When in Okinawa...

This is the view outside my living room window to our backyard at dusk. We live in a fortified, cement bunker due to typhoon season, so these windows aren't the prettiest, but I think the view makes up for it. Maybe I am just so green-starved after living in the desert for so long, but I think this is gorgeous. I'm in love with all those skinny palm trees, and they are everywhere here.

I need to learn to bring my camera everywhere, because I am seeing SO much that is worth sharing. This place is incredible. Cliff and I went into Naha on Saturday morning to drop off his boss at the airport. We stopped in a little market area downtown that was straight out of a movie set...but since I didn't know we'd be going anywhere but the airport, I didn't come prepared. I'll have to share it another time...it will give us an excuse to go back. I did remember to bring it on our family outing Saturday night, so I can share some of what we saw here:



These little trucks are everywhere. Almost everything is smaller here. We have a pretty standard-sized, egg-shaped Toyota van...but even most minivans here are truly mini.



These beverage machines are literally everywhere, even in remote places. I mean, there are more of these dotting the Okinawan landscape than Dunkin' Donuts in Massachusetts. We're going to try as many of these beverages as we can. So far, our favorite is an apple drink called Qoo.


Here we are waiting to let our first culinary adventure begin. It was a recommendation by the guy at the cell phone store after we told him we were looking for authentic Okinawan fare. I would tell you the name here, if I knew Kanji, but the best I can do is tell you it is near Araha Beach off of Hwy 58 and 130, has a red roof and the last character in the name looks sort of like an airplane.




YUM! And the beauty is, Jake could slurp all he wanted...it's good manners!


Even Patrick loved it...and he hates everything! But he was most excited about sitting on a mat to eat...


Coree was a little more skeptical...but considering she almost never eats more than a few bites of anything, she did fine.


This is what I'm getting next time...but I'll leave the pork slices and just eat the fish and noodles.



This was too much fun! We were the only white people in the place, and no one else seemed to share our enthusiasm for the cultural experience. Hmmm...



Here's some more shots of the atmosphere. All 4 kids pulled out their cell phones as soon as we walked in and snapped photos the whole time. Who's the tourist now?

Afterward, we walked down to the water. It was a beautiful night. There were LOTS of other restaurants in the area...I wonder how long it will take us to try them all?

Our goal is to try someplace new at least every Saturday.

Until next time...Sionara!

The Circus Keeps Coming Back...But Childhood Doesn't

Yes, I unabashedly ripped off that title from President Monson's latest conference talk...but it so accurately describes my motivation for the events of this post. I'm certain I don't need to rehash here, all the details surrounding our overseas move (since I've already done so ad nauseam in previous postings). Adding in an 8 hour round-trip drive to LA in the midst of all of that when it wasn't absolutely necessary might seem like insanity. Maybe it was.

When we met up with the Hinmans at Disneyland this past November, Gretchen suggested (implored, really) that I take Coree to American Girl Place in LA...and we HAD to do the lunch. It would be a life-altering experience...when would we get another chance? It seemed crazy, but I determined that I would do it. Coree knew nothing of this plan (I couldn't stand the pressure, for one, and what if I couldn't pull it off?)


(Trivia: For those of you who don't know Gretchen...she's Cliff's childhood-best-friend Sterling's mom. Cliff was very close with Sterling's family. They even took him on vacations. Bob (Sterling's dad) was a teacher and coach and Gretchen was a librarian. They exposed him to many wonderful things and were just an overall great influence on him. Gretchen has impeccable taste and style, and Bob has a very unique sense of humor.)

Anyhoo, we got down to the wire, and ended up squeezing this in 3 days before our departure. I couldn't believe I actually got a reservation only 1 week out. I knew it would be no small feat. For one, we had no heater (remember?) so we'd really have to bundle up through the mountains. We'd also have to leave by 5:30 AM to make it to the OC to meet up with Gretchen and grand-daughter Kalee, before making the drive into the city for our 11 AM reservation. We would have to make sure the boys were all set for the day, too.



I didn't tell Coree she was coming with me until I woke her up at 5 AM. I helped her do her hair and told her to dress herself and Nellie in cute outfits. She already knew I was going to LA for something undisclosed, so she figured out where we were going pretty quickly. We dropped the boys at Seminary, picked up our favorite salted carmel cocoa at Starbucks and were on our way!

Gretchen did not lie! It was a magical experience.


The lunch room was darling,






the food was art,






and the shopping was sweet!




I didn't know that it was actually part of an outdoor mall, so mom and Gretchen got to do some bonus shopping, too. I was SO excited that I was the one that got to introduce Gretchen to Anthropologie...she had never been to one. I knew she would love it. We have very similar taste (impeccable!). For some reason, she didn't seem quite sincere in her appreciation at the introduction...better for her wallet not to know it exists, I guess? She'll thank me later!



