Busy busy busy day

Whew! John and I are finally in from a completely full day. We went to the Navy Exchange to sign up for Japanese cell phone service....let me tell you...that was suprisingly difficult. There was hundreds of pieces of paper to sign and read. The cell phone plans were ridiciously restricitve and expensive. We walked away with a white iPhone 4 (free with the two year plan) and an HTC Android. We have unlimted calling to each other from 1am to 9pm and then after that it's about 50 cents a minute. We can't text anyone that's not on SoftBank carrier (it's $1 a text if we do) and if we call anyone who's not with SoftBank it's 50 cents a minute...oh and we can't call the US. We mainly got these phones to contact each other and our friends here in Japan. Per month for all that it's about $150. Thank goodness we have Magic Jack so that our friends and family can call us anytime at a US number and we can call them for free.

Then we went to the NEX Outdoor Center and bought bicycles and all the accesories the base requires. We were able to bike back to the hotel and it was much easier than walking. We also saw Wylee this morning. He's okay. He's stressed at the kennel, but hopefully that stress will wear off as he has to be there until the fall.

Okay, that's all for now.

Having a blast

Hello again! I updated the blog title to Adventures in Yokosuka as now that I'm officially here, it's an adventure. Above is a picture of me holding up two of the drinks I've tried. The green one is green tea. The delightful thing about green tea drinks here is that there is no added sugar....it's just brewed green tea served cold and it is wonderful.
The second drink is called Aquarius. I mistakengly thought it was water, but it's more of a carbonated drink with lemon....like a soda water with lemons and maybe sugar? It's hard to say. John and I went food shopping this morning and bought a bunch of noodle bowls. Since we're staying in the Navy Lodge for about 3-4 weeks, it's best we have food on hand instead of trying to eat out for every meal.

The NEX (Navy Exchange Store) near the Navy Lodge has a lot of grocery items and takes our debit card without charging an overseas usage fee. So, this is good news. They also have hot breakfast plates. John had Spam and eggs and rice this morning (I know it sounds gross, but it was delicious). I had a breakfast sandwich with a green tea\ and coffee.

Okay, that's all for now. :)

First night completed..

Well, John and I have completed our first night in Japan. We struggled to stay awake until 10pm and then passed out. We had to wait at the airport for 4 hours while the military arranged a bus to Yokosuka. With all of the evacuee's returning, the regular process they follow is thrown off.

We met John's sponsor at the place the bus dropped us off on base. He took us to the kennel to drop off Wylee and then to the hotel. There was a huge line at check-in and by the time we made it to our room we were exhausted.

John and I both used our Japanese in the airport and we're looking forward to using more of the language tonight when we go off base and explore an area called "The Honch"....this area is popular for drinking sailors and apparently is not the best place to drink (not crime-wise, but sailors be acting stupid) but it's right outside of base, so we're going to go explore.

We've got yen in our pocket and today we go get cellphones. So I'll update more later. Going to get cellphones today!

We made it!

We made it to Japan! We are currently sitting in the Tokyo Narita Airport waiting for transport to the Naval Base (a three hour bus ride). Then from there I'm not sure what's supposed to happen. I'm looking forward to chilling out in our Navy Lodge room because I am TIRED. I have a crazy case of jet lag. I slept a good amount on the plane, but when it's 5pm where you are and it's 3am where you were....it's hard to convince your mind and body to get on the same page.
So far John and I have seen an import brochure that included an anime girl riding a banana and a man with a parachute made of meat. Not sure what that was all about, but John and I had a good giggle over the overtly silly Japanese brochure.

I've also grabbed some salted and dried seaweed to eat (I love seaweed) AND John and I both have been drinking some fantastic green tea that's made with toasted rice. The wonderful part is is there's no added sugar, so it's just a great green tea taste.

Okay, that's all for now. Will update more later.

In San Francisco

I am in the San Francisco Airport an hour away from boarding our flight to Tokyo. We woke up at 4am this morning and rushed ourselves and Wylee to the airport. We really cut it close with timing. Our flight began boarding at 7am and we were at the gate by 6:45am. Putting a pet on board a plane takes a lot of time and coordination on behalf of the airline.

Now we're waiting for our flight to Tokyo to board. Tornados hit near my parents house yesterday evening. I was really worried about them, but my mom says everything is okay there. This is good news. They are without power, though so hopefully that gets resolved soon.

