Cookies: December 21st

My cookie exchanges went wonderfully. I came home with 11 dozen cookies which all looked fantastic on my cookie tray at Christmas. Everyone did such a great job and I sampled every single one of the delicious treats. Boot camp took a holiday this week, we were off from Monday-Friday. I started out this week with the best of intentions however I only managed to work out once. In my defense I did try to stay in healthy eating mode. Gabriella and Greg were excellent cookie samplers for both the cookies I made and the ones I received from my cookie exchanges. As you can see from the picture Gabriella is a natural born chef.

Chilly Weekend

This weekend it seems Okinawa is showing us it's chilly weather. It's been in the 50's and 60's during the day, which for a California girl like me seems very very cold. I think I may have to pull out my scarf and wooly hat if this weather persists. This weekend we explored a few new parks around the island. The newest one is right next to our favorite egg store and it's a great park. It's full of great ropes to climb and some slides, it even includes a skate park. We had some tasty lunch at a new restaurant. They had home made bread that was delicious, especially the baguettes. I'll have to go back again soon to pick up some bread to go.

Sunday was my first cookie exchange and although it wasn't as big as I thought it was going to be I still came home with a big stack of cookies of all different types. After our quick exchange I came back home and made some yummy turkey chili for dinner before making 5 dozen cookies. I have a few more dozen to make but I'm out of Canola oil and running low on granulated sugar. Of all the stuff I thought I was going to run out of neither of those made the list. I did have a fun time using my new pastry bag to squirt the frosting into the center of the cookie sandwiches. Tomorrow I'm hoping to finish my cookies with a little time to spare before the party.

Do you Sumo?

Thanks to Greg's Japanese intern Nori we were able to attend an amazing and rare sporting event. Nori arranged tickets for us to a Sumo match in Urasoe. Sumo comes to Okinawa only once every 6 years. We drove down together after Greg finished work and were treated to an amazing show. We had box seats which was literally a box traced on the floor with tape where we sat on some pillows. The Sumo program was divided into classes based on weight and record. There was even a section in the program where they explained how Sumo works. It was done by two wrestlers in a very funny and amusing way. The actual matches were fairly short but contain many specific rituals. The most notable ritual and probably the one most familiar to us in the west is the throwing of salt to purify the ring. Nori told us that Sumo matches use an average of 7 kilos of salt a day. The men who participate in Sumo start off at a fairly young age. At the program we saw children who are already part of a Sumo stable. Stables are where the Sumo's live and train. For those who are starting out, not only do they train every day but they also act as assistants to those higher, they live in the stables where those who are more experienced get to live in their own apartments. The Sumo wrestlers are huge, those in the highest class spend their days eating large lunches with beer in order to gain their weight quickly. There are specific Sumo moves which are illustrated on a t-shirt I purchased Greg at the event. The final matches of the evening were with the largest and most senior of the the participants. The matches were impressive, the massive size of the men and the sounds of them crashing into each other is indescribable. At the end of the night we were able to go up to the ring, see where the action had taken place and even touch the salt. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we are thankful that we were able to experience true Sumo.

Christmas Vacation

This week has been busy. I can't even remember how many times I've opened this website only to be called away to do something else. This week was my first full week of boot camp since getting back from Hawaii and it was a hard one. We worked arms this week and I suppose it's been a while since we have because mine are still sore and it's Saturday. The hardest day was Thursday. We had a 45 pound bar that we had to lift from a squat to our chest. We had a friend spot us and we of course had to spot our friends. I did pretty well, probably because Gabriella weighs about 40 pounds and I pick her up all the time. We had to do sets of 20 before switching positions. Then after a few sets we ran down the stairs, down the block and then back up. Angie came with me as my friend and although we didn't get to work together it was still nice to drive with her to class.

I also went to a couple Zumba classes this week. It's been about 6 weeks since the class has been offered and it was great to do some cool moves and burn some calories at the same time. We are off next week from boot camp, but I will still have Zumba a couple of times and I'll be trying to go to the gym everyday. Greg's brother is coming to visit next week and he's bringing his running shoes so perhaps we will go running together a few times. I know I'll need to work off all the calories I'll be taking in. Tis the season for holiday treats.

This week was Gabriella's last week of school before the holiday break. Greg and I had a teacher conference on Friday and her teacher had only good things to day about Gabriella. Her extra classes also finished up for the year this week. Gymnastics and Hula will resume next year and Gabriella will add a ballet class on Saturdays. For the next few weeks Gabriella will be on break from school so we will be visiting lots of parks and setting up a few playdates to make sure she stays entertained.