(I found this there for Minetta...can you believe it? I'll have it off in the mail to you in a jiffy!) {hehe...only she and I know what a funny statement that is!}

So, here is one of the highlights of the trip. We were leaving Anthropologie, and who do we see? Adam Sandler! Can you believe it?


Seriously, though...he was just chillin' on a bench, with a stroller, waiting for his mom. We asked if he would pose for a picture with Coree, he was very kind and agreed:


And then Gretchen proceeded to tell him all about Cliff and I, where we've been, where we're going:


He kept looking back and forth between us saying, "Take care! Oh...Stay safe! Best of Luck to your husband...tell him to stay safe!" etc. I remembered to tell him Happy Hanukkah. (Was that too dorky?) Then we went into Barnes and Noble for a bit, and ran into him again when we came out and he waved at me again and said, "Take Care." Then I got this picture of him helping his mom with her pinched finger. Isn't he a nice son?


Then, it occurred to me that I could have been shooting video, so I got this little clip here:

Coree and I disagree on who he waved to (we were standing right next to each other, but he was clearly waving to me).



So we are driving through Beverly Hills traffic, soaking in the atmosphere...


When a gorgeous Jaguar coming toward us wants to make a left turn in front of us. We stop to oblige, and traffic in the lane next to us keeps going. I said to Gretchen, "Don't you just love that, when you try to be courteous and people don't cooperate?" I don't notice much about the passengers, other than the driver is a beautiful blonde, and the passenger is male. (I was too busy reviewing my photos of Adam Sandler.)

Finally, traffic stops and as the Jaguar turns, the passenger leans out to give us a "thank you" wave, and it's Jim Carrey!!! Can you believe it? Was I ready to snap a photo? NO! I was still star struck by Adam Sandler's pics in my camera.

It was a day to remember in SO many ways! Not even mostly for the dolls or the celebrities, but because it felt like a small victory over all the "have to's" and the "maybe tomorrows" that fill my days. I don't want to look back with regrets. As wonderful as it was to reconnect with Gretchen for such a special day, I couldn't help but mourn the loss of all the time which has passed by, time we could have spent building relationships. I didn't dwell on it, but instead lived in the moment.

My goal...to have more days like this one and less days full of "maybe tomorrows"...

Flashback Friday...Christmas in Our First Home

I changed the time zone on our blog settings to reflect Tokyo time, and it reset the times for every posting I've ever done. Weird. We are 17 hours ahead of California time...an easy way to figure that out would be to add 5 hours and change AM to PM or vice versa. Eastern time would only add 2 hours and change AM to PM, etc.

Anyway, on to Flashback Friday...

Back in 2006, we spent our first Christmas in our first very-own home. We had lived there only a couple of months, and we just barely finished painting the entire thing...all 2500 sq. feet of it!

Although we are SO happy to be here in Okinawa (especially together) we do miss our home...it was an awesome home!

This was also the Wii Christmas...Wiis were nearly impossible to come by. Several midnight trips to WalMart finally netted us this one...

We had our kids believing there was NO possible way we would be able to find one. In order to prolong the moment, rather than wrap it up and put it under the tree, we hid it in the piano trunk/bench. It was SO funny to watch the reactions on their faces when all the presents had been opened, and they didn't get so much as a game for their current systems. You could tell they were trying to put on brave and grateful faces. Then as an afterthought, mom said, "Oh, I almost forgot...I got you each your own special piano books since you've been doing so well with your lessons." They opened the trunk and this is what they found. You can see the video on our YouTube channel (imperialstuarts). It was sweet!


Don't even know what to call this one...



Wonder if Brownie will find her stocking before the rest of us?


Nom...Nom...Nom. I'd like to see her try to bury this one!

In Our Thoughts Today...

We know that our friends and family back in the USA are having a wonderful Christmas right now. Ours has just wound down. (I'm actually up after an 8 hour nap...I'm still fighting to get a handle on the time change...it's not happening as easily for me as it did for Cliff.)

Anyway, I'll post some about our Christmas later, but I wanted to make sure I got this one up while it was still Christmas there...

We have had a tradition in our family ever since we spent our first (and only) Christmas apart in 2001. While I recognize that "Christmas is when you have it", still...there is something that feels so wrong and so lonely about spending Christmas apart from your partner, the one you love most...while it seems the rest of the world just goes on about their lives. Since then, we've had many friends go through the same experience, but we are also aware of the thousands of families we don't know who are making the same sacrifices on our behalf.