I can't believe we're headed to Japan! See you late blog. I'll update the first chance I get. My cellphone will be very expensive to operate in Japan (international roaming charges and all) so it will remain off until I can figure out something.


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Location:W Field Rd,San Francisco,United States

Just chilln' in Houston

Hey look! It's me in the Houston Airport looking super tired because I've been up since 3am and missed my flight to San Diego! Hooray! Okay, it's not as bad as it sounds. I did wake up at 3am to catch a 6:30 am flight (we left the house at 4:15 and got to the airport at about 5am). The weather in Huntsville was terrible causing them to ground all planes at the airport. We finally took off at about 7:30am putting me in Houston well after my plane left Houston for San Diego.

I was lucky enough to be one of the first people off the plane in Houston and I went directly to the customer service center. They booked me the next available flight to San Diego, which boards at 2:55pm and gets to San Diego around 4:20pm. Right now it's about 10am....so I'm just hanging out until then.

In true fashion, I've created a time table for waiting at the airport for six hours. At 11am (in about an hour), I'm going to head over to my terminal to get close to my gate. At about noon, I'm going to take Wylee to the pet relief area and walk him around and let him do his bathroom thing. Then I'm going to go back through security (since you have to go out to get to the grassy knoll) and plant myself at my gate until time to leave.

Man, this is going to be a long day. In San Diego, John and I still have to rent a car and pick up a pet kennel for Wylee since he will be flying as cargo instead of in the cabin with us to Japan.

So yeah, this is a long blog about nothing in particular. Mainly because I'm waiting here and I'm bored.

Heading to San Diego!

I am at the Huntsville Airport about to head to San Diego! I can't wait to see John. I haven't seen him for three weeks and Wylee and I miss him so much.

It was sad to say good bye to my parents. I will miss staying in Alabama with Charley, Brody, and the chicken ladies. It was such a wonderful stay even if my parents got an awful stomach bug at the exact same time. It was a wonderful visit.

In a few minutes I'll be off to San Diego! Then on to Japan tomorrow! This is so exciting!! I'm just ready to get things started!


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Location:Mooresville,United States

Almost time!

This is a picture of Wylee waiting enthusiastically at the Vet's office. Today with the vet and the USDA was a horrible all around experience. Basically, I drove to Nashville for nothing...a three hour round trip journey for nothing. The vet gave me the wrong Health Certificate and the USDA refused to certify anything due to this issue.

So near tears I called the military vet back in Huntsville and they said they could straighten things out for me. I drove back to Huntsville and straight onto the base (Huntsville has an Army base). The military vet stayed open just to see me and help get my paperwork straight. Total cost to me = $2. That military vet was a huge help. Wish I had thought of that from the beginning.

In other news we have our plane tickets!! We leave at 7am on Thursday and arrive in Japan at 2pm on Friday! We have bus reservations to the base, a reservation for Wylee at the kennel and a reservation for ourselves at the Navy Lodge for one month! I'm so excited to get to Japan and start my new adventure! I can't wait to have all my stuff back and be with John.

Speaking of John, I see him tomorrow! I leave Huntsville at 6am (early!) and get to San Diego at 10:30 in the morning. We get one night in San Diego and then we are on our way! Yay! So exciting and ready for this to happen. I will miss my family so much, though. There's something really comforting about being home and with your family. My soul and mind are definitely recharged.

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Last Day of Relaxation

Today I have spent the day laying around the house, watching trashy daytime TV, and did some minor chicken care such as getting them their water. This is my last day to lay around before the wheels really start turning to get us to Japan.
Tomorrow I wake up early and take my Dad to work and then I take Wylee to the vet to get his health certificate (which is something the vet issues for travel). Then I drop Wylee off at home and head to Nashville to go to the USDA office. The pet import officers in Japan will want to see all paperwork stamped and certified by the USDA. I'm a little nervous because I don't know what to expect. I need to convince them to stamp all documents, so what if I run into an employee that refuses to do this? Ugh.

Then on Wendesday, I'm off to San Diego to meet up with John. This is exciting. I haven't seen him since the beginning of April. We have reservations at the same hotel we stayed at when we first arrived in San Diego over three years ago. It seems fitting that we conclude our stay in San Diego the same way in which we started it. I've already started packing my suitcases to get ready to go.

I'm sad to leave Alabama, but I'm also excitied for what lays ahead. John said he can see our plane tickets processing in the system, but we still don't have them yet. He's supposed to call on Tuesday if we still don't have them. I'm going to be annoyed if we get to San Diego and have to stay there for longer than a few days.

