Moving the House, Part 1

Today marks the first "official" day of moving.  The movers came to pick up our government issued furniture, the refrigerator, and the washing machine.  I almost forgot to grab my camera to capture this "event," which would have been tragic had I not remembered.

We now have a lot of empty spaces....like where the desk and the ugly chair once sat.  

The moving guys are pros.  It took them about 10 minutes to come in, check off our items, roll them out and have us sign the paperwork.  They didn't mind me chasing after them with the camera.  As most Japanese workers, they were efficient and polite.

The dogs did not appreciate being relegated to the porch.  I didn't think the movers would appreciate their jumping greetings or worse, I didn't want them to bolt for the open door.

And, just to keep it real....some pictures of stuff.  We are now in the process of dividing out things into different categories.  Pictured below are some of our express items: these get delivered first, usually about a month after being picked up, and are items we'll need right away (excluding furniture).  So, pots and pans, dishes, sheets, and of course, golf clubs made the express packing list.  

These things were supposed to be picked up this week, but they lost our paperwork, so now our express shipment is getting picked up on the same day as our household goods.  We are planning on putting all our express items into one empty room (the office) to avoid any confusion on the big pack-out day.

We also have pro gear, meaning anything related to our jobs, and is being housed in the old guest room.  I obviously have way more pro gear than Noa and some of mine will have to go as our regular shipment, due to weight allowances for this category.  Still,  I'll put whatever I can towards the pro gear shipment, since the weight doesn't count against our general allotment.

The main pack-out shipment is referred to as household goods.  This shipment can take a few months to get to the final destination.  This shipment includes everything else in the house that is not included in the express and pro gear shipments, such as decorative items, clothes, furniture, kitchen items, etc.  The movers will also disassemble items, so we don't have to worry about taking apart our shelves or the futon, although they may have trouble finding it under all our clothes!

Of course, these shipments don't include the things we'll carry in our suitcases, dog crates for the dogs to fly in, and of course items that can't be shipped, like candles, cooking oils, and paint.  I'm currently going through each room and trying to pull out any of these "illegal" items and finding them new homes with our friends and neighbors.

Eat Up and Have Some Cake

Our refrigerator gets picked up on Friday.  We are doing all we can to eat and drink everything in the fridge before Thursday night when we have to unplug it.

Tonight's menu: frozen pizza, frozen broccoli, and Orion beer.  Check out the festive packaging with Okinawan Eisa drummers.

One of myy favorite things about Orion is their tag line...

Gotta love it!  Well, except for the price tag.  This 6-pack costs over $10 from a local grocery store!

On a completely random note....it's my sister's birthday!  Happy birthday, Anoli!  For those of you that don't know An, she's my one and only sibling (besides the dear sisters-in-law) and lives in NH so I don't get to see her near enough.  Oh, and she's awesome.  Really, she is pretty darn great.  She is one of the most sincere people I know and is super talented, although she would never admit it.  Anoli can build a wall in the day and then dance up a storm on the dance floor at night.  She's way better at karaoke and can hold her own in an ultimate frisbee game.  She's creative and funny and just a great person to be around.  Best of all, I always have fun with her and I have great memories of our childhood together.  So, happy birthday to my all-around fabulous sister!  Love you, An!  Hope your birthday cake is yummy and your day is fun!

Here's a photo of us from 2007 when the family came out to Okinawa.  We both look pretty different now, but I love that she was able to come out here and enjoy the island with me.

RIP Turtle

We recycled the Turtle today.  It was a bittersweet day because I really did like this car....even if it was on it's last leg.  It will now be used for parts and scrap metal.

Here it is on the weight scale.

And then the plates were taken off and we handed her over.

I tried to stay positive.  I did keep one of the keys as a little memento of my ride from Okinawa.  I have to turn in the plates tomorrow.

In the meantime, look at what I'm driving around the island (photo taken a few days ago)!

The Pajero is on loan from Kent and Tritia*.  It's quite a different driving experience when you can see over all the other cars.

*Thanks, guys!

Practice

In two weeks, all the Hammers, including the dogs will be boarding a plane headed to the US.  In order to prepare the dogs for this adventure, I'm trying some positive reinforcement with the crate.  The dogs are used to being crated when we leave.... but they are always put in one crate together.  When we fly, they'll have to be in separate crates and the bedding will be different than what they are used to.  So, I've been feeding them treats and praising them when they step in the crate alone.  Gunnar didn't seem to mind the "practice" and would hang out waiting for more treats.

