Black Friday

While I am not a fan of Black Friday shopping, there is another tradition that I strongly follow, decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. This year, although I decorated alone, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

I pulled out the tree and it shed more than any dog I have ever had. I literally had Christmas all over my living room just from the fake pine needles that came off the tree. I decided to have themed trees, the large one decorated in red and gold, and a smaller tree for our bedroom decorated in blue and silver.

Since Alan and I had a Christmas themed wedding, I have many decorations left over that were used and some of those are my favorite, such as the monogrammed table cloth, the poinsettia centerpiece, and the votive holders. A couple years back I had a stocking made for Alan, go Dawgs.

I am a huge fan of icicle lights and bought some to hang on our patio this year. Also I put one of the white Christmas trees also used in the wedding outside. I love to see sparkling white lights. Sometimes I will just shut all the lights off except for the Christmas tree and have a soft glow. I have to say that Christmas is my favorite time of year. It brings happiness, light hearts, and the best music ever. And we cannot forget the whole reason behind this wonderous season, the birth of Jesus.

Happy Thanksgiving

The one day of the year devoted to giving thanks. Luckily, I am often reminded to give thanks, as I am blessed beyond belief! When I sit down to think about the multitude of things I have been given and what has been provided for me, it is simply overwhelming.

I have never wanted for anything in my life, well anything of extreme importance. All my needs, plus more, have been met, plus some. I have never gone without food, shelter, or family. For all this, I thank my one Lord and God, through Him anything is possible! Does He not care for the birds and flowers? Doesn't he do the same, plus more, for us? Thank you Father for blessing me so richly even though I am not always deserving.

I am also so very thankful for my parents, the two very best parents any person could hope or dream for. Providing for me with more than just my basic needs, filling my life with so much love that I bubble over, and being there, whenever I might need them. They support me in any goals I might have, enrich my life with spiritual influence, and have provided an example which I hope to copy in my own life. They have created a family that is so important, only our Father ranks supreme. To Momma and Daddy, I love you and thank you for everything you have done to mold me into the person I am today.

And where could  I be without the rest of my family? My grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, and nephew. Each has supported me, comforted me, helped me grow. I love family dinners when we all get together, the atmosphere of the family alone brings happiness to my heart. I could never take any one of you for granted.

For my friends, the ones I talk to every day, the ones I talk to occasionally, and the ones I rarely see, I haven't forgotten you. Each one of you is dear to my heart, and I love spending time with you. You bring out a part of me that no one else does and keep me being me. Thank you for keeping me real, reminding me who I am, and just being there.

Lastly, I am thankful for my husband. The one who was brought to me through a higher plan and the one who always brings a smile to my face. You always love me, you're always there for me, and you've always been supportive of me. Two years seems to have suddenly flown by and I hope that we will have a long happy life. I cannot wait to see what God has in store!

Christmas time is here...

I love Christmas, everything about Christmas. The music, the smells, the gatherings, the decorations. I can't wait to decorate the day after Thanksgiving (as is tradition in the Middleton household).  I wish I could get a live tree this year, the smell is heavenly.

I downloaded a music album today and listened to it on my morning walk. Manheim Steamroller, to me, screams Christmas. It's not truly Christmas until you've got Manheim Steamroller playing. The second it began playing this morning I thought of Momma, it's her favorite Christmas music and it's about the only music she will listen to at Christmas. Then I thought about how we would be spending Christmas in the orient this year, my first Christmas away from waking up in the morning as a family, opening gifts together, eating breakfast casserole together, going to grandma's together. I'm glad it was cold outside this morning so others couldn't see my eyes getting red.

But then I thanked God for skype, we can still see each other, open gifts together, and eat breakfast casserole together. Then we can get together again when they go to grandma's. I don't know how I would have been able to cope without this wonderful piece of technology.

Although we are half a world away, we still celebrate for the same reasons, we only begin a half a day sooner. While we are away this Christmas, missing many of the things that make Christmas the special holiday it is, we can remember Christmases past and Christmases to come in the future, when we can all be together as a family again.

