Newest Toe Art

I went with my friend Tesha for a much needed visit to Cocoks this week.  Here are the latest creations:

You can't really appreciate the detail on my flowers, so here's a closer shot:

The level of detail is quite amazing.  I'm really going to miss these when we head back to the states.

"Snack" Pineapple

One of my families (from school) brought me a treat the other day that they had picked up from a local farmer: a "snack" pineapple.  It looks like this:

I put an apple next to it to show that it's not very big.  To "open" it, you have to twist it apart, like this:

Then pull apart the two halves:

To eat, pull off the small sections individually or in chunks:

And then it's ready to enjoy...yum!

Please excuse the post workout look here.

It's very sweet, even sweeter than "regular" pineapple.  I liked it, but did find it a tad messy since it's a juicy finger food.  I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for these during our last two months here.

Oki Photo Shoot

We recently had a photo shoot with our friend Kim.  We wanted to have some nice Team Juloa pics before our time here is up.  Not only will these serve as an early anniversary gift to each other, they will be reminders of our memorable time here in Okinawa.  Here are a few of my favorites.

I love how this one on the beach steps looked and, not to be completely vain, but I really like my hair in this shot.  Again, I'm keeping it real, people.

We live right by the huge cement "jacks" that line the seawall and knew we wanted a pic of these beasts.  I like how this one captures not only the jacks, but the coastline with the buildings as well.

Our super serious shot.  I'll admit that it was hard for me to NOT smile.

And a silly shot with a funky japanese sign. 

This is my favorite one with the dogs.  Sadie was not into the pictures that day and was much more interested in smelling everything.  Thankfully she looked okay in a few shots. In one of the dog pictures we all look great....except for her....she looks like an emaciated rat.  And, no, I'm not posting that one.  Let's just go with one she actually cooperated in.

At first we didn't think the seawall would work because it was filled with tagging instead of artwork (yes, I know that one can argue that this is a form of art, but you know what I mean....).  As you can see, the tagging actually ended up working out for us after all and this is one of my absolute favorites because it captures the colors of the seawall perfectly.

This was taken in American Village and is one of Noa's favorites.  He says it's his favorite because of the ferris wheel, but I think it's because he obviously said something that cracked me up.  Yes, he sure does know how to make me laugh.

Call me a hopeless romantic, but I just think this one is so sweet.  I have it as my desktop wallpaper right now, in fact.

We call this our "modeling" shot. Calvin Klein, eat your heart out.

Yes, we were dancing outside.

Yes, it was 7:30 in the morning.

Yes, we know we are dorks.

Yes, it was fun!

Last one.  We had to get one with the "Boss" Tommy Lee.  These vending machines are EVERYWHERE in Okinawa, so it wouldn't be right to leave him out.  

There are so much more, but I'm trying to keep this post a normal length and not bore all my readers away.  Hope you enjoyed them and a big thanks to Kim for helping us keep our Okinawa memories alive for years to come!

V is for Veterinarian

For today's ABC Parade, I had Noa help me gather supplies for my veterinarian costume.  The students had to dress as something that represents their assigned letter.  For J, one little boy dressed as a jellyfish using a clear umbrella with strips of plastic hanging down.  For F another little boy dressed as a fire-breathing dragon.  For L, one student had a shirt with letters all over it.  They were so creative!   I wish I could show you the wonderful costumes that the kids created for today's Kindergarten event, but that would be wrong.  So, you'll just have to settle for little ol' me.  

 

Tao

Last week I joined some friends from work to see a performance by Tao.  Tao reminds me of Eisa drumming meets Stomp.  It was AWESOME.  I don't have many pictures because apparently you aren't supposed to bring your camera (yes, I was told to put my camera away...).  But I did get this ONE good shot.

Their website is pretty good and I found out that they were performing in the states earlier this year!  I would definitely see them again if given the chance.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll tour in the states again next year. 

100 Yen Fun: Checkout Goodies

Ever have those days where you walk up to the checkout at the grocery store and the M&Ms stare back at you longingly? Well, that happens here too at the 100 Yen store, except you don't always know what's in that shiny wrapper.  I decided to find out.

These were on display around Children's Day.  I was curious.

Turns out they taste like those wafer cookies that have a soft filling in them.  The strawberry was super sweet and the texture reminds me of styrofoam.  So, I'd skip these in the future.

Hi-Chews are popular.  I have seen these in the states with English lettering.  These remind me of softer versions of Starburst candies and come in lots of flavors (plus, you get two packs for 100 Yen).  I usually pick the up to send my sister, Anoli, or give to our buddy Mike, who is a fan of the Coca-Cola flavored ones.

