tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65649014584599398082024-03-14T08:57:43.752+09:00Sarahtish: Just meMy ramblings and musings on life. Me, just being me. Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-53264467927536841262022-12-06T08:36:00.002+09:002022-12-06T08:57:06.038+09:00Walking a BassetWe always hear about how we are supposed to walk our dogs for exercise. Get them out of the house, work those legs, and burn off energy. Those people must not have ever had to walk a basset hound.<div><br /></div><div>When I take Mr. Shelby Cornbread out for a walk it is definitely not for exercise. Don't get me wrong, he and other basset hounds can be energetic and run, but that's only when they want to. To say a basset hound is stubborn is an understatement. </div><div><br /></div><div>Shelby, as we call him, is really smart. He's capable of doing the tricks of sitting, speaking, turnaround, and shake all on command; well on command as long as you have a snack in your hand. He understands the following phrases. <br /><br />"Want some cheese?"</div><div><br /></div><div>"Want a snack?"</div><div><br /></div><div>"Want a treat?"</div><div><br /></div><div>"Want to go for a walk?"</div><div><br /></div><div>"Let's go bye-bye."</div><div><br /></div><div>"It's time for bed."</div><div><br /></div><div>"Let's cross the street."</div><div><br /></div><div>"Leave it."</div><div><br />"Wait"</div><div><br /></div><div>Nearly every weekday morning he is let out of his kennel by my husband. Shelby bolts out like a bullet and proceeds to the couch for a morning rest. </div><div>When I come down he greets me in the kitchen where he whines for his morning Greenie. He knows that after Norah goes out to catch the bus, we will go for our walk. Some mornings he is pushing her out the door. He'll whine and bark at her as if he is telling her to hurry up and leave so he can get his walk started. </div><div><br /></div><div>I make Shelby sit so I can put his harness on. Shortly you will understand why it's imperative he wears a harness and not just a collar. We head out the front door. We live at the end of a street on the top of a hill. He runs out with much enthusiasm and tends to take a little tinkle right away. Afterward, we meander down the hill all the while he is eyeballing the one neighbor's house that has a dog too. Going down the hill isn't an issue usually. We make a left and curve around the next street where we generally run into a neighbor seeing their kiddo off to the bus stop. Shelby believes this person should acknowledge him daily. Our pace is slow and not at all consistent. He must stop and smell everything all along the sidewalk. If there is a sign or tree near the sidewalk we must stop and smell it for a while and then stare in the direction of any house that has ever had a human that came out and interacted with him in the history of ever. </div><div><br /></div><div>He usually does his business at some point during this walk. Then it's time to head back up the hill to home. He does not want to do this. He will plant his stubby little legs and hold steady whilst I try to pull him up the hill. It's not that he wants to run around more, as we've tried longer walks and he will just tire out and lay down, often referred to as going "flat basset" on us. He wants to just stand outside and smell and watch and smell and watch and stand and sit anything but go up the hill to home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Basset hounds are short and stubby but they are very strong! They are also very stubborn. This trait is why I must use a harness and not just a collar for the leash. Shelby will choke to death before he will give in. