I'll take you in my backpack

12/20/12 I don't know about you, but I'm really putting in an A effort to prepare for the end of the world. This morning I went to the Zombie WOD (6am) and completed the "End of the World" WOD (although we later figured out that it was a little early since the world is going to end US time, not Japan time. Still, better to be early than late to something like this. After work today I went to get my final Cocok's pedicure of 2012. Festive of course. How can one focus on the impending doom of the world ending when there are happy snowmen and snowflakes on their tows. I find the task daunting, I instead am thinking about hot cocoa with marshmallow mountains. My final step to prepare for the end of the world is this. Printing my boarding pass. That's right folks, I'll be airborne when the said incident is scheduled to occur, in transit to the US. If you ask me, this seems like the best place to be, as far away from the mass hysteria and gathering of c...

12/18/12 Special thanks to my dear friend Natassia, I have a new flavor to add to the "collection"...Rum Raisin! Found somewhere in transit from mainland Japan and Okinawa!

12/1/12 It's no big surprise that I'm a bit of a mileage points ho. I'm a very dedicated United mileage member. I've attained the highest elite status with them (affording me upgrades on international flights, access to the elite lounges, and just a better all around travel experience) and I intend to keep it! Recently I discovered the process of elite status matching! How fabulous. So, if you have Elite status on United you can call some of the airlines and go through a process (some require fees) of getting your status matched with them. I'll provide the information here and where I had success. American Airlines Offers elite status matching (no cost) if you are a United 1k member with very little leg work. Just call 1-800-882-8880 and find your way to a customer service agent to request Elite Status Matching. They send you an email, you send the requested credentials (a screenshot of your recent United Account info, A copy of your United Mileage card, and ...

11/23/12 cups and dishes Rather than flocking to the nearest Best Buy or Walmart (they don't even exist here, and if they did I still wouldn't be there!) I went running in the opposite direction of Americans! I ventured off to the Tsuboya Pottery Festival and Kokusai Street (note: nowhere near the BX madness!) chopstick holders Tsuboya became a pottery village because of the quality of the dirt (perhaps they call it clay, I'm no potter). Because of this crafters started settling here, and up popped this little village of amazing artisans. The Tsuboya Pottery Festival was hosted at a local school in the outside school yard. On a beautiful day this would have been wonderful to stroll around. Unfortunately today was less than "beautiful". It was rainy, and that combined with this wonderful clay/dirt resulted in my shoes getting little works of art formed on them. I look forward to scraping it off tomorrow when it finally dries! It was really neat to se...

11/10/12 Barbells for Boobs is an amazing event that utilizes Crossfit to raise funds for mammograms for young men and women. We did Amazing Grace. 30 Clean and Jerks (135#/95#) for time. This exact time last year I was really getting started on my Crossfit adventure. In 2011 I used the 35# bar and added a 5# plate to each end. I struggled through the event, but finished with a time in the 6-7 minute range. Today, in 2012, I did the WOD prescribed, 95#. Wow, what a difference a year makes. Instead of struggling to put 45# overhead, I had doubled the weight. Yes there were struggles, but I never once overlooked the journey that I had gone through to get there. I couldn't have been happier to do this event again at Shogun Crossfit...some of the faces have changed, but the underlying spirit has not. It is like nothing else. As a team we did an amazing job fundraising, but it's not too late...we can still continue to raise funds...there is no limit to our goal and every...

11/8/12 So after several car mishaps I finally landed the cream of the crop... Now, you might recognize the style, this is the same model as my first car...but the color. Oh yes. In a sea of silver and white cars I assure you I never have a problem finding mine. The picture isn't that great (I took it as I was rushing to work and realized I had not yet shared this goldmine with my bloggies) and doesn't properly display the limeyness...

11/1/12 Well after feeling relatively successful with the little boy's shoes...I attacked my converse...I couldn't be happier with how they came out. Before After. So much more...me! Everything is fair game right now for some serious studding! I did an older pair of low chucks this weekend (with shiny silver studs) and they came out fantastic! When I looked on line for pre studded converse the prices were ridiculous $150-$200 for some. I will tell you that on a site like 6pm.com you can get really great prices on Chucks (some for $20) and then if you go to Etsy you can find the metal studs for about $2 for 100 pieces. I used one pack of 100 for the high top shoes above and had some leftover. So for under $40 I was able to stud the shoes above. Much better than $150 or $200.

11/1/12 So after spending way too much time on Pinterest, and then Etsy, and then eBay...I decided that I would try to make my own studded shoes. I wanted to stud my Converse to give them a custom flair. Looking on eBay and Etsy resulted in nothing impressive (other than the ridiculous amount of money people were charging for these shoes). Being a "non crafter" I thought that maybe this was out of my skill level. I'm happy to report after doing a custom pair of Vans for my favorite little 6 year old, that this was well within my abilities...and FAR cheaper than buying them! Plus, I might even admit that it was fun! Once you find the right studs and get a good method down, it's relatively simple, and not too time consuming. Up next are my Converse...just have to decide how studded I want them!

