Remebering my Thanks

I read a blog from a very smart girl this am as I was lying in bed. She reminded me of the reason behind this holiday. The holiday blues have already begin to sink in as I knew they would. Being so far from family really is awful when the holidays and special occasions roll around. However, today I am going to remember to give thanks for what I do have and not dwell on the things that I do not have. Get ready because the list is long....
Thank you, Mom, for always being there for me and for listening to me complain about this place. Thank you for stressing out over us getting our gifts in time (even though I told you not to worry.) Thank you for picking up the phone and for missing us as much as we miss you!
Thank you, Rob, for putting up with me. This place has brought out the worst in me, and you have been right there telling me it has to get better. Thank you for giving me your coat on the walk home from the ball only to be punished for it later. You are a true gentleman! Thank you for being an amazing dad to our three kids. Who would have known that in 2001, we would be here now?? You are my rock here, and I am forever thankful for you. Parker told me this am that he is thankful for the marine corps, because they defend our flag. You are a part of that, and I am thankful for your bravery, courage, commitment, honor, loyalty to your men, and patience with the military.
Thank you, Erica, for being an amazing sister. Thank you for running to Wal-Mart to score a bargain for me since I don't have access to those stores here. Thank you for being a great aunt to my kiddos and for giving me the most beautiful niece ever! Thank you for coming to see me in March!!! I am counting down the days!
Thank you to my kiddos who literally keep me going and busy on a daily basis! I can't imagine my life without them, and I love watching them grow! They are amazing and bright and beautiful! Bella is so smart and always full of interesting, crazy facts. Parker loves to run outside and always notices the little things, and Cooper is just a happy little man who CAN throw some crazy tantrums! They love me unconditionally, and I love just them the same!
Thank you, Joy, for the kind heart and soul that you have! You put together the most amazing packages to remind us that you love us and are thinking of us. We all get excited when a box comes in the mail. It makes this place a little more bearable. I try to pay it forward as much as possible as a thank you for all that you do!
Thank you, Amber, for keeping me in the loop on everything and making me laugh! It can feel very lonely here, and I often feel out of the loop on things. However, you always catch me up on the happenings. I am thankful that you stay up so late...it allows us to visit! I am also thankful for those 2 precious girls who my kiddos adore!!! I can't wait to see them again!

Thank you, Rick, for being an amazing stepdad and loving my kids as if they were your very own! You are the perfect match for my mom!

Thank you, Gin, for your witty comments on our facebook chats! You always make me laugh!
Thank you, John, for always thinking of us. It makes me happy to know we are in your thoughts even when we are so far away.
Thank you, LuLu, for just being an amazing lady!!! Plain and simple..hands down...class act!!! I also love that you are on facebook also and leave sweet comments all of the time!
Thank you, Amanda, for letting us use your HBO GO. lol. I know you are so busy with work, and yet you use your spare time to do for others. I love your two beautiful kids and love watching them grow...even thru pics! Can you please work on posting more? :)
Thank you, Bob and Sylvia, for raising an amazing man. He is more than I deserve, and I know that it is all because he had two great parents.
Thank you, Dad, for the man you have become.
Thank you to all the rest of my family, who I am sure I have forgotten, for being supportive on this move and always looking out for us!
Thank you to my new friends I have made here. It is crazy how fast you make friends when you are in the military, and some of these friends become like family to you! Thank you, Michelle, for being the friend here who understands and never pretends that this place is amazing! I am blessed to have been invited to one of these friend's houses today, and she is even doing most of the cooking...as we all know, I don't cook! Thank you, Jennifer!
I am thankful, God, that you have given me all of these blessings and more that I know I have left out. I am healthy, my family is healthy, and we are provided for all because of You. I know there is a reason You have sent us here. Although, I am not sure what the reason is yet....I will try to embrace it and make the best of it.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and may you all have a blessed day and remember your "thanks."

Hiroshima Trip

Well, Rob finally had a day off so we went to Hiroshima to do some shopping. We started at Costco. I went to get a membership, and the lady helping me spoke English very well. It made the process very easy. When I went to pay for the membership,  I had a Japanese guy but the lady that had helped me was standing next to him. He was talking and I was shaking my head saying yes like I always do. Afterwards, she said did you understand anything he just said, and I said no, not a word. She started laughing and said she was the same way when she was in the states. It turns out she was married to an American and lived in Idaho for 7 years. Interesting story. Next, we went on the search for a Starbucks and ended up in a very cool area that I can't wait to go back to. There were lots of American stores and some neat Japanese ones as well. Towards the end of our trip, these Japanese girls came rushing up and wanted to touch our kids hair. The kids were good sports until one asked for a hug from Parker. He refused and went to hide behind a sign. Cooper waved and did his cute Cooper thing, but he got tired of it after about two minutes also. Lol. Bella was with a whole different group of girls who wanted to take their pictures with her. I missed all of this bc I was with Cooper. She was a good sport. She said they put their arms around her and she flashed them the peace sign for the picture. One girl asked her where she was from. When she told her Texas, the girl said oh cowboy. Lol. It was a good day, and I made some fun purchases. 

There were some amazing arrangements. 

We found it, and it was soooo good!!!

This recently opened. It was soooo...crowded in there that overalls only looked on one floor. I got some cute sweaters though. 

Bella found her favorite store! 

