NOSCO Cupcake Queen

I belong to MOSC (Marine Officer Spouses Club) here, as well as NOSCO (Naval Officer Spouses Club of Okinawa). I served as a rep on the NOSCO board for a year and a half, but now I'm just a regular member. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer and donate time and money to charity, as well as social and cultural events, too. I take advantage of what I can. NOSCO is broken down into "coffee groups" that have a common workplace or community, and the chaplain spouses group is one of the biggest, if not the biggest as far as participation. Back when I was on the board, I was asked what we did to have such high numbers. I had to think about it, and admitted that I didn't think it was anything we did in particular, it was just that as "pastors' wives," we are used to being involved with the ministry and fellowship, and that it seemed to just be understood that involvement came with the territory. I wish I could have been of more assistance with fabulous ideas to help them with recruitment, but that was all I could figure.

Anyway, each month, one of the coffee groups takes a turn hosting a social event for the NOSCO membership as a whole. This month it was the chaplain spouses' turn to host, and they selected a cupcake night. I happen to love decorating cupcakes. I love this book, even though I have yet to make enough of them to justify the purchase. Needless to say, I was excited about their choice.

A professional cake decorator came in and taught us all kinds of tips and techniques. I didn't remember to bring my camera to get pics of some of the creations (from beautiful to bizarre) OR me standing with the group holding my winning, sakura cupcakes.


But here they are at home, properly staged on their matching cherry blossom platter. As beautiful as they are, the thought of eating all that frosting and fondant makes me ill. I would scrape it straight in the trash. These were for my kids, though...and they loved it!



I had to take a pic of these cupcake wrappers the instructor brought. I'm going to have to go to Jusco and buy my own, since they are personalized and all.

Cupcake Queen...another title to add to my repertoire.

Sobaya Chirugwa (Red Roof Soba)

We have been to (and blogged about) Sobaya Chirugwa before, but never knew its real name. We just always called it Red Roof Soba. We still do. It's easier. You can read our other posts about it here and here. (The kids look so much younger in just a couple of years time!)

Anyway, when we were in Hawaii, poor Jake just wanted to go "home." One day he asked me, "Mom...can we go eat at Red Roof Soba as a family as soon as possible when we get back? You know, to celebrate our return to Okinawa with authentic Okinawan food?" After all that kid had been through, of course I told him we would go ASAP. Well, we kind of forgot about it with all the other travel going on...and Jake reminded us a couple of times before last night.


We finally went, and it was worth the wait.



Coree likes to order the kids plate just to get one of those corn snacks on the left (like a single, giant cheeto with corn seasoning instead of cheese) that we could buy for ten cents at the grocery store. They never question her age, so we just go with it.



I kept looking around at everyone, trying my best to soak it all in.



We are definitely counting down the days we have left as an intact family unit as Troy prepares for his mission.



Coree is counting down the days until she can leave for college.



We ordered some gyoza to share. It is pretty good here. A little on the greasy side, so I only had one.



Then the soba started arriving. Nom, nom, nom.



Cliff, Troy and I ordered the (aptly named) Yummy Combo.



Because of the presentation, it actually looks bigger than it is...



But it is still a lot of food. Starting from the left, (bottom row) a grains-rice mixture, soba noodles with fish and pork; (middle row) a mixture of stewed root vegetables, tofu and a pig's foot, fish and vegetable tempura and dipping sauce; (top row) pickled seaweed and a cabbage and corn salad. I enjoy everything but the pig's foot. Troy eats that while I close my eyes.

Welcome home (late) Jake. We're glad you are back among your people.

Eat, Shop, Laugh (Curry House Paradise)

We had another lovely date night. Our kids had all been to the new curry buffet, Curry House Paradise, but we had yet to eat there, so we gave it a whirl.


It's part of the new section of American Village, Depot Island.



There were many varieties of curry. I tried four of them because I wanted to arrange my plate like they did in their advertisements. Doesn't it look terribly clever? They were all wonderful. I don't even remember exactly what they were, other than a couple of them were chicken, one was pork.