C is for Cookie

This weekend has been all about cookies. On Friday my chocolate mint cookies finally got made and Greg gave them rave reviews. They are delicious but the recipe only makes a dozen at a time which means a lot of work for me if I'm going to make them for the cookie exchanges. Today I made strawberry jam buttons and the dough for soft molasses cutouts is in the fridge cooling until it's easier to handle. We've been getting into the Christmas spirit by watching all our Christmas movies and enjoying the decorations all around the island.

Yesterday we went to the Camp Courtney Christmas Carnival. The only thing Christmas about it was that Santa was there. We didn't stop by to say hello because his line stretched all the way back to the North Pole. Gabriella played a few games, went on a ride and did a fair bit of bouncing. The evening out was really nice although it paled in comparison to the Balboa Holiday Nights in San Diego. I think this time of year is when we really see the differences between being home in the states and here during the holidays. We miss annual events like going to Balboa Park, seeing the parades on TV and going to see lots of Christmas lights. There are plenty of lights around here but no one has them coordinated to music or anything. This week coming up will be the last one before boot camp takes a 2 week break, I'm determined to keep up on my exercise if only to get out of the house by myself every once in a while.

Ho Ho Hoarders

My post today was going to about my truly hellacious work out this morning but that seems minor compared to the insanity I just went through. *Deep Breath in and out*

I'm making cookies for two cookie exchanges and for some reason I haven't been able to select a recipe yet. I bought one of those nifty mini cookie cookbooks at the exchange and spent today studying the recipes. Instead of deciding which to make I've picked a few to try out before I make my decision. The first recipe on my list required some new ingredients that I didn't have in my pantry so I take my list and head out the door. I had a few other stops on my list and the commissary was suppose to be the second to last. I merrily tossed a few items into my cart and then headed to the baking supply aisle looking for mint extract. I get there and there is no mint extract, but I've noticed that there are a lot of other holiday displays around the store so I check all of those. No mint extract. I ask the lady at the counter if they could check the back and they do and come back with nothing. The night manager of the exchange comes out to tell me that the item I want is NIS (not in stock). I ask when it will be in stock and she shrugs then says it's all up to the supplier. With a heavy heart I walk out of the commissary with my bag of other purchases. I know where all that Mint Extract is. It's in one persons house who couldn't find it last year and is hoarding it. It happens on this island all the time. You see your favorite toothpaste that you haven't seen since you moved here and suddenly instead of buying one or two tubes you are buying the whole case. Deciding that I need that extract I drive to the Air Force commissary. It's not really far away but in traffic it takes me 30 minutes to get there. Lucky for me they have it and I consider getting an extra bottle just in case but then I remember that is why I'm in this situation in the first place. So I decide to just get one because hoarding just makes it harder on the next person. I have all the ingredients to make my cookies but I'm too tired to make them tonight, I'll have to do it at some point tomorrow.

Now that my venting is over I'll share my work out with you today. This was my first true day back, yesterday we ran and to me that's kind of a piece of cake. Cake for me because I can basically go at my own pace, listen to my ipod and tune out the rest of the world for an hour. In class that is never an option. Today was friends and family day and I once again showed up without either. John was in rare form today, we started out with some floor exercise that used our hamstrings, glutes, legs and hips. We did that for a while and he made the exercise increasingly harder then we picked up some weights and headed to the stairs. Then we went back in and did some more of the leg exercises once again he increased their difficulty, then back to the stairs and to finish off our torture we did some ab work. During the Ab work he asked us to sit back so our abs were activated then lift our foot. I felt like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, the scene where she's staring at her toe trying to wiggle it, I was staring at my foot willing it to lift off the ground. Just like in the movie eventually my foot lifted but it was a struggle. I had to take a nap while Gabi was at school today because I was so ridiculously exhausted. I'm going to bed early tonight in hopes that I will be fully recovered for tomorrow's run.

Must be present for presents

Today started with a long run at boot camp. I realized that the last time I ran the long route I did not get lost I merely didn't go very fast. This morning I started a few minutes early and ran a few minutes late but managed to go the same number of laps as last week. I feel a sense of accomplishment that I survived the run and that I did it a bit faster.

