Hairpuller vs. Bossy, Hitter, and Biter

I'm sure there can be something deep said about a children's playground. It's too early in the morning for me to think of what it is, but I know it's out there! Usually our playground consists of either just me and Brady or maybe just 1 other family. Yesterday, however, it was packed! A mistake I made was taking Brady's ball with us. I just figured that because it's usually just us it would be something different. Well, the ball was a big hit. Unfortunately, Brady was not all about sharing. While I was talking to one of the moms I heard this terrible scream. I looked over and Brady's face was bright red and he was crying. We ran over there and her little girl had bitten Brady's hand. Now, when I say a bite I mean a bite. Deep teeth marks and it was already swelling around the area a little bit. The little girl was the same age as Brady, so she got time out for a little while. He was upset for so long, it was like she ate his soul or something! Well, everything calmed down and everyone was playing nice. Next, in walks a lady with her son in a push car. That was the next big hit! All the little ones were trying to get in at the same time. The little girl that bit Brady's hand was the first to make it on. Next thing I know Brady has 2 fist fulls of her hair in his hands! He would not let go. I had to pry his fingers away! Now it's his turn to have time out. Finally, in walks the hitter. This little boy walked into the playground gate with his hand raised ready to strike! I think he successfully hit everyone on the playground. His poor mom just followed him around and tried to block the strikes. We also met Bossy. She wouldn't let anyone ride "her" horsey and she informed me that Brady WILL play tag and he WILL play hide and seek. I told her to go ahead and hide and wait for Brady to come find her! He wasn't very good at that game!

A Lazy Weekend

First, I want to ask for prayers for my mother-in-law, Monica. She has been struggling with back and hip problems for what seems like forever. It seemed like for a short time she was beginning to feel better, but in the past couple of days things have gotten worse. Please pray with us for complete healing, peace, and relief for her in the days to come.
Not much happened with us this weekend. On Friday night we went out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant with one of Greg's coworkers and family. It was fantastic! On the way home we stopped to shop and met one of the nicest shopkeepers. She was very patient with us while we picked out chopsticks, bowls, etc. We would be ready to check out and then would notice something else we wanted to buy! The whole weekend basically consisted of driving around and stopping 1 or 2 times to check out a store or park. I'm not sure what this week holds, hopefully we will venture out a little bit! Next weekend is the Cherry Blossom Festival. There are supposed to be something like 70,000 trees in bloom. That should be amazing! I'll take lots of pictures!

A Few Things I Have Learned

1) Konichiwa= Hello
2) Arigato= Thank you
3) The bathrooms here are so clean you could eat off the floor
4) The ingredient in the Soba noodles was not imitation crab, it was some type of compressed fish cake
5) It is possible to read 2 books in 2 weeks ( I really did this, incredible!)
6) It is possible to live happily in a 500 square foot room
7) It doesn't get old having cleaning people come every day
8) Greg hasn't learned anything, he apparently knew everything before we came
9) The best way to stop a wind tunnel (and extremely noisy vent) is to stuff it with hand towels
10) Greg really can drink an entire pot of coffee by himself
11) Brady can climb out of his crib. EEEKKKK!
12) It is impossible to keep quiet when your husband has to drive on the wrong side of the road and you think he may not see the car directly in front of you
13) It's normal to run red lights (isn't it?)
14) Using chopsticks to eat everything isn't always that easy
15) Brady is a rock star (teenage girls have actually squealed when he went past them)

