One life dream down, a thousand more to go!

So, one of my goals in life, as shallow as it seems, is to actually go to Disneyland (where dreams come true daw). Even if we had lived for nearly 2 years in the west coast and we did have a chance to go when we went for a roadtrip twice, we never really went. Ironically, now that we're in Japan, where everything is twice as expensive, we finally went to Disney! And I got to bring my mom as well as a bonus! It would have been more fun if my sis also got to go with us. Although, I'm not entirely sure I can afford to go back again just to bring her. I would have to do some major saving up all over again.

Or i could just bring her when I fulfill my next life dream. ;)

Back after hiatus!

Gosh, I was in Oki only for two days & my blog looks like I never got back. Here's a pic of my "souvenirs" to make up for long absence!

Those 2 creatures in the car are actually famous icons in Oki. They're called shisa or lion dogs. They always come in pairs - one with its mouth shut tight to keep the bad spirits out and one with its mouth open to take good spirits in. Or maybe it's the opposite, I'm not entirely sure now. But I've also read somewhere that one is female and the other is male. Guess which one they say has its mouth open! LOL

As for the ring, hubby got some extra allowance so he bought me an early Christmas/Anniversary present. Made me really happy of course that it almost makes it up for our mini "separation". Almost.

Anyhoo, Christmas is soon coming up & this time we're headed to Sasebo! I like the naval base over there because it's near downtown (i.e. walking distance Starbucks!) plus they have Chili's and Popeye's on base. And, I really want to see something different. Our base has become too small for me - you see the same thing, the same people every single day! As for the New Year weekend we still haven't figured out what to do though. Any thoughts?

guess who's going to okinawa! :)

So, I couldn't help myself. The very next day that the travel office opened, I hurried right after work and bought myself roundtrip plane and train tickets to Okinawa! Luckily I'm not on ATM duty this coming labor weekend so I'm definitely spending it with mi amore. Nevermind that I already spent half of my last paycheck on these tickets, quality time with the hubby is priceless!

2nd night.

So yeah, I did survive the first night without the hubby by my side. I woke up really early today and the first thing I did was check my facebook. Lo and behold, my Tepen sent me a message! Which is surprising for 2 reasons. First, he's not really into facebook messaging unless it's initiated by me, he's more of a phonecall/skype guy. Second, he rarely wakes up early on weekends! Non-work days mean sleeping in until noon for him. So I got on skype and video-called him right away. And, may I just say that skype is really an awesome thing. The new version allows a sleeker pop-out screen. Which is indeed looove.

There's my baby love, on his bed like always. *sigh* This actually reminds me of those old days when we were still on LDR (long-distance relationship for those not in the know). Back when I was still in the Philippines, we would count months before we could see each other again. Then, after we got married, he got deployed for six agonizing months! He missed Christmas, New Year, and of course our first anniversary. The first 2 months of that deployment I actually spent crying in bed. It wasn't just because we were apart (LDR nga kami diba?), but it was the fact that even with a few friends, I was still by myself in a foreign country! Never having lived on my own before we got married (I lived with either my parents, my sister, or an aunt), I was scared to fend for myself. So just imagine how I freaked out when on Christmas eve, our garage door broke just when I got my car in. Luckily, the housing office was still able to get someone to fix it even on a holiday before it fell on my car or someone.

I'm very much thankful that hubby forced me to be friends with his coworker's wife, who was also going to be by herself for the first time. She even ended up being one of my closest friends ever. It was much less excruciating to go through the rest of the deployment knowing I wasn't alone in misery. With that said, I'm hoping that the next two months will be much more smooth-sailing now that I'm armed with  experience. Hoping is the key word here. Heehee.