Well, that's the latest update. I'm going to miss Alabama so much, but I miss John terribly and am excited to see him in a few days.

House sitting

The above pictures are the Easter centerpiece I created for my parents' house. I dyed two of the eggs with silk tie dye method. It involves wrapping silk around the egg and then boiling it.

My parents are still enjoying their vacation out in beautiful Pisgah, Alabama. John's going to check on our plane tickets on Monday to see if we are going to be issued them anytime soon.

I went to visit my Grandmother today. She is from Japan and came to the US in the 1950's. She's very excited I'll be living in her homeland. I still have many relatives in Japan and my grandmother provided me phone numbers for all of them. One of my cousins actually lives very near where we'll be stationed.

My grandmother also records and watches Japanese television non stop. She recorded some home and travel shows just to give me an idea of things to see in Japan and ways to decorate my home. She also helped me with tips on decorating a traditional tatami room. As a side note, let me just say my grandmother was never a good Japanese to English translator. So, I followed the pictures on the screen the best I could. The help of course is much appreciated.
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Break Time

Hello! Sorry I haven't had any fun posts or photos in a few days. Not much has been going on. I'm enjoying staying at my parent's house. It's a great vacation for me. The setting is quiet and far from the city life I have become accustomed to.
We still don't have our plane tickets to Japan. I'm hoping we hear something next week...those plane tickets are the last piece of the puzzle before we go.

I promise to update soon with some Alabama pictures :)

Placeholder

I found this bar in this article about the world's smallest bars. I'm quoting the  information about the Tokyo bar here so I can remember it as something I DEFINITELY want to do and see when I get to Japan. So, think of this as a blog post for my own personal use. However, if you want to visit this when you come to see me, let's do it!

Piano Bar
Tokyo, Japan
This skinny, two-story joint is hidden among a cluster of bars beneath the train tracks on Nonbei Yokocho, which aptly translates to "drunkard's alley." But Piano Bar's 32-square-foot size belies its opulence: The interior is modeled after a German castle, decked out with a faux stone fireplace, crystal chandeliers, gold-framed photos of jungle animals, and red velvet walls. You can even drink your beverage — try the sweet rose water and wine cocktail ($10) — out of a glass chalice. And when you want a refill, just ring one of the tiny bells set on every table for service.
1-25-10 Shibuya, Tokyo, 154-0002, 011-81/3-5467-0258.

BORN in the USA!

No, no....don't worry, I won't subject you to the horribleness (okay, awesomeness) that is the Bruce Springsteen song, but with my departure to Japan slowly looming, I'm reflecting more and more on the things I'm going to miss from North America. I say North America, because Canada and some of Mexico have similar amenities to the US...so here goes...the list of things I'm going to miss. I hope when I get there and have lived there for a year, I can amend this list and say, "Japan has all of these things!!" Or maybe I will have just learned to live without them...

1. One-stop shops. Yes, I'm talking about the Wal-Marts, Targets, and other places where you can get all of your groceries, clothes, and car parts in one 60,000 square foot warehouse style shopping center. As much as we love to complain that they're crowded, underneath the complaints lies the truth that they're convenient and cheap.

2. American Television. I'm sick of people telling me that Japanese Television is supposed to be cutting edge and wacky. How can you not love wacky?! My response is, "You try watching TV for three years in a language you are trying to understand." Sometimes you just crave the cruddy reality filled, trashy people screaming, detective talk shows.

3. Dive bars. Where you can get a cheap drink AND have the smell of puke infiltrate your nostrils. Maybe they have these in Japan? We shall see.

4. Driving on the right hand side of the road. This one is a doozy. Wish me luck with that.

That's all I can think of for now although I'm sure I'll think of more when I get there. Let me just remind you, readers, that if I come across in the first two weeks that I'm there that I'm hating Japan, just bear with me. I hated San Diego the first two weeks I lived there. There's a certain amount of adjustment that shocks the system and the best way for me to deal with it is to rebel and complain. Hopefully I won't complain too much.

Wylee in Alabama

Wylee has certainly enjoyed being in Alabama. It's quite cushy here with lots of people to cuddle with. Here's some pictures:

























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Some changes

Hello and good morning! I have been meaning to get to a nice computer for awhile now and update the look of my blog. I do most of my blog posting from my cell phone as it seems to work better when I'm on the move. Hopefully you're enjoying the new look as much as I am.

