Congratulations, all around!

A big happy congratulations to Boots for completing his training school today! He has worked SO hard to come this far in his career and I am SO proud of him. Today is our last day in the BOQ (woohoo!) and we leave tomorrow. It is always bitter sweet to have to say good bye, but I couldn't be more excited to be starting a new chapter of life with Boots.

Another huge congratulations is for my dearest Kate, college roommate and now writer extraordinaire in Australia for landing her big, fancy, awesome new job! Keep tabs on this one, she will be a best seller one day, I just know it! Check out her blog here!

Woods Bathing

The Japanese practice of shinrin yoku or "woods bathing" is a form of preventative and remedial health care and it is believed that the refreshing and rejuvenating atmosphere of the woods helps to relieve fatigue and stress. This practice is part of the overall Japanese philosophy of combining nature into every aspect of life to become a part of it.

Until I read that in one of my Japan books little did I know that I practice shinrin yoku and benefit from it almost every day.


Today was ridiculously cold and windy, but to escape "cabin fever" in the hotel room and to support my low, winter time vitamin D levels I went out for a walk camera in hand.

I had my doubts about this base, but it has really grown on me. I love to run, walk and just be outside in general and the area around the BOQ has some beautiful trails and pretty views.



Here you can see the main road on base is lined with trees with a running trail on the side. I like to get off the main road and run through the trees though, this is a picture of my favorite dirt road trail.



I took these pictures back in November. Here is where we've been living:



I love this spot! I love walking through the trees and field to get down to the water. It's very quiet and pretty:

The little sandy beach is a nice place to walk and is covered in pretty shells.

I hope you've enjoyed getting a peak at my current "woods bathing" spots.


P.S. -- I love my Canon PowerShot SD960SI. I seriously upgraded my old Kodak and got it back in November knowing that I didn't want to miss out capturing a memory because the person moved or it was too dark. I know this little camera will serve me well on my travels and adventures!

My Awesome Blog Designer

I want to give a big thank you to my very good friend and amazingly talented Aliya Rinaldi Designs for my beautiful new blog. She makes blog templates personalized exactly for you and also makes gorgeous wedding invitations and anything involving graphic design. You should check out her cool designs here and her personal blog here.

Japan Bound

Not to sound over dramatic, but a year ago I knew my life would never be the same. Hearing Boots say "Japan" opened up a whole new life for me, for us, and so my adventure began. Follow me as I move and live in Okinawa for 3 years, continue to figure out military wifedom, and travel as much as possible.

The preparation for Japan has been a hunt for information, a balance of juggling logistics, exploring possibilities and a slew of emotions. Excited, scared, nervous, joyous, frustrated... Those challenges and feelings are ever present as we take the next big step. This morning the movers came and went leaving us with a few suitcases and the promise that we'll see our things again across the ocean at some point. For the past 5 months we've been living in the BOQ (the hotel on base) while Boots had a temporary assignment. His assignment was unaccompanied, but we didn't want to be apart unless we absolutely had to, so I came along. I enjoy working, but finding a job I enjoy where I feel valued and stimulated was just not going to happen in 5 months. This opportunity is not likely to come again, so I've made it a wonderful, relaxing and productive vacation.

So, our tickets are purchased. Our bags are packed. All we need now is some important paperwork we've been waiting and waiting on and we'll be good to go. We are taking a vacation on the way to Okinawa stopping in Northern Virginia, Sedona, Honolulu and Tokyo. As you can imagine, excited is an understatement!