The Long Road Home

After enjoying our time in Okuma, it was time to go home. Of course we could not just go straight back, so we had to make some stops along the way! The first stop was the Nago Pineapple Factory. That's right, an entire facility dedicated to the pineapple. We rode an electric cart around several different kind of palm trees, different varieties of pineapples, and a section where they make charcoal out of pineapple. Next along the tour was a seashell museum. I'm not really sure what this had to do with pineapple, but it was at the factory so what do I know? This didn't take very long. We walked through quickly trying to occasionally act interested in a seashell. This wasn't Greg's cup of tea. We caught up to some tour groups (this was a very popular place) and were led like cattle to the tasting room. They had everything from wine to cookies. Pineapple wine is not as good as it sounds. Managing the stroller through the crowd proved to be too much, so I held Brady as Greg carried the stroller. Brady started twisting and trying to get down, so as a distraction I started giving him cake samples. The next thing I know, he is pushing people and pulling on some shirts as he points to cake they are standing in front of. Once we safely made it outside a strange man came up to us and motioned that he wanted to take a picture of Brady. Now, I don't know about you, but it seems strange to take random children's pictures. Brady looks worlds different from the children here on the island, but how do you explain the blonde headed kid in your stack of pictures? I hope he makes up a story about how that child saved the entire pineapple factory and all of the tourists in it! A glass making store was right down the road so we stopped in to take a peek. It was very interesting watching these men make vases and cups right in front of us. We went into the store and the glassware had a sticker saying "made in Vietnam." Yeah, I thought the same thing you are thinking right now! The next thing on the list was lunch. On the way we stopped so I could get something out of the trunk. The playpen we rented from the campground was still back there...OOPS! Since we were very hungry we decided to deal with that later. We went to a place called Pizza in the Sky. When they said sky, they weren't kidding. We went up a mountain, down a dirt road (once again our directions were in question), and ended up at this restaurant tucked way up in the clouds. What a spectacular view! They put a fan on the table with a choice of different drinks and a small or large pizza. When the waitress came you point to what you want. You didn't get a choice what was on the pizza. It came out drowned in cheese with corn, yes I said corn, pepperoni, ham, onions, and peppers. It was fantastic! We have realized that you just have to go with the flow and step out of your comfort zone to have a wonderful experience. Now, back to Okuma to return the playpen! The best part about it was we were able to go straight to the weaving factory and it was open to take a tour. We walked upstairs to a room set up with a small room with a large pot of boiling water where 2 people were wetting some sort of fibers. The next room was filled with several looming machines with people working. It was a strange feeling walking around there. It was like we entered some sort of sweat shop. I'm just glad there weren't any children working there. It turns out that they make fabric called Bashofu out of a type of banana fiber. Local plants are used to dye the fabric blue or brown. Brady made friends with the cashier there and they laughed together the entire time I was shopping. We went back to the woodworking shop and it was still closed. We stopped at a bookstore on our way home. I'm not sure why seeing as how we can't read Japanese, but whatever! Finally we landed at home sweet home. While we were away I couldn't help thinking about something my mom always told me, that it's the everyday ordinary moments that make up a lifetime. Since I've begun writing down our everyday ordinary moments I have become more aware of the joy in our lives. God has truly blessed us and has provided a life that we sometimes take for granted. It is important to take in the moments and enjoy them to the fullest instead of waiting for something "great" to happen. Ordinary life can be GREAT!

We're lost and everything is closed!

Sunday began with a trip to Cape Hedo which is where the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea meet. Once again, a breathtaking view. Next was a shopping trip at the farmers market and indulgence in some sugar cane ice cream (very, very, yummy!). The other two activities planned was a trip to a weaving workshop and a woodworking shop. Trying to find the weaving workshop turned out to be quite a problem. The first problem was misunderstanding the directions. We parked our car where we thought we were supposed to and began walking. We ventured through a neighborhood and finally found the right place to park. Greg went to get the car while Brady and I waited next to a homeless guy and his dog. With the directions in hand once again, we still couldn't find the workshop! Finally we found the small path leading up a hill to the building on the right side of the road. The workshop was closed! Next was the woodworking shop. That was easy to find because it was on the main road. That was closed too! The only logical thing to do next was eat lunch and take a nap. We went down to the beach and Brady hated the sand on his bare feet. When we tried to get him to stand, he would scream and climb all over Greg to get as far away from the ground as possible. There was a shiny gold coin next to where we were standing and it turned out to be a $1 coin. For some reason Greg trusted Brady to hold the coin, however he told Brady over and over not to lose it. 2 seconds later Brady dropped the coin in the water and it was never seen again! We played at the park and went for a family bike ride on a bicycle cart. We had to wear helmets and every time we tried to get Brady's helmet from covering his eyes, he would pull it back down over his eyes. I'm not sure what he meant when he did that! Surely we weren't scary drivers! We found a restaurant in town to eat dinner and before we could sit down we were kicked out! We couldn't understand what they were saying, but we think they didn't want Brady there. We didn't understand the guy say "sorry" as we walked out the door. Now what?? Just down the road we found a bakery. What's better to make you feel better about being rejected than some dessert! We ordered almost 1 of everything in the case! As an afterthought we asked if they served food. They did!! Greg and I had soba noodles. It is a very popular dish here in Okinawa. It is noodles in a broth with pieces of pork and imitation crab. Topped with green onions and pickled ginger it was very good. Eating soup with chopsticks is an adventure! Back in our room we ate dessert. Have I mentioned before that exercise isn't going to do much for me here?