Sadie, on the other hand, seems to know exactly what's going on.  She simply eats the treat and then stares at me.  I think she knows what's coming.

School Stuff

A Kindergarten teacher's reality is the accumulation of stuff.  In order to effectively run a well-managed classroom with appropriately themed (and fun) centers is to have materials at hand.  These materials, however, take up space.  Lots of space.

In a perfect world, I would end the school year by packing up all my school stuff in cabinets in my classroom.  Everything would be carefully organized, labeled and put away by subject, like this:

But, with the upcoming move, I obviously can't keep all my school stuff back in my classroom (sigh...).  The last two days of school were spent frantically sorting, packing, and loading stuff in the car and schlepping* all the stuff up to our apartment.  The past few weeks have been spent trying to reorganize and sort everything and pack it away into Rubbermaid containers for easy storage after our move.  Which means a room, our former guest room in fact, has transformed into a personal storage closet.

Some of the items included in this mess collection include:

- over 1,000 children's picture books

- 30 stuffed animals (we used these in the classroom as "reading pals")

- 25 CDs with children's music or teaching songs

- 20 floor puzzles

- 5 bins bursting with files (lesson plans, forms, activities, etc)

- 2 bean bags

- 1 treasure chest

Needless to say, we've had to put in a waiver for a larger shipping allowance.




*I gotta give credit where credit is due.  I did not do all the schlepping alone.   Mike and Jess, who were in town and my wonderful husband,  helped bring many of these items from the car to our apartment on the 6th floor.  Thanks, guys!

Cars on the Brain, Part 2

Many friends have inquired about what we do with our current Japanese cars now that we're getting ready to move.  If Noa could have his way, he'd take his 1999 Honda Capa to the grave.  But, it difficult and expensive to get Japanese car to the states.  Plus, it would then need to have a major overhaul done in order for it to meet US regulations.  So, sadly, it must stay.

Although it has a few scratches and dents (typical for an Oki car), it should sell.  Right now we are in the process of making sure it has the Japanese Compulsory Insurance (JCI) up-to-date and all the paperwork is in order before setting up an ad on Okinawa Yard Sales (an Okinawa version of Craigslist).  We'll definitely be sad to see this car go....we've had some good memories driving this baby all over Oki.

Then, there's my car, a 1997 Toyota Starlet, which is so reminiscent of my first ride when I was 16: a 1986 Chevy Nova.  My current little hatchback, AKA "the Turtle" has been a great ride here in Okinawa.  I loved it when I picked it out of the lot...

 

...and I still love it today.  Although, it's taken quite a beating since then. It's now become our "ghetto" ride as it has a list of problems, including:

- missing part of a headlight....due to an incident I had with a pole....let's just say the pole won

- battery issues...I've been driving without A/C and radio to save power

- missing/broken cigarette lighter...my iPod adaptor shorted out in it and it's never fully recovered

- water stains...okay, those came with the car

- mysterious rattling.....it's like the car is set on "vibrate" whenever I'm at a stop light

- it only has a radio and cassette player

- expired JCI.....this usually runs anywhere from $300 - $500 for a small car

- miscellaneous bumps and scratches...due to living in Okinawa, where this is bound to happen....even in your church parking lot!

- doors that work your muscles to close

The issue with the Turtle is that we can only sell it for less that what it would cost us to fix it.  Then, we lose money...money that we can use for this move.  So, the Turtle, will be joining the old Nova in the Great Junkyard in the sky and end up as used parts in a few days.  Here, we use the term "recycling" or "junking" your car.  Hopefully, we'll get some money back in this process.

