group and said she was going to Disney on Nov 11th. She asked if we could go somewhere like that sometime, I think our chaplain heard and said "The youth is going on that trip too!" and the insanity started. This was announced 3 weeks before the trip. Parental consent forms weren't passed out until 2 weeks before, gathered half of them 1 weeks before, the other half one DAY before. Youth leaders didn't know when we were leaving, where we were meeting for the bus, who was going on the trip - if people on the waiting list were going to get on or not... All because we didn't have a big part in planning. It was a chapel sponsored event so the chaplains quickly took care of everything and we were left in a haze. As youth leaders we learned a lot and know how things could be handled differently on the next trip. We're discussing a ski/snow board/ sledding trip to Mt Fuji or something in February now. Call us crazy!

So back to Disney... It rained the whole day, and Mike and I were watching 8 pre-teens together. There were 16 junior high kids going and 4 youth leaders so we spilt into 4 groups of 4 (easy) but then MIke and I's groups just stayed together the whole time...
Disney was fun in the rain, but it would have been more fun had it been good weather. I only saw Gepetto (from Pinochio). And I didn't get a picture because the kids wanted to get to Space Mountain. =( Wendy and I created a photo scavenger hunt for the kids and I'm REALLY glad we did too. About 8 hours into the day we had walked around the rainy park and were looking for things to do. We were at the park for 12 hours!!!!

At the end of the day, the girls wanted to go shopping, so I took the girls and we went to the plaza, chose a store and split up. That was the second biggest mistake of the day. After some time went by, I finally found all 4 girls and we went to the clothing store across the street. I didn't know that the Clothing store was connected to the Accessory Store, which was connected to the Knick-Knack store, which was connected to the candy store... So, they all split up and went into different stores. BIG MISTAKE. I was doing good checking on each of them, knowing where they were in the clothing store, but then one by one they slipped away into no-where.
I found 3 of the 4 girls and sent them to the big Christmas tree where other people and leaders from our group were waiting - but I couldn't find Sara. For 15 mins myself, Mike, a few other jr high kids and one or two senior high kids looked for Sara (dressed in a brown leopard print minnie mouse hat, plaid coat, purple and black leopard skinny jeans, and black chucks). You'd think with that crazy of an outfit she'd be easy to pick out, but Japanese people dress like that all the time and there were leopard minnie mouse hats all over. She eventually walked over to the Christmas tree where a group of us were waiting and I suddenly had several emotions rushing through my head all at once (among them being relief, and rage). She apparently didn't realize she had to stay in the clothing store and had gone all through the plaza looking for some cute accessories. All I could think about was how patient and kind my youth leaders had been in the past... How hard that must have been!

It was definitely a day spent with Jr Highers. We passed the Winnie the Pooh souvenier shop and one of them said "Wanna go to the Poo Corner?!" WHY would disney name a shop Pooh's Corner? It's just asking for trouble. For the next hour, "did you see poo on a stick?" "Did you see poo in a cup?" "have you tried this poo candy" "YES, it's my favorite kind!"

Needless to say - I didn't eat very healthy. They had 5 flavors of popcorn in the park. Honey, Chocolate, Salted, CURRY, and Caramel. Disney Sea has strawberry popcorn, I was sad Disneyland wasn't good enough for 6 flavors. We tried them all except Chocolate. Some of the kids had been to Disney many times before and said that Chocolate popcorn was gross. =( I heard it was good! We had LOADS of popcorn, a few churros, pizza, and french fries.

oh - let me tell you about Japanese pizza. It's something else. They had the normal "Sausage and Mushroom" but that was it as far as recognizable pizza. They had chicken and veggie - but it was chicken with corn, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and other stuffs. You just don't expect to see corn on a pizza. They also had Red Snow Crab pizza - I had that and while I thought it was OK, it was still weird to have crab meat on pizza. Just not right! I had Green Dumplings with my pizza - thought I'd take a change and see if they were any good. Apparently green dumplings are a dessert. I got 3, one was filled with chocolate pudding, one vanilla pudding, one strawberry pudding. The green part that held it together was a dense jello type thing... Interesting, that's for sure!

Overall, it was a good trip. Everyone had white wrinkly nasty feet from walking around in the rain for 12 hours - I was VERY happy I wore my rubber boots. My feet and jeans were dry and I could enjoy splashing in puddles with no problem. =)

halloween!

2009-11-01T19:55:00.004+09:00

Mike and I had a good Halloween...

On Thursday he ran to the store to get food we needed for dinner and came back with a small pumpkin. We ate and cleaned, then he said he wanted to carve it. I said it should be a sad pumpkin, cause halloween is scary. =) Here are pictures of what ensued!

Teaching English

2009-10-07T10:58:00.002+09:00

I've got a new job teaching English to Japanese Jr High students.

When I signed up for this job I was excited - it pays well, it will fill my time, it will help me make Japanese friends... Now my point of view has somewhat changed.

I'm nervous about teaching because from what I can tell the Japanese English teachers aren't prepared for me.
They've changed my schedule a few times, and instead of saying "come in at 9:00 for a class at 9:30" they say "see you in the morning".
Instead of saying "This is what the lesson is about, here is your part in that lesson", They say "you will assist us by speaking English."

A few days ago, I said to myself -- this is OK. This is how I run my life anyway, I don't like to prepare details and am pretty good at flying at the seat of my pants. The closer I get to the day I start class the more nervous I am getting.

The one solid thing they did tell me to do was to prepare a 15 minute speech for the students. In the speech, I'm to introduce myself and tell them about me. Easy enough -- but they also said to make it interesting. Jr High student have a short attention span and it would be wise to bring pictures or music to keep them engaged.
YIKES! What English words do they know? And how do I know what is interesting to Japanese Jr High students... I don't even know what is interesting to American Jr High students. =)

Needless to say -- I'm afraid this "teaching english" thing isn't as easy as I once thought.

Trip Back to Iowa

2009-09-30T15:32:00.004+09:00

I've been in Iowa for the last month! It was fun to be home and see friends and family, although it was also sad to be without Mike for so long. Apparently I can't get away from homesickness! When I am in Japan I miss the US, when I am in the US I miss Japan!

While in Iowa I spent lots of time with my mom, which was go great. We got to talk a lot and just have fun together. When we talk on the phone it can be hard to get past just the details of what is going on in life. During my visit she instilled me with lessons she has learned as a wife and mother -- we are so alike it's crazy. Hopefully I will remember everything she shared with me and put that wisdom to good use!

The trip back has become a blur of events... I should have been blogging throughout the trip but you know me! I'm a pro at procrastinating. =) On the day before labor day I went to my cousin's wedding and boy was is BEAUTIFUL! They had it at the bride's country home in a pasture overlooking the kate shelly bridge in Boone Iowa. She was gorgous, the reception was a blast, everyone had a great time. Unfortunately, I missed the first hour of the reception because I missed Mike so much. Nothing triggers emotion more than a wedding, and because this is the first wedding I've attended since my wedding in December I desperately wished Mike was there to share it with me. I'm kicking myself for leaving to talk to Mike on the phone outside in a car... Although, I guess it was better that I was an emotional mess alone in a car than at a reception table! If I had more than 2 weeks to plan my wedding I would have had a wedding reception exactly this one. AH! Beautiful!

