There and Back Again

I purchased this journal several years ago and have been hanging on to it, waiting for a journey epic enough to fill its pages. The red leather volume embossed with the title There And Back Again is designed to look like the book in which Bilbo Baggins records his journey to the Lonely Mountain. (We know this story as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.) Yes, I am a nerd. But as we were preparing to leave for New Zealand and I was wondering how in the world I was going to remember everything we did so I could describe it in my blog, I realized that this little book would serve as a perfect travel journal. I was about to embark on one of the grandest adventures of my life and really wasn't sure what to expect. I felt a little bit like everyone's favorite young hobbit - with an inkling of adventure but not fully prepared for what was about to ensue. As Bilbo told his nephew Frodo at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring:

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door...
You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet,
there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."

Below is the first entry of my journal:

November 2, 2010

We have finally arrived at the eve of our journey to New Zealand! A dream ten years in the making, this trip promises to be as epic as the movies that are filmed there.

Two weeks.
With two of our best friends.
Exploring its two islands.
I am TOO EXCITED!!

Some of the highlights include hiking in Fiordland National Park; wildlife encounters with penguins, seals and dolphins; taking the TranzAlpine Railroad through the South Alps (reputedly one of the most beautiful train rides in the world); floating through glowworm caves; and visiting film locations from two of our favorite movies: The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. For me, as a film fanatic, this is something of a pilgrimage.

The plans are made, the bags are packed... All we've got to do now is step out the door and let the adventure begin!

A Change in Seasons...

Fall is definitely in the air! In spite of the colder temperatures and intermittent rain, I've been enjoying this season in northern Japan. The cherry blossoms were pretty in the spring, but I love the riot of color outside right now! All of the trees around here are starting to drop their leaves so the road is littered with speckles of orange, green, yellow, brown and red. After living in Texas and Phoenix which looks about the same all year round, it's nice to have changing seasons again. Too bad this crisp fall weather won't last very long. By the time we get back from New Zealand on Nov. 19th the dreaded Misawa winter may have begun. Till then, I'll embrace the beauty out my back door!

Trick-or-Treat!

Halloween is a very American holiday - not something the Japanese celebrate. But because of the influence of the base, the local population here in Misawa has started to celebrate as well. Instead of handing out candy on Halloween night, James and I helped our friend Becky Jantz take a group of 20 Japanese kids and their parents trick-or-treating on base.

It was quite an experience! First we took them to the food court for a quality American meal of Pizza Hut pizzas (cut in half for a proper Japanese portion. haha) Then we walked across the street and spent some time at the Chapel's harvest festival. They got collected some candy, played carnival games and got creative with sand art! The chapel also handed out several little Japanese comic books that illustrate the gospel story. It was hilarious seeing Jesus depicted as an anime character!

After that we walked through base housing and did some good, old-fashioned trick-or-treating. It was rainy and cold, but we had fun watching them hop up the steps to each door to collect their candy. There was a group of three little girls who sang songs in harmony as they walked. James and I were amused by their Halloween caroling. Over all it was a great experience, and I hope we were able to be good citizen ambassadors to our Japanese neighbors, and more importantly - good witnesses to a hurting nation. I pray those children will read the gospel books we gave them and be moved by the story of our Savior!

Halloween Party!

Fighter squadrons are known for throwing pretty epic Halloween parties. This often requires planning ahead and picking out a great costume. Since we started dating, we've tried to think of some great couple's costumes, and one we've been looking forward to doing for a while is Calvin and Hobbes. Not only is James a big fan of this comic - but he looks JUST LIKE Calvin! Really all we had to do was get me some tiger ears and a tail and we were set!

James making a Calvin face.

There were many other great costumes at the party...too many pictures to post them all. But one of my favorites was our friend Derick (who is going with us to New Zealand) dressed up as James' alter-ego. He had spikey hair and chewed gum and wore sunglasses all night. It was GREAT!

The 3 Amigas - Dressed as Hobbes, Mother Nature,

and a lovely Mermaid.

