Thankful...

I am thankful for many things in life....but most importantly, I am thankful for my husband, Kevin, who is my rock, my soul mate, my best friend, and confidante. This Thanksgiving season, I want him to know how "thankful" I am to have him in my life.

I love you, Kevin.





Yours, Chrissy

Happy Turkey Lurkey Day!

Thanksgiving was yesterday for us here in Japan, but for those of you at home in the States---Happy Thanksgiving! Kev and I had a Thanksgiving dinner at his coworker's house. I was tasked to bring a side dish and a dessert so I made a pumpkin cheesecake that turned out to be a big hit! I'm not a huge fan of cheesecake, but for some reason, I did like this one. Perhaps the pumpkin makes it less rich or something. Anyway, here's the recipe, courtesy of Food Network.

And let me admit it now, I did not make my own crust. I didn't have the time, so I used a store-bought pie crust..... I also used my huge Kitchenaid Stand Mixer which helps with the cream cheese. :)

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients
Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Now if only I could find a way to get rid of all these leftover slices....And don't say to eat them because it will defeat the purpose of me going to the gym!!!

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

~Chrissy

The Holidays...

A few of you have asked whether Kev and I will be returning home to the States for the holidays--and well--although I hate to say it out aloud, here's the truth: NO. We are not returning to the States. Last year, we flew to Abu Dhabi/Dubai to visit the Barnett's (my family). But this year, Kev and I figured we would just stay put.

I'm a little bummed about it all but Kev says we'll be going on a vacation in January just the two of us....That lifts my spirits a little. :)

We haven't quite decided exactly where, but I'm sure whereever we go it'll be great!

In the meantime, I have this term with University of Maryland to finish up, work, and singing carols with POPS. I've been asked to sing in a quartet. When I was in high school and college, I frequently performed in choirs and madrigals singing and loved it--especially around the holidays. It really helped bring people together in the holiday spirit.

Now remember Okinawa is a subtropical island, so whatever "holiday spirit" I can get, I'll take!

Next week is Thanksgiving and Kev and I have been invited to one of his co-worker's house for dinner. Then, it's my turn. I'll be making a small Thanksgiving dinner for a few Japanese colleagues that work with Kev.

Sounds like fun!

Talk to you all soon....

~Chrissy

Jari's Visit

Kev's best friend from high school Jari is here visiting us for about a week. He arrived last Saturday and sadly, the weather here on Okinawa has been less than stellar. With the Veteran's Day holiday, Kevin took a few more days off from work and was able to take Jari around the sites. They went to the Nago Pineapple farm as well as the Churaumi Aqaurium. On Tuesday, the rain let up a little, so we all drove down to Naha to visit the World War II Memorial Museum. From the museum, I think we all have a greater understanding of the role Okinawa played in the Pacific during World War II.

On another note, it's funny to watch Jari try all the different food here. He's pretty adventurous and is willing to try anything.

This coming weekend, we are all heading to a small island off the main island of Okinawa, an island called Yoron. We will be staying at the Pricia Resort there. I'll try to get some pictures!

~Chrissy :)

Work Hard for the Money....

Since it's been a few months in my new job as TV producer/reporter/editor/writer extraordinaire for MCCS broadcasting, I figure I would post a few photos of me in ACTION!

This job is nothing like my producer job at Discovery (just being honest here, guys)...but at least I do look pretty "cool" with my camera! I do manage to have fun at times as well....

These are two photos from a recent event we had here on Camp Foster.

~Chrissy

Kevin in PA...

Kevin is still in PA after a whirlwind week of watching the Philadelphia Phillies win the World Series, he's due to come home on Tuesday.

In the meantime though, my mother in law was kind enough to send me some photos. I miss Kevin, but from the look of things, I'm not so sure I would have enjoyed sitting in the stadium in cold, freezing temperatures.

Glad to see that someone enjoyed the game though.... :)





Yay Phillies!

~Chrissy