I supposed the next big event was going camping with my family and Mike's family. Camping with Mike's family is VERY different than camping with my family. I went with Mike's family to Lake Rathbun where Aunt Judy and Uncle Doug had rented cabins at a resort on the lake. It was very nice and comfortable -- very homey! We each had our own beds, there was a full kitchen and very nice couches and chairs for lounging. =) Camping with my family entails sleeping in the pop-up camper if you're lucky, sleeping in a tent if you're not. =) We don't cook our meals in a kitchen but rather over hot coals on the fire, it's a completely different experience. Both were fun, just different! =)

I had quite a time getting back to Japan from Iowa. When I came from Japan to the states, I took a Space-A flight. That means that there was room on a flight from my base to Seattle and I flew overseas for 20 bucks instead of $800 or more! It's a pretty cool benefit of being in the military. =) The only thing is, if the flight is full you don't get to ride and you have to figure out where you're going to stay, and a different way to get where you're going and as fast as possible because there are usually several people who also didn't make the flight who also want to buy a cheap flight home! Getting from Japan to Iowa went on without a hitch. I arrived in Seattle with plenty of time to stand in line for a while to buy a ticket to Iowa. I had planned ahead and figured out exactly what airline and which flights I would need to get to Iowa. I had done relatively the same thing to get back to Japan as well. I had planned on arriving in Seattle (which sends planes to my base weekly) Wednesday night for a flight that I thought was leaving Thursday morning. However, when I arrived the military had moved the flight up to Wednesday night and was due to take off in only one hour. =) Well, I didn't make that flight. So all my planning was out the window. I stayed up the whole night in Seattle looking up flights from Seattle to various places in Japan, all of which were over $850 a piece and over 20 hours of travel time. YUCK! Just as I was about to buy one of those flights, Mike called from Japan and said that he had learned that a Space-A flight was leaving Alaska the next morning and I could get back to Japan for less than 50 bucks instead of 870 bucks! Of course I took that route instead, and ran downstairs to buy a flight to Alaska. =)

Once in Alaska, I taxied to the military base and got a room at the base hotel. I found a shuttle/bus schedule and set my alarm to be outside in time to make it to the terminal one hour ahead of the flight. When I arrived, I went through the Space-A process and even had a boarding pass in hand and my bags checked. Just before they called us for Security a guy came in and said the plane was broken and they couldn't fly. =( The flight would be postponed until tomorrow at 1:30. Well, I went back to my hotel and rented some movies for the night. The next morning I called the terminal to see if the flight was still leaving at 1:30, and they said "no, that flight is cancelled. Another flight is leaving tomorrow at 6:30am" So, I got out my Alaska brochures and taxied out into downtown to see Alaska. It was very nice, I went to a museum and took pictures on a disposable camera... Although I must say - I would have had a pity party in my hotel for being stuck in Alaska for 3 days straight, each day setting in my heart that I would be home to see Mike. It was so draining to hear over and over again that the plane was broken and it wasn't flying out...

Anyway. The flight at 6:30am got moved up to 4:00am (luckily I called to check before going to bed the night before!!!) and it made it to Japan without a hitch. =) It's really good to be back at home!

(This blog has not been re-read or edited. Sorry for any miss-spellings or grammer problems!)

Home Again!

2009-08-27T08:18:00.002+09:00

I'm coming home again - to visit for all of September. A few weeks ago I was SOooooo excited, and I still am excited but not as much as before. It's on my to-do list to start packing for this trip and it makes me sad because Mike's not packing too. I'm going all by myself, the 9 hour flight to Seattle, buying a ticket from there... Seeing everyone and enjoying myself while he's stuck at a job he doesn't like, in Japan. Poor guy.

Japanese Culture

2009-08-22T12:18:00.000+09:00

While working at the pool I’ve made a friend named Kei (pronounced Kay). He’s in his late 20s, has his Bachelors in Business, spent a year in Australia on a fishing boat, and has a really cool electronic Japanese/English dictionary. While on break at work we have really interesting conversations about Japanese culture and American culture. Go figure, now I’m going to have a hard time remembering the cool things we’ve discussed…

In Japan, people can’t drive until they are 20 years old, which is also the legal drinking age. You’d think this would be a problem, but driving drunk is a HUGE deal in Japan – you’ll lose your license and have to pay thousands of dollars in fines. Needless to say, I don’t think people choose to drink and drive all that often… Also, there are police stations on literally every corner – they ride bikes, walk around and drive cars. But, if a police car with lights on seems to be following you, you don’t have to pull over unless they talk on the loudspeaker. How do I know? Not from experience – a friend of mine had a cop car behind them with its lights on and he pulled over, but the cop car just went right on by.
Riding bikes around Tokyo seems to be more common than driving cars. Most streets have bike lanes, and it is way easier to find a parking spot for a bike than it is for a car. I think I still prefer to drive; I rode a bike off base once and almost got hit by a car that wasn’t paying attention. My old boss at the pool has told me that she’s had two American employees get hit by cars and no one stopped to help them. She said it’s because Japanese people are afraid if they stop and help they will be involved in a law suit… =(
My friend Kei doesn’t really like Japan (even though he’s Japanese) because Japanese people are expected to be shy and quiet. He’s quite outgoing and friendly, and he doesn’t like it that typical Japanese people aren’t. I’ve heard that teaching English can be difficult because Japanese are so shy and timid they don’t talk a lot. That and they don’t want to miss-speak and say something incorrectly. I guess every job has challenges!

WORK

2009-08-18T20:59:00.000+09:00

Let’s see… There was a lot of drama surrounding my job at the pool in the last 2 months. I say ‘was’ because my last day will be August 22nd. Long story short, many of the lifeguards who worked at the pool have left because of college or upgrading to a better job and because of that I’ve been stuck working Sundays for most of the summer. I finally decided that the importance of finding and regularly attending a church was more important than working at the pool. Because I am leaving the pool, there will be no swimming lessons for September. Since there are not enough guards to supervise swimming lessons, there will be no pool parties either. The pool will also be cutting the hours it is open. It seems the pool manager is hoping these necessary actions will upset the community enough to get more funding to the pool so she can train and keep good lifeguards. There will only be Japanese lifeguards working for the next several months because their pay is incentive to stay. Drama drama drama.

On the bright side, because I’m no longer committed to a job there’s a good chance I’ll be able to come home this fall for my cousin’s wedding! I’m so excited to get back and see everyone. And once I get back to Japan, I’ll have enough time to be more active with the Youth Group, and play with the women’s group praise band, and teach English on the side! I should look into going back to school to get my Bachelors degree. Right now I have an Associates degree and although it was good enough to land me a job with Principal Financial Group, it’s not enough to land a job on a military base. =)

Mike’s work is not his favorite. I think it bothers him to be stuck in an office at a computer instead of out doing tangible things. I admit it is a HUGE plus to be able to see the fruits of your labor at the end of the day – i.e. installing cable in 12 houses, watering and feeding hundreds of mink, building 3 set pieces for the play, taking care of mentally and physically handicapped people for X hours. Because he’s not able to dig in and learn his job by himself, he gets frustrated when he’s given simple tasks like resetting passwords instead of the more advanced tasks his peers haven’t been able to teach him yet. Needless to say, he doesn’t love his job. And several people in his office don’t either – in fact they’ve tried to re-train to a different job and have been shot down time after time because the field that they are in is “critical to the mission.” If you could, pray that the situation would improve – either that Mike would learn to enjoy his job or a way out would become known.