The following are pictures of a display in one of the shopping centers. All of the pieces are made out of Legos. 

These tell what the display is a replica of. 

Sweet brothers! 

We found some really cool stores, and I bought this Togo in the kid's playroom. 

Cool Ferrari parked on a random side street. 

Pre-birthday outing

Rob and I went to dinner Sat night to celebrate my upcoming birthday. I love the food at this place. It is probably the only place I can say I truly love here. Afterwards, we went to the little casino on base. In 5 min I won 269.00, so we called it a night and went home to our babies. Here are some pictures. 

These are the lockers where you leave your shoes at the entrance. 

The shirt part of the no shirt, no shoes, no service is the only rule that stands here. 

Our short tables. 

When you order tea, you get this to put in it. No sweet and low or sugar...not that great, ya-ya. 

I had to ask for a fork. They kind of giggled when they brought it back to the table. 

They closed us in.. We were not sure why they closed us in. Lol. 

You cook your own food. 

Our layout. 

The cooking process. 

The dessert. It was amazing!!!! 

Part of the tiny casino.

What I won in 5 min. Goodnight! :)

Birthday from my mom

So, I received a box from my mom that had my birthday gift inside. I was told not to open it until my birthday, and then my mom told me it would make me cry. It was a tiny box, so I knew it must be jewelry! What girl doesn't love jewelry!?! So, today is my birthday, and I wanted to open it by myself when I could enjoy the moment and cry if needed. I went for a walk this morning, spent a couple of hours on the phone with my mom, and rocked Cooper to sleep. Then, I got down the gift and went to the recliner to open it. She wasn't wrong. I cried the minute I read the card, and the tears are still flowing. I have wanted to cry all day, and the love and thought of this gift was too much! Before I left Texas, my mom, my sister, and I all made these bracelets. My sister and I got ones with wings on them that say take flight. It represents the wings our mother gave us to go out and live our lives with the families we have made. So, with that being said...here is the gift...

The top locket has Bella's birthstone, Parker's birthstone, and blue baby feet for Cooper. The flag represents Robbie. The bottom locket has a charm for aunt and sister. The guitar represents my step-dad, and the wings are my mom. I will cherish this gift always and can't wait to show it off!!! Thank you, Mom!!! I needed a good cry. :)

Friend

I have a friend here. A good friend. We have bonded over this awful move. She got here the same time I did. She is still waiting on her things to get here. She has a house with loaner furniture. They started trying to track her stuff a couple of days ago. They found out today that their stuff has not even left storage in California. For some reason it was never sent. Then, they were told it would be 120 days before it gets here. Can you even imagine? They don't have anything but what came in their suitcases! They have no winter clothes, no Christmas tree (this is very sad to me as we all have to spend Christmas here without our extended family and you want it to be special,) and none of their furniture or pictures or anything. I'm telling you all of this so you can please keep them in your prayers. My heart breaks for her. I can't imagine dealing with that extra stress! 

Aside from that bummer news, it has been an ok day. I'm still running...Or trying. The kids will be doing a color run at the end of their running program and I want to do it with them. Here is a pic of some fisherman I saw on my run this morning. 

And to end in a happy note, Cooper found another hiding spot...

Mail Time

We received several packages today. Mail makes us all excited. :) we feel blesses to have people who love us enough to not only fill these boxes for us but to make the awful trip to the post office to mail them to us! We also received a letter from the sweet older lady who lived across from us in San Angelo. I have to admit her letter made me sad as I remember the tears on her face the day we took her a lamp shortly before we left that she had mentioned wanting and the look of sadness as she brought the kids a washer set she had made them. I love that lady! 

It doesn't look like it, but Cooper is smiling. Lol. 

Fun box full of treats...game night is in our future!

Thank you for the nail goodies!!

More birthday! 

This was the ending to the letter Rob and I received. 

And this one was to the kids. She is so sweet, and Parker seriously adored her. He would go to her house and just sit and color. She mentions in the letter that she sees their pictures everyday on her ice box ( Parker asked me what an ice box was.) She also said that the swing in her backyard is waiting on them. Oh how my heart aches! 

Two in One Day

We went into town today just to get out of the house. We happened upon a restaurant that had hamburgers, so we decided to give it a whirl. They were good! There was also a little Jack Johnson playing when we walked in the door...that's always a good sign! 

Changing subjects, we had to leave our dining room table behind for fear it wouldn't fit in the houses here. We finally got a new one. There is nothing on the walls yet, but hopefully that will change this week. I wanted some fall leaves to put around this candle thing but no such luck here...off to amazon to look for some. :)

Outside of the restaurant. 

You push these when you need anything...even to order. It took us awhile to figure that one out. 

Waving to the Japanese people. 

He thinks he is big!

Yummmm....

Amber and Amanda, do you remember these sticker displays when we were little?!? 

And here is the table. It can extend out and we have two more chairs if anyone wants to come visit! :)

Still here...

Well, yes of course I am still in Japan but I am also still in the blogging world. Life is still happening here in this foreign place, but I miss my friends and family in the states terribly. We had Parker's birthday party yesterday. He had a blast but said he wished he could open his presents with YaYa and everyone. That breaks my heart. Here are a few random pictures from my phone. I'll post birthday pictures some time this week. 

This little old man was so cute. 

I thought these little boys were so cute in their yellow hats. They start school so young here!