I am extremely sore from mowing the lawn yesterday and doing yard work the day before. My mom is an organic gardener of sorts and I enjoy helping her in the yard when I can....well, I don't really enjoy it, but I like to spend time with her.

Today I plan to spend most of the day on the couch watching junk TV...then, I have dinner planned tonight with my mom and her work associate, a lady from Australia. I don't know if they'll be anymore developments today in regards to our move to Japan. We had a lot of information yesterday and I think all we are waiting on at this point is our plane tickets. I have a few pictures I'm going to post here today.

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

First Contact With Japan

This morning, I sent my 40 day notice to bring a pet to Japan. I filled out the form and e-mailed it to a special e-mail address at the Tokyo Narita Airport. I just heard back from them!!

There was no problem with me arriving within 10 days. They just want me to submit my flight information before they can give me the approval document. This is good news. All of my e-mails are extremely polite as business in their culutre is typically done with many "thank yous" and "pleases" no matter how much you may be indifferent about the business dealings.

Okay...whew...one obstacle jumped. Let's hope they all go this well.

News is Trickling In - Update 1

Here's what I know:

1. I have sent the 40 day notice to bring a pet into Japan via e-mail to the Narita Tokyo Airport as we believe this is the airport we will be flying into. I have given Tokyo about a weeks notice. They probably won't like this, but what else am I supposed to do? I hope I receive a response from them soon as they need to send me an approval number that I include on all pet import forms.

2. There is an 80% chance that April 28th will be the day we leave for Japan. I must leave from San Diego, so I plan to fly to San Diego on April 27th. I have already bought my ticket.

3. I have made an appointment for Wylee to go to a vet in Alabama on Tuesday the 26th to get his health certificate. On the same day, I will drive to Nashville to have all of Wylee's paperwork certified by a USDA office (only locations were in Nashville or Montgomery....Montgomery is 4 hours away and Nashville is only 2...)

That's all I know for now. The wheels are turning. At this point, I can't even think about any steps beyond getting to Japan smoothly. Getting a house, learning the train system, pay, lodging...these are all things that are off my radar right now. I will update more as I know.

Today!

Today we find out more about our situation. Hopefully we'll have a time frame to plan against by the end of the day. I'm nervous and excited. I'll update more as I know.

Also, I'm SO sore from working out in the yard with my mom yesterday. I have a little more yard work to do today.


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Video Blog About Chickens

So I decided to do a video blog entry about caring for the chickens, one of the tasks I've learned to do while I've been in Alabama. Please ignore how rough I look in the last part of the video. I just completed a 3.3 mile walk/run....soooo....you look good after that level of work out!! :)

And it starts...

I quit working at the end of February. Most of the time since then has felt like an extended vacation. I got to mope around in San Diego for awhile, then I went to San Jose, then I flew over to Alabama. Much of the time has been spent doing leisurly things and destressing from the rather stressful job I had in San Diego. All of it has been really good, even though my grandfather passed away, it brought me home to be closer with my family, which I can't be thankful for enough.

On Monday, John returns to San Diego. We could be leaving for Japan anytime after that. It is extremely possible that I'll be in Japan before the end of this month. This panics me some, but also makes me happy. I will be so sad to leave Alabama. I forget how much I love it here until I come back to visit. My parents live in a tranquil setting in the woods. The fresh air and comforts of my childhood home leave me with nothing but the warm fuzzies. My parents and sister are great people to be around and I enjoy every minute. On the other hand, I'll be happy to see John again and to start building a new home with him. In San Diego, we very much has a routine and we loved it. There was something deeply comforting about him watching TV/unwinding from the day while I cooked a delicious dinner. The house would smell of cooking food and we could see the sun setting over our back patio. It was home. It was our small family. I can't wait to have that again.

So, of course I'll update this blog as I know things. I hope I don't leave until the week after next as my parents have a get-away planned (without me!) to the mountains and I would love for them to go. I've been charged with house sitting next weekend while they're away.

Today I got a haircut and then sprung for a facial and foot massage. Money well spent to help me destress a little bit. Who knows....soon I may have to change this blog title back to "Adventures in Yokosuka"...wouldn't that just be the hoot...

Wylee and Charley

Here's a bonus video for you! Wylee (my dog, the gray one) playing with my parent's dog Charley. This was a quick play session as usually they're at this for hours and it typically involves tumbling around on the floor and maybe tug-of-war with a toy.

