Be Thankful!

It was easy this morning to wake up and feel sorry for myself. I am far from family, the husband is off being a Marine and shooting things in the mountains, and I miss running house to house to see all my different families. All the while making sure everyone understood the difference between mashed potatoes and whipped potatoes. Mashed obviously being the superior choice. I thought about making desserts with my Momma in our old, cozy farmhouse, stealing the first piece of turkey from Grandpa Addis, fighting Uncle Bud for the last deviled egg. Getting a call from my Dad telling me to drive carefully on the icy roads to our next Thanksgiving celebration. Jilly Bean calling to hang out and have a few beers or steal a few roadsigns after the festivities ended.

As life changes, so does Thanksgiving. Grandma Robinson is gone, unable to teach me one of her many cooking tricks that usually accompanied holiday preparations. Momma W started making mashed potatoes when I came into their holiday lives, just for me. Aunt Donna would jump a plane from Florida just to spend a few days hanging out with us on the holidays. It is the little things like this that make me miss family, yet be so thankful to have each and every one of them in my life, past and present.

I am so thankful to be spending Thanksgiving with Heather, a friend who is just like family. While we both miss our families and husbands, it is easier to do that together! And it is easier to think of what we are thankful for rather than dwell on what is missing. 

As you enjoy your holiday meals, I want you to think of one thing in particular. Those men and women who are spending their Thanksgiving on the front lines, and how they miss those small details of holiday life we all take for granted in order to sacrifice for our freedom. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Iwakuni by Luck

When flying Space-A, a girl simply crosses her fingers, watches the flights like a hawk, and puts bets on luck to get where she is going. Space-A is a military term for Space Available. The purpose is for empty seats on flights to get filled by passengers wishing to travel... somewhere. There are flights all over the world, but the most common from Oki include mainland, Hawaii, and Guam. I already took a Space-A accidental adventure to Hawaii with my Oki bestie, but this time I was traveling alone. 

Heather visited us in Oki when Avril was in town!

Heather lives in Iwakuni. That is on mainland Japan. Did I just blow some minds? No, we do NOT live on mainland. Here is a map to help those of you out who don't pay attention to recent blogs explaining where we live. :) 

After arriving at the Air Force Base airport bright and early, I was chosen (through a strenuous, not-that-fun-to-explain-but-if-you-are-interested-in-more-details-because-you-want-to-try-and-travel-for-free-and-are-a-military-spouse-then-email-me process) for the flight to Iwakuni! I was boarded on the plane four hours later and told that in 1 hour and 20 minutes I would land in Iwakuni where I could rush into my mainland BFF's arms. All went off without a hitch and I landed safely in Iwakuni for- wait for it- exactly $0. Pretty good deal, right! 

Well, I am hanging out here for a few days and attempting to head back in about a week from now. The beauty in the process is that I have to wait for a flight returning to Oki in order to return home for another big, fat $0. One of the bonuses of military life. 

Enjoy some pics from our adventures so far. 

"Eddie" short for Edamame.

The mountains of Iwakuni are reminiscent of Kentucky. *sigh*

Kintai Bridge, meant to separate the royalty from commoners in olden days. Of course I am on the royalty side!

Soy Sauce tasting.. Yes, it is as exciting as Heather makes it look!

The giant goldfish mascot of a local city called Yanai.

Sanzoku, or The Chicken Shack

That fish stared at me for the entire meal... creepy!

Outside seating where a cool waterfall flows in the background. It is pretty chilly here, so the underneath of the tables are heated!

A little hike around the Shack led us to some sweet sites.

Tune in soon and I am sure there will be more updates. :)

Just another day...

Nothing big to report in this blog entry, but I just wanted to write about a few little things happening around here. After all, the little things are what get me by when Troy is gone and there is no one to share those mundane day-to-day happenings with! 

It is always worth the drive to the mailbox when there is a box filled with awesomeness waiting for me. Momma K sent me all kinds of goodies that we are unable to get in Okinawa. Yay for OPI nail polish! :)

There was also a huge bag of Fun Dip packed in there for Troy. I sent him this picture and..... 

 

He seems pretty excited about it!

Many of you heard about my car dying. :( 

I love my car, it had so many great memories and safely trekked all our visitors to every corner of the island. Every two years, the Japanese Government requires an inspection and my car was due. We thought there might be some minor things that needed fixing but it turned out my car was beyond repair. It is very frustrating because my car was running perfectly fine! But we were not allowed to drive it anymore and were forced to "recycle" it, which it pretty much taking it to a junkyard. I really miss my little cicada-powered car and am still sad about it. I was able to find a viable replacement and picked her up today: 

2000 Nissan Cube

The keys are cute...

She didn't quite feel right, so I quickly made her my own... 

Hello Bumper Stickers!

Wanna see 'em up close?

Gotta have a SCUBA sticker!

Momma W sent us these, they're perfect!

I put a little doggie on each side window. Cute!

I am extra excited about this one... It is the symbol for the new unit where I start working in December. :)

Thanks for stopping by! :)

The Winds of Change...

