We have lived in Japan for a long time now. (for a military family that moves every 2.6 years). And I LOVE IT! When we first moved here we were your typical military family/tourists. Living in relative comfort (heat. a lovely sized house. and heat). The best of both worlds. Many of our weekends were spent on the train venturing out to see the sights. I was determined to learn the language. Speak if fluently. I know, its what a lot of military wives say.. Hey, I was gonna learn to speak Italian when we lived there too. But, you add kids, work, home and KIDS to your life and goals change.
In Yoko we were and hour from Tokyo by train.. and I loved it! Ian was home every day.. and I loved it... The boys were schooled at home.. and I loved it. One day rolled into the next. and I loved it... Then somewhere along about year 2.6 I started to realize that we would be moving. And, true to Navy form we did. We moved 16 hours south. To a small town. (by Japanese standards)..
Reality check time.. I was unpacking my house all by myself with 3 boys running around screaming their fool heads off... By day 2 I was D.O.N.E.. We threw on our bathing suits and headed to the pool behind our house. Ian was off playing Captain Hook, or Popeye (depending on the day and job).. and here I was in a foreign country (living in the sticks) raising these wonderfully.. amazing.. full of energy boys. And, Ian was off playing Captain Hook... *sigh*
For the first few months things were good. We ventured out as much as possible, ITT trips, driving to Jusco, Ramen at the local shop, and making new wonderful friends. We all feel back into the dreaded sea duty with relative ease. I was/am comfortable enough with Japan that venturing off alone with the kids was just fine.. And, hey, bonus the tolls are free until March. Meaning I didn't have to worry about spending a fortune on toll roads. if we got lost... Round about January 2010 things changed... I got the plus sign and we were off a running with plans of adding a new baby to the mix. and I loved it. Change is a good thing, and when that change is a beautiful, smell good, baby change is AMAZING!!
Adding Piper to the mix has been wonderful for our family, but not so wonderful for our adventurous spirit. Its cold, wet, rainy, and cold!! Babies born in the winter sort of get the short end of the stick in my opinion. They are pretty much locked in the house, and quarantined from all of society. (In Japan babies are kept in the house for 3 months no matter when they are born).. But, life ebbs and flows. Slow was good, relaxing, sleeping, living vicariously through my new born baby was grand. Some days I would love to do nothing but, eat, sleep, poop, and sleep some more. Ah, the life...
We crawled through football by the skin of out teeth... and I was staring at Christmas on the horizon. It has been an amazing year.. TOTALLY amazing. But, it has also been a big American year. Not a lot of venturing out, no real trips to speak of, and very little shopping at the local stores. We seem to have survived most of the year close to home.. And, I loved it!
So to be able to be out and about, eating wonderful Japanese food, shopping in the Ginza (even if all I bought was a warm suit for Piper), and hitting up the local Starbucks for new mugs (yeah, I got 3) is bliss.. Oh, how I will miss Japan when its time to move..
In all the busy this week I got a call from a friend.. She is going to show me where the Gomi store is.. YEAH!! And this ladies and gents is where I stepped in it.. I love a bargain.. Paying full price is for those rich folks that can afford to throw away money. If any of you are reading here, no need to throw it away just send it to me (message me for details on where to send said money).. We are minimalists.. OK, with stuff not kids. Stuff minimalists... Kids not so much. Most of what we own is second hand. cheaper, and hello we move every 2.6 years. Who wants to worry about expensive furniture being broken... When we know how much movers get paid. (by the way they should get paid a lot more then they do).. In my excitement to find a good bargain, and get out of my house. with NO KIDS!! I called another friend to invite her.. I asked if she would like to go to the Gomi store and she would, so we start talking times, and in the background I can hear her Japanese friend asking about Gomi. Yeah, she said we are all headed there Tuesday.. To the gomi store her friend asked? Um, yep, you wanna come? No... Her friend says you do know gomi means trash? You are going to a trash store? Well we are going to the second hand shops.. they call them gomi stores.. Who calls them Gomi stores? Well, Sabrina does... I quickly try and defend myself.. throwing another friend under the bus. Well, yeah I call them Gomi because (so and so does).. Doesn't everyone call them gomi stores.. No, her friend says we call them recycle shops.. not trash store..
OK, so we are going to a recycle shop today... and tomorrow I am ORDERING ROSETTA STONE JAPANESE... Or maybe JAPANESE FOR DUMMIES!! Because after almost 5 years in Japan I had no idea how to say trash...*sigh*
Meet Raptor.. We are dog sitting and he is super sweet.. And, a super loud snorer!! His parents went back to the states for the holidays and they are snowed in, in Virginia..
Raptor is very interested in Piper.. If she cries he runs around barking until one of us gets to her. He is gentle and careful with her.
