Miss Veedol Beach Adventure

Over the weekend, a bunch of the girls from the squadron went down to a big festival and took tons of fun pictures of them sampling Japanese cuisine and frolicking among waist-high yellow flowers. I was invited, but figured that would be a bit much for me just yet. Between the long car ride, huge crowds, and fatty food, I just didn't think it was a good idea. But after their pictures were posted on facebook, I was very sad that I missed out on the adventure. I hate to miss out on big group events like that - ESPECIALLY ones that offer such great photo opportunities!

So when my friend Lisa Gee (who lives right across the street) called on Monday morning to see if I wanted to join her and her mom on a quick beach excursion, I accepted without hesitation. The coast is only a 15-20 minute drive from here, and it's far to cold to swim, so we would mostly be walking and taking in the view. I figured I could easily handle this adventure, so I grabbed some sunscreen and my camera and hopped into Lisa's front seat, eager for an experience worth documenting. I believe I got my wish! =^)

This particular beach is named after "Miss Veedol" - the first airplane to make the trans-Pacific flight from Japan to the U.S. Miss Veedol is kind of the patron/symbol of Misawa, and so I appreciated learning the history behind the name. They have a replica of the plane there at the base of a huge observation tower that gives you a great view of the ocean. We climbed up the tower first, then took some fun pictures with the plane before going beach combing. We gathered lots of sea shells and even more snapshots of us doing crazy poses on/in front of the natural elements.

It was definitely a memorable excursion and I am glad to have some more pictures of me and my friend having adventures in Japan!

I took the one below for James and sent it to him. O=^)

Looking forward to going on adventures

with him when he returns this fall.

One Goal Achieved...

Last April when we arrived in Phoenix, I decided it would be good to try reading through the Bible cover-to-cover once again. I did it in college because James and I decided it was important for both of us to have read the whole thing before getting married. But it had been a while since I did some in-depth scripture study so I figured I would try it again - but this time do it in half the time and with a slightly different method.

Instead of reading the Bible in order (which can get very tedious...) I printed up a check list and decided to skip around and really dig into whatever book struck my fancy, then check it off when I finished so that I would know how much progress I've made. I'd do a little bit in the New Testament, then read one of the big history books in the Old Testament, then maybe Psalms or a couple of the minor prophets before reading through one of the Gospels. It may seem erratic but it was actually great because I started to pick up a lot of associations and was able to appreciate the history a lot better when I didn't have to trudge through it all at once.

The goal was to finish it in one year - so by the end of April 2010. I was right on track to achieving that goal, but I fell behind with the move and my surgery. However, I spent some good time reading this week and am proud to say that I finished Revelation this morning!

I'm not as excited about the goal as what I really achieved by completing it. I know how much reading through all of this helped keep me grounded and remind me daily to trust God when I was stressed out. I've grown a lot and look forward to continuing to grow as I read more and more... It never ceases to amaze me how the words never change, but you can get something new out of them every time you reread it. The Bible truly is the living Word of God!

Now it's time to figure out what to do next... Maybe read it in a different translation? Or just take a lot more time and do manuscript studies? We shall see...

While The Guys Are Away, The Ladies Will Play...

All of the other pilots were able to take off on Friday morning, and so we wives have been trying our best to get together and have fun while they are gone. All of the parties and get-togethers have been great because I've made a lot of new friends, and being out of the house with other people definitely lifts my spirits and helps pass the time.

Friday night, our sponsor Sharon Gilmer had anyone interested over to her house for a special Thai themed potluck dinner. She and her husband Andy went on a vacation to Thailand before the deployment, and while they were there, Sharon picked up some cookbooks that she wanted to try. I couldn't eat any of the spicy food, but decided to go anyway and hang out. There were about 10 of us there (with lots of little ones in tow), including a couple of spouses that I hadn't met yet - so that was fun.

Saturday morning we threw a huge joint baby shower with the ladies of the 13th FS for our Commander's wife Jenn Steffens. They were a part of the 13th before her husband got promoted to our squadron commander so there were many, many people who wanted to be a part of this event! Jenn is expecting twin boys (almost unheard-of in the fighter pilot community!!) so the theme of the shower was "Two Peas in a Pod". Sharon made a stunning cake to match all of the napkins and cups, and everyone brought a favorite brunch item to share. Most of our time was devoted to chatting over food, and then watching Jenn open her mountain of gifts. I brought my camera and was asked to take a bunch of pictures so the hosts could put together a nice scrapbook for her. Of course, I was happy to oblige!! There were all kinds of fun plane and Japanese themed gifts. Those boys are going to be very well dressed!! Here are some of my favorite shots. There are more of them on my photography blog or facebook if you're interested!

