Park Place

Okinawa has many beautiful attractions, oceans, small villages, historic sites and 50 parks.  So today we decided to cross a few more parks off our list. We went to 2 parks located just up the street from each other in Okinawa's largest prefecture Naha.  The first park was Iso Park, it is a multilevel park with a wooden playground on the lower level and a large grass area with a few picnic tables and a gazebo on the top. There are also some trails to explore some castle ruins. Gabriella had a lot of fun climbing the playground equipment.  It was probably a little more advanced than what she's use to, but she tried everything even if it required a little assistance from mom and dad. 

The next park was Urasoe park, it actually has many different sections. The one we explored had a few lookouts where we could see our base and some wide trails for walking through the foliage.  The park itself has many other sections which we did not explore. First there is a huge sports complex, featuring a stadium, some fields, and what looks to be a running track. There is also a cemetery in the park, we could see it on our walk.  There are also playgrounds, but we didn't see any in our section, which was probably a blessing. By the time we all got back in the car we were hungry, one more playground would have put us over the edge.  We ate at Mos Burger. It's a delicious burger place with fairly reasonable prices and yummy burgers. Gabriella got a chicken thigh and drumstick and a strawberry shake, I got a shrimp burger, and Greg got a cheeseburger.  All the food was tasty, the burgers were small but filling and the fries were fair. Greg got melon soda which is electric green.  

We went home a different way today.  Instead of taking 58 which we normally do, we took another route. It was nice to see the island from a different road. I even found a promising store to find a bike jersey.  We got home in plenty of time for me to do my Wii fit routine before dinner. 

Wii hope to be fitting into smaller sizes

I can't write to much today because my arms are sore.  Yesterday, after much anticipation, we got a Wii sport and a Wii fit. All I can say is that it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. There are short exercises with very few repetitions, but what you do works. I would post a picture of me doing any of the exercises, but I get hot and sweaty after the very first few exercises and no one really wants to see that. The wii sports games are great, Greg and I had our first tennis tournament last night and he was victorious. I am going to start using the tutorial while he's at work in order to get better. We also tried the boxing which I won.  I think it's a really fun way to do some activity while in the a/c cooled home.  My home has become my new gym, it's a nice place to work out as long as no members of the peanut gallery are watching and making comments.  

Laissez Fair

I hope all of you had a wonderful Mardi Gras. We had a little get together here, we had a few beads and a few hurricanes but the main attraction was the food. Of course being that there were hurricanes I didn't remember to take any pictures. But I will paint you a picture with my words. Imagine a tired disheveled looking Therese dropping Gabi off at school and rushing to run errands in a mere 2.5 hours. It was close, I didn't even have time to drop off the groceries before I had to pick up Gabriella from school.  We get home, she eats her lunch and takes her nap.  Once she's resting I set the table, claret red tablecloth, matching napkins, boas decorating the center of the table and a few party mask scattered playfully.  Next the food, I decided to try a new recipe this year, shrimp ettoufee we had this dish in New Orleans and it was so delicious I wanted to try making it myself. I will say it was a huge success, probably because one of the main ingredients is butter.  We also had a few of our favorites, red beans and rice and gumbo. This year at Greg's request we had shrimp Po Boys.  They are spicy battered dipped shrimp incased in a french roll with onions, tomato, lettuce and a remoulade sauce.  I made it all my self and I was so pleased that everyone who came enjoyed the meal. Since we had a few leftover shrimp we had delicious shrimp tacos for dinner on Ash Wednesday. 

