First Travels in Japan

I am not very good at navigating, so when the opportunity arose to get out into Japan with our friends Shannon, Ben, and Savannah, I took it. Since David isn't here to teach me how the train system works, it was nice to go with someone who knows and is willing to take the time to teach me. I haven't taking the AOB (area orientation brief) classes they offer here because they are a week long and I am still working on getting Ashlyn to take a bottle consistantly.

We traveled to Machida, which is between Yokohama and Tokyo towards the west. It was about 45 minutes of train rides, with only one change over. Our destination - THE FIVE STORY 100 YEN STORE! We were all very excited since we had heard about it and even the small 100 yen store in town was pretty neat. Shannon and I were particularly interested in the 5th floor, which was rumored to be mostly craft stuff. WOOO!

When we arrived in Machida, our first order of business was to eat. We went into this tower that was a mall inside and discovered there was a floor that was nothing but restaurants. The menus are plastic food in the window. It's really cool for those that are visual people.

 I chose a dish that looked good, and it was! It was a meat patty on a bed of rice, with cheese, and a teriyaki/BBQ sauce. It was so good that I ate all of it, even though I was full. I hope to go back and try another dish or two in the future.

After we ate, we wanted to go right to the 100 yen store. It was not the easiest to find, but we eventually found it. As we walked around, I loved looking down the busy walkways that were as wide as streets. It was a beautiful day to be out and about, and many people were.

 After asking a few people where the store was, we found it! It was so very overwhelming because there was SO much to see, and it is nothing like our American dollar stores. This stuff is quality! The  photo below is the section I was most interested - crafts! Are you surprised?!

 Shannon found these awesome utensils for Ashlyn! I know how hard it can be for young children to grip them when they first start feeding themselves, so I thought these were neat. I won't divulge how much I spent, but it was far more than I expected because there was so much good stuff! I plan on going back for sure.

 Ashlyn is such a happy traveler. Even though she didn't nap and wanted to take in all the sights, she did so well, and I'm very proud of her. She napped for maybe 30 minutes for the 6-7 hours we were gone, but she was smiles all around. I just wish David had been there to experience it with us. Hopefully he will be home soon and I can show him this shopping paradise.

Beautiful Blossoms

Everyone knows that Japan has a beautiful spring, and that the cherry blossoms are something everyone should see if they are able. Since I haven't been able to get off base yet, I am grateful that there are cherry trees all over base! The trees are currently in full bloom, but the weather isn't that great, and Ashlyn and I are still trying to shake the last of this virus. I'm hoping that the weather will clear up and so will our noses and we can make it out with my 'real' camera. Until then, I thought I would share some of the pictures I was able to capture with my awesome iPhone 4 (I LOVE the camera on this thing!)

Just walking to the exchange is a beautiful walk, as all the streets are lined with trees. I had to make a trip out this morning, and it was well worth it, even though it was a bit wet. Nothing a true Wash-a-tonian can't handle!

I am not really sure what type of flower this is but it grows on a tree that is only about 12 feet tall. I don't think it's a Rose Tree, but it is lovely regardless. Anyone know??

A Neat Commodity!

Well, I've been in Japan for over a month and I have yet to step foot off base. I intend to remedy this in the coming week if Ashlyn and I are feeling good, but I wanted to share a cool thing we've come to enjoy while being here.

These vending machines have both hot and cold drinks! We both wish that these were offered in the states, especially in places were it gets cold and insta-hot drinks would be so nice. We have tried a few of the items available, but there are plenty more to try.

The day I started getting sick, I thought hot soup in a can sounded like a good idea. Even though it was a nice day out, it felt great on my throat and was actually pretty tasty! They also offered corn pottage, which I later tried and found to be decent.

There are a bunch of different kinds of coffee in these machines, both hot and cold, but this one made me giggle. I don't think there is anything remotely American about this coffee aside from the depiction of a motorcycle on it. I am not sure the reason behind this, but I'm amused. :)

The "Pancakes-in-a-can" have piqued my interest. I hear they are delicious but I have not been near a machine near breakfast time, so I have yet to try it. I've heard that it includes syrup!! I'll get back to you once I have the opportunity.

One of the great things about the military life is we get to experience some of the cool things from different areas and cultures. So far, this is one of the things I already know I'll miss. It is so convenient and quite good. I am excited to find more things over the next few years that I will have a hard time living without after we leave, and share them with everyone. CHEERS!

Thank Heaven for Small Blessings

Through this past month, a lot has happened. Ashlyn and I traveled to Japan, we survived a natural disaster, hundreds of earthquakes, the panic surrounding the Fukushima - Dai Ichi nuclear plant and possible radiation. However, it's only been the last week that has been really scary.

On March 30th, while shopping, Shannon and I noticed that Ashlyn sounded like she was snoring. I didn't think much of it, except that I'd have to clean her nose when we got home. By that evening, she was not feeling well at all and ended up getting sick all over me. The next day, she had a well baby check up and weighed in at 15lbs 5 ounces, and over 26 inches long. The doctor said that she had picked up a little virus and that it would have to run it's course. Over the next two days, she was miserable and seemed to be getting sick more often, but she wasn't running a fever at all, so I wasn't overly concerned.

Saturday morning, David came home to TWO sick gals! I had caught whatever bug she had and we both felt like hell. Daddy went from one job right into caring for his ladies. Saturday was rough, especially in the evenings since that's when Ashlyn was at her worst. However, Sunday was downright scary. We had been fighting keeping her nose clear so she could breathe, and she was coughing so hard that she would end up getting sick. If she was asleep, she was laying on one of our chests so we could monitor her breathing. It was like walking on eggshells.

Sunday night, I took her into her room to get ready for bed. As I was changing her diaper, she fussed a little and then went silent. When I looked up at her face, she was choking and turning a deep purple. It was the scariest moment of my life. David came running into the room after I hollered and grabbed her and turned her over to smack her on the back, which did the trick. She was able to force up the mucus clogging her airways and got sick all over her bedroom floor. As parents, David and I hit our breaking point. We couldn't take it anymore, she was going to the hospital and they were going to tell us what was wrong.

We got there and they did chest X-rays, a blood draw to test her hydration level, and mucus swab to check for RSV. Everything checked out fine, except she tested positive for RSV. It was what I feared, but I learned that it is FAR more common than I had first thought. We just have to ride it out and watch her closely. Thankfully, she's already looking much better and almost back to her normal, sweet self. She will have a cough for awhile, but soon enough she will be right as rain. Now, if only I can get better!

Through all of this, I'm just very thankful that David was here to help me. I don't know what I would have done without him. The timing couldn't have been any better for him to be home. It may not be for very long, but God knew what I needed. Thank heaven for small blessings...