10/24/12 So this post is a little late (and out of order)...but, better late than never! Before a weekend trip to the Keramas it only made sense to go and get my toes beautified by the lovely artists at Cocok's... It didn't come out exactly how I wanted it, but it's beautiful none the less!

10/29/12 So finally after 3 trips to Okinawa, I finally made it to the Keramas! Last weekend for a quick little trip I ventured over to Tokashiki Island (1 hour give or take on the slow ferry and 30 minutes on the quick one). Tokashiki is beautiful. Where my hotel (Marine Village) was located was very isolated and there wasn't much to see or do other than the beach and beautiful water (tough life I know!). The hotel didn't even have wifi in the rooms (gasp) so it really forced me to disconnect and relax a little. Something that I now realize I haven't done in a really long time! I'm not much of a water person. I tend to dislike sea life, especially if it's anywhere near me...but I was hoping to see a sea turtle or two. Turns out you had to actually get into the water to see those. Damn. Perhaps next time I'll put on my big girl swim trunks and do the whole snorkeling thing (gulp). Tokashiki is beautiful and it was nice to get out and see something new...

10/9/12 Just as I did last year, I will be participating in a fantastic event, Barbells for Boobs. I don't use my blog as a means for begging for money but for this non-profit I will absolutely make an exception. Please please please donate! It's an amazing cause and helps cover the cost of mammograms to those who can not afford them (men and women). I will be competing in an event to help raise funds for Barbells for Boobs held here at Shogun Crossfit on Okinawa, but you don't have to do the intense workout with me, nor do you have to travel all the way to Okinawa, I'm making it simple for you...link below...donate. Please! Donate Here!

10/7/12 I woke up with some very sore muscles from an intense week at Shogun Crossfit...my solution, to take a nice walk through the neighborhood and down to the water to try to loosen things up and stretch them out. As far as my muscles are concerned the walk was a fail, but all other aspects of it were a major win. It was a beautiful day and it felt great to be outside soaking up some fantastic Okinawa sunshine!

10/5/12 Happy Friday... Here's how the conversation with the Japanese car rental company went (I'll spare you the lack of Japanese on my part and the minimal English on theirs): Me: The tire to my rental is flat Them: Can you change it and put the spare on Me: No (granted I know I'm not in the US, but damn...there's a reason I pay for AAA...to ensure that I never EVER under no circumstances will be roadside changing a tire.) On hold for a while Them: Can you ask the hotel staff to change it for you (I should have prefaced this story by saying a coworker got a flat a few days ago and had to go through the EXACT same banter with them, and was denied by the hotel staff) Me: No On hold for a while Them: OK we will send someone out to change it. What I should also tell you is that two very small Japanese young women showed up and proceeded to change my tired in the garage (did this make me feel like less of a woman, hell no! I stick to my story...ne...

10/3/12 I wouldn't be living in Okinawa if I didn't have 10 little works of art on my feet. Today made it official...first (and definitely not last) visit to Cocok's for an out of this world Pedicure that will never be topped. NEVER EVER. In fact Cocok's has ruined pedicures for life for me. I don't even bother going in the states anymore because it just leaves me pissed off and disappointed. Feast your eyes...no airbrushing here folks, all done by hand, and such microscopic detail...especially those baby toes! Ahh. Bliss.

9/30/12 The typhoon has passed, but not without leaving some pretty incredible damage to my immediate surroundings (and the rest of the island). I ventured out (had to find an appropriate exit to the hotel since the main lobby was completely blocked off) onto the property and then walked down and around Comprehensive Park (all in all about 4 miles). Took some photos of the damage and destruction as well as some more pleasant photos along the way...enjoy!

9/29/12 Welcome back to Okinawa...today's welcoming committee is none other than the Typhoon Jelawat. Jelawat was successful in making sure that I had sustained a natural disaster on each and every single one of my overseas assignments. This was is my first typhoon (Present tense because we are currently waiting for the back (and more powerful) half to come through. In the process of the typhoon the hotel lobby glass was blown out, we lost power, my toilet water was moving around like crazy, the building was shaking, no power=no AC=no bueno, and there was some water leakage into the hotel. What I was looking forward to most (being cooped up so I could catch up on sleep and fight the jetlag) was actually the exact opposite of what happened. Taken from my balcony-lobby destruction (hotel staff says these have never broken) The winds started to really stir up in the middle of the night (between 1 and 3 am) which is precisely when I lost my ability to sleep. Awesome, just whe...

9/19/12 That's right, it's that time again. Back to the land of paper cranes, perfect pedicures, fantastic people, and beyond amazing food. In the last two years, I have spent more time living in Okinawa than I have anywhere else. Crazy. I remember preparing for my first trip there. There were so many things going through my head. I was determined to see each and every landmark that I had so proactively researched online and in my travel book. I brought that same travel book with me in my carry on and referenced it throughout the flight. Bound and determined to leave no stone unturned in my upcoming adventure. I was squished in a coach seat for the entire duration of the trip, got minimal sleep (a product of discomfort and excitement), and was miserable for the first two weeks due to jet lag. I anticipate the jet lag being the same, it hasn't failed me yet, but the rest of the trip will be much different. This will be my third time to Okinawa, fourth time to Japan. ...