Big Yay!

We've had a stroke of great luck lately...
(1) So our stuff was located and yes, our express will be late, but our EVERYTHING shipment is coming early! :) I guess Karma is making up for some of the silly stuff we've had to deal with since we've gotten here! (2) I had to have a filling done and my dentist went to Harvard which DEFINITELY made me feel much better. You never know who you're going to get, but hey, I'll take it! (3) Also, we found out that Jason's unit might be sending another Sgt. in his place who hasn't had to deploy yet, so we might get a WHILE together before we have serious separation (i.e. more than 3 months). We're very lucky that our marriage is strong enough to endure absences, so we'll deal with whatever is placed before us, but we still enjoy seeing each other. I've always been proud of Jason for volunteering and stepping up to the plate when other lesser men walk away - so he's definitely not trying to get out of anything, but if we can avoid a fourth deployment, than we won't complain! (4) I got a job as part-time nanny for another military family. The little girl is 1 year old and precious!! The family is really laid back and just wants to be able to go out a few hours a day every once in a while. We're figuring out our schedule this next week coming up, so that'll be a great! I really enjoy working and making my own paycheck, so hopefully that will cure my 'I-hate-living-off-my-husband's-paycheck'-itis. (5) I've found places in Japan that feel so much less city than where our base is located. I tend to prefer trees to buildings, so Northern Okianwa definitely has made it a lot easier to be here. (6) I've made a few friends here who are wonderful people. Everything is easier to face with good people by your side!

Everything is going well and things are getting increasingly better by the day! We're very lucky and very happy at this point. I guess things always work out for the best! :)

TMO...I hate you.

For those of you without the "notebook of military acronyms," TMO are the people in charge of getting all your stuff to Japan, organizing the move date and all of that great stuff. I only tell you this because its crucial for the rest of the story.

Anyway, we sent out our first shipment March 16th which consisted mainly of an air mattress, all of our kitchen goods, towels, sheets and clothes. All of these items are important, but some are more important than others. For instance, while we've been here - we have had no microwave, no pans to cook with, we did buy a kettle to boil water, but to say the least - my cooking genius has been compromised. Our diets have consisted of fruits, lots of salads and eating out! Before I left America, I decided to try the vegan diet which was great and I loved it, but it definitely mandates that you eat at home a lot so its been compromised to merely vegetarian for now. Anyway, the point of the story is that I need my kitchen stuff. I'm going nuts. The end. No, no, no, not the end. We were told that this 'express shipment', as the military calls our first shipment, is due to be in Japan on April 22nd. All last week and this week, I've been so excited! So, Jason goes to work and calls TMO to find out what time everything is to be delivered and to make sure I am home. TMO has no idea where any of our stuff is at this time and it certainly will not be delivered on the 22nd. Not to mention our main shipment is MIA which has priceless things in it such as paintings my Dad purchased, a lot of clothes...ok, well, the paintings are all I'm really working with right now that I'm concerned about.

I hate this and seriously, this might just ruin the rest of my day! I think I'm going back to bed and reading my book of "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb. If anyone has read it, you can witness to the amazingness of it all!
Blast you, TMO!

Everything else is going fine. We bought a TV because I couldn't handle the silence anymore. One of our other TV's was on express which we thought about holding out for, but I am so glad we didn't. I joined a Bible study for Protestant women which starts next Tuesday at 9 A.M. Hopefully, that will help me feel less isolated here. Jason's workdays are consisting going to work at about 4:30 AM and coming home about 5:30 PM. He usually is in bed by 9 or so which gives me a lofty 3 1/2 hours with him a night and an hour is usually spent at the gym. So in reality, we've got 2 1/2 hours together a day, but tough days were made for tougher people and at the end of the day - we're fine. School starts in June for me, so hopfeully that will help pick up the pace of my life here in Japan. Here's hoping!

Ok, long train of thought.

So, apparently many Japanese people wish Americans were not here on the bases. I was told that if I get into a car accident its always going to be my fault: if someone rear ends me, its my fault because if Americans were not here - there wouldn't have been a wreck; if I am in a Taxi and the taxi driver is rear ended - again...my fault. Trust me - this causes severe panic when I am driving because a.) who wants to be in a wreck, b.) I don't want to hurt anyone, c.) I don't want to give any Japanese people a bad taste in relation to Americans, d.) I heard Japanese prison is VERY different than American prison! (Hopefully, I'll never know the true answer to d.) As I was driving, very nervously, through Japan this morning, I began to think of why people are so fiercely protective of Japan. Its beautiful, of course, but the only thing I can really think of is that it's their home, their history, it is their country. In an odd way, I wish we all had this overprotective, mother hen mentality about our own country...well, not to immigrants necessarily, but seriously, the Japanese people take so much time to cultivate and preserve their own history that I feel America lacks.

