The Countdown Has Begun!!!

Well, we now have less than six, yes six months left here on our little island in the middle of the ocean. I really can't believe how quickly our time here has gone. It probably has a ton to do with how busy Nate and I have kept ourselves and also... we have really great friends here.

We were back in the states for 32 days in Nov/Dec this year, and it was great! Really makes me look forward to our move back! We spent Thanksgiving with our families, but the majority of time was spent traveling all over tarnation for Nate's residency interviews. (He's applying to pediatric dentistry residencies.)

So, Christmas has passed and new years is right around the corner. I must admit, I am really happy that this is our last year to spend the holidays so far from home! As great as everyone here is... it's just not the same.

Now it's crunch time to fit in all that we need/want to do before we head back to US soil... so perfect time to come up with a list!

TO DO:
Find out where we are moving.
Deborah visits.
Sell a bunch of stuff at the flee market.
Vietnam/Cambodia trip. Mar 2-9
Ishigaki Island trip aka... ClubMed. MLK weekend
China trip.
Ann visits?
Clean out closets one more time.
Whale watching tour.
Motorboat course.
Advance Open Water Diver course.
See more of the Ryukyu Golden Kings.

ETD from Oki... mid June. Nate's last day of military commitment is June 23, 2010! Orders should be arriving soon!

Japanese Fish Print

Nate and I recently went spearfishing (where I speared my first fish)... and I also got the chance to try my first attempt at Japanese fish printing. I had done this very briefly back in high school (10 years ago) and it was with rubber fish. So... all in all it turned out ok. In the future I need to get better ink and also better cloth... not one of Nate's old white t-shirts! But it was a lot of fun and plan on giving it another shot soon!



cleaning the fish with vinegar and sea salt





inking the fish



cloth is layed over the inked fish and then you rub to transfer the ink

my finished product



Typhoon Chaba

Typhoon Chaba is headed towards Okinawa!

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/wp201016.html

Not bad... especially if you are really hungry.

For dinner tonight: Chicken Fajitas!
All of these bags of goodness came in the big one.



Get to know why MRE's are good for you!



 

Before the Mexican Rice was ready to add.



Meal, Ready-to-Eat!
I am not sure where our cheese or tortillas were, but Nate had mentioned something about how the cheese was not very healthy! haha

 I was actually quite surprised that the meal was not that bad! Nate said the snack crackers are an even blend of Cheez-its and Cheese Nips. I had the Irish Coffee and that was pretty much spot on to your local gas station coffee/cappucino (in a good way).

Japanese Fish Prints

So if you have not gotten the memo, Nate is obsessed (yes, obsessed) with spear fishing. He has developed a real love for the sport. I love it too... not the spearing of the fish, but I love watching how passionate he is about his new favorite hobby and also the fish are delicious!

Anyway, the real reason for the post... Nate has had three of his catches printed by a local Okinawan fish print artist and they have turned out really cool.

Well, when I was in high school I learned how to make fish prints with fake, rubber fish. I actually had told Nate that I would like to try and print one of his fish. Then one of our friends found a place that a "professional" could do it for us for a small fee. Needless to say, they picked the pro. Go figure.

Now I am more motivated than ever to learn how to do a proper fish print with a real-life fish. I have been reading about it on the internet and found THIS helpful website and thought that I would share it!

Here are some pics of the spearfishing to fish print process. I will be sure to document when I do my first fish print! Stay tuned...

Bringing his catch (Emperor Snapper) to the surface

At the surface and ready to put on his stringer

Flash forward a day or two... finished print of said fish!

Operation Smile

Here is a little information about Operation Smile
Who We Are: Children’s Charity Organization

Healing children's smiles. Making the world a better place.

At Operation Smile, we measure ourselves by the joy we see on children's faces. We're more than a charity. More than an NGO. We're a mobilized force of medical professionals and caring hearts who provide safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.


More than 200,000 children are born with a severe cleft condition each year — often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can't afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.

That's where we come in. Since 1982, Operation Smile — through the help of dedicated medical volunteers — has provided free surgeries to children around the world. With a presence in over 50 countries, we are able to heal children’s smiles and bringing hope for a better future.


Thanks to the generosity and spirit of volunteerism shown by our supporters, we heal thousands of children per year and, today, more than 150,000 girls and boys have a new chance at a new life because of our work. With your help, how many lives can we change tomorrow?

Okinawa Style Party in the USA

A group of local teens made this video for the Far East Drama Contest! It is really entertaining and if you have not been to Okinawa.... it gives you a peek at a lot of different parts of the island. Enjoy!