2009-08-14T20:59:00.002+09:00

The biggest reason I haven’t written in nearly 2 months is because I didn’t feel like anything has gone on. We haven’t been on any major adventures, haven’t ventured out into Japan to explore… We’ve stayed at home and… been boring. I’ve decided to take the laptop to work with me and write while on my break. I’ve got 3 full pages of material to post for you all from writing on my ½ hour breaks from guarding the pool. And my work day is only half over! I’ll post the blogs over the next few days so as not to overwhelm you with the sheer volume of information. =)

Exercise, Exercise, Excercise
The base is currently under exercise – which means everyone is practicing what they would do should the base because threatened or attacked. It’s pretty much a normal week for me except there’s a lot of announcements on the loudspeakers – “Exercise, Exercise, Exercise. Mumble mumble mumble CODE RED” Then the sirens go off and a fake explosion… Practice makes perfect! Most people on base have to adjust their work schedules for this exercise. I guess if the base is being attacked, they don’t want you going home at 4:30. =) Mike gets up at 4:00AM, leaves at 4:30, and gets home around 5:00 or 5:30. Yesterday he had to be a door guard and stand with a gas mask on in the 85 degree heat with a lot of humidity. It was HOT HOT HOT. When he got home he said he didn’t want to cook, and he didn’t want me to cook – he didn’t want any more heat in the apartment than was necessary. So, we ordered pizza. =)

Happy Birthday Mike!!
Mike’s birthday was this week; I tried to make it a special day. Mike’s sister, Mel, sent a package to him with party supplies and other gifts. I read the customs sheet and saw there were party supplies so I opened it early and decorated the apartment the night before. I put balloons all over the patio door along with a misspelled happy birthay sign. =) I don’t know where the ‘d’ went, but I think it fit better on the door without it. He requested ‘meat cakes’ to take to work the day for his birthday, so the night before he mixed up a bunch of stuff with some ground turkey and shaped them into our cupcake pan. I baked them while he went to sleep – what a mess that was to clean! He said they turned out pretty good though.
Because Mike got an xBox360 for his birthday a month early, the only presents he had to open were from Mel’s package. I wrapped each one of them and hid them around the apartment. He had 11 presents to find – it was so fun watching him look. =) Thanks a million Mel – he really likes the Frisbees and the craft kits you sent. I think he’s going to Showa Park this weekend to try them out.
I baked him a red velvet cake, but don’t be too impressed, Betty Crocker helped me out a lot. The original plan was to make it from scratch using a recipe someone from our couples group gave me. She had made red velvet cupcakes for bible study one week and they were sooo good. Well, the recipe for the frosting used ¾ lb of butter. And the cake itself required ¼ cup of red food coloring! It also used buttermilk, which is only available at the commissary in frozen form – I had no time to thaw it out. Anyway, I made a two layer Betty Crocker cake and although it wasn’t beautiful like I hoped – it tasted fine. =)

Oh time, Where have you gone?

2009-06-25T07:31:00.007+09:00

Time is a funny thing, isn't it? In 3 short days Mike and I will be married for 6 months! That's crazy to me. In 2 days we will have been in Japan for 3 months. Only 33 months to go until we're scheduled to go back home! =)

Since the last post, I've gone out sightseeing again - Imagine that! Brittany has a friend visiting named Jess so Brittany, Jess and me went out into Tokyo to go to Kamakura. Kamakura is a suburb of Tokyo, just like Fussa where we live, only Kamakura is full of touristy things to do. There are several Buddist Shrines to visit, and this is where the Great Budda is located. Now, before I came to Japan, when I heard the word "Budda" I thought of a very happy fellow with a huge gut wearing sandals. But no, that must be the happy Budda cause the budda we saw was fit and trim and very deep in thought.
Facebook Photo Album - Kamakura

So that was Wednesday - June 17... On Sunday - June 21 Mike and I went on an ITT trip. The base has organized trips that go to Kamakura and Mt Fuji and other locations in Japan that are led by a guide who can tell you history and Japanese culture about that location. It's really pretty cool, Sunday was our first tour. We went to Mt Fuji and a group of waterfalls close to Fuji. I can't remember the Japanese word for the waterfalls, but the translation was "White Thread" because the water falls fall white like thread. (HA!) Anyway, From what I remember (I was half asleep when the guide started explaining the history and coolness of the waterfalls) There was no river that made these waterfalls - it is from an underground stream. I remember her saying it was very old water because it gets filtered through lots and lots of volcanic rock - which is what the entire waterfall was comprised of. Mt Fuji is still an active volcano, although it hasn't erupted for hundreds of years. I remember Mt Fuji "burped" in January - there was just lots of ash in the air, but no lava.

After visiting the waterfalls we continued the bus ride towards Mt Fuji and stopped at a rest stop. This rest stop had lots of milk, I didn't quite understand why a rest stop would have milk - but I bought some because I had dry cereal in the bus. When we got back the guide told me they have really good milk because the dairy farms are close by. Sure enough, It wasn't long before we saw black and white cows in barns. It was quite a sight really - I wish I would have taken a picture! Milk cows in a valley, Mt Fuji in the distance... CRAZY! Let me tell you, the Japanese milk I bought was NOTHING like Iowa milk. Maybe it wasn't pasteurized? I don't know - the carton was in Japanese. Go Figure! Here's a picture of a magnet we bought that paints the scene perfectly.

The next stop was at the Fuji View Hotel for lunch. We sat down in a very nice reception room along with Japanese citizens who were on other tours and ate a Japanese style lunch. As Mike, Brittany, Jess and I walked through the buffet line we got a little squeamish. We had a hard time deciding what was fishy and was wasn't - I'm positive the first half was because there were squid legs and other identifiable fish parts in every dish. Poor Mike can't stand fish and ate a lot of rice instead. They had curry - so he had curry and some fatty dark meat they had for us Americans. =) I tried a little bit of every dish, but needless to say I did not clear my plate. Japanese are very very good at presentation - they'll make a gross dish look very pretty and appetising. However, looks can be deceiving. For instance - We picked up a glass dish with green pudding looking stuff in it - topped with whipped cream. We all figured it was some kind of green tea dish - but we were wrong. It was Peas. Smooched Peas. What an unexpected surprise!

Anyway, It rained all day Sunday - so we couldn't get good pictures of Mt Fuji. The rain clouds and the fog caused by the rain and humidity prevented awesome picture taking on the snow capped mountain. The bus we were on climbed the mountain for us and we arrived at our final destination - the 5th station on Mt Fuji. Right now this is the highest you can go on Fuji because it's not safe to go any higher yet. The climbing season is only 2 months out of the year and starts June 30th. The website below says there are several 5th stations, I'm not sure which one we went to. We'll have to climb Mt Fuji sometime in our 3 month stay - I personally think we'll need to wait another year before taking the trip. I don't feel quite fit enough to climb the 3rd tallest mountain in the world. =)

One of many Climbing Mt Fuji Website
Facebook Pictures of our Trip

On the 4th of July, Mike, Brittany, Me, and hopefully her friend Dani will be going to an amusement park at the base of Fuji. It's supposed to have the biggest fastest roller coaster in the world - I guess we'll see.