It's the season for shopping and I've been doing a lot of it in recent days. Trying to get the last of the gifts purchased before the deadline to post gifts arrives this Friday. I say deadline because the 11th is the last day the post office here in Okinawa can assure me that my gifts will arrive in the states before Christmas. I was hoping to get the gifts sent today, but that simply did not happen. I did manage to buy the rest of the gifts today so that's something. If luck is on my side I can have them wrapped and packed tonight then mailed off in the morning. I'm feeling a lack of motivation to do this though. I love Christmas, especially buying great gifts for other people. This year has been a bit of a challenge, I feel being farther away from those I love has taken away some of my gift giving panache. I don't know what they (my gift recipients) have been doing in recent months, no one has mentioned something they'd love to have in passing because we don't really talk like that to anyone anymore. This year I can't say I've known what the perfect gift is for anyone. Even the people I live with and I do have the occasional casual conversation with them. Regardless if I've found the perfect gift or not the gifts have been purchased and they will soon be sent and that's just going to have to be enough this year.

Da Plane Da Plane

We are back home in Okinawa now and of course the trip was long and exhausting. Gabriella did manage to make it to school and has been awake all day. I'm sure both she and I will go to bed early tonight. Our trip home was not without its excitement. I have come to the realization that I take my memory for granted sometime and that can leave to catastrophic mistakes. One such mistake happened Sunday morning. My parents asked me repeatedly what time my flight was on Sunday morning and I cheerfully replied that it was at 10:36 am, never bothering to actually look up the flight time on the itinerary. Well it turns out that my flight was really at 9:45 and it landed at 10:36 in Honolulu. So when we checked in at Hawaiian airlines the nice lady in the flowery shirt informed me I would not be making the original flight. My first concern was making the connecting flight. Lucky for us the next flight to Oahu was only a half hour later and although we were on standby we still got on the flight without a problem. Once in Honolulu we had to take the Wiki Wiki shuttle bus to the international terminal which they say to give yourself 25 minutes to do. We arrived at the international terminal just in time to hear our name announced over the loudspeaker calling us to the gate. We managed to get on the flight by the skin of our teeth. The rest of the trip home was completely banal. The food was kind of icky, we slept a few hours on the long flight, and the landing into Naha was as bumpy as ever.

Gabriella and I are both happy and rested from our vacation. We enjoyed seeing our family and playing on the beach. I'm tan which is something to be proud of considering it's December. It was a great trip and I hope we do it every year.

The picture is from Gabriella and my last dinner in Maui.

Another post from Maui

The last full day of vacation is upon us and I can't believe that it's over already. We've had a few days of fun in the sun both at the beach and the pool. We've explored Lahaina and purchased the requisite hawaiian print dresses. The pools here are amazing, there are so many we haven't even visited them all. The waves at the beach have been a bit treacherous, so much so that I will probably be washing sand out of Gabriella's hair until Christmas. She was a brave little soul though, getting right back up after she was knocked down by the wave only to have it happen again a few seconds later. After the second time we cut our losses and headed to the pool. We went down to the south villa pool which included a fantastic water slide. It was a pretty fast one and only one person could go on it at a time. I went first and waited at the bottom to catch Gabi. She loved it, but when we went up for the second time the water slide monitor told us Gabi had to be able to swim independently to the side of the pool. We went only one more time. Gabriella has already forgotten most of her swimming lessons and she seems to be less than interested in practicing. We're still having lots of fun in the pools though. Friday we spent all morning and most of the afternoon at the pool. Gabriella and I are nice and tan. Later that night we went to another Luau, this time at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It was called the Drums of the Pacific. I'm trying to upload a video of Gabriella learning the hula, but I'm not sure it's going to load. If not I have another picture that will be just as telling. The whole show was fantastic although I think the food at the other Luau was better. My dad decided to skip this luau proclaiming that one luau is enough for him. We lined up early and I was able to read a few more pages of my book before we went in to the show. Gabriella really enjoyed the show especially the hula from tahiti. We talked about all the different dances and she recognized a lot of their moves as ones she does in her hula class. All and all it was a great night, which Jen and I capped off with a late night trip to the spa. Today we will be going to the aquarium and packing. It's been a great vacation and I suppose it's not quite over yet.