I grabbed these thinking it was gum.  The Japanese seem to be fans of gum that is made with xylitol, a substance that decreases tooth decay.  However, after tasting it, I found out it was just apple flavored hard candy.  Pretty good, though!

Here are some packs of gum.  I was looking for a gum called Black-black that my friend Gabe introduced me to.  They seemed to be out.  So, I grabbed these two packs.  The brand, Xylish, is pretty common and I've seen it in all kinds of stores: Family Mart, San-A, Lawsons, etc.  There are tons of flavors.  I went with a fruity mint that was pretty yummy, but didn't hold the flavor very long.  Oh, and the pieces are small, like tiny Chicklets.  I haven't quite figured out why the gum on top is referred to as "hybrid."

Next up was a mystery candy, but it was the packaging that caught my eye.

I love how the pieces are like blocks! I'm tempted to hang on to the top two pieces that make animal silhouettes.

Inside each box are two neatly wrapped caramels.  Mmmm!

Not everything is candy.  You can get three of these packets of cookies for 100 Yen.  They are pretty good and teeny tiny and just plain adorable!

This doesn't even put a dent into the many other goodies (including some that didn't look too appetizing to me) that greet people at the registers at the 100 Yen store.  But, it's a start.  Guess I'll just have to go back for more!

Gone to the Dogs

We've got a birthday in the house...

little miss Sadie turns 7 today!

She and Gunnar are sporting matching collars these days from a recent family photo shoot.

I was taking some photos to send to the vendor who made the collars and got this money shot of Gunnar....I love it!

And then there's Sadie, who loves to pose upright in a perfect sit-stay. Do you think my promise of treats had anything to do with it?

And, yup, this guy is still around!

So, when I was trying to take pictures there was a lot of this going on:

Bailey looks crazy here, but really he's great with the IGs.

Hail and Farewell

We attended a hospital sponsored "Hail and Farewell" last night. The purpose of these military events are to introduce new staff to the command and say good-bye to the staff who will be leaving. Thankfully, it's not really good-bye yet...we still have a few more months on island. But, I had to have a picture of us with Jeff and his wife Kristen, who will also be leaving this summer. Jeff and Noa share an office and have worked together for most of their time here. It's been great getting to know them during our time here.

Seawall Strolls

With our new house guest here, our routine has changed quite a bit. Bailey requires daily walks, so each morning I get up at dawn and take him out. I repeat this in the afternoon and then right before bed.

I am really enjoying the time with Bailey. He's trained quite well by his owners. They've used an e-collar to train him.

Basically I hang on to this little remote while Bailey walks with me. I've only had to use the shock function a couple of times when we first walked him. I actually tried it on myself first just to make sure I wouldn't hurt him (shocking yes, hurting no). Now, I barely need to use that function. He responds right away to me. One of my favorite things to do with him is to have him stay in a sit position and then walk away. After 20 yards or so, I "release" him and he comes running at full speed. It's awesome.

Also his tail never stops wagging!

On the occasion that I do see someone approaching, I immediately have him "heel," which he does promptly and will stay like this until I again "release" him.

There's not too much too look at. Our end of the seawall is not frequented since our stretch is mostly made up of factories. I can't even begin to describe some of the odors that come from some of those buildings. Let's just say that it makes picking up dog poo not so bad after all.

There's lots of strange artwork and tagging on the wall. Sometimes I find it artsy...other times I'm just annoyed by it. But, by far my biggest annoyance are the STAIRS. I LOATHE the STAIRS. The STAIRS are EVIL!

Okay, okay, I realize that's a little dramatic, but the six flights up seem like an eternity. I guess I should be happy since I'm trying to get in better shape, but when my calves are screaming at me, it's hard to stay positive.

Still this face makes it all worth it. What a good boy!

Laundry Woes

Ah, the joys of doing laundry in Japan.

These pants just came out of the dryer. I don't know if you can tell from the picture but they are really wrinkled. It looks like they were balled up and I just unrolled them after a washing as a ball. But, no, sadly this is how much of our laundry looks after going through our little Japanese dryer. I would line dry, but we only have so much space and I hate when the clothes are stiff. Also, we at least have a rockin' iron.

I have a theory that the dryer does it on purpose to mock us. Then it secretly laughs when we empty it.

Oh well, at least it was a beautiful day with a lovely sunset.

BBD

Why, who is this handsome fellow?!

This is Bailey - the BBD (Big Black Dog) from upstairs. His parents are traveling for a couple of weeks, so we get the pleasure of taking care of him. He is great with Sadie and Gunnar and is extremely well-behaved.

Here you can see how big he is compared to Gunnar, who was our resident "big" boy until now.