A Little Bit of Texas in Japan

Yesterday, I received some hair color from my mom, and I was so excited!! They have like 5 choices here, and I'm nervous to have anyone here color it, so I have to rely on my peeps in the states to send me some. 

So, that leads me up to today. It was a good day. I have no more grey hair!! Thanks, Mom! Then, we went to get my van. I swore I would never drive a minivan, but it is the most practical vehicle here for our family. It is nice and it was cheap. I have to remind myself it is only temporary. Lol. Then, we went to check the mail and found a Texas shaped basket full of Texas goodies. Made the day complete!! Thank you to Joy and her family for the thoughtful gift! 

Bella said he day was better, and she has an orthodontist appointment on Monday. Braces here are on a point system and are free. If they don't think she needs them, then she can't get them until we return to the states which would be awful because she would be in high school. She had an appt with the dentist today for his evaluation, and he made her an appointment with the orthodontist so she made it past the first step. Yay!!  

Thank you all for your continued prayers on this crazy journey we call life!!

Our Texas treats.

My minivan. This is what 4,000 will get you in Japan. ;)

The inside. It has a DVD player in the front....not real sure why. Lol. 

Lots of room and the back up mirror. Those are very common here. ;)

Quick update

We have been busy moving in. I really hate unpacking and putting away. I want it all done now, so I wear myself out. I have done something to my back and am hoping it is just a pulled muscle. Our friend, Jennifer, offered to keep the kiddos Saturday night so we could go to dinner for Rob's birthday. We took her up on the offer with the older two, but Cooper was cranky so we took him with us. We met up with the guy who Rob is taking over for and his wife. They are leaving next month, and I am so jealous! We went to a restaurant where you choose the meat you want, and they bring it to you raw with vegetables and rice. You can cook it on a small grill at the table. The food was amazing! The only part I disliked was having to take my shoes off at the door. That is gross to me. 

Bella starts 6th grade tomorrow. Oh where has the time gone? She is such an amazing girl with the ability to conquer the world!  I feel so guilty that she is not starting school with her friends in San Angelo. She made them all bracelets today. I sure hope they miss her as much as she misses them. Why does this have to be so hard? I hope we are doing the right thing. Please pray for her to have a great first day and a wonderful school year. 

We went to town for a bit today to find trashcans. We had no luck finding them on base. I mean, really?! We did find some and a few other odd things. I took some pictures. I hope they are as funny to you as they were to me. 

Bella said, "Mom, they have blue Birks."

Not really, I think they were rubber. Lol.

In case you ever wondered what a coke zero in Japan looks like. 

I mean what a brilliant idea. Half hat, half cloth. Bella thought it was hilarious! 

How can this not make you laugh?! It cracks me up every time I look at it. 

I don't know...??? The kids thought it was funny. 

Our stuff is here!!

You read that right!! We get our house tomorrow, and our stuff is here. It will be delivered in the morning, so we don't have to use loaner furniture and borrow sheets, towels, pots and pans!! It's the little things, right?! We went to a few stores out in town yesterday while the power was out, so here are a couple of pics of that. 

These are the carts. Cooper kind of liked it. Lol.

Here is your diaper selection. I think I stick to buying on base. 

And...an ice cream machine. Pretty yummy. 

I did it!!!

We had to go pick up Rob's car today and go pay for mine, so I had to drive out in town. Now please remember I haven't driven at all since we have been here, and my first time was in town. I was sweating like crazy, but I did it!! One more thing down, but I still don't want to do it again. Lol. 

Bella said she was scared to ride with me. Lol. 

Rob's new ride. This is what 2300.00 in Japan will get you. Not bad. 

The inside. Seriously, the Japanese take very good care of their cars! 

Riding in the back seat. Bella was at Vacation Bible School. 

One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back

So, today is one of those days that I am ready to pack my bags and go home! We realized last night that we were low on baby wipes, so we went to the commissary only to see that they were closed. So we went to the exchange and the mini marts. They didn't have wipes either. I mean, really?! Did I mention the commissary is closed today? Then, Cooper fell off of a chair and his mouth was bleeding everywhere. We took him to the er where they thought he needed stitches. He tore that thing in your mouth above the top of your front teeth. The pediatric dentist said it would heal on its own, so no stitches were necessary. The doctor in the er thought he needed to tell me that I need to make sure I watch him. You know because I don't watch my kids. I let them run crazy and jump off of things and fall off of things all of the time (sense my sarcasm?) Then, today Rob texts me to tell me that the hotel where the military put us on base took 950.00 out of our account. We have not received any of the dislocation allowance or per dime that we are suppose to get, but they are real quick to take their money. Sigh....I want to come home where I can buy what I need at the stores and not have to worry about living in a hotel room with none of our things. 