**Sorry the video didn't load, but the picture is of Gabriella with the fire dancer. I think she looks adorably shy.

Pass the Poi

Another few days in Hawaii have passed and we are more relaxed than ever. My dad has taken the brunt of the babysitting duties so I've had a chance to relax and enjoy the island. My mom and I went shopping today and I bought a few new books from Barnes and Nobel. I read my book club book on the flight from Tokyo to Honolulu, so I needed some new reading material. After the bookstore we went on a fruitless search for terry cloth shorts for my mom. Although no shorts were found in the epic search of the Lahaina Cannery shops I did get a new sunhat so the trip wasn't a total bust.

Today I went in the ocean for a quick swim in some pretty rough waves. The water certainly wasn't as warm as Okinawa, but it was easy to get use to once I got in all the way. I dried off at the pool soaking in some rays and working on my tan.

Tonight was a great luau at the Royal Lahaina Hotel. The food was amazing, my favorite was the Kahlua pig and the vegetable stir fry. There was even a kids buffet for my little keiki. The show was fantastic, the best part was the mistress of ceremonies who was both clever and traditional. The dancers were great and Gabriella was enthralled by the show. My favorite quote is as follows.

Scene: Female Dancer in short skirt doing a very quick hip shaking hula.

Gabriella: "She's shaking her bottom a lot."

Gabi even showed off a few of her hula moves during the show. There was plenty of eye candy for both the men and the ladies. And of course there were fire dancers, which always adds an element of danger.

All and all it was a fantastic day. Tomorrow my cousin Jenifer arrives and I can't wait.

Aloha from Maui

We've arrived safely in Maui and have enjoyed our first 24 hours at the resort. I haven't been to Maui since I was 14 and boy has it changed. It seems like there are no hotels here anymore just timeshares. But it's still beautiful, the water is crystal blue and about the same temperature as a glass of ice water.

Our trip to Maui required us to take 3 planes through 4 airports. The trip from Okinawa to Narita was the same as always, although Gabriella didn't get a toy this time. She didn't even notice. We had a long layover in Narita and we spent it walking around the terminals, checking out all 50 gates. We had lunch at a little restaurant that overlooked the runway and Gabriella enjoyed watching the planes take off and land. When we finally got on the plane it was delayed for almost an hour. Once we were airborne we had lots of turbulence throughout the entire flight. I didn't sleep because of all the bouncing around but Gabriella managed to nap for about 4 hours. Arriving in Honolulu we took a bus to customs before heading back inside the terminal for our inter-island flight to Maui. My first stop on American soil was Starbucks for an eggnog latte. I suppose I've built it up too much in my head, elevated the deliciousness in my memory to heights the actual beverage could not achieve. In other words it wasn't as good as I remembered and I was disappointed. The good news is that I won't be going to Starbucks everyday for coffee. The flight to Maui was only 30 minutes and Gabriella got a window seat so we spent the fight looking out the window trying to spot migrating whales. We didn't see any. Finally touching down and deplaning in Maui we waited a couple of hours for my parents to arrive.

We rented a mini van because we had so much luggage and 5 people to drive around that the economy car wasn't going to cut it. Our first stop was Costco where we stocked up on everything we could possibly need. I even found my favorite Lobster Bisque. My mom and I are the drivers on the rental contract so I drove to the hotel. It was a lovely drive and I did my best to stay on the right side of the road. I was probably not the best choice for a driver since I was exhausted from 13 hours in planes and use to driving on the left, but we made it safely to our destination. The hotel here is amazing, there are a dozen restaurants, 2 general stores, pools for adults, a pirate ship pool for kids, beautiful beaches, and anything else you may need. We did our best to unpack and eat a quick dinner before settling in for a night in. I explored the general store and got a lot of small items like marinades and half and half. Later in the evening my aunt and I explored the nightlife (nonexistant) at the hotel. I was tucked into bed by 9 pm.

Early to bed means early to rise. This morning I was in the gym by 6 am and used the elliptical machine for 40 minutes. The gym is small but well appointed and I was the only one in there for the first 30 minutes. It even has a steam room and dry sauna which I look forward to trying out later. Our first activity of the morning was a sales breakfast from Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays. We bought tickets to the aquarium and a luau. I hope Gabriella likes the luau especially the dancers. She really wants to drink out of a coconut, perhaps that will happen at the luau. When we returned from our sales pitch Gabriella was already out at the pirate ship pool. I slipped into my bathing suit and joined her for a little bit before we both headed to the bigger pool. We spent the rest of the morning swimming before coming back to the room for lunch.

As I write this she is fast asleep in the chaise lounge chair covered with a blanket and snuggling her Ariel doll. I hope she wakes up in time for dinner.