PCS Season

Well, it's that time of year here at Yokota....PCS season. It is a very bitter/sweet time around here. For those of you that don't know PCS means Permanent Change of Station. It means while we are sad to say "bye" to friends, we are happy to welcome new friends to our Yokota Family. A lot of people move during the summer in the military, so that kiddos can get the new school year started at their new base.
I've had the pleasure this week to get to show 2 of our new families around Japan a little. Eight months ago I never could have imagined that I would be comfortable enough in Japan to show new people around! I've had so much fun getting to take them around. I got to take one family on the train to Tokyo yesterday to teach them how to navigate the JR (Japan Railway) system. The 1st time Kenny & I took the train by ourselves, I thought that I was going to have a nervous breakdown!!! Now, I get around on them pretty darn good, & can even teach new people a thing or two. Today I got to take the other family to Joyful Honda for their 1st adventure eating off base in Japan. (Yes Mom, we had some gyoza!) The 1st time Kenny & I went to Joyful Honda on our own, we got lost on our way back to base! I thought for sure we were never going to make it back, but thank goodness we did.
After having the crazy experiences of Japan on our own, it's funny now that I am the one showing people around. It's fun for me to see how far I've come in such a short amount of time. Don't get me wrong, I still get a little confused at some of the bigger train stations every once in a while & driving off base is always interesting, but I know enough to get by. I'm so thankful for the people that took us under their wing when we got here, & I love that I now get the chance to give some of that back to the newcomers.

Sorry!!!!!

Yes, I'm still here! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted! I got behind when my parents visited & then just felt too far behind to catch up. This is my attempt to get going again....

We had a great time with my folks here! I'll post some pictures later. After their trip, Kenny was gone for 3 weeks, and then it was time for the 4th of July. We had a great time with our Yokota Family for the 4th. Although, I did seriously miss the lake & my family!!! I think it was the hardest holiday for me to be away from my family since we've been here. I love summer & the lake so much, it was hard to not be there with them. But, we made the best of it & had a fun cookout with our friends.

Other than that, there hasn't been much going on around here. I'll try to do a post with some pictures later, but I promise I'll do a better job of blogging. Have a great week!

Congratulations Kenny!

I love bragging on my husband, and this week I get to. On Sunday, Kenny finished his masters degree!!!!! YEAH!!!! On top of working as much as he does, he has been doing his homework on the weekends. I am so proud of him! I'm also excited because this means that our weekends can be spent doing things other than homework now. =)

Company's Coming

Last week Kenny & I had our 1st house guest in Japan. We had a lot of fun, but I was very anxious about having a guest in our house that a.) I had never met before and b.) she speaks little English. Kinda long story as to how this came about. My brother-in-law (Ben), well his Dad has a friend that is a retired Japanese colonel. He & his daughter, Mari, came to visit. Colonel Watanabe stayed with David's brother Mark & his wife Cheryl, and Mari stayed with us for a few days. We had fun, but there were some definite language barriers at times. One of the words that I use most often doesn't translate to Japanese very well....I still can't figure out why they don't say "y'all" over here! =)

This week is jump week here at Yokota. They have brought in about 70 jumpers to jump out of the C-130s for the crews to practice dropping people & for the jumpers to practice. This was the first time that I've gotten to watch Kenny in action, and to watch people jump out of the planes. It was pretty cool to see the 3 planes coming in & then watch them jump. I'll add a few pictures that I took of the drop.

The most exciting thing we are looking forward to right now is that Mom & Dad are coming to visit!!!! I can't wait to show them around & introduce them to our friends here. We're planning a busy trip for them complete with a few days in Tokyo, Kyoto & Nagano! We'll be sure to take a lot of pictures.

Here come the planes! (Kenny is one of the navigators on the 1st one)

The Beginning of the Drops (Yep, those are people!)

The 2nd Plane getting ready to drop

Coming in for a landing! Total they dropped 60 something people!

Blessed...