I don't know what is harder...trying to put on your merriest face while meeting ALL of the holiday responsibilities alone (Santa, cards, wrapping, parties, decorating, baking, caroling, etc.) so that the kids have a "normal" Christmas, when you feel anything but normal...or spending Christmas alone in the desert without those things...missing out on your kids' faces on Christmas morning, the smells and warmth of your home on Christmas Eve, and those fun traditions that make your family special...

Each Christmas, we decorate a special tree with patriotic ornaments...adding a new one each year. We put it in a prominent place, so that as we go about our days, we are constantly reminded of families we know (and those that we don't) who are making yet another sacrifice for our freedom and security.

This Christmas we are mindful of the Hardings and the Montoyas. We love you all and are praying for your peace, comfort, and an extra measure of the spirit to be poured upon you. Your sacrifice is not unnoticed or unappreciated...

Thank you and Merry Christmas to all who serve! We pray for your safety and comfort...

We're here!!!

WOW, what a ride! There are really two ways we could look at the process of getting here...we could focus on the insanity and the fact that the best laid plans will always implode...or we could recognize how blessed we were that no matter how crazy things got, there were always people there willing to help.

From the starting block this experience was nuts. The kids and I stayed up all night long doing laundry and last minute packing. Part of that was purposeful (we wanted to get a jump on the time change...Cliff said it worked for him) but part of it was just the natural consequences of having too much to do, wanting to squeeze in too many goodbyes, and the harriedness of Christmas. We were still stuffing things in suitcases at 4:00 AM when the first of our caravan arrived. The Elliotts, the Mitchells and Deb all helped us get ourselves, the animals and 20+ suitcases to the airport.

She has no idea what's in store!


Yeah...those are all ours!

Because things seldom go smoothly AND our situation was full of complications, we had to RUN to all 4 gates (including the flight that was canceled!). I'm sure we were quite a spectacle...especially in the Japanese airports. Our first flight was canceled as we were taxiing away from the terminal, due to a malfunctioning instrument. They managed to get us on the next flight to San Fran, which gave us less than 20 minutes to catch a bus and get over to the international terminal...and we had to sprint from the bus to the gate. There were people with walkie talkies along the whole route asking "Stuart?" and relaying our ETA to the gate. I was so worried about the animals being transferred properly...but they were taken care of. We had been ticketed in seats totally separate from each other...but when we got to the gate, they had upgraded us to a nicer section with more leg room and ALL of us sitting together. (Trivia: Even as stressful as the whole ordeal was, this was the only time I cried!) What a blessing this was for the 12 hour flight...and I didn't even ask! Yeah, United!

Can you see the Golden Gate Bridge?


For each flight, we were handed these cards to let us know that the animals were safely aboard


Troy brought 3 books for the trip. That should get him started...


"Should I start with Karate, kick-boxing or Japanese sword fighting?"


They fed us...not once, but twice on this flight!

Once we got to Osaka, we had to get all of our bags AND take custody of the animals to go through quarantine and customs...and then go through the whole check in process again. This time it was the animal quarantine that held us up. We had done all the proper paperwork and then some, but they wanted a copy of Cliff's orders (even though it wasn't on the list). During all of this I'm of course looking at my watch, thinking we are never going to make our flight. He speaks VERY limited English, I speak NO Japanese. As if this wasn't enough, Brownie stood up in her cage, causing the entire thing to slide off of the cart and sending the cat cage (which was on top of her cage) flying through the air, catapult style. (hehe, I just got that...CATapult!)

While it is funny now (only because she was fine) at the time it was awful!

Their water dishes all spilled everywhere...and out of nowhere, a secret team of janitorial ninjas appeared to mop up the mess...and sprinted off into the shadows. It was mind-blowing!

Finally, the nice man gave up and let us go...again, with about 10 minutes to spare. Once again, a team with walkie-talkies was standing by to relay our movements. When we got the the check-in counter, a team of 12 airline ninjas was there, all over our luggage. We got through so quickly my head is STILL spinning, and we once again sprinted to the gate, the last ones to board.

Our first taste of Japan...riding the train between terminals in Osaka.

By this time the kids had pretty much had it, but we were SO close we could feel it. Coree said she wanted to go home. At first I thought she was kidding, but she started crying and saying how everything was so different and she couldn't understand anyone (How is that different from El Centro?). I felt for her.

It was SO great to see Cliff! He brought an entourage of his own (another chaplain, a Marine and 3 RPs) to get us and our stuff to our house. This was waiting for us:


I'm going to like these neighbors!


This was the scene the next morning. They didn't skip a beat. The animals are their usual, happy selves, the house is great, and the landscape is gorgeous. Today we went to the exchange to do some last minute shopping. I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas already! When we got home, there were more welcome baskets from more neighbors. As homesick as I am, I think Cliff was right...this is SO going to be worth it!