After owning these two cars in Okinawa, I feel ready to go back to the states and know that it's okay if I don't have the best, nicest car out there.  I've never been one to NEED the best, newest, sleekest car, but I'll admit that like the newer ones better.  Who wouldn't?  They look better, seem safer, and (usually) have less gas mileage.  But, having gone through the process of buying, driving, and selling cars over and over with these military moves, I've learned that cars are just cars.  They are a means to get from point A to point B.  They don't appreciate in value, so it's not worth investing a lot into them.  Now with kids on the horizon, we can't just drive around some metal held together by duct tape, but it also doesn't have to be the newest, blacked-out Porsche Roadster (even though Noa would absolutely love it).  As we ready our wallets to buy a couple of cars in the states, we're already dealing with sticker shock.  Over here $3,000 - $5,000 can get you a really nice vehicle, low mileage, a warranty, and even other perks, like a fancy stereo system or GPS.  On the "lemon lots" or Oki Yard Sales, you can find even better deals.  Oh, and of course by paying so little up front, there's NO CAR PAYMENTS later.  Nice.  I like that!

Via

So, I guess we'll see what happens.  The ad for the Capa will be posted around town shortly and we'll continue to scour Craigslist for deals.  Then, in a couple of weeks, I'll be posting pics of our "new" rides in Washington!  

Until then, keep your fingers crossed that the Capa sells soon!

June Sunset

We're really going to miss the beautiful sunsets that this apartment affords us each night.

More Changes: Keystone

Our lives aren't the only things changing around here.  Our church recently underwent a large renovation to fix some building issues, such as roof problems, needing new windows, etc.  But, the biggest change for the church was having the exterior painted.  

Here is the before.  We lovingly referred to it as the pink church.  Bepto Bismol pink church.

The pictures don't quite do it justice, but yes, it was very pink.  However, it was an easy landmark for newcomers!  Anyway, when buildings are under renovations here, they are usually shrouded with scaffolding and mesh tarps.  Our church was no different and was soon looking like a blue ghost.

Finally, our "new," bright beautiful building was revealed!  And, I must say, it looks pretty sharp.  I like the name painted on top in Japanese. 

There are still some physical repairs and updates that need to be finished, such as painting the outer wall (yes, it's still pink) and some interior work, but it's been a refreshing change as we kick-off the summer season.  Oh, and we'll be getting an updated website soon too!  For now, you can find the church at: http://keystonenazarene.org/.  The new website should be up in early July.

June Happenings

When I was teaching - and yes, we'll get to that - I used to put out a monthly flyer to keep my parents informed about what was happening over the course of the upcoming month.  June is now nearly over, but there's so much to catch up on, I thought it might be nice to have my own little....

June 9: Team Juloa's 9-Year Anniversary

In the middle of the end-of-the-year craziness that is school, I managed to take some time to celebrate our 9 years of marriage.  Since our schedule was so booked for the week, we decided to go low-key.  Noa planned a great date.  First we went to Pizzeria Bella Napoli, a new pizza place located on the seawall.  We enjoyed some wine, salads, and of course, pizza!  One of the perks was trying a new variety: curry pizza!  It was oh-so-good, although I would up the spiciness factor a notch (I'm getting daring in my old age).

  

The restaurant treated us to free dessert for our special occasion.  Even better than dessert, the girls that worked took our picture for their website.  The restaurant is quite new to the area, so they are working on their marketing.  If I see it, I'll post the link.

Following our meal, Noa took me to the one landmark we have yet to visit: the ferris wheel.  We've looked at the ferris wheel for 4 years from our window, but have yet to ride in it.  Tonight was the night!

While Noa was buying the tickets, I was posing with the giant Anpanman in the arcade area.

Seriously though, I was shaking in my boots.  You see, I am scared of heights.  So, the beginning of the ride was not so great for me.  Thankfully, the view made up for my fears and it was truly beautiful from the top.

And soon, I was able to relax and enjoy the view

June 12: Karaoke Good-bye

In anticipation of the majority of our friends leaving Okinawa for the summer (DoDDS teachers get a paid trip home each summer and usually leave the weekend after school gets out), we wanted to have a last hurrah with our pals.  So, we decided that since karaoke is one of our favorite things to do on the island, it was the best way to say good-be to our friends.

Pictured below: Noa, Kent-o, Kenny, and Marc

Some of our girls: Mary Ann, Sue, and Linda - aren't they adorable?!

Me and more of the girls: Amy, ma, Liz, and Tritia, who helped plan the whole event.  She and Kent-o even brought crazy wigs, hats, and other fun accessories to keep the party lively.

