Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Well, it's Thursday, the 20th. Kevin and I will be leaving for Naha airport shortly for our trip to Dubai to visit my family for Christmas. Hope to have a bunch of great photos to post later when we return. Happy Holidays everyone!!!!

Love, Chrissy & Kevin

Update....

Well as some of you know, I've applied for a broadcasting position with a military organization here on the island called MCCS (The acronym stands for Marine Corps Community Resources). I've applied for a job as a video production assistant in their broadcasting studio. I'm hoping I can put my TV producer skills to work and help them with their weekly magazine show called "Hai Sai Okinawa." This is a great opportunity for me to keep my fingers in the TV biz...

After waiting almost a month and half since my initial interview, I've been called for yet another one! Woohoo. Yes...I know this is just another interview, but at least I feel like they are close to making a decision on a candidate. Hopefully it will be me. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

On another topic, I'm pleased to say that I've been cast in a production of the musical "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" with a local community theatre known as the Pacific Okinawa Players. I had my audition on Monday and just found out that I've been cast! The show will go up in February just in time for Valentine's Day. This is an off-Broadway musical that celebrates the modern day suburban dating game. It's a musical comedy about dating, marriage, divorce, sex...you get the idea....



I can't wait to get back on the stage!!!!

Okuma & Cape Hedo

Today Kevin and I went to Okuma, which is an U.S. Air Force owned recreational facility on the northern part of the island. Okuma has camping sites, nature trails, cabins, beach cabanas, a private beach, a small golf course, and a tennis court.

My sister and brother in law (Denise and Greg) will be visiting us in Okinawa in January, so Kev and I thought it would be a good idea to check Okuma out before we take them.

The drive to Okuma is about a hour and half from our house. We took Route 58, which hugs the coast. You can get some amazing views of the ocean right below you. The road is built on cliffs overlooking the ocean.

Here's a photo we took when we pulled to the side of the road:




And this is a photo of my crazy *ss husband getting too close for comfort. The things he is standing on are cement tetrapods. The cement tetrapods break ocean waves to prevent waves from coming inland. Guess waves have been known to come crashing over the cement pods, over the seawall, and onto the road before....




After Okuma, we headed to the very northern tip of the island to a place called Cape Hedo. The cape is a known tourist spot (apparently some people think it's a good idea to jump off the cliffs into the deep Pacific below for fun). It was real windy and the ocean spray was a bit much at times. Even so, it was cool to see the cliffs and the clear ocean below.

(Disclaimer: I think my husband is not happy that I am taking his picture. Don't ask me what the sign behind him says.)



We did notice a few English signs warning Americans to avoid doing aquatic activity at Cape Hedo. As I mentioned above, some people have been known to jump off the cliffs and drown.

I had to keep an eye on Kevin....

Here's a photo of some cliffs at Cape Hedo.



After we enjoyed the sights at Cape Hedo, we headed home, but not before we stopped at a roadside stand to buy some fresh fruit. Okinawa's subtropical climate is so warm that pineapples grow very well here!

Not only do they grow well here, they are SOOO cheap! Kev and I bought two pineapples for 200 yen. For those of you who are wondering, this is under $2 U.S. dollars.



Think I'll make some pineapple muffins with these! :)

Christmas vacation...

This Christmas, Kevin and I will be visiting my parents in the United Arab Emirates. We will be flying from Okinawa, to Seoul, Korea, and then to Dubai. Both of us have never been there before, so we are really looking forward to it.

My parents live in Abu Dhabi and the city of Dubai (the "Las Vegas" of the Middle East) is about two hours away by car. Dubai is a rapidly growing city, right on the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The city has seen a major transformation in recent years with new infrastructure sprouting up everywhere. There is so much oil money here, the city has built its own beaches and islands (they have already built islands resembling a palm tree called the "Palm Islands'). Now they are working on the "World Islands" said to resemble the globe.

Should be an interesting trip. :)

Yesterday, we had some nice weather, so I went down to Toguchi Beach to take some photos. This beach is across the street from our house and has some great sunset views. When the tide goes out, you can see marine life collected in tidepools. You can often see local Okinawans fishing and netting. The beach also offers pavilions for BBQs. There are walking paths, gazebos, and a park with a slide for kids to play.






We even have two wild cats who live on the beach. They are pretty friendly and don't seem to be too afraid of people. I have noticed that someone gives them food to eat so they don't go hungry. One cat is really thin, (seen pictured below) I think he may be the "son" of the other cat. Hard to tell...



Kevin tells me not to "pet" them but it's hard not to....



Aren't they cute?

Since coming here, I've noticed that Okinawa has a big problem with stray cats and dogs. It's sad to see so many animals on the streets. Most people don't pay attention to them--but I can't help but want to help them out in some way. There is a local organization here on the island (OOARS-Okinawan American Rescue Society) that tries to help these animals. I've seen members of OOARS at events on base. I think I may sign up to volunteer....

I may not be able to do much in controlling the population, but it's the least I can do.

Kin Blue

The advantage of living on an island is that there are always beautiful beaches to go and explore.

Today was a lazy Sunday so Kev and I decided to go for a drive and explore Kin Blue, a beach near the town of Kin. Kevin usually goes golfing on Sunday mornings with his buddy John, but when he came back today, he was eager to go out. We drove about a half hour when we finally reached the beach. It's completely isolated and perfect for snorkeling. What you say? Snorkeling in December??!! Yes, it IS possible here in Okinawa. :)

Anyway--as we were snorkeling, we saw some interesting marine life. Cuttlefish, reef fish, sea urchins, and a LIONFISH! Lionfish are normally seen when deep sea diving, but I guess we were lucky.

Of course, we admired the lionfish from afar as we were concerned about getting stung. Lionfish are considered quite dangerous. If you try to pick one up, it can sting you with venomous spines in its dorsal fin (apparently, the venom can't kill you, but it can make you sick). Scary. Despite it's bad reputation though, it's absolutely beautiful. Here's a lionfish photo I found on the Internet:



(Don't Touch me!!)

Here are some photos of Kin Blue. The beach is covered with sea shells and coral so we picked a few up for our collection. I have a feeling during our time here in Okinawa, we are going to be collecting A LOT OF SHELLS.



The beach also has some interesting rock formations. Most of Okinawa's beaches have volcanic rock, but not Kin Blue.




After our day at the beach, we headed home and stopped at a neighborhood ramen noodle shop. A perfect end to our day.

Unfortunately, by the time our miso ramen and gyoza came, we were both so hungry we completely forgot about the camera....Sorry no photos. Maybe next time.:)