Only in Japan... ;^)

These were, by far, the crowd pleaser of the day.

One says "SAMURAI" which is our squadron's mascot.

The other says "WOOD" which is what we all say as a toast or

to emphasize something important. SO cute!

Some of my new lady friends!

Sunday, I was invited over to our Key Spouse Deb's house for a How I Met Your Mother's Day marathon on tv. haha. Since there are a bunch of us in the squadron who enjoy this show, we got together and laid around in our pj's eating kettle corn and laughing. Everyone has been so great about calling me up and inviting me to things, so I imagine that I will have all kinds of fun this summer!

Our First Deployment

Well, James left on his first deployment early yesterday (Wednesday) morning. Our squadron is going to be operating out of Kunsan AB in South Korea for the next 4-5 months, helping with special air support. While deployments are never easy, we really lucked out with this one as our first. He is so close that we are in the same time zone, which will make keeping in touch a lot easier. All of the officers have their own hotel room, complete with internet access, so we can skype every day when he is not working. He also has several close friends outside of our squadron who are going to be heading over there soon, so I know he is excited to see them again. Most important among his new comrades, however, are his older brother Jon and his wife Claire who are currently stationed there. This will be a great opportunity for them to reconnect after having spent so much time apart! Best of all, though, is that I am allowed to go visit because Korea is not considered a war zone. I'm definitely not up to that right now, but look forward to making the trip over later this summer.

Having said all that, I'm not going to lie - it's pretty rough having him leave only a few short weeks after we arrived here in Japan. We knew this was coming, but I think the separation would have been easier if I was feeling better. I broke down several times this weekend (when I was tired or in pain) and couldn't imagine how I was going to make it on my own. At one point I was in such a pitiful state that he seriously considered calling up the commander to ask if he could stick around for an extra week and take care of me. However, I knew that I would be fine and didn't want to cause any more problems. We were right to trust that this timing was purposeful and let it happen because I have been feeling a lot better over the last couple of days and am managing just fine without him... but that was not an easy leap of faith.

Since he left, I've been trying my best to keep busy and not wallow too much. It's been kind of hard because he was one of the few officers who took the big, group flight over to Korea with all of the enlisted guys. The rest of the pilots in the squadron are flying their jets over, and therefore got to leave a little later. They were supposed to take off this afternoon, but it's been incredibly foggy so they got grounded and - oh joy! - all of the other wives got an extra night with their husbands. I'm happy for them because many of them have small kids or are pregnant so I know that they have very good reason to dread this separation. I just wish we could have had a couple more days too!! Oh well...

I got to talk to him on Skype last night and he said he's settling in well. Tonight he is out having dinner with Claire. I assume they are having a great time, and that he is getting a good feel for his new temporary base.

If you would like to mail him any care packages, etc. here is his mailing address:

James Wentzel

14 EFS/OPS

PSC 2 Box 5000 TDY

APO, AP 96264

Of course, he will be able to answer any emails you send him, or if you have skype you can chat it up on there as well.

More on the adventure as it unfolds. Till then, be praying that both of us will adjust well and get the emotional support we need. Thanks!

Cherry Blossom Season

It's the most wonderful time of the year - in Japan, anyway. The cherry blossoms are blooming. Winter is over and the roadsides are lined with beautiful flowering trees. I have been looking forward to this for a long time. Unfortunately, because of my condition after the surgery, I haven't been able to go outside much so I feel like I've missed out on the best of the festivities. However, I insisted on taking a short walk down the street to take pictures of the ones in our neighborhood before it was too late. Enjoy!

Gall be Gone!

Sorry for the long hiatus! I'm sure many of you have been anxious for more news from Japan! I just have not felt up to writing much in the last week and a half due to a very sudden admittance into the Misawa base hospital to have my gall bladder removed!