We started with soup and salad, which were also included.



The decor had a very Latin flair (as did the music)...which I was not expecting from a curry place. But if I have learned one thing on Okinawa...it's to always expect the unexpected.



Afterward, we decided to do some window shopping.



And found some very interesting items. I don't know what fruit has to do with waist size...



Or what peace has to do with underwear, for that matter.



Utah is famous. Who knew.



There's even a whole line of CTR clothing!



They should really open up a Wasatch Front location, don't you think?



It even comes in Primary colors!



And on redneck hats, too!



I wonder what kind of music the CTR channel would play?
Give Said the Little Stream?
Popcorn Popping?



Look, Lisa! (I didn't see a Bee's Knees volume, though.)



And as if we needed more hideousness in the world, there is an entire store of Crocs (as opposed to a small rack in the Target garden department, where they belong). This is another store that would do well in Utah, me thinks...judging by the number of children I see show up to church on Sunday wearing these. (Can I get verification from any of my Utah peeps?) Apparently, horrid, brightly-colored, foam is the new leather. For the love of good taste, PLEEZE let this fad pass quickly...along with those horrible sandals that squeak with every step.

Anyway, that was our exciting date night for this week. We give Curry House Paradise four thumbs up. We'll be back, I'm sure.

Bookclub!!!

Does belonging to a book club sound pretentious? How about one that reads the classics? Yeah, I kinda thought so too, but I don't care...these ladies are so awesome. It's not so much about reading the book (although that's kind of essential) it's about the insight you gain and share...and friendships you develop.

To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure how I ended up with an invite to this one...and by looking at us, it's not like we are super-homogenous...other than we're all Mormon. (OK...you're right, that does dictate a certain level of homogeneity right there.) But throw the Mormon thing out, and we are a diverse group of ages, backgrounds and places in life...and I love it! So much so, I imagine myself doing a screening for future members...

"What can you bring to the table? Oh, you are a feminist empty-nester with socialist leanings? No, we already have that one covered. Next..."
"Oh, you're a Southern, widowed teacher? Nope, that slot is filled too. Next!"
"A Latina mother of 5 who served a mission and is into sci-fi?" We've got one of those. Next..."
"Hot, single, blonde scuba instructor/detective who packs heat for her day job? Sorry, try again when ours moves."

I'm obviously just kidding (about excluding people who are too similar...not about the makeup of our group...those details do accurately describe some of our members). I know that everyone is not that one-dimensional, that we all have different perspectives to add, even when we are very similar otherwise...but do you get why I love this group so much?



We're not all pictured here, but I forgot to take more pics as others arrived.



But I did take pics of some of the food.


I should mention, this was part two of The Count of Monte Cristo. So naturally, French food was in order. Last month we had things such as Monte Cristo sandwiches and fancy French pastries. This time, Troy was AWESOME and made creme brulee for me. In two varieties...chocolate and regular. Everything was delicious.

While we ate amazing food, we had a very inspiring discussion on justice vs. mercy...including our experiences with forgiveness. Mostly how freeing it is to forgive. There was much laughter and tears, and at the end of the evening, I felt closer to all of them. Not to mention I was in awe at how brilliant we all are. I think we could have solved the world's problems right there in my living room.

If you are not a member of a bookclub, I would encourage you to find one, or start your own. Feel free to use my interview questions. You're welcome.

Tortilla Factory

Since reading about this place on OkinawaHai, Cliff and I have been eager to try it. We miss Chipotle back in the States...we miss good Mexican food of all kinds, in general...so we are always hopeful when hearing about someplace new. We knew better than to think it was actually going to be as good as Chipotle (for some reason, Mexican food does not translate well here) but we hoped for some resemblance, since Tortilla Factory was patterned after it.

We were helped by the owner or manager and he was very enthusiastic. Two other parties had just left; it was just us in the place so we had his undivided attention. It was sweet how he stood there near our table waiting with anticipation as we took the first bite. We nodded enthusiastically...and by his bowing, I think we were adequately animated for his liking and he returned to the kitchen.