Our First Adventure Out in the City

Well, we did it. We left the comforts of base and headed out in to town. Rob drove us to the train station where we parked and walked to the train. There was some sort of kids game set up in the area where you get your tickets. Bella and Parker went to play and the security guy was taking pictures of them. I guess it is odd for Americans to be playing their game. Lol. They were very nice to the kids and gave them prizes!

We bought our tickets and boarded the train. We rode it to the mall and then got off in the search for food. I ordered Parker's food and was so proud that I did it with hardly any questions despite the language barrier. He got chicken nuggets, french fries, and what we thought was a coke. He took a big drink of his "coke" only to find out it was iced coffee. Yuck!! Lol! Once we were done with lunch, we went on the hunt for the Gap! We found it! Yay! Then, we ran across some crazy looking guy in a space suit. Kids were lined up to take their picture with this guy. He must have been important. Lol. The restrooms had very fancy toilets that played music and had a bunch of other buttons. Bella said she pushed the orange colored button. I asked her what it did, and with a confused look on her face she told me it sprayed water. Haha! 

We decided to leave the mall and head to Hiroshima Peace Park. We got back on the train and then a bus. It was such a site to see. I took so many pictures with my actual camera that I will have to upload once we get our computer here. It was unbelievable. There is a dome there that they left just the way it was after the bombing. There are so many memorials around the park that will take your breath away. The Japanese pray at these memorials. It is amazing to me how they still honor the victims of that horrific day. We also went to the museum which I recommend to those who are fortunate enough to visit here. I must also add that everyone wanted to touch Cooper. He was smiling and waving to them all. We decided it was time to head back, so we grabbed some Starbucks and got back on the bus and then the train. We finished the night with Rob and I eating some curry and the kids eating McDonalds. It was a good day. The Japanese people are so very nice and helpful. We had very little problems trying to communicate to them what we were trying to say. Bella shocked me when she said in Japanese, "excuse me" and "thank you very much." Where did she learn that? Lol. 

Oh ,and today is mine and Rob's anniversary. We both forgot. Our life is crazy right now. However, we had an amazing day with our family, and that's all that matters.

Driving in town for the first time.

One of their prizes from the game at the train station. 

Their first ride on a train in Japan. 

Udon noodles. Bella loves these and said we had to try them. I wasn't as impressed, but they were ok.

Fancy, I tell ya.

The Hiroshima dome that was destroyed by the bomb.

This last picture was taken looking out a window of the museum. 

Happy to have found McDonalds!!

The restaurant where Rob and I had dinner. Everyone raves about it. Maybe I didn't get the best thing because I wasn't  in love after eating it. Oh well. I'll try again. 

I survived a week!!

I'm behind on posts. Yesterday was not too exciting. Bella went to dance class, and she was awesome! Then, we were going to venture out with two other families to dinner in town. We walked to a small restaurant that everyone raves about. It was full and couldn't fit us all in there. The owner ran out of the restaurant apologizing and bowing. Wow...that's customer service. Then, we went to another restaurant and there was not enough room for us there either. So, we went back on base for Mongolian night. It was pretty cool. U picked all of the meats and veggies that you wanted and then they weighed it. You paid based on the weight, and then u added the sauces, pasta, and rice that you wanted. Then, you took it outside where they cooked it on big grills. It was yummy and a lot of food. 

Today, Rob found a car!! Yay!! We should be able to get it on Wednesday. Now, I have to find one. There is a marine here who has been here before and he goes out of his way and takes you into town to find you the best deal. We owe him big time when this car mess is over. I seriously cannot express the gratitude I have for the amazing people here. Debra has bent over backwards to drive me places, watch my kids, and make us feel at home. Our future neighbor offered to let us use her husbands van while he is gone. I mean, amazing!!! I hope I can repay them and pay it forward one day as well. Debra also took me to a Japanese store to look for a kitchen table. Their furniture is so small. I'll post some pictures that I took. 

Before the food was cooked.

The cooking process. 

Afterwards. Geez, that's a ton of food!

These tables are sooo little! 

Random birds on our walk in search of a restaurant.

At the first restaurant we attempted to eat dinner. 