Dream a little dream of flowers

Yesterday our power was out on base for most of the day. So rather than sit around all day staring at each other we packed up and went north. Our favorite family the Brooms accompanied us on our journey. Our first stop was Ocean Pizza, the buffet was delicious and once we were all stuffed we headed up to the Tropical Dream Center. The TDC is located next to the Churoumi Aquarium. It's a beautiful arboretum type place, full of greenhouses and paths to wander. The orchids were in season and quite a few of the greenhouses were teeming with them.  They were all artfully arranged to give you the contrast of colors, textures and sizes. It was the most extensive collection of flowers I've seen. Well I've probably seen more types when looking at the Rose Parade Floats, but all these flowers were still alive and planted in soil.  The kids enjoyed wandering through all the paths and greenhouses, running around and smelling the flowers. There was a huge tower observatory in the center, lovingly nick named the "Tower of Power". Inside the tower there were a lot of different interactive exhibits and a very nice elevator. Once out on the tower it was pretty windy.  Greg and Gabriella even took the stairs down.  It was a lovely outing and by the time we got home our power had been restored. 

Salt of the Earth

Today we ventured out in the beautiful sunshine to explore Murasaki Mura. This recreation of a traditional Ryuku village was built as a set for a television show. When I read that, I expected some sort of plaster walled buildings and facades. What we got was a village made out of stone, that looks exactly like the castle ruins we visited a few weeks ago. The detail there set designers had was really astounding. Murasaki Mura is no longer an active set, instead they've turned it into a hands on activity center for pottery and crafts. Gabriella, Greg and I painted Sheisa Dogs.  They are traditional protectors of homes and businesses.  They come in pairs, a girl and a boy, one wards off evil spirits from entering the home while the other invites in good luck spirits.  After we painted our dogs we explored through all the other crafts offered. They had candle making, fabric painting, fabric making with a loom, beach art, karate, cooking, and a few more. We only painted the Sheisa because each activity was an additional cost.  Then as we wandered the grounds we passed a stable and Gabriella was able to say hello to a couple horses.  As we passed through a gate we spied the Gala sign and decided to check out the Okinawan Salt Factory. This place is special because they extract the salt from sea water using solar and wind power. In their factory they have huge turbines that turn and heat the ocean water in the tank evaporating the water and leaving the sea salt. Then they dry the salt in the sun, then over wood ovens. The process seems really involved, but it does produce a delicious salt. It tastes very clean. I know that probably sounds a little weird, but that's how I would describe it. We had lunch at their restaurant, it was delicious. I had a tasty Okinawan Soba plate, which included a huge bowl of Soba and a variety of side dishes including fried rice and soft tofu. Gabriella had a kids plate which came with a small bowl of soba, hot dog, rice balls, omelet, and a salad. Greg had pork pasta. After we walked off our lunch along the cliffs overlooking a beautiful beach we headed to the Zanpa Lighthouse.  Greg and Gabriella climbed to the top and took in the beautiful views. After their climb we explored the adjoining park and happened upon a pottery festival. They had a lot of beautiful pieces.  The picture above is of Greg and Gabriella in front of the parks giant sheisa dog. We were going to try to squeeze in some castle ruins, but it was already getting late and Gabriella was on her last legs. She fell asleep in the car, just as we pulled into our parking spot.

A girls day out.

Gabriella and I had a fun day of shopping, lunch and ballet class.  We started our day with breakfast with daddy. Greg had a late clinic day so he was able to join us for breakfast.  After breakfast Gabriella and I headed off to pick up some necessities from the exchange. Nothing really exciting, some sponges and a dustpan.  Since we were out we decided to visit some shops we've passed a few times or have heard good things about.  Our first stop was Local Honey, we got a lovely variety pack of local honeys. Gabriella and I got to sample all the flavors, they were delicious. Our favorite was the blueberry flavored honey.  Our next stop was Ramayana, it's an eclectic store with lots of beautiful fabrics, furniture and kitsch.  We explored both floors and Gabriella enjoyed trying out all the chairs.  Next we stopped by the Futenma Antique Mall. Mall it was not, however it was a great way to look into the past. They had a Ghostbusters lunchbox and a lot of great cartoon juice glasses. We explored the store from top to bottom. There were a lot of great glass sets, but they were so expensive. Gabriella and I made it out of both the stores without buying a thing.  Next stop, lunch. We went to Gen Sushi. We were the first customers of the day and were treated to exceptional service and a few freebies.  Gabriella and I shared some miso soup, edamame, tempura shrimp roll, and spicy tuna roll. It was all delicious. Gabriella and I were given a freebie of fried squid, it too was very yummy.  