Washi Paper

Today I took a free class making items with washi paper. It was so much fun! It began by making the structure of the bowl out of cardboard and then tracing the pattern on the washi paper to cover it. Washi paper is a thick, printed paper that is made from the bark of many different plants, including the gampi tree, bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat plants. A special glue is also used to adhere the washi paper to the cardboard made from water, rice, and a traditional glue. I plan to attend the washi classes next month where we will be making other things as well!

Today was also a productive day, accomplishing many things on my to-do list including shopping for the Thanksgiving meal I plan on serving this weekend, checking our mail, and (finally) submitting my substitute application! I will probably not be working for several weeks because of the background check but in the mean time, I already have three babysitting jobs lined up. I'm glad to be getting things done, I always feel better when I have things to keep me busy.

Ebina

Monday evening, Alan and I ventured out with a few of his Navy friends to the mall close-by in Ebina. We went after work and began walking to the train station. As we walked, it began to sprinkle. We stopped at a convenience store where one of our companions bought an umbrella. I thought I would be ok, I didn't fix my hair or anything and the rain wasn't hard, just a sprinkle. Then, before I knew it, I was soaked, water dripping from my head. We ducked into the one hundred yen store, like a dollar tree, and bought an umbrella.

We hopped on a train and went down to the mall, just two stops down by train. We walked around, visiting stores of different varieties, seeing many things. In one store, I finally figured out how the nationals wear their skirts so short.

They're bloomers, to be worn under those short skirts. I was amused by the panda bear bloomers, but they did have just patterned ones for the more modest I guess. But wow! Their skirts are indeed short.

We stopped for food at the food court in the mall, very similar to the food courts we are used to. At this restaurant, they served handheld pizzas (folded in half for easy eating) and rice and pasta dishes. This is what I got, rice covered with curry, topped with shrimp and then finished with melted cheese. It was delicious! After we finished dinner, we meandered over to the Baskin Robbins and ordered popping Christmas ice cream, mint ice cream with pop rocks inside. It was shockingly delicious also.

We finished our evening by visiting a pet store. What a trip! We found the CUTEST puppy, a tri-colored dachshund puppy. He had the most energy and spunk. If it wasn't against the rules, we probably would have bought him on the spot! Also that we left Roscoe and Sweet Pea in the states, we felt kinda guilty for looking at another puppy. But, he was cute.

Yokohama

To all my readers, I apologize for not posting for the last few days. My computer was not syncing up with our internet right and I was having some problems.

On Sunday, we went to Yokohama with a group of five others. It's a city about 45 minute away by train and is bustling with many shoppers. Our first stop was to Landmark Tower. It is a 69 story building that currently houses the second fastest elevator in the world. To reach the top takes about 40 seconds and the elevator reaches a top speed of 750 meters per second. Surprisingly, the ride was very smooth, the only indicator of our going up so quickly was our ears popping! When we got to the top, the view was pretty amazing. If it had been a clear day, I think it would have been more so.

On clear days, it is said that you can see Mt. Fuji easily, and while it was cloudy, we did spot the outline of it. I can't wait to finally see Fuji, it seems that every chance we get I miss it from clouds or something.

After visiting the tower we went to eat inside the mall at a Japanese restaurant. The food was good, though I got something different this time. A bowl of rice with a mixture of chicken and egg on top accompanied by miso soup and cold soba noodles. The soup was great, it is becoming one of my favorites here. The soba noodles came with a small bowl of soy sauce, wasabi, and green onion for dipping and then eating. The chicken and egg bowl was my least favorite, it was very sweet and reminded me of eating a pancake. It was kinda weird.

After eating we ventured to the Roof Garden where we played mini golf! The course here was set up on metal paths, and we quickly found out that you do not stand on the metal. You stand beside it to actually play the mini golf. It was fun nonetheless, we had a good time putting around and smelling the restaurant beneath us.

Mini golf was fun, but we were really craving something else. We went back into the mall and began searching around for our dessert of choice. As we were looking we found a familiar face from the U.S. who is very popular in Japan, let's see if you can guess who he is.

Then we finally found our place of choice. I think I can live here. :) Yummy tiramisu creation, where have you been?