I believe that we all have an innate right to protect what we hold dear to our hearts: children, family, relationships and spouses. This last point has caused me much grief since, well, I got married. I think that my protectiveness and reliance on Jason has multiplied infinitely since we've gotten to Japan. It's amazing to move here, be stripped of almost everything you own, but still have your spouse. When Jason and I first were married and he left for Iraq, I became oddly independent of Jason. I would call my Mom first with any good news, call friends secondly and would email Jason. When he came home, he moved up the food chain, but still was 2nd to my Mom. One major upside to coming here is that Jason has to be first. He's the only person here for me and with me. When I feel that its threatened by other people's actions, I get very protective. Then again, I feel that I have a God given right to protect my marriage. The most important thing to remember though is to truly separate out the perceived threats against actual threats. I try to only act on the actual threats, but who knows. All you can do is follow your heart and protect what you know to be yours!

Ok, too much deep thinking and the furniture guy just delivered our television console thingy, but of course left it in the box. Doesn't really matter, we won't have a T.V. till next week, but hey! It makes it feel more homey!

Shuri Castle pictures!

The King's throne. This is totally where I'd sit if this was the Miller house! :) The part I'm leaving out here is that I had to walk a quarter of a mile, barefoot, in a building with a LOT of other people to get to this point. Gross, Gross, Gross! When in Rome...

The view of Okinawa from the Guard tower at the castle! Yes, it's insane how everything is all smushed together!

Seriously, I can't get over how amazing it is!

Look! I'm the the little white spot! I didn't alter or brighten anything in this picture! It really is THIS colorful!

This was outside the gate going into the castle, but at this point I thought this was as cool as it could be. Truth be told, I love the red and blue.

The main part of the castle! It was built in the 15th Century, blown apart during WWII and then rebuilt.

I apologize, as well, for these pictures being SO out of order. I'm still getting the hang of it!

It's been a while.

Wow! We've been in Japan for about a week and a half and I haven't really had time to write anything. I apologize profusely. To say that it has been a fast paced week and a half is quite the understatement. I'm sitting in our apartment on base that we moved into this morning. I know it sounds odd, but for some reason as I see our clothes on the floor because we don't have our furniture until June 2nd, it's truly dawned on me that I really am in Japan. Japan. As in the other side of the world? Gosh knows where our stuff is at this point. We really have surrendered control with this one! In an odd way, I do believe that God plans our lives to show us lessons which need to be learned in that exact moment. I believe the lesson learned for me is that I need to trust that things will be fine in whatever capacity they are meant to be...his capacity! Sure enough, on my lowest of days, I went to the exchange and thought to myself, 'It will be a good day when I come here and actually see a familiar face.' Low and behold, I run into Karen Allen, a friend from Camp Lejeune, who's 4-year-old had to use the bathroom, so she had stopped in the exchange to let him use the bathroom. What are the odds?! I am convinced it was God's way of showing me that it will be fine. I will be fine. Just trust in his plans for me and that my wishes are not falling on deaf ears despite what it feels like right now. Ok, enough about my faith, I'm sure my Dad would accuse me of being evangelical at this point and would warn me that people might think I am a 'religious nut'.

New topic!

It seems that Jason will be leaving me sooner than later and I really will be on the other side of the world by myself! When I got married at 22, my family was very concerned that I would not truly know independence. The Marine Corps has a funny way of making you have your independence regardless of your own choice. It really is like jumping and hoping that the net appears. At our 'Welcome Aboard' brief, a man stood up and said, "This is an accompanied tour for the Marine and an unaccompanied tour for the spouses. Your servicemember will always be gone." Seriously?! Awesome. Things are still up in the air as to exactly if he'll be on a MEU, in Afghanistan or Iraq, but its looking like the MEU. Apparently, he's more likely than many to deploy to Afghanistan or Iraq from Japan because a lot of the Marines here haven't deployed and don't have the experience. So if you deploy a few times, its only fair you have to do it before someone else who hasn't?! Jeez, things don't make sense sometimes, but what can you do?!

