First Post

Hi everyone!

I said that I was going to create a blog to have something to document my time in Japan.  I know that everyone can't get on Facebook but usually blogger is not blocked at work.

We arrived here in Okinawa, Japan after an exhausting 24 hours in transit.  Things were a little confusing but nevertheless we made it.  Doug was not a the baggage claim when we arrived and I quickly panicked but didn't show it to the girls.  Luckily he was just at the wrong carousel.

When we went outside the airport at 11 pm it was still very hot and muggy.  I had no idea what I was into with the weather.  That night we slept with the air on, which is something I rarely did in Michigan.

The next morning we (Doug and I) were up very early because we needed to go to the consulate and get our affadavit notarized by a government official and then take it to the translator and then we went to the Chatan City hall to get married.  When we finally got called we sat down in front of a desk with a Japanese woman and she said a few things to us to verify what was written on the form.  Then she asked us to raise our right hands and attest that we were eligible to marry one another and then she had us sign the form.  At this point we were confused as to what was going on and then she congratulated us on getting married.  I never knew it was that simple in Japan.

After the 'wedding' we took pics in front of the shisa dog of the city hall and then had lunch at Sukiya, our first beef bowls and experience of not having the option of using a fork but only chopsticks.  After we ate there we headed home so that we could prepare to move into our new house.  The new house is a bit further away from the base.  This first day in Okinawa proved to be more than I could handle and I nearly passed out from the heat and humidity.  I was so glad to be able to go to bed that night.

The rest of the time that we have spent here has been very exciting getting to see another culture and lifestyle.  Not only are we experiencing the Japanese culture but also the military lifestyle also.  This is something pretty cool.  

There are tv stations dedicated to military programming and they have the funniest commercials. I wish I knew how to record them and youtube them.

There is a lot more stuff that happened in between where I started and now but maybe I'll go over that another day.  

I'm so happy and excited to be able to embark on this aspect of my life with people that I love.  My daughters Janiece and Cariana and my new husband.  My oldest daughter Janell is still in Michigan studying for the ASVAB test so that she can enlist in the military.  Being that she will be 18 in a few days, she would have had to be attending school full time in order to stay overseas with us.

I'm going to try to keep this blog updated every few days so that everyone can see what's going on in our lives.

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