Also, good news, dependents have been cleared to return to Japan, which means I can go with John as previously planned!! Which means, I'll be in Japan in a few weeks!!! I'll update more as I know, but that's all I have for now.

It's just a waiting game....

I realize admist all my posts of my daily activites, it can be a little confusing as to what's going on right now with the Navy move to Japan situation.

It's very simple really:

• John is going to Japan in a few weeks. I will join John once the Navy says, "Dependents can go to Japan." Until that announcement is made, I will remain in Alabama with my family.

So yes, for those who have asked...I am in Alabama indefinitely. Once I can leave for Japan, I'm sure I'll update with an amazing post since it means I finally get to see John again.

Wonder Con!

John and Phil examine the wares.












My exciting photo ops throughout the Con :P






John and I got a custom drawing done of us as Star Wars characters. John and I have the same skin tone in the Star Wars world. Also, that's my face, but definitely not my stomach.







The view from our hotel room. We were in San Francisco.

How could it completely slip my mind to do a post about Wonder Con? I guess I have been so overwhelmed with family stuff, I forgot.

Well, Wonder Con was the first weekend in April in San Francisco, CA. It's a comic book/scifi convention and is put on by the same people who do Comic Con (in San Diego).

It was a blast. We walked around and saw all sorts of small comic book artists, displays by toy companies, and any number of comic book retailers.

John's ultimate goal was to get an X-Men comic that had on the cover a tribute to the World Series Giants. After that, it was all fun and games :) We had planned to leave on Sunday night, but by that time we were so wiped from all the walking that we decided to stay through until Monday night.

It was good fun and probably my last Con in the US for awhile.

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Fitness in Alabama

So anyone that knows me knows I like to run and eat right. It's hard in the city to eat right with so many fast food options and pizza deliveries within 5 minutes of the house.

In the country, there's no fast food places particularly close and no pizza place delivers here. From the time I was young, my parents made every effort to not stock the house with junk food. Bags of chips were air popped or baked. Cookies were bought in small 100 calorie packs. My parents have continued this habit and it's nice to have all sorts of healthy eating options on hand.

The other thing that has been great for fitness is my parents live on a quiet road with only a few other houses. The road is straight then it follows into a large circle (much like a track) with a few houses scattered around the circle. Four times around the circle is about one mile. I took a picture of the run above (first picture). It's quiet, pretty, and humid. It's not like trying to run on the streets of San Diego where you're dodging bikes, cars, and other people.

After my run, I can do some ab and arm workouts in my parent's home gym (second picture). My parents have a recumbent bike, weights, a pull up/roman chair machine, a balance board, and an aerobic step. It's just enough equipment to get the job done.

I'm very thankful my parents have made it easy to stay healthy while I'm here.

I'm not doing anything today. Maybe a few chores to help out my parents. It's nice to relax in a quiet setting. Tonight there's supposed to be a thunderstorm. I haven't heard thunder in a long time, so I'm looking forward to it.

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Family Time!

This weekend has been great as far as seeing family is concerned. I've seen so many people who I haven't seen in a long time.

Today my aunt and uncle came over for brunch. My mom made a delicious brunch with fresh fruits, waffles, and fresh eggs from her chickens. It was wonderful! My aunt and uncle brought the ingredients for mimosas (a brunch must!) and it was fabulous.

My sister left for her house today, but it was great to see her. She's such a cool chick and I hope to hang out with her more while I'm here.

After everyone left, I took my book outside to my parents yard swing and laid in the sun reading my book and enjoying not having to have headphones in for once to block out the incessant city noises.

It was humid and hot so laying out lasted less than an hour, but it was nice. After that my mom and I went to have pedicures. I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to treat myself to a pedicure in a long time, so that was nice.

Right now, I'm helping my mom make a pound cake which we shall smother in strawberries and whipped cream for desert! Yum! The only thing that could make my day better would be having Johnny here.

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San Jose Wrap Up

Okay, these past couple of days have been really busy and full of activities. I did want to make sure I did a San Jose wrap up to at least mention some things I did in San Jose but didn't get a chance to blog about:

Photo 1: We went to the San Jose Tech, which is a children's tech museum. $10 gets you entry into the museum and an IMAX movie. John, his sister, and I explored the museum and then headed to Pizza My heart for lunch.