Another great thing is that I've gotten my LISENCE here. Yep, I'm a professional driver for the United States Government. Apparently, my liscense is granted by the American government instead of the Japanese government. With their endorsement, they are saying I am equivalent of a professional driver. Really?! Anyone who has ridden with me might beg to differ, Uncle Sam. Aside from the crazy road signs (pictured above), things are great and Jason and I managed to make it to Shuri castle. I'm adding a new post for some of those pictures.

Minor bump in the road

As we were finishing the finer details of this move, we decided to check with our TLA (Temporary Lodging Assistance) and make sure our check in times were cohesive with their check in times. Jason called and asked for specifics on when we would be arriving in Japan. The man on the phone responded, "You leave Jacksonville (North Carolina) April 1 and ...(I have no idea what else he said as I was laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation)..." We were originally told March 27th and apparently the wonderful person planning the tickets had just found out that morning, the 25th, that we were actually leaving on April 1. That's so great...oh wait. I would cry, but I am too tired to do so and for some reason, am still laughing about the whole situation.

So that's the minor bump in the road. Now, we're leaving April 1 at 12:30 PM and arriving April 3rd, but remember - Japan is about 13 hours ahead of the east coast so we're essentially losing a day.

Other than that, things have gone very well. Our major shipment was packed on the 23rd and are hopefully on their way to Japan. (Realistically, they are sitting in a warehouse. I'm not delusional!) I took pictures, but I haven't put them on the computer yet...botch, I know. It was a long day as we woke up at 5 AM to load up our mattress and be waiting for the movers with breakfast and coffee in hand by 7:30 AM. Of course, they didn't show till ten, but what can you do? We were told by seasoned military families to always provide money and food for the movers as it will entice them to be a tad more gentle with your belongings, so we did, but they had informed us they actually grabbed breakfast before they came. Just my luck! I did get them Gatorade which hopefully sufficed for the cold coffee and food. They were wonderful and so careful with everything we had. It's an odd thing to watch two grown men go through every single thing you have in your home and have them put them in boxes. It definitely made me realize that what I prize the most isn't what probably not what people would want to steal. We were told our stuff were scheduled to be there June 2nd. Yes...June....2nd. While I still envision Jason and I sleeping on the floor with only one candle illuminating the room, the truth is we should be fine. We sent an air mattress on our express shipment and have most of what we need to survive.

At this point, we're just celebrating that we have some more time to just get everything together and spend time with our family...ok well, my family, I suppose. For now, we're just attempting to get one major thing done a day i.e. taxes, selling cars, etc. until we leave. Things have definitely gone from high stress to much less stress and I was able to watch the Blue Devils get the tar beat out of them in the NCAA tournament.

I hope that a family might run into this information and find it helpful for a PCS to Japan. If anyone needs any help with this type of PCS, let me know!!

Still Moving!

So we're still packing. Our major shipment is going out this Monday (3/23), but Jason's going out of town this weekend to go spend time with his Grandparents and Uncle. Fun, fun, but I'm still in NC packing...oh joy. It's only fair as Jason has truly been the work horse behind all of this. If anyone knows Jason, this comes as no surprise. Also, if you look at us you can tell as well. Jason is looking tired and I went for a walk yesterday so long that my face is sunburned! (My life is so hard!! ha) While anyone who reads this is probably rolling their eyes at the obvious lack of responsibility I had shown by going for my long walk (Mom!), a few good things came out of the walk. I started thinking about all the amazing experiences I've had in just 24 years. Obviously, getting married was the best thing I've ever done. Being there with my Dad to help him pass was an amazing, sad, but truest show of grace I have ever been honored to witness. Camping for 21 days straight (19 raining) in the Appalachian mountains with Outward Bound, giving my tennis shoes to kids in Costa Rica who were too poor to have any shoes for themselves, dinner at an organic lemon and olive farm in Italy, seeing the bombings from World War II in England, dancing after dinner in France with people who didn't speak English, going into the Salt mines in Germany, hearing Mozart's music in the specific church which commissioned his works, helping re-build New Orleans 8 weeks after Katrina, welcoming my husband home from war two out of the three times, going to Elvis' house with my family, Alcatraz with my family as well...SO many amazing and wonderful experiences. And now I'm here: getting ready to move to Okinawa with my husband. When I look at all I've been able to do, I can honestly say - Wow! My life has been and continues to be amazing! My blessings are in abundance.