Unsuspected meeting

Alan and I decided that we wanted yet another beef bowl. This time, we wanted to time ourselves to see just how long we had to walk to get there. The result was very surprising: 45 minutes one way. At this rate, we burn off the beef bowl just from walking there and back! In any case, it was delicious.

A couple months ago a picture surfaced on Facebook of my fourth grade class. Many of my old classmates and myself were tagged in it and were able to view the picture. I was curious about where my classmates had ended up and began clicking through each of their profiles to see what they were up to. Surprisingly, I found one classmate who had joined the Navy and was stationed here in Japan. I sent him a message and, sure enough, he was here and had been for a while. We kept messaging on Facebook until Alan and I had arrived but had yet to meet. We figured we would run into each other on base sometime as it is small and crowded.

While Alan and I were eating our beef bowls, at least a two mile walk one way off base, another person came in who was obviously from the base but sat down elsewhere. As Alan and I got up to leave, we recognized each other, my friend from elementary school, and laughed at how we could meet in the beef bowl place in the middle of Japan but not on base where people are practically living on top of each other.

Squadron Picnic

Alan had PT today with his squadron and afterwords the squadron held a picnic. They had hamburgers and hot dogs along with some killer ribs (the sauce on them was awesome). I was hoping to meet some squadron wives today and ended up meeting one. I'm glad I met her though because we had been missing each other and hadn't actually met yet. But I was surprised by the amount of singles there. I guess the Navy would rather send over single people rather than married because for one, it costs less. At the picnic they had the bounce houses for the kids to play in. Those seem to be very popular in the Navy. In Lemoore we saw them everywhere, mostly as the main entertainment of children's birthday parties.


We went for a walk tonight after dinner and I'm glad we decided to. We were just wandering around trying to waste some time and ended up walking by a girl who had been practicing cheer leading moves and had hurt herself. We helped her to her car and waited for someone else to come help her. I felt bad that we couldn't help her more but we have chosen not to have a car.

Thus far, I am very pleased with our decision. I have enjoyed walking around to get places and riding our bikes when we have farther to go. Luckily the weather has been glorious for the last week and a half! Cool, but not cold, and sunny every day. Of course it would happen right after we bought a nice, big umbrella. :)

I applied for a job today at the CDC (child development center) and hope to hear back next week. With my degree I think I am just what they are looking for. I think it will be very similar to my time in preschool, watching the kids play, helping them become socialized, and even teaching them some basics.

Looking up

Alan went back to work today and I continued working on my substitute application. I think it's almost finished, I only need a few papers from Alan. I hope that tomorrow I can turn in my packet and get rolling on the job. I'm not one to sit at home and do nothing all day so I'm hoping this works out. It would also be nice to be in the school again. After so long being away, I am really beginning to miss it.

On a scale of 1 to 10, yesterday was about a 4. Today, it was an 8! I think I have found some friends (if they enjoyed today as much as I did) and I am very excited. We have already made plans for Thursday and one day this weekend. Today we walked around the base trying to get some exercise outdoors since we are having beautiful weather (highs in the 60's and sun shining everyday). Ashlyn has a dog and he is not one for much exercise so he was pushed around in a stroller. It was very cute! After the walk they took me to a home store off base that had everything! Rugs, curtains, pets, hardware, plants. Nicole and I played with the puppies for a little while, finding a few to be exceptionally cute: a mini pincher, a chihuahua, and a weimaraner.

Alan had a good day at work, it was his first day with the whole shop there since we were in class all week last week. He seems to like it fairly well along with some of the people he is working with. Overall I think today was a good day for both of us. Perhaps things are beginning to turn the corner and we are moving into the next stage of adjustment.

Adjusting

I've been kind of homesick this week. I've been dreaming of my "used to be" puppies and random people from back home. It makes living so far away hard, it's not like I can just hop in the car and be back home. But I have been trying to keep myself busy so I cannot dwell on it. In the class Alan and I took last week, the instructor told us that there are four stages of adjustment to a different culture. First the excitement stage where everything seems new and you look upon everything with bright eyes. The second stage is a stage of frustration when you feel you cannot do it, the life is hard and it will be impossible to adjust. The third is gradual adjustment when things begin to feel better and the fourth is complete adjustment.

