Hello!!! I'm home again! As most of you know, I journeyed back to Texas while J was in Korea for a month. I ventured into the world of Space-A flights and let me tell you... It was crazy. First of all, let me explain a little about Space-A. The military kindly lets us hop on their flights between bases all over the world. For free. It's pretty incredible. The catch is that these flights can be postponed or cancelled at any point and the number of seats available varies basically up until right before it takes off. Being a rookie, I didn't know to ask about layover times. So... My master plan to get back to Texas landed me with a 24 hour layover in Anchorage, Alaska. Y'all, it's cold there. Rather than wait it out, I ended up getting a commercial ticket that took me from Alaska to Seattle to Houston and finally to sweet. sweet DFW. Even with all that craziness I still made it home before I would've doing Space-A the whole way. Lesson: Ask about layovers.

My time with family and friends was incredible as always. We spent a fun-filled weekend at the cabin (made even more exciting thanks to the shenanigans of 3 teenage boys). Between taking the boat out, target practice, getting the new Gator very stuck in the mud, and flattening a mailbox, there wasn't much time to rest. Thanks to jet lag and 4 am pranks, I slept until 4 pm the following Monday! 

It's not a trip to Texas without some BBQ. I made J super jealous by eating at Lee's. No need to elaborate... My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 

And can I just tell you about one of my very favorite parts of being back home? My sweet Erin gave birth to her second little one. Julia Elizabeth was born as I was flying over Alaska and oh my, she's precious. Excuse me while I brag for just a second. Erin is one of the strongest women I know. Seeing her raise her sweet babies has been such a joy. I'm so honored to be in her life and to walk beside her (even from 7,397 miles away) as she grows as a wife, mother, daughter and friend. 

When my time at home came to a close, I began to feel some anxiety about getting back to Okinawa. Will there be flights available? Will there be a seat for me? How long are those layovers? My sweet husband knew just how to reassure me. He reminded me to take advantage of the opportunity to explore. That's just what I did. It took me almost a week to get back to Okinawa, but I had a great time exploring all the way home. Since there seemed to be lots of flights leaving Travis AFB in California, I decided to make my way there. This involved commercial flights from DFW to LAX and LAX to Sacramento. I took a private shuttle, which was incredibly smooth and reliable, directly to the Passenger Terminal on Travis (about an hour ride). I hung out in the terminal there all afternoon and made it on the flight from California to Hickam AFB in Hawaii. This was my first experience with a C5 aircraft. Can't say I've ever flown in anything quite like it. 

While waiting for the plane to take off, I overheard some girls talking about possibly rooming together once we landed in Hawaii. I interjected that I'd be interested in that too! Little did I know that that would dramatically change my experience getting back to Okinawa. Our little crew of military wives navigated our way around unknown cities and bases like we were born for it. There's just something about a bunch of women trying to get home to their husbands that creates a quick bond. Plane troubles led to cancellations and delays, which led to two nights in Hawaii. You won't hear me complaining. There are much worse places to be stranded. We even rented a car and did some quick exploring to a beautiful beach nearby. 

Outside of the hotel in Pearl Harbor

Let me say, there were so many little things that fell into place during this trip. I was constantly aware that God truly had his hand on me and was orchestrating my journey. Here's a quick example... Before our excursion in the rental car I was able to check my bag. I didn't give it a second thought when I traded my moccasins for my flip flops and tucked my "closed toe" shoes away to be loaded on the plane. After returning to the terminal (in the nick of time, might I add), I decided to stop at the shoppette for a snack before boarding. I was so bummed to round the corner and see their "back in 15 minutes" sign hanging on the door. As I headed back up the hallway to the main waiting area a passing airman stopped me and asked about my sandals. Turns out you aren't allowed to board a Space-A flight without closed toe shoes. My heart dropped when I realized mine were probably with cargo already and long gone. What happened next blew my mind. A different airman volunteered to take me through the "authorized personnel only" doors (shh... don't tell!) and out to the cargo area. As I walked out that door, four men were literally holding the nets to place over the gigantic mound of luggage to make it C5 ready. With a pleading look in my eyes I told them it was the big black bag with a cupcake luggage tag! It could have been anywhere in that huge pile... It was the third black bag I looked at right on the corner. I grabbed those moccasins as fast as I could and thanked God and those airmen from the bottom of my heart. 

There was a rumor that our flight would have a 3 hour turnaround in Yokota, Japan before heading to Okinawa. At this point in the journey we took news like this with a grain of salt. We weren't too surprised to hear that the plane actually broke on the way to Yokota (which apparently is a fairly common occurrence) and would actually need a bit longer. After two nights in the wrong part of Japan, I finally bit the bullet and bought a commercial flight. I will say, Yokota is another amazing place to be stranded. The white cherry blossoms were out of this world! Everyone was so kind and helpful. There was even a shuttle directly from our hotel to the Narita Int'l airport. We loaded our luggage on the shuttle only to hear a man come out and say there were no more seats. In case we hadn't laughed enough already that day... We had been up since about 2:30 am and dealt with a too full flight, credit card hiccups, customs, immigration, then customs again. Those precious people ordered another shuttle and we caravaned to the airport. 

View from outside my hotel on Yokota AFB

You never know who you'll run into in Japan...

I met so many amazing people. I'll always remember the sweet retired couples that shared cabs and life lessons with me as we "creatively hitchhiked" together. I'll remember talking with Fritz, the "freelance reverend" and encourager, for hours thanks to another cancelled flight, booked up hotels, and the 24 hour terminal. I'll cherish my time with the Marine Corps wife, mother of four, and gourmet popcorn extraordinaire.  

As this adventure has ended and I look forward to many more, I'm in awe of our God who loves us. I'm thankful for the ups and downs along the way and I'm confident in his love and provision. 

Whale watching was AMAZING!!! Cool story... Friday afternoon J checked the weather and saw that rain was in the forecast for Sunday, our scheduled tour day. When I called to see if they had any spots open for Saturday, someone else called in at the same time to cancel their two spots. Talk about perfect timing! It couldn't have been a more perfect day. The sun was shining, the water was gorgeous, and we were lucky enough to spot several humpback whales! I've always dreamed of going whale watching and I have to say... This exceeded my expectations. 

Ohayou gozaimasu! Here are a handful of pictures from life lately. 

These next two were taken on our walk a few days ago. The weather has been seriously beautiful and we've been taking advantage! It reminds us of what the weather was like when we first got here... cool breezes and sunny skies. Oh, how I wish it would stay like this!

Last weekend we visited Chibichiri Gama here in Yomitan. This was a cave where local villagers hid during the landing of U.S. forces in the Battle of Okinawa. Many caves like this exist in Okinawa and surrounding islands. In some cases the locals survived. In others, like in Chibichiri Gama, they weren't so lucky. Of the 140 people hiding there, 84 took their lives. Tragic rumors that Americans were barbaric caused many to believe that suicide would be a better way to die. The site was both beautiful and haunting. 

On a lighter note, we're going whale watching on Sunday and I'm so excited!! Don't worry, I'll take an empty memory card and share the experience soon! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

This weekend my Mr. and I are going to a marriage conference at Koza. I'm looking forward to all God has for us as we soak in some new insights and truths! We're coming up on the one year anniversary of our "big wedding." Heavens, so much has happened since last February! That also means we've almost spend an entire year on this island. How time flies!