Road to Okuma

First, I want to send my sympathies to the residents of South Georgia! I hear it is extremely cold and I hope you all make it through! Also, I'm really glad we are not there!! So Saturday morning we pack up the car and set out for Okuma, Japan. The first stop was the botanical gardens and Aquarium. We took a stroll through the gardens which was laced with blooming flowers, breathtaking views of the East China Sea, and trees that had what looked like roots attached to the trunk about 2 feet above the ground. Our final destination was the aquarium. The dolphin show was the family favorite. It actually kept Brady's attention for the most part and all he would say was "Wow!". It was interesting to see the underwater exhibits with sharks and all kinds of tropical fish. There were even hot pink fish...who knew?? Once we arrived in Okuma we began to look for our resort. We pulled up to a hotel that had tropical flowers and greenery everywhere, an arbor leading to the door filled with more flowers, gift shops, a spa, tennis courts--yeah, it was the wrong place! Ours was further down the street. Our resort was a military campground with tan concrete buildings! It actually turned out to be great, but it was funny the difference of what I had pictured in my head and what it really was. Our room faced the sea with mountains in the background. I keep saying this place is beautiful, but I'm not sure how else to describe it. It is truly a tropical paradise and what's better is the people here all act as if they are on vacation. There is never a rush, we have never heard a police siren, and kindness just oozes out of everyone here. We had dinner at the very convenient restaurant next to our suite, watched t.v., then went to bed excited about what Sunday would bring!

A New Friend

Friday morning I met another NCIS wife named Stacy. She is very energetic and the official "I Love Okinawa" welcome wagon! She picked Brady and me up Friday afternoon and took us on a tour off the beaten path. We went by an animal refuge center that had an ostrich, Llamas, goats, sheep, rabbits, and although we didn't see Friday, she said there are bulls that just roam through the farms. Very random place in the middle of nowhere! The parks had beautiful waterfront views, however the playgrounds were interesting. They had a small wooden playhouse, but the main attraction was a concrete ditch that ran down the mountain with rollers inside. Basically, it was a giant slide, so you sit at the top and the rollers make you slide very fast. Greg and I will have to try it sometime! We stopped by a lighthouse (the only one I have seen) and it was awesome. It sat up on jagged reef with the waves crashing below. It was fairly busy with people milling around everywhere, and with no sense of embarrassment a man stepped by a few trees and relieved himself. I'm not really sure why he didn't use the facility bathrooms just a few steps away. I guess he really had to go! Stacy has a history degree and she was spouting off all kinds of history details during our drive. It was very interesting to hear all she had to say, but I don't really remember much of it! Old age, I guess! The graves here are free standing structures for each individual family. They are made of marble or concrete and are clustered together on different parts of the island. Apparently, the first born daughter or the wife of the first born son has to clean the bones of the decomposed body, then the bones are cremated, put in a vase, and set on a shelf inside the family tomb. Glad I'm not the wife of the first born son!!

It's all starting to come together!