I was diagnosed with gall bladder disease right before we left Phoenix, so I knew that I would have to have it out at some point here in Japan. However, I was thinking it would take a much longer time to get that organized. Last Monday I went in for a check up and consultation with the general surgeon to find out how I was doing and what he thought our plan of action should be. He asked me A LOT of questions about my digestion, diet, discomfort, etc. Based on the way he was phrasing the questions, and my responses, I started to think he was going to say that my case really isn't that bad and that I didn't need to have it removed at all. But, the conversation shifted abruptly when he said that he had seen my ultrasound and that I do have a lot of stones in there - so the medically responsible thing for him to do is to remove it before my pain gets worse. He also said that there was nothing scheduled for the operating room the next day and that was his scheduled day for duty so - how did 6:15 am the next morning sound? =^O

That was a shock and no mistake! Thankfully they let me use their office phone to call James and see what his opinion was before making that huge decision. He was as shocked as I was, but agreed that doing it that quickly would probably be a good thing so he could be there to take care of me during the worst part of my recovery. So I spent an hour and a half running around the basement of the hospital - filling out stacks of paperwork, having some blood drawn, and talking to the anesthesiologists so we could go over the whole procedure and its possible risks and complications.

By the time I walked out to my car, my head was reeling. Not only did I have the operation itself to worry about, but all of the logistics of finding people to drive me around and take care of me while James was at work. I decided to call our commander's wife Jenn to let her know what was going on and to ask for some help with the planning. She is awesome and always eager to help so I figured she was a good person to go to. She thanked me for calling to let her know and invited me over to her house to talk it all through. She and her husband are both solid Christians so she was a great comfort.

After making sure I was ok and determining all that I would need during my recovery, she got on the phone and started calling all kinds of people who might be available to pick me up from the hospital the next day if James wasn't available, plus 2 back-ups just incase. She also arranged for several people to come over in shifts to sit with me during work days for the rest of the week. Finally, she called the spouse who is in charge of arranging meals to be dropped off when families are in need. By the time I left, we had a solid plan of action for the week. All that was left to do was to pick up several cans of soup and some applesauce on the way home and I'd be set.

Because my check in time was so early on Tuesday morning, James was able to drive me to the hospital and be with me for about an hour before the operation. I was the only patient in the surgical wing so I got a room and bathroom all to myself, and even had my own personal TV to watch while I waited. (Not that that was TOO exciting as it only got the Armed Forces Network, which meant there wasn't much programming to choose from.) About 30 minutes after James left, they wheeled me into the prep room where they hooked me up to an IV and I had an opportunity to ask any last-minute questions before going under. They really did take remarkably good care of me, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience at a normal U.S. hospital.

As it turns out, the unexpected timing of my operation was clearly appointed by God. The surgeon said that he found a large stone that had worked its way down into the neck of the gall bladder and would very soon have started causing a dangerous blockage - something that would have probably landed me in the emergency room in a few weeks if left untreated. It's such a blessing that things worked out the way they did, because not only would I have been in way more pain if we had waited, but it would have complicated the surgery and my recovery would have been even more difficult.

Speaking of great timing, I don't know how he worked it out, but James was able to be there when I woke up back in the recovery room - and he was carrying a gigantic bouquet of flowers! (He likes to go over-the-top when it comes to things like that. :-) I really am SO thankful that he could be there for this because my recovery was a lot more difficult than I was led to believe it would be. The anesthesia made me extremely nauseous on that first day so I was glad he was the one there to hold a bucket for me instead of having to ask one of the wives from the squadron to help me with that kind of stuff. Also, the time when I was in the most pain and needed the most help was at night, so the fact that he was here with me meant I could recover at home instead of needing to sleep over at someone else's house and wake them up multiple times during the night.

I took this picture of James' flowers a few days after the fact

so they're a little wilted...

but as you can see, they were stunning!

I know it was hard on James seeing me in so much pain, and having to juggle caring for me with all of his responsibilities at work. But he did an excellent job and never complained. In some ways I think this was a great period of growth for our marriage because it gave him a taste of what my family and I went through after my back surgery. He said at one point that he understands and appreciates me more than ever, now. =^)

Everyone has been so generous this week. People keep stopping by with all kinds of free food, flowers, books, movies, and anything else that might help keep me entertained while I recuperate. It's been a bit overwhelming, actually. I've had to call several of our neighbors to come help me out of bed in the morning, or to fix me meals, or sit with me while I was feeling woozy. But they've all done it very cheerfully and I am very much indebted to them.

It's now been a little over a week and I'm still not feeling the greatest, but I have made little steps in the right direction every day. I can get myself in and out of bed now - which was a huge obstacle since I can't strain my core muscles without hurting myself. I'm also off of the vicodin, although I'm still taking Motrin every six hours for pain. The bandages were removed from all 4 of my incisions late last week. (They're still being held together with steri strips, though. It'll be a couple more weeks before they really start to disappear.) I can also eat more solid foods now. I limit myself to soft fruits and veggies, whole grain bread and pasta, and very lean, simply cooked chicken though. I do not yet feel ready to tackle dairy products, red meat, or anything very fatty or spicy yet... but hopefully I'll be able to eat more normally in another week or so. Today's big accomplishment was managing to take a shower and put my clothes on without any help. (Well - actually I had a little help from my handy-dandy rubber-tipped cooking tongs. I've been using them in place of a medical "grabber" to help me get things off of low shelves, etc.)