After lunch it was time for ballet. Gabriella and I arrived early and she was able to practice for a good 20 minutes before anyone else arrived.  She reveled in the chance to practice in front of the huge bar and mirror.  Tonight we were invited to have dinner with our friends. The tuna teriyaki was delicious. Greg and I were able to try out the Wii fit. We loved it and I can't wait until we get one.  A busy and fabulous day has come to a close, I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Valentine's day deliciousness

Well I mentioned in yesterday's post that we celebrated Valentine's day a little late. The dinner went so well that I thought it deserved it's own post. We had steak and lobster and as you can see from the picture and it was delicious. I'd also found Newcastle on the island so Greg was able to enjoy a tasty beer with his special meal. Greg barbecued the steaks, lobster tails and asparagus. I prepped the meal and made the mashed potatoes. Gabriella's favorite part of the meal were the mashed potatoes, she had 2 servings of them. My favorite part was the steak and lobster and I think Greg's was the same. We made a clarified butter sauce for the lobsters and he even basted them while they were on the grill.  It's rare that we eat this well, even at restaurants. The ingredients were a little expensive to buy but well worth the cost. Gabriella and I were even able to wear our Valentine's day pajamas at the table.  I told Greg that I really want to have it again for Mother's day. 

Park Place

Today was Greg's day off. He had a really rough weekend on call. He went into the ER many times over Saturday and Sunday. So in honor of his day off we went exploring. Our first stop was a park with a huge rollerslide. We consult the directions, check the map and off we go. We are driving down the street the park is located on and see a park on the right. We quickly find parking and head out to explore. It had a rollerslide and some other cool playground equipment, but it didn't really look like the picture of the park on the website. We assumed that the picture on the site was of a different park, but that we indeed had found the correct park. We had a great time playing on all the equipment and once it started to sprinkle we packed up and headed home.  Once we got home Greg consulted the website and discovered that we had gone to a different park. Honestly, how many parks does one tiny alley like street have? The answer apparently more than one. 

After the park we stopped at the commissary. Headed home and unloaded the car, put away the things that needed refrigeration then left to go out for lunch. We checked out another mexican food restaurant. It was good, Gabriella had Taco Rice, which is an Okinawan speciality, I had the "mexican lunch" which had a variety of food including an enchilada and taco.  Greg had 3 tacos. All and all it was tasty, not quite the same as we are use to but still delicious. The place was tiny and the waitress brought us all tea at the end of the meal on the house. Gabriella really enjoyed tasting her lemon. 

After lunch we stopped at the Futenma Cave Shrine. A beautiful shrine with a gold alter filled with many artifacts that I don't know the names of. Gabriella was burning off her post lunch energy and Greg and I were trying to look nonchalant as she ran around announcing loudly that she wanted to pray too.  

The day was capped off by dinner at home. We celebrated Valentine's day tonight with a special dinner. Rib Eye Steaks and Lobster Tails. Greg bbq'd them in the drizzle for us and the meal was spectacular. We decorated the table using our new tablecloth and napkins we received as a gift from my parents. The food was delicious and the company was incredible. 

Religion, the constant

Greg was on call this weekend, so I suppose I'm lacking for adventures to write on. We did go somewhere today, church. Being Catholic has provided us with a very familiar routine since we've moved to Japan. Every Sunday morning we go to church.  I've always felt that religion gives a sense of community, a sense that your life is bigger than just yourself, but here it means something much greater than that. My religion gives me a sense of purpose, it gives me a routine that makes me feel safe in an unfamiliar place. It also lends itself to continuity in my life and the lives of my family. We try to go to church every Sunday. Every Sunday I hear very familiar gospel verses and I know that all my fellow Catholics are hearing the same thing. Those verses make me think of my past, some verses remind me of the first time I've heard them,  some make me think of the first time I've heard them outside of church. The all make me feel safe. In a life that I feel has so much discombobulation this one thing is always the same. It makes me feel safe, it gives me one hour a week to share with Gabriella a little bit of tradition, it gives us a greater purpose.  It feels strange, something that I found so aggravating, so required, so correct has changes into a blessing that I lean on every week just to give me a little taste of home. 