Redneck Baby Shower

Our friends Matt and Anna Kenkel will be having a baby girl soon. They are very funny people and did not want to have a traditional baby shower. Instead, we had a co-ed BBQ with a Redneck theme. It was a riot! Almost everyone in the squadron came out in their "trashiest" clothes - complete with mullet wigs, loud make-up and fake tattoos. It was a fun dynamic having the guys around as we celebrated our soon-to-be newest baby Samurai.

The proud parents-to-be. Those are fake powder cigarettes.

Many of the lovely Samurai ladies.

Some of the "classy" wrapping paper - tabloids and duct tape!

The boys whooped and hollered after each gift was opened!

Anna is a big Dodgers fan so we made sure they had some

proper baby fan gear!

We only played one baby shower game -

The boys had to see who could drink a baby bottle

full of cheap beer first. They were so frustrated

with how long it takes to get some liquid out of them! haha

Me with my lovely friend. =^)

MOSC Costume Party

Turns out MOSC does more than have meetings and put on bazaars. Every month we also have a fun social event hosted by one of the base organizations. This month we had a costume party and enjoyed carnival food and games for prizes. It was amazing seeing some of the costumes people came up with. Not being able to drive to a Target or Walmart and buy a costume means you have to get creative. My costume was pretty mild. James and I are going as Calvin and Hobbes for Halloween so I wore the tiger ears and tail that I ordered off of the internet. Next year, I may need to step it up!

Below: my neighbors dressed as

a Japanese rock star and a Mermaid

Bazaar Committee Appreciation Lunch

On Tuesday we had a big appreciation luncheon at the O Club for all of the bazaar committee members. It was a chance for us to relax and celebrate a job well done. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this event - but it was incredible! The tables were beautifully decorated and the food was delicious!

After the meal, the MOSC president, our Bazaar chair and co-chairs, as well as the Wing Commander's wife got up to speak and say thank you. Each speech was very heartfelt and dissolved into tears and hugs of gratitude. It was an emotional day for all of us. These ladies all worked SO hard and so our hostess made sure they each got a wonderful appreciation gift.

I'm proud to say that I helped inspire the thank you cards they gave to each committee member. Mary (the chairperson) and I were joking one night at Bible Study that volunteering for things like this is kind of like eating candy corn. Someone offers it to you and you think, "Ooo, candy corn! Great!" Then you bite into it and it's disgusting and you swear you're never going to eat it again. But after a year or two passes you kind of forget and decide to try it again, only to be sharply reminded of why you swore it off in the first place. So as a joke, they taped some candy corn to the front of each person's card. I'm glad I was able to lighten their day with a good laugh!

After the tears and hugs were over, the fun part of the day began. Every year, we budget for some fun appreciation gifts for the bazaar committee. I was thinking they'd be some small trinkets from the bazaar - but many of the vendors partially donated some incredible stuff for us to choose from!! If I had realized how much stuff we'd walk away with after this luncheon I think I would have complained less about how much time I devoted to this bazaar.

To pick our gifts, we played a fun raffle game. Each of the items were grouped and numbered. During lunch we had time to get up and examine them and decide what we might like. Then, when the game began, our hostess would call out a number. If we wanted that item, we wrote our name on a slip of paper and put it in a basket. Then someone's name was drawn and the winner went home with that prize. It involved some strategy, because if you waited to throw your name in the basket until the item you wanted most, you might not get it and then you'll have to settle for something less. But if you enter too soon, you might win something you were less excited about. That's what happened to me... but I'm pretty happy with my appreciation gift.

I got a set of wooden Japanese stacking boxes and 6 small glass floats. The floats are used by Japanese fishermen as small buoys attached to their nets. They range in size from the size of a lime to the size of a globe. Now most fishermen use plastic floats so the glass ones have become antique collectibles that people here in Misawa go nuts for. Sometimes you can find them washed up on the beach, but most people buy them at bazaars and fairs like this one. I considered buying some but decided against it, so I was very happy that I got a sizable collection for free! The boxes are great too because they fit inside one another and match our bar!
All of the work for this year's bazaar may have driven me crazy, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a part of it because of the friendships I made. These women are all incredible and I am glad that I was able to serve them. Will I fall for the lure of the candy corn again next year - most likely not. But looking back, I'd say it was mostly a positive experience and I'd definitely encourage others to do the same in the future.