Little known fact, my Grandfather fought in World War II specifically during the battle of Iwo Jima. Its incredible to think that only 64 years (or so) later, his granddaugther would be moving to the same country which caused so much pain and trepidation for him and his entire generation and my current generation's military is fighting another war. Some things change while some remain the same!! Jason and I have looked at going to go where Iwo Jima was fought which will be one of the MOST amazing experiences I think I will ever had. It'll make the list. I've been so blessed to have such a supportive Mom and Dad who have always encouraged exploration of the world we live in with the knowledge that it is constantly changing and should be admired for their past and present. I've also been blessed with a Sister who shares (and possibly) trumps my love for travel and new experiences. My family has always taught me to take the current struggle and take it for what it is. When my Father found out he would eventually die of cancer, he chose to live his life instead of waiting for death. Obviously, you can't compare cancer to Japan, but I haven't been the best sport about Japan. I just want to take this experience to Japan as living my life instead of just waiting to come back to America like I have been afraid that I'll do. This definitely wasn't what Jason nor I had planned for our lives at this point, but I am looking forward to the experiences that we will share in the next 3 years.

One of my favorite Bible verses reads: "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future." (Proverbs 31:25) I'm not quite to the point where I can 'laugh with no fear of the future' part, but I am definitely letting go of my fear. I've been so blessed in my life and cannot wait for the newest part of our journey.

We did get Skype and we also have an American number for people to use to call us. Please contact either myself or Jason to get the number, but obviously we don't want to post it on the internet for all to see.

Don't tell anyone, but we're really, really, really sad to be leaving Camp Lejeune and all the people who have made our life there SO amazing! We cannot say 'thank you' enough!

Packing

Ok, so we're packing up for our move. Everything goes out soon and let me say...
Wow! I cannot believe how much stuff we have accumulated. For instance, we have 18 Campbell Soup at Hands...I'm not sure what we were planning on doing with all this soup, but we're just taking it to the local food bank now. Since our house was furnished by my Mom, we're moving everything to a storage unit so that the movers know exactly what to take and what to leave behind. Of course, for people who want to stay in touch we've gotten Skype and are figuring out if we should get a Vonage phone. If anyone has had one, let us know how it worked out for you. We looked into it, but my concern is that it takes a while for the special Vonage equipment to be sent which, due to our time constraints, is the biggest concern. Still, it would be nice to have an American number for people to call us on when ever necessary.

We don't know when we'll be home next. I am starting school this June and am hoping to make it back for Ashton's graduation from Harvard, though, it seems like I'll have school. Japan is 13 hours ahead of us here on the East Coast. As you can imagine, a week trip would consist of at least 4 days traveling roundtrip, 1 or 2 days getting used to the jet lag, etc. It just seems to be like a huge project instead of a simple flight. Regardless, I'm trading summer breaks for November/December breaks so I can be with my family for the holidays. As always, Jason's schedule is entirely up to the military.

We don't currently have our mailing address therefore all mail should be sent to my Mother's house for both me and Jason. I'll put our address on here as soon as we get it. Our Skype is on my laptop for now, so the good news here is we can talk to people as soon as we get to Japan (assuming that we have a good internet connection). We'll be living in Temporary Lodging on base until our housing becomes available so everything is kind of up in the air until we can settle down and move into housing which can be for a few days or up to a month. We're just going to play it by ear until everything settles down.

Wish us luck and plenty of sanity because all of this stress has taken and continues to take its toll!

Moving to Japan!

So I started this website for everyone to keep track of me and Jason while we're in Okinawa. As of today, we're flying to Japan on March 27th, 2009, however, it seems to be changing daily. Our express shipment is going out next Monday and then Jason's going to go to Florida to see his Grandparents before we leave. Then, our final shipment is due to go out March 23rd. I'm skeptical to see if that's actually how it pans out as the Marine Corps has given us three different days. Jason and I are both very calm at this point, but definitely feeling the tension rising surrounding the move! I never realized how much stuff we've collected just in the year and three months we've been married. I've sworn off clothes shopping for one year, but I think thats similar to the time I had sworn off Diet Coke.

Jason's eager to start working with his new unit and I'm ready to start school. We're just ready to MOVE for now!