First, document the moment...now let the feeding frenzy begin!



I'm getting hungry again just looking at this. We both opted for the pork carnitas. I would have loved chicken (ala Chipotle), but they use solid pieces of (reheated) chicken, instead of shredded chicken, so I went with the shredded pork. I have texture issues and didn't want to take any chances.



It was super-yummy! Here's a look at the layers inside.

The tortilla soup was also very good. We will go back, for sure. We were correct in assuming it wouldn't be Chipotle, but it was still delicious. Does it sound terrible to say, "Go in with low expectations and you'll be pleasantly surprised?" I know that's not what I'd want reviewers to say about my restaurant, but it's just that when you live near "the border," most of your life and have access to all manner of Mexican food (from large chains to holes-in-the-wall), it's hard to measure up. By Okinawan-Mexican standards, however...this place gets 4 stars!

Hot Date and Sea Side Cafe

I love lazy, weekend, daytime dates! Cliff and I decided to park in a neighborhood near the sea wall and take a walk along the water.


You just never know what you are going to find around here. Exploring never gets old. This is a bar made out of an old bus. See the sign by the door? We were pretty sure the place was abandoned by the looks of it...but you really never know.



Beautiful stained glass...



Interesting architecture...



And of course, fishermen.



We walked from one end of the sea wall, as far as we could down to the other, and then came back for lunch nearer to where we started at the Sea Side Cafe. We've heard rave reviews about this place and were eager to try it. There was a family with wild kids running roughshod over the place inside (it's a very small restaurant) and it felt like they had no AC going, so we did an about face and opted for the front patio seating. It was hard to beat the view. A couple of the other tables on the patio had chillin' dogs tethered to them while their owners relaxed and ate. Combined with the sound and smell of the water, the whole scene was very serene.



A little peek at the menu. While hard to pass on a "Big velly burger"...



I had to go with the number one Smoked Salmon & Avocado (with lemon cream french sauce).

Cliff thought about the classic burger, but rumor has it, it's number two...



So he opted for the fish and chips.

The food was simple, but delicious. I think it's a perfect spot for lunch. They even have (not free) Wi-Fi if you are interested...and it's pet (and apparently kid) friendly.

Easter Traditions 2011

Easter was really late this year...and it's a good thing, too. It gave Jake and I a chance to get home to enjoy it with the family.


Flashing gang signs while waiting for the hunt.



Jake was worried how he was going to find his basket on crutches, so I went easy on him. Turns out the shoe basket was too easy. He found his first.



Coree was next...clever girl.



I'm pretty sure we do the dryer every year. 25% chance you'll find yours there.



Patrick over-thought his. Not that we haven't done the dishwasher, but he was climbing on counters and being ridiculous.



The coat closet was the last place he looked. OK, well...I guess that's true for any place you hide it.



Cliff was thrilled to learn he had a surprise Easter basket and hunted enthusiastically.



Charlotte was hoping for Whiskas. Bummer.



He was a little sheepish that he hadn't gotten me anything...



He needn't be. I was prepared with two of everything. ;^)



Easter basket hunt 2011: Success. Notice the utilitarian baskets? I got rid of the Easter baskets. They took up too much space. These work just fine and are useful more than one day a year.

Next on the agenda? The Jerusalem dinner! Here's some of what was on the menu this year:

lamb and barley
mustard glazed rack of lamb
flat bread
hummus
nuts and dried fruits
asst. cheeses and olives
grape juice

And since we didn't get any honeycomb from my dad this year, Honeycombs will have to do.

This is what it looked like.



The rack of lamb was new this year and it was a huge hit.



Even Coree ate some!



It was so awesome to sit around and listen to everyone rave about how this is their favorite tradition. You know, we try different things, and some stick and some don't...but I'm glad this one did. We don't do everything perfectly, we don't do near as much as some people...but I love the memories we've created...and I love this family so much.



And this guy? He's my hands-down favorite. I couldn't have done it without him.