Facebook Pics

2009-06-02T10:42:00.001+09:00

Just to clarify - this is jess writing. =)

I've posted a few pictures on facebook of our new dog and me in my Taiko drummer getup for those of you without a facebook account. =)

Enjoy!

May 2009

oh golly...

2009-05-30T14:59:00.002+09:00

OK, ok... I have a semi good excuse for not writing a blog. Last week, our computer charger got a short in it so we can't charge our laptop, which means no Internet access at our apartment. Granted, the library is less than a block from our place... but so much has happened I just haven't gotten around to it.

I was beginning to think our lives were getting boring, then all these things started happening!

As youth leaders with the Jr High group, "Lost and Found", we tagged along as chaperons for a weekend retreat to a camp called Okutama Bible Chato. It was Mike's first retreat ever, and my first Jr High retreat in a long long time. Let me just tell you, the experience was so so amazing. We had time set up for "Jesus and Me" in which all the kids would go off by themselves and read their bibles and answer little devotional questions that were geared towards the lesson. After 30 minutes of "Jesus and Me" we'd get together into groups of about 6 and just talk about what they'd read and what was going on at school and in their faith. It was so so so so so cool! I got to know the kids a lot better and several of them mentioned that Mike and I should take over the group when Barron, the current leader, leaves in August. It's something to pray about because at this point Mike and I don't feel strong enough to lead such a wild group of kids who have so many questions. Still, something is pulling me in that direction - if only God will provide a little more support for us.

After a month of being in Japan, without a job, lonely all day... I was desperate for a dog. I wanted someone who had to stay with me at home so I didn't have to go the Red Cross and distract the workers there. =) One day, Mike came home and asked if I wanted a dog, and I said "Duh! Of course I do!" Someone he works with, named Brianna, recently got divorced and her ex-husband is PCSing (moving) to Germany for his next duty station and was unable to take his share of pets. They were looking for homes for their two dogs, a boxer and a miniature schnauzer (scottie dog). The next day, the miniature schnauzer was at our house ready to move in. When they brought her, we made an agreement that they would pay for grooming and food, and that we would give her a place to stay for about a year. She's been with us ever since, and let me tell you it's really opened my eyes to the world of doggies. She's nothing like my dog back home, Sara. We could just kick Sara outside whenever she misbehaved, not Chickita!

Chickita (cheeky for short)

is very lovey and will jump up right into your lap to cuddle,
she'll go CRAZY when you come home, and
she dances for treats,
drags in bugs, dirt, leaves, pine needles, and mud in after her walks.
messes on the carpet if it's wet outside
cries all night if cooped up in the kitchen cause she's lonely. (I think they let her sleep with them...)
cries when we leave her at home
LOVES going for car rides, jumping on people, and licking the inside of your mouth. gross.

I think the experience has left me and Mike wanting an outside dog. I've never vacuumed so much in my life until we got this dog. She's completely adorable when she's playing... but after she's eaten or drank anything she either drips all over the kitchen or leaves crumbs on the furniture. What trouble she is!

About a week after we got Chickita, I got a call from the pool! I've been a lifeguard/office assistant for about a week and a half now. It's been good to get back into the water, and I'm really looking forward to getting back into the lifeguard chair at the outdoor pool. Nice golden tan, here I come! Yokota has two pools, an indoor one (that I'm currently at), and an outdoor one. The indoor pool is HUGE, it's 50 meters long - all the pools I've worked at back in the States have been 25 meters! On some weeknights they actually have kayaking classes in the pool, that's how large it is! A requirement of being a lifeguard at this pool is swimming 2000 meters every week - I'm also hoping to get that swimmers figure back. 2000 meters is a lot!

Also... I'm not sure when exactly I joined, but I'm in a group called Taiko Drumming. It's a Japanese style drumming that is a very old tradition. Today I saw a professional group play and it sounded a lot like war drumming, I hope we sound like that too! Taiko is a very visual drumming, when you're not playing you're supposed to have your arms above your head - which gets pretty tiring! Also, you have to hit the drum pretty hard, which also gets pretty tiring. My first 3 practices I was sore for days after, I just wanted my arms to fall off. I've gotten batter since then, but still get sore from time to time. The practices are 2 hours on Tuesdays, and 2 hours on Thursdays. We usually take a lot of breaks, which is why it's 2 hours long. I went to one practice where a very experienced Taiko drummer came to teach us better form and a new song. That was the hardest practice ever because we didn't take many breaks - for instance, we played a fast back beat for 30 minutes straight! I had blisters on my hands that have since turned into gross calluses. They protect my hands from long taiko sessions though, so I'm thankful!

I'm looking on Amazon right now for a new charger, it's looking promising - maybe we'll have another charger soon!!!

Home

2009-05-12T15:02:00.002+09:00

It's official, I miss home. My mom posted pictures of her Mother's day hike into my parent's back woods and I wasn't in them - this makes sense since I'm half a world away... But everyone was there and they were having a great time just walking around and climbing on fallen trees. Even my dog Sara was included (thanks for that by the way).

I guess it's just part of being away from my family. Mike and I have great times here in Japan exploring the urban environment almost every week. And how many people from Iowa get the chance to come to Tokyo Japan and live here? Not many... We've met so many good friends, I've learned so much about this culture already, and Mike and I are finally starting our lives together here. There is so much to be thankful for! I'm thankful for skype, and for our phone company Allied Telesis for giving us a US number (no international charges!!) and for facebook giving us the ability to share our thoughts and feelings about pictures posted, wall posts... Everything!

I met a girl named Jen, who grew up in Korea on a military base there. Korea is a little different than Japan, but I don't think it's a lot different. She mentioned last week that she's not an outdoor person and not long ago she wasn't used to walking on grass. This was a unique thought to me at first - not used to grass?? But think about it. Japan is a very densely populated area, (as Korea is I'm sure). There's a lot of concrete, not a lot of grass. Even when you go to the park, there are concrete or stone paths for you to walk on! Granted, there are great feilds in parks for picnics and games as well - but overall, this is a very much developed area. I love how I'm exposed to these different points of view, it's so enlightening! I've been taken out of my little Iowa bubble and thrown into a new place with new people and new things to learn! It was scarey getting here, and sometimes it's sad being away, but Mike is helping me to stay positive.

Looking at the bright side so much better than sulking about what I could be doing back home with people I love. I won't be here forever - only 3 years. East Asia is a big place, there's too much to do to sulk.

Speaking of the bright side - our stuff will be delivered to our apartment sometime on Thursday, May 14th! Finally, Mike will have his guitar, I'll have the rest of my clothes, and we'll have our microwave! We've been living without a microwave the past month and a half - let me tell you thawing meat has been an experiance. =) It takes DAYS to thaw a pound of ground beef in the fridge, and several hours of sitting out on the counter to thaw the meet. I'm glad to be done with that. =) With that said, our apartment will be a crowded distaster area for at least the next week, probably more.

Our belongings come on Thursday, and Mike and I leave for a retreat with the church Youth Group on Friday at 4:30. We'll be gone Friday through Sunday, and I'm sure after a weekend of fun in the sun I won't be keen on unpacking boxes and boxes of stuff we've lived without for a month and a half...