There really isn't much new to report from Japan. We've been pretty busy lately, but mostly just with everyday life. The past couple of weeks I have been reminded how truly blessed I am by my friends here in Japan. In the short time that we have been here, I know that we have made some great friendships that will last a lifetime. God has been so faithful to us to provide these relationships. One thing Kenny & I were really needing were some more married friends that we could do stuff with, & we have 3 couples here that we love to do things with! Kenny gets along with the husbands just as much as I get along with the wives. It will be a very sad day when we all move on to our next assignments.
We have a major praise at our house right now, Kenny was cleared to fly again this week!!!! He found out yesterday & is flying tonight. =) He was taking some medicine for his stomach that had him grounded, but they have gotten a waiver that will allow him to fly while taking the medicine. Yeah!
Another spot of excitement for me right now is that my parents will be here soon!!!! I can't wait for them to come to Japan & see our life here. It will be so much fun to show them around & watch them walk around with the wide-eyed look that I know we had when we got here. I have them practicing using chopsticks at home because when you go out to eat here, there are many places that all they offer is chopsticks. I didn't want them to go hungry while they were here. I'm sure I'll have some fun stories & pictures to post after their visit.

Springtime in Japan

This is our first Spring in Japan & the weather has apparently been as odd here as it has been in the States this year. It has been unseasonably cool & we've had more rain than normal. We have had a few absolutely gorgeous days though, and on those days Kenny & I have gotten out to enjoy our home.

In case you don't know this already, the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC were a gift from the Japanese. They are native to Japan. Our base is covered with them & they have been absolutely beautiful while they've been in bloom. Amazing!!! The flowers have started to fall off of them & when you look outside if you didn't know better you would think it is snowing! It's really cool to see. I wish you could all be here to see it.

Wouldn't you like to drive by this every time you leave your house? I got to!

Kenny took off of work on Friday & we went back to Showa Park. They have transformed the park in to a beautiful flower garden. It was so fun to just spend the day walking around looking at flowers. They also have a Japanese garden set up complete with bonsai trees.

I loved this Japanese Maple bonsai tree!!!

Beautiful Japanese Cherry Blossom

Just some of the flowers at Showa Park

Other than that, we haven't really been up to a whole lot. We are super excited that my Mom & Dad are coming to see us soon. I can't wait to introduce them to our friends & let them see the country that we will be calling home for the next few years. I'm sure there will be some entertaining stories from that trip! =)

I've added a few pictures here, but for many more check out my facebook page!

I'm Still Here!

Don't worry, I'm still here! The last month has been a kinda hectic, but great. I got to spend 3 weeks in Arkansas with my family & friends. I'm so thankful for the time I got to be with them. Kenny was with me at the beginning of the trip. We spent the few days he was there spending time with our families & enjoying Arkansas! We surprised Bek's kids for lunch the 1st day, and they were so excited to see Uncle Kenny (I was an afterthought at this point). It was so fun to see the looks on their faces!!!

Once Kenny left, I began the tour of Little Rock to hang out with family & friends. Mom & I even escaped to Branson for some shopping one night. It was so nice to actually go into stores that sold American sizes! Ha!

Some of the big highlights of the trip were that we got to host a baby shower for one of my dearest friends, Lyndsey. Baby Amelia will be joining us in less than a month! We literally had people from all over the world at the shower. Lyndsey came in from Atlanta, Laura from Dallas, Jennifer from Benlomond, Me from Japan & Kambry from London. It was so fun to see so many of my lifelong friends in one place! The next day I got to be of the dedication of my newest niece, Caroline. I'm so thankful that Rebekah was able to schedule it when I would be home! I would've been so sad to miss that. And last but certainly not least, we got to celebrate my Daddy's 60th Birthday! You would never look at my Dad & think he is 6o. I have been blessed with the best parents in the world!

The rest of my time was spent hanging out with great friends in Little Rock. I loved it!

Eventually, it was time to come home and surprisingly...I was ready! Japan is my home now with Kenny. I never thought that I would feel as comfortable & settled as I do here. God has blessed me with an amazing husband & some awesome friends here that I wouldn't trade for anything! Don't get my wrong, I have days that I get "homesick" and I always miss my family terribly, but I love my life here. I think we all know that for this Little Rock girl, that is truly an act of God. He has been so good to me.

Wow, I think I've rambled enough for one day. I'll try to post some pictures of my trip to Little Rock in the next couple of days. I'll also try to be better about keeping up with my blog. We are looking forward to spring weather here in Japan, & the blooming of the cherry blossoms. I hear they are beautiful here on base! Definitely pictures to come of that! Have an awesome week!