And, here's the whole group!  No, I don't have an arm tattoo.  That gem was from the 100 Yen store and TOTALLY awesome.  Tritia was wearing it earlier and then passed it on to me.  Yeah, it was fun stuff.

June 17: My Birthday

As Noa likes to point out, I'm officially in my 30s now.  Great.  Yeah, I'm feeling old and I'm realizing that birthdays are not as exciting to me as they used to be.  However, it was so nice of our friends Tom and Tesha to have us over for a lovely Italian-style meal, complete with appetizers and tiramisu birthday cake.  Oh, and I tried Beatles Rock Band for the first time (yeah, I know, I'm behind the curve....what can I say, I'm old!)

June 18: Last Day of School

That's right, folks.  I'm now officially UNEMPLOYED.  Although I like to still think of myself as a teacher on summer break, Noa likes to lovingly refer to me as a "housewife" now.  Many of you have asked if I'll be teaching after the big move and here's the answer.  Yes, if I could get a job teaching, I'd grab it.  I LOVE teaching, especially Kindergarten, as evidenced by the rooms full of all teaching materials all over my house.  The problem is that each state has it's own licensing criteria.  I am currently licensed to teach under a DoDDS (Department of Defense Schools) certificate (DoDDS is like a state in this case).  Unfortunately, Washington state does not have reciprocity with other states.  So, my license does not automatically carry over.  This means that I have to take the Washington state teaching exams in order to be certified to teach in the state of Washington.  And, here's the kicker: the tests aren't available for me to take until SEPTEMBER.  So...until then, we'll see.

Regarding the actual last day of school: it was tough.  I cried several times that week.  I'm really going to miss my work here.  It's hard to believe it's really over.

June 19: Surprise!

After sleeping in until noon on the Saturday following the last day of school, I couldn't figure out why Noa was "encouraging" me to help him clean the house.  I mean, yes, it was a mess.  Having worked long hours 7 days a week for the last 3 weeks, we hadn't really given the house a good cleaning in awhile.  Plus, I now have school stuff in every nook and cranny in this small apartment.  But still, it was my first day of vacation and I was ready to take it easy.  Little did I know, Noa had something up his sleeve...

That night we headed to the airport for what I thought was a pick up of one of the incoming docs.  Turned out it was my birthday present: JESS!  She and Noa had apparently been planning this surprise for months, so I couldn't tell who was more excited me, Noa, or Jess!

Here's the best part of the surprise...it was a double!  After hugging and then walking to the car, we heard a deep voice behind us say, "do you know the way to the Big Echo?"  It was Mike.  He came out and surprised Noa.  Noa practically ran in front of oncoming traffic with glee.

They stayed with us until Thursday.  It was such a wonderful surprise and I'm still kinda in shock that they were here!

Here are some of the highlights:

At church on Sunday...

Go Red Sox!  Mike is now an official fan and brought Noa a shirt from his recent trip to Boston (the shirt says "Red Sox" in Japanese).

The girls just had to go to Cocoks!

Karaoke was a MUST.  We owned the Big Echo that night (granted it was a Sunday night and not too busy, but you get my point).  Some of our winning songs were: Not Ready to Make Nice (Dixie Chicks), Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Poison), Mr. Brightside (The Killers), and Numb/Encore (Jay-Z and Linkin Park).

We took them to all of our favorite eateries: Seaside Jet City Burgers...

Our new favorite pizza joint (Pizzeria Bella Napoli)...

Transit Cafe...

....just to name a few.  Some of our other adventures included hanging out in American Village, going to a local bakery, the boys golfing on Kadena while the girls shopped it up, and just hanging out.  It was too fun.

 Here's one of my favorite pics of me and Jess by one of the Boss vending machines on our way into a Japanese grocery store.

But we weren't the only ones thrilled with having the Apostles here.  The dogs just loved the extra company.  And I think the feeling was mutual:

It was a great visit - probably the best birthday gift ever!

So, what's happening with Team Juloa now?  We're on to getting ready for the big move back to the states.  We're just under a month away now and we have a LOT to do.  More to come!

Ch-ch-changes!

Get ready, folks, 'cause there are a lot of changes coming up to the blog. As you can see, I've been playing with some of the layout features in Blogger, but I have a custom design coming soon, wider pictures, and a mega-post about all the crazy things that have happened this month. Stay tuned!