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have resolved myself to the fact that walking a basset is an exercise in patience and not a physical exercise!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div><div> </div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-9166892853496744712022-11-14T10:39:00.001+09:002022-11-14T10:39:11.988+09:00Making a Clay Shisa<p> Shisa are everywhere here in Okinawa. They are sometimes called lion dogs. They are protectors of homes and businesses. They usually come in pairs; one has its mouth open and one has its mouth closed. The one with its mouth open is said to be scaring away evil spirits with its mighty roar and the one with its mouth closed is keeping good spirits in. The shisa is said to have come from China. Here is a<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nippon.com%2Fen%2Fguide-to-japan%2Fgu900208%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2wpcIAqj6CuDIS2fB6rZF658LmCAxHlyhL4fMGcOE2C4y8LGqNbiQXy_Q&h=AT216PYYkM_6o6bbxZjY6sYC2t2KUIjFIFdXlE5uvHe9BMg5hK_LdTwZNEWVHbD3eCrqNoGc7QFP-WbXVyuTC0x97IAOAPviIMOUvMBEsMmfesB23pviyAb_RkQvrIubfQ&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT3-KBGhyod_2BBzNbYyubxvjCBfdzNEanofoxQrrqwFywZLn1CezxLXqsL-6wyfA5S9Q3ks9nnBp_5Td2dBBBssjS59gAYHBrIONO416SOe2WZsZACPqPdqo-PcIbD7K3Nkv8fGAlxCY-LbrQlGg5qjRI_tMqGJ4fVrq-zb5r-L0jUKuDOfd5cRu_UfOqVSJ6p_axCmRpYAB4A" target="_blank"> link </a>to more information about the history of shisa. </p><p>There is a street here in Naha that is known for its pottery. It's called Tsuboya Yachimun Street. This area of Naha has been the center of pottery making since the 1500s.</p><p>I saw an article in a base magazine about a shisa-making class. I was intrigued right away. I genuinely love the look of shisa and the idea of them protecting your home. I knew it would be a fun way to comemerate our tour here in Okinawa. I immediately reserved us a class. We chose Veteran's Day since Cody an the kids would be off of work and school. It was easy to book online through the <a href="https://yachmundojo.com" target="_blank">Dojo's website</a>. They were very communicative, sending an email with instructions. We were told to go to Ikutouen store first and they would give us a map to the studio/dojo. </p><p>Anytime I can, I do what we call a dry run before going someplace we haven't been before. We did a dry run out to the area on the Sunday prior to Veteran's Day. They were having a festival and there were lots and lots of people and booths. We drove carefully down the oneway brick road and located the shop and a pay parking lot. On the day of, we were set. We drove easily down the tiny street since there was no festival. We pulled into the parking lot and figured out how to use it. These parking lots have yellow metal plates in the middle of them. You back into the spot and within a few minutes the plate rises up under the car, preventing you from leaving. When you return to leave, you pay the parking fee at the machine. The metal plate lowers and you have four minutes to leave. It was easy enough. </p><p>We waited until 10am when the shop opened to walk over and ask about the dojo. I showed the lady the email and she handed us a laminated map. It seemed to be straight forward. Leave the shop turning right, walk down to where there is a do not enter sign, turn right up that street and it appeared that we needed to go down the second road to the left. </p><p>Halfway up the hill we encountered a musical truck. It was a trash pickup truck. Here is a video of the sound it made. I didn't get a video of the actual truck. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dythnt6nT4HV_Xmz5e__PJ_I8LxCSpvGc5wIV6l1VtwJN4sWRGSp3mK0qiUmb3pakn1ngQpvO3CGsuOXvqv0g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>We continued up the hill and turned down what we thought was the correct pathway. It was not. We walked back and went up further. Then we went back to again where we thought we were supposed to go. I entered the street name Tsuboya into Googlemaps and followed it around much further than we knew it would be but we doubled back and managed to stumble up to the correct location...20 minutes late. I felt horrible. I despise being late. They were incredibly gracious when we arrived and promptly got us started with the process. </p><p>We each chose a color of glaze we would like to have on our final product. Three of us chose red and one chose black. We paid for our class, they do take credit card, and we were led to a table that was set up for us. The dojo is open sided so there was a nice breeze everyone in a while. There was another group of 4 that were making a hanging shisa. We were making standing shisa. The instructor is fluent n both Japanese and English as she went easily between our groups, giving instructions. We were given three balls of red Okinawan clay. She flawlessly showed us how to construct our shisa. There was jazzy calming music playing in the background and it was a very pleasant vibe in the studio. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXZ-tnZeQLtarzBEqwrFmPOE38uMq4gjYOzd9d-TboZMb11Q-iKKqy3Bjuux6f3rN5I8Ki65iJ1EN5_9dqTux3QHr_uXj4Jl1bqG0NIgp3HsfYoxrrWulYKciUiVXmV5xtUf5OFfTgfyTnf1kQS37stjaGQ4v3ttGHcO0Nu7m06RINUkmH2VRh6Sf/s3024/20221111_102557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXZ-tnZeQLtarzBEqwrFmPOE38uMq4gjYOzd9d-TboZMb11Q-iKKqy3Bjuux6f3rN5I8Ki65iJ1EN5_9dqTux3QHr_uXj4Jl1bqG0NIgp3HsfYoxrrWulYKciUiVXmV5xtUf5OFfTgfyTnf1kQS37stjaGQ4v3ttGHcO0Nu7m06RINUkmH2VRh6Sf/s320/20221111_102557.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOHai4SCWkCigDw3Pq_J6kHVZ0ONzSC8WSZ5YEZaQlHdtS8dpD7TlTsIgs1AwvRMmaTBKxGx9IGJQzuOiWxV_n1NbfIfiaRVOZwjWBadH_pB1PgSfLxCOaSPKtONtmwVCgqTHnkHSnNZj-XNlQr4VjnHGuDgybKVZWAYeeDHJxeW8iZ5WC16YNx7T/s3024/20221111_103035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOHai4SCWkCigDw3Pq_J6kHVZ0ONzSC8WSZ5YEZaQlHdtS8dpD7TlTsIgs1AwvRMmaTBKxGx9IGJQzuOiWxV_n1NbfIfiaRVOZwjWBadH_pB1PgSfLxCOaSPKtONtmwVCgqTHnkHSnNZj-XNlQr4VjnHGuDgybKVZWAYeeDHJxeW8iZ5WC16YNx7T/s320/20221111_103035.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsh0q1nkcixwYa-vn7u1H7l4F-ceb393kJUcGPEi2uCiKwhgnm6QZqHFLCtKMPSxfkcxcU83nkGcC7tB8V9GmJ1f4JfS3roor4ObVNrmVqPYr6KUWDB-2gu3st5KqxivbKLnPPGHBRch2wH8_S9_hhhtcUOudMs-YK73Kp3yeUMjQWFbIpEoq_38P/s3024/20221111_111629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsh0q1nkcixwYa-vn7u1H7l4F-ceb393kJUcGPEi2uCiKwhgnm6QZqHFLCtKMPSxfkcxcU83nkGcC7tB8V9GmJ1f4JfS3roor4ObVNrmVqPYr6KUWDB-2gu3st5KqxivbKLnPPGHBRch2wH8_S9_hhhtcUOudMs-YK73Kp3yeUMjQWFbIpEoq_38P/s320/20221111_111629.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvqaQYlLNEVPNxxH8yMGzanFFPHKqzQA4BmEp7-7GMdf3PghQW70TckLegQGn5kmcXsByJK8Pw1Zgo7OFxH5mjKNlmItQS14vTR0b74-xbQxXea9_CpDjErvPb-F_i5P1MMqm-Y_FQ36woNjudNBiuvKlJMpv1VVJejSirhGCPu8ue4HUYUAeVi27/s3024/20221111_111633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvqaQYlLNEVPNxxH8yMGzanFFPHKqzQA4BmEp7-7GMdf3PghQW70TckLegQGn5kmcXsByJK8Pw1Zgo7OFxH5mjKNlmItQS14vTR0b74-xbQxXea9_CpDjErvPb-F_i5P1MMqm-Y_FQ36woNjudNBiuvKlJMpv1VVJejSirhGCPu8ue4HUYUAeVi27/s320/20221111_111633.