And, for your enjoyment...Parker's creation this evening. 

Short but sweet

It has been one of those afternoons, so this will be short. I am happy to report that we got a house. We move in next Friday. I hope our stuff is here by then. It is a 4 bedroom townhouse that has been renovated! Yay! I should have taken some pictures today. I'll get better at this, I promise. 

Parker is signed up for soccer, Bella starts contemporary dance tomorrow, and Rob takes his drivers license test. I'll take mine Friday. 

Ill post a picture of our tour guide. She was so funny. She kept talking about octopus balls in the briefing, and everyone was laughing. Childish, I know, but it was funny coming from her.

We had dinner provided for for us the last two nights....things are looking up. 

Day 3:

Today was another hot day in Japan. Rob is getting sick, and all of our schedules are still so off. We all wake up between 4 and 5 am, so by 3:30 in the afternoon, everyone is super cranky! We had to get out to go get cell phones. There is only one carrier here, and they rip you off big time! There are all of these rules...you can only call people with the same carrier for free before 9:00 pm. After that it costs you money. It also costs you extra to call anyone that has a different provider or to call any landlines. So basically, our cell phones are for Rob and I to call one another and to text. Lol. They are not cheap either. We pay for two phones what we paid for three phones in the states. On well....I feel better having a phone in case someone does need to reach me for an emergency. Oh, I almost forgot to mention. I got excited when the lady told us we got a free gift with our cell phones. She pulled out two boxes of curry rice. I could barely keep a straight face.
After getting our phones, we went to the food court. They have a Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and a Chinese/Japanese food place in there. Rob and I wanted Chinese food. He asked them for an egg roll, and they looked at him like he was crazy. Lol. They gave us two little things that tasted somewhat like an egg roll.....guess that is not what they are called here. Who knew?!
We then hiked back to our rooms in this scorching heat. A lady driving by stopped and asked if we were new here. Yes, we responded and it is so hot. She said I figured you were because you are walking. It is a great bonding experience. Welcome to Iwakuni! Thanks, lady! I thought she was going to offer us a ride! :(
Well, I'm sad to report that I still want to go home, and I really want to hear my mom's voice! So, Mom, if you are reading this....can you please get an apple product ASAP so we can FaceTime! Praying for a better tomorrow!

Here goes nothing. My aunt suggested I keep a blog of this journey in order to look back and see how far we have come. I hope that this blog isn't always about how awful I feel about living here and how bad I want to go home, but today it is.
We left all of my family and friends on Tuesday and headed for Seattle. My babies and I cried for a good 30 min to an hour. My heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest. I did not want to take them away from the people that they love and the life that they know, but I had to stay by my husband's side and follow along. We were in Seattle for a day and a half. We had a good time there and saw a lot of interesting sites while we were there. Thursday, at 5:00 am, we were off to the airport again, and the tears started to flow. How do I explain to my 5 year old and my 11 year old the reason that we are leaving our beloved USA and moving to another country? They do not understand the reason. We were on a plane for 10.5 hours and then got off of the plane for 1.5 hours to sit in a hot terminal on a base with nothing for the kids to do. Then back on the plane for another 1.5 hours. I was so glad to land and be done with planes. We went thru customs, gathered our luggage and headed to the hotel room. After we were in the room, reality set in and I cried really hard. We had no phones, no car, no drivers license, no Internet, no bathtub for the baby (only a shower), and no family anywhere close by. Oh and it was very hot and humid, and the people were driving on the wrong side of the road. I knew this before we got here, but once I saw that I was going to have to relearn everything, I became terrified. I wanted to tap my heels and repeat there is no place like home in the hopes that I might wake up back in Texas. I crawled into bed and cried myself to sleep.
That brings us to today. I woke up feeling drained and cried some more. I posted how I was feeling on Facebook and got some amazing, supportive responses. I have to try and stay positive for my kids. I am trying...really I am. We ventured out and got some good laughs at the strange things we saw. A friend who I knew from SC came and took the two older kids and I out into town and to the store. It was exciting to see a new and different culture. I must admit it put a spark under me to want to get out and see some more. Oh, I must also mention that this same friend met us at the airport yesterday and took us to a place to let the kids run for a bit, and she brought me some yummy homemade salsa today (a girl after my own heart.) Our fridge was also stocked with food from Rob's co-workers which was amazing. I am so very grateful for these people.
I know this will get easier, but as I get ready for bed tonight, I still wish I could send us back to Texas with a click of my heels.