Things that I have yet to accomplish include wearing jeans, bending over, lifting anything heavier than 2 lbs, and driving. There is plenty of time for that, however! Right now I'll be content with the fact that I'm in less pain and able to survive in the house by myself. I've said it a lot over the past week and I'll say it again - God is faithful and will provide all I need and more!!

Our New Home

Alright - here is the long-awaited photo tour of our new home. It really doesn't look like much right now since it's empty except for our ugly rental furniture. I'll repost photos in a few months once our household goods shipment arrives and things are a bit more as we'd like them to be. But at least you can see the layout.

We have one of the town homes up in the small community north of the runway. Right now there are not many people living up here because all of these buildings were closed for renovations for a while. Plus, many people think of the north base area as being very remote and undesirable because it takes us 10 minutes to get to the commissary instead of 3. I imagine the drive down there will become more of a problem once it starts snowing. But right now, we enjoy the scenic, windy road that takes us past the harbor and allows us to glimpse the mountains on the other side when the weather is nice. Traffic and noise are not really a problem since over half of the units up here are empty. However, this area is starting to fill up as they're requiring all new officers (except commanders) to live up here. Already, we have some great neighbors, and I imagine that in about a year this is going to be the happenin' place to be.

This is a picture of the front of our building. Our unit is on the lower level to the right of the front door. Those three windows on the lower level are ours.

When you walk through the front door, you end up in this hallway that splits off into the four units of our building. Stairs take you to the two upstairs. You can see our door there on the right - unit B. One of the things we liked about having a house on the lower level is that back door you see there - it takes you out into our backyard, so if we were having a party or something people could go straight out there without tracking mud through the house.

Below is our living room. That grey metal door on the left is our front door. The furniture is arranged like that because we have no TV right now so we might as well create a conversation area instead.

To the right of the front door we have a very deep coat closet that helps with random storage. We're very impressed with the amount of storage we have. From what we had heard we were afraid we would not be able to fit the little stuff we have. Now I'm wondering how to fill up all of our cabinets and nooks and crannies!

Directly across the living room from the front door is this archway that leads to the bathroom and the two bedrooms. The master bedroom is on the right (so its window looks out on the front yard.) It is slightly larger than the second bedroom, which will eventually serve as an office/guest room. Right now it's just filled with junk so I didn't take any pictures.

Before we get to the back area there, though, we'll take a right and show you the eat-in kitchen. There is no formal dining room, but we should have plenty of room for our kitchen table there. I'd also like to buy an area rug to go under it to help break up the space a bit.

As you can see, we've got plenty of cabinet space. Since the unit was newly renovated before we moved in, all of the appliances are brand new. Unfortunately they did not provide us with a microwave so we'll have to do without until the rest of our stuff comes at the end of next month.

In between the kitchen and living room is the laundry room. We have top of the line energy saving machines in there. We have definitely been taking advantage of our free utilities ever since we moved in...

Here's a couple of shots of the bathroom. Nothing special - but it works. The bathtub is deceptively deep. I have whacked my knees on the top while trying to get in multiple times. The toilet is also one of those cool Japanese water-saving ones with two different ways to flush it depending on how much water you need. Unfortunately, they're both marked in Japanese so we have no idea which is which...

The rental furniture they gave us for the bedroom is actually pretty nice. We have a queen size bed with two bedside tables, two lamps and two good sized dressers. I'm glad to see all of our furniture from home will fit, provided the movers can get it all through they VERY narrow doorway.

This is a shot of the closet. Note the little holes with screens over them. Moisture is definitely a problem here so I'll have to get some things to help combat mold and mildew. In addition to this closet and these cabinets, there's also a small linen closet around the corner.

Here are a couple of shots of our backyard - one that shows the patio, and one taken from the patio that shows how far back the yard goes. We're excited about sitting out here and grilling some day. Unfortunately, we're responsible for mowing and maintaining all of this. I'm gonna have to start looking for someone who I can pay to do that for me while James is gone this summer. =^/

Finally, here's a picture of my new car. It's a silver 97 Honda CRV. It's got all wheel drive so it should help keep me safe here in the winter time. =^)