Today Alan and I decided we wanted to get back into running again. I don't know if any of you have used the Nike Plus sensor, but it is a really cool thing! We bought Alan some shoes and a sensor back in the states and he loves it. You have to buy the special shoes for the sensor but there are several models. The sensor fits down inside the sole of the shoe. It will track how fast you go, how far you go, turn your workouts into a log for referencing, and will even play music to pump you up when you need an extra boost. We bought shoes for me today so Alan and I can run together and both have this tool.

Tonight we went running and it felt great to be out exercising again. After being on leave for a month and not working out in a while you really get to missing it. I think it has helped a little with the adjustment, feeling like life is back to normal. Now if only I can get a job I think things will be much better. I am going to apply to substitute but also look into teaching English to the local Japanese. I have heard this is quite a successful career here.

Also this week Alan and I plan to attend a meeting that brings together Japanese and Americans who are looking to practice their language skills and maybe find a friend. Also, we hope to attend the Conversational Japanese class offered (for free) on base.

Big Buddha

Our last stop during our trip to Kamamura was to the Diabatsu where an old big Buddha is located. It is made of bronze and stands at 13.3 meters tall, it is the second largest Buddha statue in Japan. It was made in 1252 and used to be inside of a large temple which was washed away once by a typhoon and once by a tidal wave in the 14th and 15th centuries.

There were many visitors to the temple the day we went who cam to pray to the Buddha. Since this is such a tourist attraction there is a gift shop where one can buy small replicas of the Buddha, even in candy form on a stick! There wasn't much to see here except for the large Buddha but it was an interesting sight to see nonetheless.

After leaving we meandered the streets back to the train station passing several gift shops and food vendors. One gift shop sold everything from ninja articles (swords and ninja stars), to sweets in the shape of Buddha's head, to porcelain wear, to small figurines. The small cafe we stopped at sold doughnuts topped with ice cream, we ordered a chocolate doughnut with green tea ice cream. The doughnuts are baked and are not as sweet as Americans are used to. The ice cream was delicious, sweet green tea with no bitterness like is often found in the states.

As we neared the the station, we came upon a shop that sold all types of edible items, most made with nuts. Some were easy to determine what they were, glazed almonds, cashews, and such, other items were more difficult to figure out. Luckily, beside each item was a small dish to sample the item. Some of the things had the consistency of malted milk balls with a nut in the middle and were all kinds of flavors. Chocolate, peanut butter, apple, and lemon to name a few. One I tried was wasabi flavored, it was a little unexpected. There were also small granola-like clusters made with ginger and sesame and they were quite tasty.

Finally we got back to our train station and began the trek back to base. On the way is another beef bowl place and since we hadn't eaten a meal since breakfast that day, we stopped in to eat. This time, I got a beef bowl with a side of curry rice. It was rice with the curry, made from several different veggies and the sauce, on the side.  Apparently here, curry is a big item, I know of at least four different place I could get curry just around the base. That curry rice was wonderful! Better than anything curry I have ever had. Alan got the braised pork bowl with a soft boiled egg. You can get the egg soft boiled or raw and you mix it in your dish right before you eat it. Our class instructor from last week told us that this is a common Japanese way of eating.

Hase-dera Temple

The first stop on our trip to Kamakura was to the Hase-dera Buddhist temple. At the train station were a bunch of kids on a field trip (they wore the matching hats!). We decided that they might be going to the Big Buddha and we decided to follow their group. Turns out they were headed to the Hase-dera Temple instead. We decided it would be worthwhile to visit it since it was right there, paid 300 yen a piece, and went in. Our first sights were of a large garden with ponds and walkways for you to explore.Also here is a station to wash your hands with holy water.

At the temple is a large statue (9.8 m tall) carved from the same piece of wood of the goddess of mercy, Kannon, who has eleven heads. There are boxes inside with slats on the top and people would throw yen into the boxes before praying to the goddess. Also, people would not step on the door frames, they would walk up to it and then step over.