Gabi loves to Give

Gabriella loves a lot of different things, like princesses and watching DVDs.  I've also discovered she also loves giving.  Today Gabriella and I donated our time and our tasty treats to help a very special organization here on Okinawa. It's the Okinawan-American Animal Rescue Society or OAARS.  It was their annual bake sale and Gabriella and I donated a lot of very cute cupcakes for the cause. We also donated of our time and worked the bake sale from noon until 2. 

We baked our cupcakes yesterday, Gabriella donned her princess apron and proceeded to help me measure all of the ingredients. Her favorite parts were sifting the dry ingredients and putting the M&M's on top. She was also very careful checking quality control on each batch. We were up early this morning to drop off our cupcakes then come back and put on our special Valentine's day outfits.  We arrived promptly at noon and immediately got to selling. Gabriella also manned the donation jar, she was excellent. She politely asked if any one "Give money for pets?" She got quite a few donations and was exceptionally thankful for anyone who donated regardless of how much they put in the jar. A lot of parents had their children drop the money in and Gabriella struck up conversations with them, asking if they had pets and if they wanted any cupcakes. 

When I originally saw that OAARS was doing this bake sale, I saw it as a chance to help out with a cause that reminds me of Saffy. What it turned out to be was a great way to show Gabriella that giving is better than receiving, and giving time is simple and free but has great rewards.  

Even a culture away Valentine's is still a day.

Today was Gabriella's first foray into Valentine's day. At least in the sense of Valentine's day cards for her classmates. We got up early this morning to pour over the list of 12 children and choose who would get which Valentine and which treat.  Gabriella was thrilled as we drove to school today, holding her bag of Valentines proudly.  As we walked up to her classroom, she happily announced that she had her Valentines and was so excited to give them to all her friends. Few things make me prouder than Gabriella's innate sense of fairness. She's constantly trying to make sure that everyone is being treated equally.  Valentine's day is a day that truly embodies a sense of fairness and equality. Every single person in her class brought Valentine's for everyone. Gabriella was thrilled to receive each one, her teacher even commented that she said "Thank You" to every person that put their valentine in her heart bag.  When we arrived home she dutifully ate her lunch with the knowledge that once she was finished she could open all her Valentine's.  The picture above is of Gabi and her school Valentine's. She got one from every friend in her class and was thrilled when I read them to her. 

Tomorrow we will be making some cupcakes for the No-Kill animal shelter on the island.  Just another way to give a little back. 

Seeing the Seaside

Sunday was another full day. Greg and I were stands in Godparents at a Baptism. Then we went out to a delicious brunch at the Butler Officer Club. Then we went to Ginowan Seaside Park. Of course our expectations were that it would be just a small park on the seawall. However, it is so much more. It's located next to the convention center and it's huge. There are multiple playing fields, where soccer games are played and some baseball fields. The convention center itself is located within the park. It is a beautiful set of three buildings, with some lovely chandeliers. Although we didn't go into the convention center since there was an event going on, we did take a peak through the windows.  The park has a playground with a small pirate ship play area and a rope bridge. It was pretty high up, but Gabriella made it across all by herself. And of course a seaside park wouldn't be complete without a beach. The beach shows that it was closed for swimming, but we did check the water temperature. It was a little on the cold side, but not as cold as San Diego oceans in the winter.  We had a great time exploring the park. We also learned that park picnics are very popular on Sundays here in Okinawa. We will have to start the tradition ourselves. 

