Eye of the Tiger

Watch out! There are tigers on the loose!

The Salt Factory

Nancy took our friends Sarah and Mary and me out to lunch at the Okinawan Salt Factory. The food was delicious and we were able to see where Okinawan Salt is made. I still can’t believe it is the end of October and we are out on the patio enjoying 85 degree weather! We really enjoyed Nancy’s visit!

Araha Beach (Pirate Beach) with Nana

We squeezed in an afternoon at Araha Beach with the boys and Nana. I say "squeezed" because it was supposed to rain all day and the weather held for us for about an hour. It was a great afternoon and it seemed we had the beach to ourselves. Peter had fun swimming in the East China Sea and Danny had funny making sand angels. Nana had fun just being at the beach with the boys!

Spa Day with the Doctors: Dr. Fish and Dr. Guth

Big Nance made her arrival Wednesday and has hit the ground running and relaxing. After a quiet day on Thursday at home with the boys, I took her to the spa on Friday for some quality girl time. Mary, Nance and I went to eat at the Transit Cafe on the Sunabe Sea Wall (will post more about that later) and then to Chula U spa. We got facials, spent time in the healing springs and sauna, and of course met up with Dr. Fish. The fish eat the dead skin cells off your feet to make them smooth and give you "nice feeling" as they say in Engrish. Here's to spa day with the Doctors!

Date Night

Being ALL the way in Okinawa has its disadvantages. Missing out on Date Night is NOT one of them! Farrell and I became so used to have so much family around in Virginia, Date Night was a regular occurrence. We wondered if the trend would continue when we were thousands of miles away from the best babysitters. It does! The boys go to their preschool and the floor hits the town. Tonight we went to Jam Steak house and woo bar. The food was classic teppanyaki and delicious. And as always, the company was even better. Here's to Date Night!

The Okinawa Difference: Okinawa v. USA

Let's talk grocery stores. Sure, in the States you have variety, from organic and gourmet stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's to the Piggley Wiggley in J'Vegas, NC but where in the States can you find a store with a pink elephant that will befriend your children and ride along side them in a tea cup? I can't think of one. Here in Okinawa you need to look no further than your local Max Valu (yes, Valu not Value-good engrish I suppose). There not only will you find the pink elephant but you will find delicious Japanese food and a 100 yen section of the store. 100 yen (roughly equal to 1 dollar) will buy you all sorts of stuff you don't need. So, instead of going to super Wal-Mart or Target to buy groceries and stuff I don't need and fruitlessly search for a pink elephant, I can go down to Max Valu and get the whole enchilada for a few hundred yen.

Point to Okinawa.

Score: Okinawa-3 / USA-0

Prehistoric Cowboy

We are having a great time here in Okinawa. We love sightseeing, trying new restaurants and shops, and spending time just exploring but we still have a great time right at home in our apartment. Especially when you have a "prehistoric cowboy" on the loose. Just take a look...(a special thanks to Aunt Kim and Uncle Jack who supplied the dino!)