Well - it's 3:25 and Mike is coming home early today. I should probably get that laundry put away before he comes home. Oh the joys of being a stay at home wife... =)

FACEBOOK LINKS

2009-05-04T09:53:00.003+09:00

For those of you who don't have facebook, here are some links to all the pictures we've posted throughout our stay in Japan. =) Mike asked me to do this last week and I forgot, sorry!

Tokyo Adventure (Easter weekend)

Zojoji Temple and Tokyo Tower (Easter Weekend)

Showa Kinen Park (1) (4-4-09)

Showa Kinen Park (2) (4-4-09)

Trip to Japan (last week in March/First week in April)

chocolate chip cookies...

2009-05-04T09:41:00.002+09:00

Did you know that not every country makes chocolate chip cookies?

A few days ago, Mike, Brittany and myself went to a Japanese mall. After walking around for a while, I got the craving for some warm chocolate chip cookies. There was a grocery store in this mall (which I think is common in Japan) and so we went off looking for chocolate chips. We had all the other ingredients at home from previous cravings.

After isles and isles of dehydrated fish, fried and caramelized somethings, and other unknown foods... we came to the conclusion that the Japanese people do not bake. We found no recognizable flour, sugar, chocolate chips, or other baking necessities. Let me tell you, it's quite unfortunate. After much thought and concentration, I believe it is because the average Japanese kitchen's oven is the equivalent to a small toaster oven in the states. I've been told that the best gift to a Japanese person is a cake because they can't bake one themselves and it's quite a treat to receive one. Another good gift is a mellon because they are so outrageously priced in Japan. On base they are pretty reasonable - don't ask me a price though, Mike and I aren't mellon people. =)

On another note, We got a new vacuum this weekend!!!! It's a dyson and it's AMAZING. It cleaned my carpets pretty well. We've got brown carpet in the apartment, so because I couldn't see dirt on the ground I'd assume it was clean enough. The dyson has changed my mind quite drastically. It created a dust ball in the bagless dust chamber after only half a room! gross. I love my dyson. I may create a habit of this vaccuming thing. =) **my floors are quite clean now, they hadn't been vaccumed in at least a month, which is probably the reason for the dust bunny...**

Hopefully our next home purchase will be a grill. I'm ready to make hotdogs and hamburgers on our tiny patio. =)

Hopefully I'll never go this long without posting again. =)

Doh!

2009-04-20T13:22:00.005+09:00

Big thanks to creeper Brittany for letting me know I posted a wrong zip code in a blog below! Our correct address is

PSC 78 Box 2303
APO, AP 96326-0023

Our mailbox has been overflowing the past few days. In fact, one day we had nearly 20 envelopes stuffed into that little box! Granted, it was all from the same company we've started doing business with, but still! 20 pieces of mail! I was quite excited to open them all and get our shredder to use...

Also, we finally got our name above our door! I guess one of us doesn't pronounce our words very clearly and the name appeared like this.

Mike's Aunt Pam had an elementary student of hers say Alexander this was and it was adorable - it's humorous, but I don't know about adorable! I keep forgetting to call and get it corrected...

I'll try to get the rest of our pictures posted from Easter weekend's trip to Tokyo. We also went to Karaoke and took some pictures of posters in the subway that were interesting. =)

OH! We finally have a car! All the paperwork will be finished at 3:00pm today. Yay! And we got new leather furniture from a friend. A full couch, love seat and chair and a half, all tan leather and in good condition! Our place is slowing coming together, little by little and I must say it's quite exciting.

I'll post later! Thanks for reading. =)

Twas the night before Easter. . . . . .

2009-04-18T23:02:00.004+09:00

OK, so this is might be some "old news" to some, but we have yet to post it here. Last weekend Jessica, Britney (our friend), and I went to Tokyo Tower. We had a blast. We took the train into a part of the city, then went the rest of the way by subway. It can be pretty difficult to navigate the Tokyo subway system sometimes, but we made it there and back safe and sound. Oh yeah, and lots of walking. :)

This is the Tokyo Tower in all of its massiveness. I believe it is 350 meters tall or something along those lines. The first observation deck is 250 meters up. You take a sweet elevator ride up and once you get there, you can purchase another ticket to go up even higher. The regular ticket was 800 yen ( about 8$). The ticket to go up to the second deck was about 20$ and we decided to wait until another day to see that view. There were all kinds of shops and even a wax museum. There was a coffee shop at the first observation deck also. We ate at a place called PinkDot which is a fast-food waffle place. They make flavored waffles and put syrup and ice cream on them. Im pretty sure we have a picture but its not loaded in the computer yet.

Ah.... I really liked this. I think Dan would really really enjoy this also. Its a scale replica of where Tokyo Tower now stands. They began construction in 1957 and finished in 58, so this is what the area looked like in 1958. Very cool.

This was fun. Yes, they wear a lot of uniforms in Japan. This one is my favorite so far. Uniforms that is.

One of the Tokyo Skyline pictures we took. That IS a soccer field, true story. Unfortunately, Blogspot cuts off the soccer field so you can't even enjoy it. It would be in the bottom right corner.

This Creeper and his "brother" are the tower mascots..... I have no idea what they are suppose to be. The hello-kitty charter bus in the background was FANTASTIC! Whats up with the band-aid???

A night shot from the bottom.... I liked this angle the best. The tower lights change color at certain times and possibly for certain holidays. Sorry we didnt get a picture of it in a different color. Next time. Arigato!

Whew! What a weekend!

2009-04-12T21:11:00.002+09:00

To my left is a picture of our mailbox. Box 2303, to be exact. It has been empty since we got here 2 weeks ago, which is rather disappointing. =) My wise mother told me to let everyone know that it doesn't cost any more to send a letter to Yokota Air Base than it does to send one to Des Moines. That's right folks - just a regular old 42 cent stamp will take that note halfway across the world! This is because we live on a military base, and not in actual Tokyo. Ah, the perks of the military...

This picture is one of a few pictures I took last week of the cherry trees I walk past on my way to the post office everyday. This week they are wilting and not as pretty as before. Unfortunately I didn't get over the the east side of base where there is a street lined on both sides with cherry trees - the blossoms create a tunnel for cars to drive through and I hear it's fabulous. I'll get a picture eventually... =)

Mike and I did end up going out into Tokyo on Saturday and our new friend Brittany Reynolds was our guide. We visited Tokyo Tower which is a lot like Paris's Effil Tower, only 10 meters bigger and according to the Japanese.... much better. I need to go through our pictures and filter out the duplicates. I'm pretty sure Mike and I took pictures of similiar things throughout the trip. I know I at least didn't delete any of the dark, unfocused, and competely random pictures. Too time consuming, too much to see, too many people to run into while not looking where I was going. I'll admit it, I did that a few times during the trip. It started within the first 10 mins we were off base, failure to look both ways before crossing a street. I nearly gave Mike and heartattack once a car wizzed by me honking it horn in anger. Whoops.... By the grace of God I'm still here and am writing to remind you - ALWAYS look both ways.

Anyway... It's getting late and I've got loads of pictures, and videos to go through from our last rendevu in Tokyo. =)

Separation!