Life in Okinawa is becoming better and better. The weather has taken a turn with yesterday and today being sunny, fairly warm, and a nice breeze. This is in contrast to the extremely windy and cold weather we have been having. Through the weekend it is supposed to be sunny with highs around 70, now that's what I'm talking about! Brady and I were able to play outside all morning which is nice to get some fresh air and explore a little bit. He is beginning to adjust and is finally on a schedule. He wakes up at 6 am, but that is better than 2 and 3 am. It works out so that I can exercise in the morning and be back in time for Greg to get ready for work. I would like to think that exercising would make a difference in my body, but with all of the things we are eating I have a sneaking suspicion it won't! Speaking of eating, we had a civilized dinner at Chili's the other night. By civilized I mean all 3 of us ate at the same time with no screaming or squirming by anybody. Greg has made reservations for us at a resort this weekend in Okuma, Japan. It is the home of a waterfall that we were told we must see, however it is closed because the path leading the way is under construction. Regardless, spending 2 nights at a resort on the ocean still sounds like a great idea to me! With our adventures being so wild close to home, it should be interesting to see what happens when we are away. I'm sure it will be a good time and look forward to sharing it with everybody!

Elvis Impersonation Convention?

Well, our second day of freedom (Greg from work, Brady and I away from the base) was very easygoing. We ventured back to the shopping that Brady cut short the day before. We just walked around different shops then found ourselves in a Japanese grocery store. Greg was in charge of navigating the bakery and I looked at fruit then wondered around aimlessly not knowing what anything was. We ended up with a few new treats to try. Let me tell you, we had some of the best danishes. My favorite was a puff pastry with some sort of custard filling, then topped with blueberries. YUM!! We went down to the beach and just walked around for a little while. There was a very cute puppy in front of a shop and Brady cared more about the puppy than the water. On our way back to the car we caught the tail end of a parade! We didn't get close enough for pictures. The next thing we know, a large group of men dressed in some sort of traditional outfits walked up carrying large banners. Several of them had "Elvis" type hair styles, so Greg guessed maybe it was an Elvis impersonation convention! He is so crazy! There were several of these groups one dressed in red, one in yellow, and a couple other colors as well. Women were dressed in very fancy kimono's. Maybe it was a wedding celebration. It would have been nice to know what was going on, but we didn't ask anybody on because people around us seemed to be confused as well. When Brady woke up from his nap, we went to the park and then had ice cream for dinner! The ice cream shop had several different varieties of ice cream but both Greg and I had something familiar. Maybe next time we will be more adventurous. We are back to the daily grind and look forward to next weekend! I made dinner last night, but get very nervous because I don't want to make the building evacuate like Sat. night because I burned our food! That may be my good excuse for us to eat out more often :). We miss seeing all of our friends and talking to everyone on a more regular basis. It would be much easier if we weren't on such a different time schedule. I'm hoping at some point we will try the church service here on base, but without a nursery that could be a disaster. Keeping an 18 month old both busy and quiet at the same time is almost impossible. It may even be impossible, I have never been able to do it! Well, I'll write again when something besides going to the park happens.
p.s. Adrienne, thanks for commenting on all my blogs! It makes me feel special!!