Castle in the Sky

Today was another Okinawan adventure. We visited the ruins of Katsuren Castle and a few small islands.  The castle ruins were amazing, all the building materials were stones fitted into each other, like a giant tetris puzzle. Gabriella loved climbing the stairs and jumping on the ruins themselves. The picture to the right is of her leaping from one stone to another. Greg and I felt it was an amazing picture of her in flight.  As a side note, when Greg suggested that we go to this site today he did so a little warily. I readily agreed to go, then he casually reminded me that most castles are on hills and have a lot of steps. This is a fact, so far every castle we've visited, with the exception of ones at Magic Kingdoms have been on a hill. Of course there is a strategic reason for it, the inhabitants of the castle will be able to see all sides in case of attack.  However, as a visitor of these beautiful places, I get tired after walking up the hill and then I am faced with a very large number of stairs. Because of course any castle wouldn't be one story. This particular castle had three tiers, accessible by some very old stone steps. There was a small museum near the parking lot that showed some of the pottery recovered from the ruins and a model of what the castle looked like in it's heyday.  As if a castle wasn't enough we also visited a few of the outlying islands that surround Okinawa and are accessible by bridges. The islands were beautiful, they were reminiscent of Catalina Island and the beach town in Jaws. All the beaches were simply pristine and basically deserted. I'm sure in the summer everything is packed, but today it felt like our own little island.   It was a lovely day and Gabriella and Greg both fell asleep in the car on the way home. 

Helping Around the house

Gabriella has gotten some new responsibilities at home.  She's now responsible for cleaning up her toys both downstairs and in her room. She's actually quite good at putting things in their propper places and she enjoys organizing her toys the way she wants them.  Her newest chore is setting the table. She and Greg have made place cards with our names on them. She decides where we sit each night, then she places the silverware and napkins on our placemats.  She loves to watch me cook dinner and she's started being able to help us with the actual preparations of dinner.  Her favorite food preparation is when she and I have tea parties. She loves getting out the cookies and helping me pour the cool tea into our cups.  She's quite proper and takes special care to eat and drink politely. This month I'm going to try to take her to a tea ceremony, I think she will really enjoy it.  Everyday she seems to grow up a little bit more. 

We're going to Disneyland

I've been a little remiss in working on my blog in the last few days. The reason is that I've been working on our vacation.  As I'm sure you've guessed from the title of this post we are going to Tokyo. Five exciting days and four romantic nights. We are all very excited. I told Gabriella this morning and she was thrilled, asking a variety of questions. My favorite question, "Will all my friends be there?" I wasn't sure exactly what she was referring to, however with a few more questions she revealed that her friends meant all the characters. I told her they should all be there, and we would have to start brushing up on our Japanese so we could talk to them.  It's going to be a great trip. I'm already perusing the Tokyo Disney and Disney Seas website on a daily basis, trying to glean the best way to approach the parks for maximum rides and shows. There are a lot of shows, perhaps if they serve beer at the park Greg will be more receptive to going to them. Let the countdown to Tokyo begin!!

Cherry Blossom's

This weekend is the Nago Cherry Blossom festival. Greg, Gabriella and myself all hopped in the car on Saturday and took a trip up to Nago.  Nago is north of us, and the festival takes place in Nago Central Park,  specifically in the castle ruins. The blossoming trees line a very steep set of steps which takes you to the top of the park. The steps are stone and there are a lot of them. We all made it to the top, I for one was very proud of myself for making it without a cardiac arrest and proud of Gabriella for climbing every step by herself. Once at the top there is a small shrine, where you can ring a bell and say a prayer.  On the way down from the top we took the more scenic and less stair-y way. A nice winding path that allowed us to see a little more of the park. The festival included a lot of delicious food and beverage stands. I had a giant scallop as a snack and Greg found 2 yummy beers to have as his snack. They had carnival games as well, Gabriella won a new princess crown at the fishing game. It is a beautiful festival celebrating the cherry blossoms and the welcoming of the new year and the upcoming spring.  We took the long way home, weaving our way around highway 58, we passed a lot of pristine beaches and some other spots we will add to our list to visit. Gabriella fell asleep on the way home, the first time she's slept in the car since the night we arrived here.  It was a beautiful day.