Around the temple was a restaurant, a flower vendor, and a couple statues. Everything here is decorated with flowers and bamboo trees. There is a trail called Prosperity Road that continues up the mountain to a small clearing where we could see mountains, the city, and the bay. It was a spectacular view!



The trains!

Kamakura, a city not too far away, is home to many Buddhist temples and the infamous Big Buddha. But to get there, it is most efficient to use the train system. I had never ridden the train before, but it was quite an easy thing to pick up. To help us our first time, our class instructor took the class to the train station and helped us get our PASMO cards,  like a credit card you scan when you enter and exit the train station that you charge with yen. After getting our cards, we went down to the platform and waited only a few short minutes for the next train. We got on and rode to the next stop where we were dismissed to begin our self-led field trip of Japan.

At the major train stations, the signs are bilingual so it was relatively easy for us to get around. There are three types: local, semi-express, and express. The local trains stop at every train station along the way and reach more of the "rural" areas of Japan. The semi-express stop along the bigger stations, skipping some smaller ones. The express stops at the largest stations. The trains are color coded: blue for local, green for semi-express, and red for express.

Some train stations are very large, so large we couldn't find the next train line we needed. We walked around looking for signs and ended up asking a security officer who led us to the place. When you reach the platform, you look for the time table. It lists what time the trains run by the minute and has a different schedule for weekends/holidays and weekdays. The blue side is the weekday and the red is the weekend/holiday. Also, the numbers are written in blue/black, green, or red to specify what type of train it is.

When boarding the train, you wait until others have gotten off and then quickly get on because they only hold the doors open for about twenty seconds. While on the train, it is polite to be quiet, talking very softly, and not talking on your cell phone at all. We actually saw a man who had a train officer speak to him because he was talking on his phone. Also, there are women only cars for women who travel alone and want a different environment to ride in. But, the train system is very safe. Kids use the train to get to school every day, riding alone at the age of 6. Today we even saw a few kids riding in the trains by themselves.

Oh, we found the gorilla. :)

The Gorilla

So in Georgia, when we wanted directions to somewhere in Marietta, often the instructions would include something about the "big chicken". For those who are unfamiliar with the big chicken, it is a KFC resturant that is built in the shape of a big chicken. The eyes move around in a circle and the mouth opens and closes.

Apparently, there is a similar device used for giving directions here: the gorilla. Alan and I have yet to see the gorilla but I am excited to finally see it.

In class today, we learned more about the Japanese culture. Some interesting facts. They have more Western style weddings rather than their traditional wedding. You can also rent dresses here instead of buying them but it still costs around $3000, just to rent! They use the Chinese number system along with several of their own. The words for the numbers 4 and 9 have alternate meanings of "death" and "pain" so tall buildings will not have 4th or 9th floors. (Hospitals will not have rooms 4 or 9 either.) If you are visiting someone in the hospital, you are supposed to bring cut flowers instead of a potted plant. Since a potted plant lives longer, they will take that to mean you wish their stay in the hospital will be a long one.

We learned about different types of food today as well. I cannot remember the names of them all but there are several that Alan and I hope to try. One dish is made with noodles and squid with the squid ink being part of the sauce. Apparently it is supposed to taste similar to garlic with a hint of "sea flavor". I would like to try the different types of noodles: ramen, soba, and udon. I have heard that there are several ramen shops close to the base but the ramen at each place tastes different. One resturant gives you your meat and veggies and you cook it by dipping it into the hot water provided. A dish known as yakitori is chicken cooked on a stick like a shish-kabob. I hope that I can learn to make dumplings or pot stickers while I am here because those are one of my favorites.

Konnichiwa!!

We are continuing our class and today, I think, the most exciting part was being taught some of the Japanese language. We learned basic words like hello, goodbye, thank you, and please (there are two!) We learned that the Japanese language only has 107 sounds where as the English language has over 2,000.  That's why they use "r" in the place of "l" because their language has no "l" sound, for example: "engrish" and "harroween". The language also has no "f" so Mt. Fuji is pronounced "Mt. huji".

We also learned that they use the Roman alphabet as well as their three alphabets. On signs, you can often see the Japanese and underneath the Roman spelling of their word. They spell by sounds using the Roman alphabet along with their pronunciation so Alan's name would be "Aran" (remember no "l") and my name would be "Kaeterin". We had fun trying to figure out how our names were spelled and then attempting to write it using Japanese!