First day of exploration

Greg and I had great plans for today! The problem was that Brady had his own plans for today! We forgot to consult with him before we set out and that was a mistake. It all started just fine. We went to the ruins of Katsuren-gusku Castle. It had beautiful trees, flowers, and a spectacular view of the crystal blue ocean. It was very much in ruins so there was not much there as far as the castle was concerned. The weather today was extremely windy and it felt very cold. I think the temperature was in the mid 60's, but the wind made it feel colder and it was out of control! We did not stay very long. On the way back to the car we found a camera that someone had forgotten. We took it to the ticket counter and Greg tried to explain to the lady that we found the camera and wanted to leave it with her in case the person came back to get it. She did not speak English very well and we certainly don't speak any Japanese, so she looked very confused at what he was trying to tell her. He finally tried to use gestures to help her understand and she smiled and nodded like she understood, but I think she just wanted this crazy American to get away from her! From there we went to the "American Village." It is a section of town that has all kinds of shops and restaurants. It also has the largest ferris wheel I have ever seen! We decided to go to the mall and shop until we were hungry. Brady didn't really want to go to the mall. He should have told us before we got there, but he waited until we were inside to start complaining. He didn't want to sit in his stroller, he didn't want to walk with us, he didn't want food or drink. He did however want to pull things off the shelves, climb into the fountain, climb on the counters and put his face and hands all over the glass. We finally tried to make him sit in the stroller which was a very bad idea. He started screaming and kicking like we were trying to kill him. I don't even want to know what those poor people in the mall thought of the situation! Brady was not in any kind of mood to sit through a meal, so we decided to come home to eat lunch and he could take a nap. The problem was that once again we did not check our plans with him and he decided that a nap was not in his schedule. We tried to get him to sleep for almost 3 hours! He was having nothing of it. That meant at least 1 of us was not going to get a nap either. That would be me. After Greg slept for a little while we decided to check out the exchange to pick up a few things. Once again Brady was more interested in climbing on the furniture and pulling things off the shelf instead of shopping like a normal person! So once again the shopping was cut short. It is a good thing we are going to be here for a while because apparently it is going to take several very short shopping trips to buy all of the things we want! Greg had heard from several people about this really good steak house at the Four Season's Hotel. We decided that we would go eat there for dinner. By this point we should have known better! We pulled into the parking space, turned around to tell Brady we were going to get out and he was ASLEEP!!! All we could do was look at each other and shake our heads. On the way home we stopped at a take out place and Greg ordered a few things from a menu written only in Japanese. It was a great surprise to see what we were going to get! Once home Brady was put in his crib and we proceeded to eat a fantastic meal of some sort of ramon noodles, steamed dumplings, and chicken and rice with lettuce, tomatoes, and a white sauce mixed all together. Being a parent is a life filled with all kinds of sacrifice! Cold meals, sleepless nights, changed plans, but yet it is all worth it when he lays his head on your shoulder or dances to the sound of the fire alarm. That's right, I said FIRE ALARM! How were we supposed to know that the best part of our day was yet to come? Greg had just gone to bed and I had settled in to write this blog. All of a sudden the power goes off and a very loud alarm starts to sound with a voice saying "Attention, there is a fire on the second floor. Please wait for further instruction." There were 2 problems with this announcement. First, we are on the second floor, second, if there is a fire why am I waiting? I stick my head out in the hallway and all I hear is some poor kid crying that she doesn't want to die. The next thing I know another announcement comes confirming there is a fire on the second floor and the building needs to evacuate. Another announcement comes from the front desk restating that there is a fire and everyone needs to evacuate. I went to get Brady and just started to grab anything I could hold. I was nervous, but Greg was very cool. He took his time getting dressed and outside. When we walked into the hallway it just smelled like chicken terryaki and Brady began to wave his arms to the sound of the alarm. We sat in our car and I realized that the batteries in the camera were dead and I didn't have any more with me. So, Greg went back into the burning building to fetch me some batteries! He is such a hero! I had to document this perfect ending to the perfect day with pictures. The fire truck came and went. We were allowed back inside and not 2 minutes later there was an announcement stating that there was a fire in the office building! I haven't heard anything else about the office, so I hope it is o.k. Thankfully Brady went back to bed with no problem! I am excited to see what tomorrow holds! I better get to bed because Brady likes to wake up in the wee hours of the morning. The only good thing about that is I have been awake to work out every morning!