Photo 2: We also went to Voodoo Donuts that day as well. All the employee's dress as psycho ward doctor's and nurses. The donuts are ungodly concoctions that cost about $1 - $2. I got a donut topped with marshmallow topping and Cap'n Crunch cereal. Needless to say I didn't even finish a quarter of it.

Photo 3 and 4: We went to the San Jose Giants fanfest. The San Jose Giants are part of the San Francisco Giants farm system. Many famous San Francisco Giants have played for the San Jose Giants at some point in their professional baseball career. It was fantastically uncrowded, John found two discarded pennants in the trash outside the souvenir stand (slightly covered in beer), and we got them autographed by everybody on the team.

So that's the San Jose wrap up! It was such a fantastic time and John's family was so kind to accommodate me. I can't wait to get back to San Jose and my San Jose family soon.

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New Development!!

Finally, the breakthrough we've been waiting for! John's work called him yesterday to tell him that troop movement to Yokosuka has resumed. John returns to San Diego in about a week and will hit the ground running in getting ready to head to Japan. I imagine he will report close to the end of April as previously scheduled.

As for me, I'm not authorized to go yet. I am considered one of the voluntary evacuees. As soon as the all clear is given for them to return, I will be allowed to enter. John's lieutenent said it could be a week or it could be a month. No one really knows yet when dependents will be authorized to go to Japan.

Until then, I'm waiting here in Alabama. I switched my military health insurance to the Army base here in Alabama in case I need to be seen for anything. I thought it might be a smart move since I'm here for an undetermined amount of time. Yesterday was my grandfather's visitation. While it was really sad, it was so neat to see so many fsmily members. There were many I hadn't seen in a long time.

Today is the burial and while it'll be sad, my grandfather was never much for making a big deal over himself. The service will be short, just like he would've liked it because he knew afterwards he'd get to eat good food and keep good company.

Welcome Home

Got back to Alabama safely. It's hot and humid here and I miss Johnny. At least I'm home with my family. It's nice to be here.

Today my sister and I went to a Japanese restaurant that was about five minutes from my parent's house. This is a big thing because my parent's house is notorious for being thirty minutes from any life. The city is definitely coming closer.

Also Wylee met my Mom's chickens (pictured above). It did not go well. He chased them and my Mom swore he was trying to kill them. He just wanted to sniff them to learn what they were. He's a city dog!

Anyway, as punishment for my dog chasing down the chickens, I had to fill the chicken's water tank. So not even a full 24 hours in Alabama and I'm doing yard work.

Tonight is the viewing for my Granddad and tomorrow is the funeral. So please keep thinking of my family.

No news on our situation yet, but since the Air Force bases surrounding Tokyo have lifted their stop order, I imagine Yokosuka will follow. Fingers are still crossed.
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Good news!

So, the Air Force has lifted their stop movement to Yokota and Misawa!!! WOOO!! Why do I care? These bases are really close to Yokosuka and hopefully the Navy will follow suit. The downfall? They're only authorizing active duty personnel to go and not dependents. While I would be EXTREMELY sad if John had to go without me...it would hopefully mean that I would follow him soon thereafter...basically, I'd be placed in "voluntary evacuee" status and authorized to go when they allow people who evacuated to come back. Anyway...hoping for good news soon. Fingers crossed.

I'm at an airport!

That's Wylee under an airline seat in his carrier. He's being sooooo good :).

I'm in Houston now and leave for Alabama in less than an hour. I miss John already and it was really hard to say good-bye not knowing when we'd see each other again.

I wish things would just go back to normal and we'd be in a house and I'd be cooking dinner and watching TV. Hopefully those days will come soon. I can't wait.

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Location:S Terminal Rd,Houston,United States

Last Day in San Jose

This morning I discovered a large lemon sitting outside of John's parents' house. Crazy! The coffee cup is for comparison.

Tomorrow I leave San Jose and head for Alabama earlier than planned. I'm looking forward to being in Alabama, but I'm not looking forward to hauling Wylee through the airport. The carrier we have doesn't have wheels, so I'll be carrying 11 pounds of puppy slung across my shoulder.

When I get to Alabama, I'll do a San Jose wrap up blog post. There's a couple of things I did here that I didn't get to mention in my blog yet. I have been incredibly busy.

Well, I suppose I will see you all in Alabama. I can't express how much Wylee and I will miss Johnny.

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Sad Day...