This evening Alan made me dinner (well he fixed some for him too) and then we sat down to practice some of our newly acquired Japanese. While he was fixing dinner, I began working with our computer program to learn some more Japanese. I like learning it in class better because they tell you what each word means. The computer program just shows pictures and the picture words, but then turns the picture word into a sentence and I can figure out the meaning but not what each word means.

We hope that we can meet a couple or family who are native Japanese to become friends with. Everyone who has talked to us so far has said that the Japanese family they hooked up with has become some of their best friends! The natives love to come on base and receive American food and gifts. There is an association we can join where both Americans and Japanese come together and visit. The Japanese want to practice their English and will help you practice your Japanese.

I also had my first bite of a Cinnabon cinnamon roll today. Yum! It was glazed with a pecan sauce. I'm glad I just tasted and didn't buy my own! There is a Cinnabon in the food court on base along with a Taco Bell which is apparently a favorite among the native Japanese (and the American alike!)

Oyasumi nasai! (Goodnight)

New Furniture and The Daiei cont.

It's finally here! The sofa and love seat that Alan and I would visit the Nex just to drool over. I am so in love with them! Now our living area looks warm and inviting, I only need a couple more lamps, some end tables, and an ottoman to finish the look.

Today we were scheduled to take a class sponsored by the Navy as an introduction to the base and the surrounding areas. As we walked to class, I spotted a little native Japanese creature that looked interesting.

Back to the Daiei, I had another picture I wanted to share. Inside, there is a bakery, like in most grocery stores, that bakes cakes and other goods. As Alan and I walked in, there was a display case of Christmas cakes. I am guessing since there were so many Christmas cakes in that display that the Japanese do celebrate during the holiday season. Now I am unsure of how many Christians are around since the two main religions of Japan are Buddhism and Shinto-ism. In any case, these cakes were decorated in a very Japanese style.

Before you can move from a specific level of the Daiei, you must pay for your goods, but it's easy to remember because the registers are beside the esclators used to travel up and down. :) Here, your purchase is rung up and an amount of yen is requested. If change is necessary, the yen you are giving the cashier is placed into a basket on the side of the register while the cashier counts your change. (Or in this case, the register counts the change. It was really neat seeing the correct amount spit out like at an atm.) Only after you have received your change does the yen you gave go into the register.

The Daiei

Yesterday we took a trip to the Daiei. It's like a shopping mall but the store is four stories tall. The bottom floor was a grocery store and had many foods that Alan and I didn't even recognize! There was a wide variety of mushrooms, at least five different kinds, and all fresh and delicious looking. As we were leisurely walking along, I began to notice that one whole refrigerated section was devoted to noodles and dumplings.

Their meat selection was interesting, different cuts of beef and pork and a wide selection of fish, even more than the beef! Most of the fish we recognized and couldn't believe the price on. A good amount of clams was only a few dollars. We also spotted octopus. I'm not quite sure what to do with that.

As we went up the stairs at the Daiei, we found clothing, bedding, kitchen wares, games, and bikes. We had come to see about bike baskets so that we could ride our bikes around the base instead of walking. Luckily, Alan found one for his bike. My bike on the other hand needs a rack for the basket and we have to do a little more investigating to get a basket on there.

We also ate at Yoshinoya again, this time mixing it up a little. We got beef bowls that were mixed with noodles and a hunk of tofu. Now usually I am not a fan of tofu but this tofu was the best tofu I have ever tasted. It had a rich flavor that complimented the beef. This time we added miso soup to our dinner and I added a small salad. It looked like a cabbage and carrot salad and I was hoping for a ginger type dressing. To my surprise, it was coleslaw! Plain coleslaw like you would find in the States mixed with a little mayo and lemon juice.

After our trip we relaxed at home until the trick-or-treaters arrived. We only had a few knock but I still gave away most of our candy. For dinner I decided to cook fried rice to go with the dumplings we bought at the Daiei. Those dumplings were delicious! I'm not exactly sure what was in them but man were they good!