Real Housewife of Camp Foster

I feel like I could be on a t.v. show! I have a personal assistant to help me manage my days. He is very cute and lets me know when it's time to go to the playroom, ride up and down the elevator, eat snacks, take naps, and any other interesting activity we can find. He is only 18 months old, so he doesn't have that much experience, but he has me trained very well! When we are finished with our wild adventures through the halls of our lodge we come back to our room that has been cleaned!! Every day these wonderful women bring us fresh linens and thoroughly clean our room. I have a gym with different kinds of equipment so I can customize my workout. My life is truly blessed! Yesterday Greg's friend drove us around town showing us the different military bases. We went through a Japanese neighborhood and the houses were right on top of each other. Each one is pretty plain, not much room for landscaping, and there are no street names. When we turned out of the neighborhood there were 2 mirrors that reflected each side of the street to make sure we didn't pull out in front of someone. Very different! I was able to get a visitor's pass that allows me to go shopping with Greg but I don't have any rights to do anything else. They were going to get me a pass to be able to go on and off base unaccompanied, but it still wouldn't allow me to get grocery's without Greg. It seems like there is something wrong with that! Apparently I am a threat shopping at the exchange and commissary without supervision! Brady is beginning to get settled into a schedule. The first night we didn't think that jet lag was going to bother us, but then yesterday it kicked out butt! Poor Brady woke up several times last night. Today is better. Both Greg and I are feeling rested and Brady was able to go down at a decent hour for his nap. We will see how tonight goes. Greg took a driving test today and was issued a gov't vehicle. He seems to be adjusting well to the new office. He is taking over a few cases from one agent that is transferring to another office and will be working new cases as they come in. He is able to come home at lunch, which is nice to have a little extra family time. This weekend we are going to venture out both on the city bus and by renting a car to explore our new surroundings. I'm sure there are going to be some interesting stories to tell!

Longest day of our lives

We have just completed one of the longest days of our lives. After choosing the newest member of United Airlines to complete the apparently complicated task of checking our bags and printing boarding passes, we boarded an airplane in Jacksonville, FL at 9:30 am on a flight bound for D.C. Brady was well behaved for the first hour of our trip (ice and 2 cups do wonders when in a tight space), however, the final 40 minutes he decided it was appropriate to scream. I'm not talking about a cry that lets us know he is dissappointed we put him on a small airplane, it was more like "I'm going to make you pay for making this terrible decision. I can't believe what terrible parents you are and I'm going to make sure that everyone in this plane and any other plane that may be close knows exactly how mad I am." The poor flight attendent was trying everything she could to make Brady happy, even resorting to asking him if he wanted to read her romance novel! Once we arrived in D.C. I picked up some lunch and Greg and Brady went to the gate to get the next set of boarding passes. The plane had already been boarded so we had to rush to find our seats and settle in for the long haul. Our seats were wonderful! There was enough leg room so Brady could sit on the floor and play. We had a wall directly in front of us, so we didn't have to worry about Brady bothering anyone. Brady was extremely well behaved on this flight! There were many people praying for our trip and we just figured that maybe they had their coffee and then prayed since our early flight was pretty darn bad! We had a sweet flight attendent assigned to our section and she went out of her way to make us comfortable. This flight lasted about 14 hours. Brady did not have a nap and finally fell asleep about 10 pm (GA time), so he only had about 4 hrs. of sleep the entire day! Even still, he was happy and easy to deal with the entire flight. Greg and I were starting to feel the effects of such a long day, but there was still a long way to go. Once arriving in Tokyo we made it through immigration and customs with a baby, stroller, car seat, 4 carry-ons, and 4 checked bags that had to claimed and then rechecked for the flight into Okinawa. By this point everything was beginning to be a big blur! The flight to Okinawa was another 3 hrs. After 1 step onto the plane Brady went CRAZY! He started screaming and nothing we did would make him stop. I could just imagine the thoughts of the poor people who just wanted to get a little sleep! Brady screamed through the time it took for everyone to board, the taxi to the takeoff, the takeoff, and until the seatbelt sign went off. Once again we had the best flight attendents. They made a toy to try to make Brady happy! I think in order to keep everyone's sanity, the attendents let us play in the kitchen area. Finally, with about 30 min. left in the flight Brady fell asleep! As we were leaving the airplane people were wishing us good luck and telling us how bad they felt for us! One of Greg's old cop buddies picked us up at the airport and we had another hour of driving before we finally made it to our room. We left Florida at 9:30 Monday morning and arrived in Okinawa at 12 am Wednesday morning. This experience can definitely be classified as the longest day of our lives!