Japan!

Konnichiwa to all of our family and friends! This adventure is just beginning but we'd like to take a minute and fill ya'll in on the last few weeks. Airplanes, buses, and trains, oh my! We've been on the go from the minute we got here - if not on wheels, on foot! We hauled 12 pieces of luggage and Ethan (Jared walked but Ethan refused) from the Sea-Tac airport to Yokota Air Force Base on to a bus for three hours and then to the Navy Lodge, arriving in time to complete a 24 hour waking period for Scott and me. We found ourselves going to bed between 6:00 and 8:00 pm and waking up at 3:00 and 4:00 am! After being shuffled through two hotels on base and off we were landed in the BOQ or Bachelor Officer Quarters! The adventure continues - the sign on the door of the BOQ emphatically states that no guests under the age of 18 are even allowed in the building. When a fire alarm went off a few days into our stay and we were all herded outside in the pouring rain our little family was the object of more than a few wide eyed stares. Imagine trying to keep Jared and Ethan (or any pair of boys for that matter) quiet for two plus weeks in a room with one double bed and nothing to do. We spent as much time as possible out of doors.

During one of our outdoor ventures we walked to the Shiori train station and figured our way to Yokohama and Toys R Us for a little Christmas shopping (there are no toys stores in Yokosuka). I consider this a great accomplishment since the train maps are all in kanji with very little romaji or romanized spellings of japanese words. We arrived at the train station in Yokohama and had to transfer to the subway. We had to ask someone for help and he didn't speak english so we pulled out our map and showed him where we wanted to go and he pulled out his map showed us how to get there. The people here are awesome! They are so polite and courteous. We even found a "McDonodozu" and ordered "potato" and "hambaga" for dinner. When we got to the train station we had a hard time finding our way back to the right line to get home but when we finally got on our train it was commuting time and it was very full. Not quite the conductor with white gloves shoving us in but still tight. A japanese gentlemen rose from his seat and indicated that we were to take his spot (Ethan was asleep in Scott's arms). I am so grateful for his kindness. Just one more reason to love it here.

On the 22 of December we got the keys to our new apartment and on the 23rd all of our stuff was moved in. It was a little tricky to make room for Christmas in the midst of all of our boxes but we managed and we certainly had a Christmas to remember.