Kawaii Cappuccino

This next subject, cappuccino, hardly makes up for the fact that there are no cafes on base or near base. However, there are places in the surrounding area where you can commission a beautiful piece of artwork in your froth. 

"I'm a cat that snuck into your coffee!"

"I'm just a bear!"

The two places that are best are L Style Cafe by the train station and Primavera which is hidden away past Mike's Tex-Mex down a side street by the Eneos gas station over the bridge. I've had a chance to go by myself, with Joe, and with a fabulous group of girlfriends/co-workers. A bonus of going with a group is being able to take pictures of everyone's cappuccino! 

Sleeping bunny! Just turn your head :)

Baby

The coffee below was for my friend Chaplain Skelton. We were celebrating her birthday and this was definitely the most appropriate one for her!

Bear friends

Moon & Star

I hope people in the states like these pictures! If you're thinking about how unjust the world is for not letting you have the cutest coffee in existence, it's just a plane ride (or two or three) away!

Eddie's Big Day Out

"Kawaii" is one of my favorite words that I've learned in Japanese. It is translated as meaning "cute" but really encompasses a lot more than that. People get really emotional over things that are kawaii, so I guess it can also mean precious, adorable, special, detailed, or whatever else gets the point across. The only reason I know it is because people constantly will stop me on the street when I'm walking Eddie and cry out "kawaii!!!" as if expressing their deepest emotion or despair.

So that you know what I'm working with here, this is Eddie on his first birthday. The poor thing didn't get any presents or a cake, but he did get his favorite thing: a hike up a very long hill and a treat at the top! We even made stops for belly rubs from strangers! Woohoo!

He did get a pretty snazzy birthday hat:

Family picture pre-hike

Baby dog picture on our way across the bridge

The whole family got to the top of the mountain!

 As you can see, Joe and I are celebrating the special day by wearing our Shiba Inu shirts from Eddie's Grandma Anna. We rarely get to wear them together, but it was the perfect opportunity. I think Eddie appreciated the extra attention to detail, but did not particularly care for the birthday hat. 


We had an ulterior motive for this hike as well: we're thinking about hiking Mt. Fuji next year. It's time to get these hiking muscles into shape!

Here today, Guam tomorrow

It's really been a while since I updated my blog! Isn't it ironic how we don't have time to record our lives when we're the busiest and our lives are changing the most dramatically?

One of the biggest reasons I haven't been posting is because I'm working on base now! I work with a great team of women and I really like my new job. It definitely has its ups and downs, like the huge confidence boost from doing back-to-back trainings in one day for large groups of Marines and Sailors, or a recent event that I planned for weeks and had to cancel because of low participation. The last one made me feel a little like this guy: 7 Seconds to Explain. 

Joe was in Guam for over a month and I successfully managed life without him! Well, not quite: I snuck in a quick weekender to see him during the first few weeks. What can I say? Guam was magical! I never thought about Guam until I started hearing about Joe going there every so often. I learned that it is part of America and abides by the same rules and laws that we have in America. This means people are allowed to stay out past midnight! Woohoo! The Marines were all pretty excited about that one.


It's also incredibly picturesque in Guam. It's like a smaller, less developed Hawaii with a lot more military presence. We had a chance to go scuba diving in two different locations and saw an amazing array of sea creatures: different starfish, sea cucumbers, coral of every color, and fish of just about every size. On our way to another dive site we actually had to stop the boat FOR DOLPHIN! There was a whole school of them playing in the displaced water off the bow of our boat.

Aside from that magic (I swear I had to catch my breath from gasping so many times!), we also got to stay at the Westin. Usually when you think about guys on deployment, you're thinking about barracks rooms, nasty showers, and a sea bag's worth of personal belongings to get you through a few weeks. Oh no. The Japanese government paid for these guys to stay at the Westin for weeks on end with luxurious rooms, a gorgeous white sand beach, generous wifi and beach bar in front. I just fainted thinking about it. Oh, then they stuck all the guys in the barracks for a few weeks at the end for a reality check. 

We had to make an emergency exit at Two Lovers Point. What a beautiful view and appropriate name!

I really didn't take many pictures, but let me assure you: we had an amazing time! I really enjoyed going to a Macy's (I would have run out screaming if I was comparing it to the same store in Michigan), shopping around souvenir shops, getting burnt to a crisp, and going on evening walks with Joe. And the food! I've discovered that I'm very much over Japanese food after being here for a year and a half. I don't especially dislike it, but most of it is overpriced, bland, or has a face. The food in Guam was fabulous. Joe picked me up from the airport and took me to a gross/awesome (depends on your taste?) Denny's-style diner where we shared some midnight snacks when I first arrived. We went to the hotel's Starbucks, a Ruby Tuesdays, California Pizza Kitchen (which I always pronounce California Chicken Pizza for some reason), and a Hard Rock Cafe. I also had a chance to write a post card to my mom at Port of Mocha coffee house. A coffee house! We don't have those here in Iwakuni, so it was truly like having a weight lifted from my shoulders. 


The trip was really over just as fast as it began. I wanted to stay longer or forever, but real life (and Eddie!) were calling. Hopefully I'll be able to go back again next time!