T_T

My darling is leaving for Okinawa tomorrow! We thought we'd be safe from deployments/detachments, but, apparently, not from trainings. He'll be gone for about 2 months and even right now I already want to cry buckets of tears. So, we're crossing our fingers and hoping that I can visit him on the long weekend in September. Crap! I just realized it'll still be a long 2 weeks before that. *Excuse me while I wail for one moment*

Anyway, for his advancement exam, his command is having him take it after he comes back. And as for our planned trip to Tokyo in early October, we're crossing our toes for that one. He does have a long break that time so we could probably take the trip with my mom and sister. I have to pray twice as hard now so everything still goes as planned.

Awesome news!

Starting next week I'm working full time. Which means - fatter paychecks! Not that it's already fat. However it also means I'm working more hours and will have to wake up early. Still, what's a couple more hours everyday if I could have more moolah to spend save.

And even more awesome news! A couple of days ago, I finally received a letter from USCIS with instructions to discard the biometric appointment letter as my application will be processed under military orders. Woohoo! Now if only my mom and sis could get their visas already so we can take the trip to Tokyo. I'll be so darn happy then!

Broke but happy

Yup, I broke my bank yesterday when I had my hair done in a japanese salon out in town. To be fair, her rates were a lot more affordable than others that I've heard of. And she did an absolutely amazing job. My hair looks really healthy, shiny and sleek despite the treatment. Which means I have to save up for the next appointment!

Oh my lawd!

I forgot my military dependent ID is expiring tomorrow! I just saw it today and I wouldn't be able to take care of it until Monday. Now my green card isn't the only thing expired in my wallet.

That reminds me, this bruhaha with my green card is still not over. I have yet to hear from USCIS after they mistakenly sent my application to Las Vegas Service Center. GRRR!

Belated anniversary gift

All I can say is... thank you babe!

Yuu Beach

Summer is almost over but we were finally able to go to a nearby beach (the shortest one I've ever seen) to soak in the sun. Although it was uber hot that one Saturday, a lot of people still decided to go for a swim. Hubby and I just opted to sit under some shade and share some late lunch instead.

Go-karting at the Yanai Sports Land

One of the few fun things I've done (or at least tried for the first time) here in Japan is to try go-karts! For Y2100, one can go for 7 laps. I really thought it was going to be easy. But instead, it sent my heart racing during the sharp turns!And,  I did skid twice just as I was getting the hang of it.

Nonetheless, it was so so so much fun, we'll be trying them again!

Even the wealthiest men are frugal

So why can't I (who's definitely NOT wealthy) be frugal? :)

Since we have been exceeding our budget for dine-outs and shopping lately, I knew I have to go back to couponing for grocery shopping to balance it out (We've been debt-free since we got here!). And the only place I could do that out here is the tiny commissary on base. They have a limited variety of products that our household actually uses, so having the coupons stretch to 6 more months beyond the expiration date somehow helps me save more. Just today as I was sorting out my latest bag of coupons I found a BOGO deal for the shampoo that we like. That is just really rare because most of the time we get only a $1 off for TWO products. So, I'm really really excited to do the groceries today! I'll update later on how much I save today.

*update* I saved over $8 for a $40 worth of groceries! I'm a happy camper.

Thank you...

... to the many kind souls who take their time to send this coupons for military families like us. Just like Mrs. Rosalie Ognibene who sent this pack of coupons with a little note. Thank you!

Lost in translation

One of the perks of being a military family is the opportunity to travel the world - for free! Now, we're currently stationed in Japan, my husband's second since he joined the Navy. I've always wanted to visit Japan as a kid and I never expected to actually live here. I guess it's one of the many confirmations that I did marry the right guy. LOL

So far, it has been a really great experience. It's a whole new culture and it was a little bit overwhelming at first, especially with the language. People speak little english but you can get your message across with universal hand gestures (mostly pointing at things) and, of course, the translator app on the iphone. Many restaurants, especially ones near the base, also offer english menus. Now these can get tricky. Most are accurate (meaning what you read is actually what you get). However, some really do just get lost in translation.

More pics of Japan to come! :)