2009-04-10T16:35:00.001+09:00

I've successfully separated my blogging from Mike's blogging. =) Now it'll be easier to tell who's writing, me or Mike. Maybe you can peer pressure him into writing some too!

haha

Apartment Pics Plus!

2009-04-10T15:17:00.001+09:00

I suppose it has been a while since I've posted... But not much has gone on really!

Mike and I bought a car, sorta. We looked at a mini car on Tuesday and put $200 down on it cause the guy we're buying it from needs it for another 2 weeks. He's moving to Colorado to work at the library there and that's when we'll get the car. He's got 2 kids and only 1 car so I feel for him. =)

Also, I got a free bike from the airmen's attic! Except, it's riddled with rust and weighs a TON. I rode it back from the airmen's attic and either I'm terribly out of shape or that bike needs a tune up. Maybe both. =s

Here's a few snapshots of our new apartment.

I want to paint a room blue - either antique blue or like a blue/green. Mike says I'll drip on the carpet and it'll cost us money when we move out. I say, the paint is free and I want to personalize our space. =) The discussion continues...

I'm not sure why I always include a picture of the bathroom... It's just a bathroom, nothing special about it.

Here's my paint creation of the layout of the apartment, I figure it'll give you a better idea of where we're living?

Last weekend Mike and I went to Showa Kinen Park located in one of the tokyo suburbs. It was really pretty! Some of you have maybe seen pictures on facebook, if not here's the 2 public links to the photo albums. =) As you can see, I'm totally original when naming albums.
Outing #1
Outing #1 part 2

Tonight Mike and I are thinking of venturing off base someplace. Tomorrow we might take the train and explore Tokyo. I'd rather take a friend with us but I think he's feeling adventurous. I trust him with a lot of things, but reading Japanese isn't one of them. =) Wish us luck!

Confession

2009-04-03T08:05:00.000+09:00

While looking back at my other posts, I've noticed a theme.

Very bad english.
Very bad grammer.
Very bad sentence structure....

I apologize for my terrible writing. I'm capable of so much more! I'm going to start re-reading my posts before I publish them... The problem is I just start writing and writing and the blog becomes rather lengthy. BUT, if you all read the whole thing I suppose it wouldn't kill me to re-read it as well. =)

I've got a confession. When I posted the last blog with pictures and video, we were living in our new apartment. But I didn't mention anything about it because I didn't want to post pictures. Slowly, things are coming together and once I'm satisfied with the final result - I'll post pictures. The building is like a quadplex, we're in the upper right corner. I keep telling myself the stairs will be good for me... Right now we've got a pretty bare living room, a messy bedroom, and a thrown together spare. =) We've got LOADS of storage and a big kitchen. Mike made bread last night and although it didn't rise too much, it's pretty good bread. =)

We also got an answering machine last night! We had a blast recording our message but ended up just going with a pretty generic message. And Lori - when you called earlier, the phone ringer wasn't on. I didn't realize you could do that, but when you posted that you called I did some investigating and corrected the situation...

Anyway, I should get back to unpacking. What a blast...

Pics and Video!

2009-03-31T17:41:00.001+09:00

Alrighty then... I promised pictures and videos and so here ya are! Sorry if it takes FOREVER to load...

=)
Here's some sticker vending machines in the BX (wal-mart equivelant)

Here's some pictures of our hotel. I say hotel, but like I mentioned in the blog below (keep scrolling, it's down there...) it's called the Kanto Lodge. That's probably because it's more of a lodge than a hotel. We've got our own kitchen and dining room which is pretty handy for saving money.

Finally - above is a video of me showing you all the Japanese Vending Machine outside our room. Pretty interneting....

Yesterday's Events

2009-03-31T15:36:00.000+09:00

Goodness... so a few people read this blog.
AND a few people are already nagging me about posting again!

You may recall, I said we'd write WEEKLY updates. I promised weekly updates because I knew I wouldn't set aside time to write every day. so there! =)

Mike and I were super busy yesterday... His boss Master Pac came to the Kanto Lodge (hotel) and picked us up to run errands. First stop was to housing to pick up the key to our new apartment. We went and looked around inside, and it's going to be pretty bare for a few months while we buy the furniture to fill it up. It's a garden lot, so it's pet approved. I would really enjoy a puppy, but we will probably get a dog from the animal shelter. People leave their pets there when they PCS (permanent change of station) and the pets just sit there until someone adopts them. If we adopt a dog, then it's much cheaper than buying one at a Pet Store. Animals are very expensive here in Japan because... well, I don't know exactly. I just know that we went to a Pet Store off base and a bull dog was $5,000 and another common breed in the USA was like $3,000. CRAZY!!!

Anyway... Next we went to several places to get our phone, mailing address, and Internet set up. The phone number we have is actually a St Louis number so all you people back home can call us without getting slammed with International charges! Please do remember the 14 hour time difference when calling though... Here's a basic rule of thumb. Say it's 7:00pm in Iowa. In order to get the Tokyo time, you add 2 hours and switch from night to morning. So 7:00 pm in Iowa is 9:00 am in Tokyo! Our phone number is 314-735-1002

Our address is just a PO box on base. UPS and FedEx cannot deliver to our box, so if you want to send a care package (which would be lovely...) make sure to send it through the Postal Service. We're told it takes about 7 to 10 days to get from the states to Japan if the package or letter is sent first class. If it's not, it could take 45 to 90 days. yeah, nearly 3 months! If you'd like to save on postage, don't worry about sending first class. But do know that it's going to take a long while. =)

Mike and Jess Alexander
PSC 78 Box 2303
APO AP 96323-0023

So there's that...

After running important errands, we went to the Airmen's Attic.This store is AMAZING! Everything is the store is free - 100% No membership fee, nothing. It's kinda like a Goodwill, but for Airmen (low ranking Air Force employees) Yesterday, we got a printer, paper shredder, a tea pot, a really nice crock pot, a red leather jacket, a whiteboard, a dinner table with 4 chairs.... and that's all I can remember. Lots of stuff! I'm going back later this week to pick out dinnerware and pots and pans to use until our "Household goods" get here. The stuff they packed up into a giant crate will be here on or before May 18th. Hope and Pray for before May 18th because I would love to have a larger shoe selection, and to have our own new dishes would be nice as well. =)

After the Airmen's Attic, Mike's co-worker's wife Tammi took us off base to Joyful Honda. It's a wonderful Japanese giant store. It's comparable to a mall, but not quite. I can't really explain what was there because it was a lot to take in. There were lots of Japanese natives (that happens when you go off base) and lots of products covered in Japanese. We're finding that this culture loves anime. Who knew?! =p Anyway, they had pans that had animals painted on them. A Saute pan that had a panda face on it, a soup pot with a smiling cow, a lint roller that had a smiling hamster as the handle... There was a wide array of smiling animals used as kitchen untencils. Later Mike and I will venture off base with a camera and show you all this through photos. Promise - it's too amazing to pass up!

Wow, this is long. I'm not on my laptop, otherwise I'd post some pictures of our hotel room and surroundings... Maybe later today or tomorrow.

Much love!

Day1 (part 2) / The day without Darkness

2009-03-27T18:17:00.000+09:00

so, I was planning on writing a blog Wednesday but we didn't arrive in Seattle until 9:30 and then we had to hunt down a hotel and blah blah blah... Long story short we went to bed at like, 1:00 West Coast time (3:00 Central time).