So this morning I awoke with two missed calls from my Mom and two missed calls from my Grandparent's house. I knew something had happened. My grandad passed away this morning. He hadn't been doing well for a long time. My first thought was, "I have to go back to Alabama."

I miss being in Alabama, I miss my family, I miss knowing where everything is....but the reason I've been holding back is because I was planning on buying a one-way ticket to Alabama and then rejoining John when we are told that we could go to Japan. However, I was waiting to see if we'd hear anything before buying a ticket. There's no need to spend $600 on a ticket if I'd only be in Alabama for 3 days before having to join John to go to Japan.

At some point, John has to return to San Diego. When he does that, there will be no place for me to stay (as he will be given a barracks room at no cost), so while he was in San Diego, the plan was for me to wait in Alabama. Now, with the death of my grandfather, I will be going to Alabama on Thursday with Wylee and staying there until we get word we're going to Japan.

I'm very excitied to be going home, I just wish the circumstances were better.

Tonight John and I are going to eat at a local pizza parlor (Pizza My Heart) to support the man who was beaten after an LA Dodgers game in LA. The man was wearing Giant's clothing and that's what made him and his friends a target. The three men who were being attacked tried runnning from their attackers. Two got away and one was hit in the back of the head and then repeatedly beaten once he fell. He remains in a hospital in a coma. He was a paramedic and a father. At the pizza parlor tonight, 30% of the proceeds will go to help his family pay for his medical costs.

Sorry to bring such sad news to a usually light blog, but life happens. It's strange how you can plan everything perfectly in your head, but life is always right there....with her own plans....

ELOTE

For those of you who know what elote is....yes, yes I am dedicating an entire blog post to go on about the heaven that is....elote...

Elote (pronounced el-o-tay) is simply a Spanish word for corn on the cob. However, in some parts of Mexico they prepare the corn on the cob in a special way and call the dish simply, elote, after the main ingredient. The great thing about language is that several words can describe one thing (such as in English, we have: soda, pop, and coke)...so there are other names for the heavenly dish I'm about to describe, but I know it as elote.

Firstly, elote is usually not found in restaurants or stores. It's sold by street vendors who walk around the neighborhoods honking a bicycle horn and pushing a food cart. I am aware of the risk of eating from street food vendors, but I have to say I don't care. I'm not a picky eater and there's very few things I won't try or eat. So bring on the elote!

The street vendors usually speak only Spanish and I'm proud to say I can confidently order an elote without problem. "Elote, por favor con mayonesa y queso y chile." That's corn on the cob lightly covered in mayo, parmesan cheese, then drowned in chile sauce.....on a stick...the cost is usually about $1.

Then you eat it much like a popsicle, it's messy and delicious! Since we usually are in San Jose over Thanksgiving, I always have on before Thanksgiving dinner. Clearly, they're not the best food for healthy eating, but once I. A great while, it's very worth it.

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Time for some links

So I finally have some time to post some of the links I've run across and been meaning to share. I still need to update on WonderCon, which was an absolute great time.

First we have THIS article which ran in the Stars and Stripes. It talks about how in the few days after the earthquake and during the voluntary evacuations (departures) rumours fueled most of the fears of the families and service members in Japan. To be fair, the Yokosuka base didn't do much to dissuade any rumours and things got out of control. People panicked....

Next here's THIS article from the same paper that discusses whether the voluntary departures are just vacations on the government dime. During the evacuations there was no requirement that the families returned to any place specific. They could take a free flight to ANYWHERE. The linked article details one family who used it to take a vacation to Hawaii and stay in the military run hotel (it's NICE) on the beach....the estimated time these people will be away from Japan is 30 days....so 30 days on the beach in Waikiki? Paid for? Jerks.

Finally, there's THIS website run by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that updates daily about the Fukushima Daichii Nuclear Power Plant situation. Some of it is technical jargon, but the first paragraph always offers a concise summary of the situation.

That's all for now. We're still in San Francisco (we decided to be lazy and stay an extra night) and we'll be heading back to San Jose shortly. We had to leave Wylee with John's family for the weekend and I miss him so much. I will update on WonderCon later, I have some fun photos to share :)

Weekend Break!

This weekend John, his brother, his brother's girlfriend, his niece and I are in San Francisco for Wonder Con. Wonder Con is done by the same people who do Comic Con. It's a big comic and scifi convention.

I'm taking a little blog break to enjoy it all and I'll be back and updating next week :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Howard St,San Francisco,United States