I have been struggling to find my place and come to peace with many things for quite some time now. A few of those things include the military world, the lonely-wife-because-your-hubby-is-off-saving-the-world-or-learning-to role, the love-hate relationship I share with the Marine Corps, and my own mind and body. After much soul searching, job searching, and pondering where I am meant to be I decided on one thing:

I just want to make a difference. 

At first, I thought I could do that by becoming a teacher. I went through all the motions, did all the right things, and still no jobs panned out. While many people said "Be Patient, it will come with time", I could only see the clock ticking. Our time in Okinawa is limited and I do not want to have a 3 year hole in my resume where all I did was wait for something to happen. I have never been good at waiting anyway. 

So I decided to stop waiting and be proactive-- I set out to find what would make me truly happy with all of those things listed above and more. I haven't figured out all the answers, that is for sure, but I know I have found a way to achieve my ultimate goal--making a difference. 

I have been volunteering as a Family Readiness Assistant since we got our start with the Marine Corps. There are so many benefits (new friends, understanding the military system, being involved with Troy's unit, etc), and it is a great way to give back to the military community. Inspired by this, I applied for a few jobs as a Family Readiness Officer. After a brutal application and interview process, I was selected for the position with 9th ESB. That means you can call me a FRO. I know some of you were thinking that I have the perfect hair for that acronym (at least those of you who have seen me in the morning)! 
Most of you are probably wondering: What in the world is a FRO? 

Not quite... my afro would be purple.

Well, I could list all of the responsibilities but you would fall asleep... The FRO is the connection between the Marine Corps and families who sacrifice so much to support the mission. I will be planning events, providing resource and referral services, working alongside Marines, spouses, and civilians, and most importantly-- giving back to the community that has given me so much.  

I am very excited about this new opportunity, it is a big step for me. And I finally feel important and accomplished. I don't officially start my new job until mid-December, but I am already getting involved and well on my way to becoming the newest member of the 9th ESB family. I am sure my FRO-ing adventures will be chronicled in later blogs, so stay tuned to learn more! :)  

236th Marine Corps Birthday

This year, we celebrated the 236th Marine Corps Birthday a little early. Troy left a few days after the celebration for a training mission and will be gone until after Thanksgiving. 

The Commandant and Sergent Major of the Marine Corps released an inspirational and hard hitting message this year that every American should watch. Lucky for you, here it is: 

We celebrated the occasion with a military ball, as usual. I special ordered a dress I have been wanting for years and Troy wore his handsome dress blues. Enjoy some highlights from the evening!

Lucky girl! :)

We brought along a friend whose husband could not make it to the ball because he is deployed!

Troy gets to hang out with two hot women all night... lucky dude!

The III MEF Marine Band was at the ceremony, I always love hearing them play.

The Commanding Officer (left) and Guest of Honor (right). The Guest of Honor was an incredibly inspirational Retired Marine. I would argue that he is the best guest speaker I have ever had the privilege of hearing.

Mmmm CAKE! Here is a fun fact for you... there is actually only a little piece of this cake that is edible. It is mostly for show! They bring out sheet cake for the rest of us.

Lucky guy!

Bustin' a move!

Having a little fun. I'm blinded by all the medals! A few have been added recently for all his hard work. :)

Believe it or not, that is Lt Troy Walton busting a move on the dance floor. He kept up with the fancy line dance for quite a while!

Happy Marine Corps Birthday!!

Christmas Mailing

I found some information about mailing deadlines for Christmas and thought I would share. We will be leaving for China shortly after Christmas (which means no contact with stateside people via phone), so I am trying to get everything out by our deadline this year!

As you can see, we have to get things mailed out by Nov 29th for the cheapest/slowest shipment option.

We certainly don't expect gifts from anyone, I just wanted to pass along some info. :)

Tune back in on the Marine Corps Birthday for a fun update!

Super Heroes, Princesses, and Sharks... Oh My!!

Halloween in Okinawa is pretty eventful... I think I mentioned last year (which is weird to say- I still can't believe we have been here a year!) that the locals are allowed on base and the Japanese kids love trick or treating. Troy and I always say we would rather save our candy for them because they are much more polite and appreciative than the American kids. Although, I will give many of the young parents props who made their children come back and tell us thank you if they forgot! 

We saw tons of cute costumes, and an entire family of Angry Birds. The standout participant of the night, in my completely unbiased opinion, was a cute little girl posing as SharkBait....

Officially meet the newest Walton: Coral.

She is only a little spoiled....

We found her laying in the middle of the road after a snorkeling adventure while Momma K was visiting. We took her in, patched her up, took her to the vet, and planned on adopting her out. After a few weeks, there was no way we were letting this little lady out of our sight. 

Does that "W" mean I'm a real Walton?

She has really began to fit into our family, Murphy and she have become BFF's, often ganging up on Chesty- it is much deserved after his years of torturing Murphy. I know it might sound like we are the crazy dog people now... but it doesn't phase us a bit. Like I always say: Rescues make ordinary people into extraordinary people! 

Enjoy some more pictures from Halloween: 

You know I love my window clings!

Sugar Coma or Awkward Camera Blink? You be the judge.

We are ready for some trick or treater's! Coral has my philosophy... "I better try one to make sure they aren't poisoned."

So tired from all the lovin'! 

 

 

 

Stay tuned, Marine Corps Birthday blog coming your way very soon!!