First of all, Mike and I had a wonderful time with my family driving around Des Moines killing time before our 1:30 flight. It was bittersweet, all 7 of us packed into the van with all our luggage. Needless to say it was pretty tight. =) Mike got his cell phone canceled through sprint and we stopped at Scheels to waste time. Then we went out for pizza, for what seemed like the last time we'd get good pizza. Lovely!

After many tears and hugs, Mike and I went through security and boarded the plane for Dallas. I cried the whole way to the gate, not caring who was looking at me sob. There's only been a few times I remember not caring who saw me upset like that, this was one of them. Anyway, the actual flight to Dallas was good until we hit Oklahoma City. There was a storm in Dallas that shut down the airport so we were almost diverted to another airport to refuel before arriving in Dallas. We were scheduled to land at 3:30, but didn't make it on the ground until 4:45. Talk about frustrating! Mike rushed off the plane and checked our connecting flight to Seattle and saw it was on time. It was leaving at 5:10, but once we reached the gate (just in time to board) an announcement came on that said the plane we were scheduled to ride on to Seattle wasn't in Dallas yet and it'd be 45 mins delay. Mike and I went to find a bite to eat - I personally didn't choose the best airport food. Burnt soft pretzels and greasy hard KFC biscuits didn't exactly hit the spot. =) After we finished eating we sat and waited by our gate, and waited and waited and waited.

We FINALLY got to board at 7:00. The four hour flight seemed to go one forever, I think it was because it was cold and we were in the back of the plane so it was loud too. I still had a headache the next morning from that constant noise. On the bright side, they gave us 2 cans of pop for the four hour flight. Pretty generous - right? =p

Once we arrived in Seattle, we had to handle all our bags ourselves. I didn't realize what a challenge this was! When we boarded in Des Moines, we had 5 people to hold jackets and my purse and carry/pull luggage... We both had two 50 pound bags, I had 2 carry ons and Mike had a backpack. LOTS of luggage. Luckily, we managed to work it out.

We picked a hotel seemingly at random and when the bus came to pick us up there was a family already riding. They too were headed for Japan with the Air Force. He (I forgot names...) is a Air Traffic Control Tower Operator and she had just retired from active duty. It was SUCH a blessing to be on the same bus, staying in the same hotel as these people. They have made a career of the Air Force and knew we didn't really have to report at the Air Port at 5:00 am. They scheduled a ride back at 8:00 and we did too. We arrived at the Air port the next morning with nearly no lines, and, well-rested, breezed by the herds of military personnel that were sleeping on the airport floors, benches and chairs. =) Thank the LORD!

The flight from Seattle to Tokyo was fun - we were served hot meals that rivaled the cafeteria food I ate in college and had a selection of dozens of movies to choose from. I'm calling the plane ride the day without darkness. We left Seattle at 10:30 Thursday morning which was a little later than scheduled. They had to reroute our flight because of a volcano eruption in Alaska. =) There was ash in the sky and they wanted to avoid any complications - good call pilot! SO - we flew for 9 hours and 50 mins and arrived at Yokota AFB (Tokyo Japan) at 2:00 Friday afternoon. We traveled a day, but the sun was shining the whole time. Pretty trippy... I'm calling it the day without darkness. We left after the sun rose in Washington state, and as the world rotated we always stayed in the light! I'm having trouble explaining this because my internal clock says it's 4:45 am and not 6:45 like it is here in Japan.

Mike's sponsor took us around base and arranged housing for us today. He also took us grocery shopping, but one of the main reasons I know that is because we now have food in our fridge. I'll have to explain our housing more later - everything is becoming a blur in my Time Intoxication. That's what Mike's sponsor kept calling it, I like that description.

I'll post more pictures tomorrow - until then, Good Morning Iowans!

todays the day.... (part 1)

2009-03-25T22:22:00.000+09:00

Mike and I will be boarding a plane together at 1:00 today, arrive in Dallas at 3:30... leave Dallas at 7:00 and arrive in Seattle tonight.

I'll post again then, we've got stuff to do this morning!

3.5 days

2009-03-22T12:37:00.000+09:00

I don't know about Mike - but I'm getting used to the thought of Japan... Very very slowly, but it's happening. =) Thank you sooooo much Jeska for that comment!

Following the advice of several people, I've decided to keep in mind the positive things about this move instead of the negative ones. If I think about the negative ones I get all sad faced and pouty. Mike is being amazing at keeping my chin up - he's doing everything he can to make me smile for a few more days.

Positive things about moving

There will be people my age who will have left their friends and family in the states as well. What an easy way to start conversations - "I'm new, how did you deal with leaving the states?"
Finally, my life will actually start. I'm no longer a student, I'm not at a job I'll be at for less than a year, I get to live with my husband (I'm remembering why I got married in the first place...)
Even though it will sometimes be scary, what an experiance! Literally, everyone I talk to say "That's so cool... What an adventure! How exciting!"
It's not forever. 3 years is not forever. And the internet makes staying in touch so easy! With that said - you readers out there MUST contact me with what's going on in your life too. What fun is it for me to post everything that's going on if I don't know what's up in Iowa?!? Email Mike and I at mike.n.jess1228@gmail.com. please. it's easy.
I get to settle and attempt to make my place my own. I'll have the opportunity to find trinkets and such to put on my walls and on my bookshelf. Things that few people back in the states will have (once our time with the Air Force is done)
I get to be a wife - something that I've dreamed of since I was a little girl. It's hard to be a long distance wife. You can't do wifey things as easily from 800 miles away. =)

I've got one more thing to do before I submit my application for a programming job in Japan. Typing test here I come!

7 days

2009-03-18T23:41:00.000+09:00

My passport came Monday afternoon, and I got upset. Suddenly, the reality of me actually leaving Iowa set in and it scared me so much. I love being home with my family, and I love visiting Mike's family - everyone is so much fun! My family all gave me hugs and told me everything would be fine - and I believed them. =)

Tuesday, Mike called Offut Air Force Base in Omaha to arrange plane tickets for me. The guy he talked to got me on the same flight to Tokyo as Mike, leaving on the 25th. It's so weird to me that I'll be gone, out of the country in 7 short days... I've got so many people to call, to talk to, to hug... It's going to be a hard week. On the bright side, I'm leaving with Mike! He'll fly down to Dallas early morning on the 25th, and I"ll fly to Dallas at 1:00 in the afternoon. We'll then fly to Seattle together, spend the night and get up before the sun to board a plane for Tokyo.

On Thursday, the movers come to pack up all our stuff. Mike and I can both take 2 bags 50lbs each. I don't know what to pack... we might not have our stuff for a long while! I'm pretty sure something won't get packed or something that shouldn't have been packed will get packed. I'm living at my parent's house so my stuff and my parent's stuff is jumbled together in some places.

I'm not 100% sure what will happen once we get to Tokyo... I assume someone from the Yokota AFB will be there to pick us up and take us to our new "home". We'll be staying in Temporary Housing until housing is assigned to us. Once housing is assigned, we're given loaner furniture that we can use for 90 days. I'm assuming we can use the furniture for 90 days because it could take that long for our stuff to get delivered to base. =s That's why it's so hard to pack! It could be hot and sticky, so sweaters aren't needed... but then it's spring so it could be chilly still. I might need nice work clothes if I get a job or go in for an interview... is 100 lbs of stuff a lot? I'm so frazzled.

