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.