So much to do - so little time... Less than 200 hours until I leave the country. =(

Hooray!

2009-03-12T11:35:00.000+09:00

YAY! Mike flew into Des Moines just fine on Monday night and we went out to dinner before heading home. It was so nice to share a conversation with him without having a phone stuck to my face. =) I'm really glad we decided to hold off on dinner until 8:00 when he arrived, once we got back to Newton my family was very excited to see him as well. They looked at pictures on his camera and talked with him about tech school and the like for a while. Luckily it was close to 10:00 before we got home so they couldn't keep it up for long. All and all it was a wonderful night. =)

Mike got a head cold shortly after arriving in Iowa. I'm guessing it has something to do with him changing from warm, windy, dry Texas to cold, rainy, yucky Iowa. =) He's slowly getting better.

My dad, little brother, and Mike played cut throat racketball today at the YMCA. I'm blaming Mike's congestion and cough for the outcome. Poor guy!

My offical "termination date" with Principal is March 20th. Needless to say, it's getting harder and harder to get up in the mornings to drive into work. I usually enjoy my job, but somehow staying home with my mom, brother and Mike seems a millions times more fun than fighting with a database system for 8 hours.

So that's the latest update - still no word on my passport... I should really be starting my application as a civilian programmer at the Yokota Air Base, no fun. =(

Finally Outprocessing

2009-03-08T07:29:00.001+09:00

So Friday afternoon Mike got his port call - He's finishing up outprocessing from his base in Texas on Monday and will be back in Iowa that night at 7:00pm.

I'm really excited to have him home but at the same time nervous because he'll be leaving soon. =( He'll fly out of Des Moines March 24th to go to Seattle Washington. Then he'll leave early morning on a long long flight to Japan. Part of me wants my passport to come in ASAP so I can go with him to Seattle then to Tokyo - but other parts want to stay home and be with my family and friends for as long as possible.

I go back and forth every hour it seems like. When I talk to people I get excited about traveling and seeing new places because they are excited for me - but when I'm by myself I think more about the strain on our relationships this move will be. We're both terrible at keeping in touch with people - family, friends, best friends... Doesn't matter. I'll forget to call or drop a line pretty easily. =s I promise I don't do it on purpose, I have a blast when I'm with people. I guess it's just that when I'm alone it's really easy to drop into this bottomless pit of loneliness. Oddly enough it's easy to forget the remedy!

SO.... The reason for this post is just to let the whole world know, Mike will be home Monday - yes, this Monday - and will be leaving the country the 25th. Still no word on my passport... bleh.

ok...

2009-03-06T13:48:00.001+09:00

So we thought Mike would be leaving on the 22nd, but apparently even that isn't for sure. Mike is waiting for his port call - the earliest he could leave is the 22nd of March but he might not be able to leave until April. Again, "we don't know". We're thinking he'll find out his port call within a few days, then we'll know. =)

Also, we thought he'd be home this weekend - but he won't be. =) We think he'll be back in Iowa within a week or so, but that might change if his port call is in April.

All the excitement from earlier this week has almost gone down the drain. We still have A LOT of unknowns. We believe we'll be in Japan in 3 to 5 weeks, but some days it seems like even that may or may not happen. Go figure.

Work told me today I need to pick an date for my last day with Principal. Apparently I can't just say "I'll be around for a few more weeks" =) I understand it why I need to pick an end date for them - it's hard to assign me to projects and create deadlines if they don't know how long I'll be around. Even though I understand why I need to provide an end date, it's still hard to pick a date because we know so little information about when we're leaving. =s

That's all I got so far.

You're stuck with us! (at least for a short while...)

2009-03-04T23:39:00.000+09:00

Another update - life is going super fast!

Mike won't be able to leave for Japan until March 22nd because that is the earliest port call availble. Port call is a date airmen have to report to leave. I think they set dates so they send a group of people all at once. Anyway, He called his recruiter and RAP is still availble. His recruiter said that he could start as soon as Monday. BUT! Mike doesn't know if he'll be in Iowa by Monday for sure. When he's able to come home is depending on when he gets his port call. He's guessing he'll know in 1-3 days, but that's just a guess. My 3 new favorite words (not) "we don't know" =)

Still waiting on the passport... Mike's checking his mail everyday which is a real adjustment for him. =) He hadn't checked it in weeks until I reminded him the passport would be sent to Sheppard instead of Newton.

That's all I got so far. I finished our taxes last night - being married gets you a lot more money back from the gov't! Woot!

The Next Step...

2009-03-03T23:14:00.000+09:00

Yesterday Mike told me that he got his orders.

What I think this means….

There will be a few days of out processing from his Air Base in Texas
He’ll need to contact his recruiter here in Iowa to see if RAP (recruiter’s assistance program) is still available.
If RAP is available, once out processing is complete Mike will be home for 12 days and travel with his recruiter to schools, malls and such to talk about his Air Force experiences.
If RAP isn’t available, Mike will leave for Japan once out processing is complete

In order to leave for Japan, I need to have a military passport. As far as I know, it’s currently being processed and will be sent to Mike’s Air Base in Texas when complete. It still hasn't come, byut if Mike receives my passport before he leaves Texas, crazy as it sounds, I would leave for Japan when he leaves.

I’ll post more information as I receive it, my passport is going to play a pretty important role in how much longer I’ve got in Iowa. With or without me – Mike could be in Japan within 3 weeks!

Jess

The Scoop

2009-02-19T01:48:00.000+09:00

First blog!

Here's the scoop on our crazy life...

We don't have many answers to life until Mike gets his military orders - his orders will outline when he's to report to Yakota AFB in Japan and how long he'll be there and who he's allowed to bring (me!) and all that stuff. Once his orders are released, we can figure out when the moving crew is coming to Newton to pack up our few belongings, apply for on base housing in Japan, I can apply for civilian jobs at Yakota, and Mike can figure out if he's able to come home for 12 days for RAP (recuiters assistance program). He'll come back to Iowa and travel around with his recruiter and help out. I'm assuming he'd go to High Schools and Malls and stuff to talk about his bootcamp experiance, where he's headed, why people should sign up. Stuff like that... We're thinking he'll leave for Japan end of March (nothings set in stone, could be mid april, could be this summer!) and I'll follow him as soon as I'm able to. We're waiting for my military passport. I can't travel to Japan without it. I sent in the application Feb 5th and everyone says 6-8 weeks for it to process. I'm hoping it's sooner than that, regular passports are only taking 3 weeks to process and I've already applied and received my regular passport.

That's the scoop - but that doesn't mean it won't change. Mike and I met a lady who's husband is being sent to Korea. He's a pilot and graduated tech school March 2008. They expected to leave that summer, summer turned into fall, fall turned into winter... long story short almost a year after he graduated they are both still living in Wichita Falls TX and not in Korea. I hope that doesn't happen to Mike and I! God's in control, we can't do anything but trust he'll take care of us.

I'll be posting pictures to this as I can - reading our story is fun, but pictures are more interesting in my opinion. =)