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYT4vqKaDWKhxrwa0ZGwSUZhOaWfBRd1vWnKmSyoQgDE7_3XSSqfEfBJ8dbRTWDgXXOC_KoP4nG4xZGLH06wno-WIKB3RV_wcktbKfuBTZf1nmaHzfEfSom1tTFjzx5ntGKwlM8MNf4Y-pvEd5wBJSnkyOM0s9Zb8_mLoTt__XUDjcdLZ8XAyFPl_/s3024/20221111_111706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYT4vqKaDWKhxrwa0ZGwSUZhOaWfBRd1vWnKmSyoQgDE7_3XSSqfEfBJ8dbRTWDgXXOC_KoP4nG4xZGLH06wno-WIKB3RV_wcktbKfuBTZf1nmaHzfEfSom1tTFjzx5ntGKwlM8MNf4Y-pvEd5wBJSnkyOM0s9Zb8_mLoTt__XUDjcdLZ8XAyFPl_/s320/20221111_111706.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Afterwards we took a few photos outside the dojo and headed back to the car pleased with ourselves. On our walk back we realized our mistake on the way up. The trash truck had obstructed our view of a small sign that pointed down the path. I believe it would have instructed us to go that way had we saw it. The map is a bit off as you should take the first path not the second OR we just misunderstood what a path is on the map. The map was in Japanese and had pictures but we still were not able to figure it out. Either way we made it back to our car and were very happy with our adventure. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUMUif_xgNK7Q0rbzNqypOgcaiKNjZLX5aMWaaPJTVjoWhiopvmHjoeIfJTRz1pr4c5DpWFbemfOq2w9mkqT_bP3Y8eCJfOmR7piE28HFBJQR9108t7bFmCV7o0_9Oy8dwVQpC_zfm9KFTVyZSxd3kDa0UeYFr8hG-ctmJkv5JGPrrhdNlmW7tm_L/s3024/20221111_111832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUMUif_xgNK7Q0rbzNqypOgcaiKNjZLX5aMWaaPJTVjoWhiopvmHjoeIfJTRz1pr4c5DpWFbemfOq2w9mkqT_bP3Y8eCJfOmR7piE28HFBJQR9108t7bFmCV7o0_9Oy8dwVQpC_zfm9KFTVyZSxd3kDa0UeYFr8hG-ctmJkv5JGPrrhdNlmW7tm_L/s320/20221111_111832.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVsZKInCufpTwLa9_uCD1DxuuLnjl0SaPa3DdlqinEbsBY5XMr08Lv3Bl9NXobgWh5o4YIwoi-gWOK48ZAMztZikyuLSQOXVQYsIRRtSOn8VQ-91720PLyehR2GhTd-6zIb3njcOVK8tGTbt4W16CUUGNKrdf1cCB3nWx1ULpAH6TQt4V8NNr96cAU/s3024/20221111_111827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolcmt9T9McuaU1nzMRB9z3p5W0J_lhm9aVceZbkcoRtkomqNxyM0c1uk4akt2dDPZwPkp0GKueSJvyO4CC7elaeBqUdBFwNRli9DWaxfSmFp-TcJIzqosZF0nIbVsIpwjYCAqJlkS1sNzDWrWh1wgx22xCdMB7fqZ8vsF3mlVINeC8Qymq61lW3ns/s3024/20221111_112400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolcmt9T9McuaU1nzMRB9z3p5W0J_lhm9aVceZbkcoRtkomqNxyM0c1uk4akt2dDPZwPkp0GKueSJvyO4CC7elaeBqUdBFwNRli9DWaxfSmFp-TcJIzqosZF0nIbVsIpwjYCAqJlkS1sNzDWrWh1wgx22xCdMB7fqZ8vsF3mlVINeC8Qymq61lW3ns/s320/20221111_112400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now we wait 2 1/2 months for the shisa to be completed. I believe they let them air dry for a very long time before firing them. I will share them when we get them back. </p><p>I would highly recommend the shisa making experience!</p><p>Tsuboya Pottery Yachimun Dojo<br />1 22 33 Tsuboya, Naha 902 0065<br />Booking contact: webform@ikutouen.com<br />https://yachimundojo.com/</p><p><br /></p>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-80075346565990931372022-11-10T07:53:00.001+09:002022-11-14T10:40:08.563+09:00An hour of Crafting at the USOThe USO on base is quite active. They are open most days of the week. It's a really nice place with snacks and tv and an area to relax. I signed up the other evening for an hour of crafting. We made a Twinkle Pumpkin. They provided the items to make the craft and delicious hot apple cider. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufk4mM7_6M-_vvLKDy0UgOSJlxhhEDV38KHyoP5W0foZu1d2-LGrHd28wdtLCMDd2-8m4jE25RGFXuTmRwwO783d7t50jL2WkZr7y-ie0THBOa2qtvX6sf2hJdchePSOA5wFdFM7gugulW-rAmzTpNFEk5bxMeWAjnJm43JLdbzAMvu7qwry8YEa6/s3024/20221110_071834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufk4mM7_6M-_vvLKDy0UgOSJlxhhEDV38KHyoP5W0foZu1d2-LGrHd28wdtLCMDd2-8m4jE25RGFXuTmRwwO783d7t50jL2WkZr7y-ie0THBOa2qtvX6sf2hJdchePSOA5wFdFM7gugulW-rAmzTpNFEk5bxMeWAjnJm43JLdbzAMvu7qwry8YEa6/w400-h400/20221110_071834.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twinkle Pumpkin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I love crafting. There were a lot of ladies there. Most of them came with a gal pal. I felt a bit out of place since I don't have any gal pals here. I quickly completed my craft and came on home. I was friendly and others were friendly toward me however it just felt off. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>These last couple of years have pushed me to be more reclusive. I guess we all have with the lockdowns. I'm friendly with people. I have acquaintances but I've not had a close friendship in several years. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-12584806453686838272022-11-07T08:36:00.004+09:002022-11-14T10:41:21.794+09:00It's okay to be upsetLast week I had a couple of instances where I had to say to myself and even out loud, "It's okay to be upset." <div><br /></div><div>My son was helping bring in the boxes from our trunk-or-treat and the handle broke on the box he was carrying and it fell to the ground hard. Two of my cups from the snack sets I had broke. He told me what had happened and I was upset. He immediately wanted to be defensive. I explained to him, "I am not upset with you. I am not angry with you. I'm sad and disappointed that my two cups were broken. I can be upset with a situation without placing blame or anger on you." He seemed to understand but still seemed a bit off. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another situation occurred. I took our Basset Hound, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mr.shelbycornbread/" target="_blank">Mr. Shelby Cornbread</a>, to get a bath and nail trim up at the place on Kadena. I had a drop-off time of 2pm. I left him there and went to Burger King for a snack of chicken nuggets and a drink. I sat there for a while just pursuing Facebook until the Middle School kids came in and I decided to let them be without an adult lurking nearby. I went back Karing Kennels and parked and started watching some Netflix (I am a Stalker). When it got to be near 4PM and 2 hours after I had dropped him off, I went back in to check. I also needed to pay deposits for some Kennel Reservations we have coming up in the next couple of months. I paid and told them I was in the parking lot waiting. Around 4:30 they came out and I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't have good news. She hesitantly told me, "I'm so sorry. One of our groomers had to leave early and the one left just isn't going to be able to get to Mr. Shelby today. I'm really sorry." I followed her back into the building. I said, "It's okay. I'm disappointed but I'm not angry with y'all. These things happen." The two ladies apologized to me multiple times and each time I told them I understood. They were so relieved when I was nice about it. I told them the same thing I told my son. "I can be upset about this happening but not be angry with y'all." </div><div><br /></div><div>I think we are often so reactive to others' emotions that we set them and ourselves up for a fight. I could have been angry with my son for breaking my cups but it was an accident. He didn't intend for the handles on the overloaded box to break. He was helping me out by bringing the box in. </div><div><br /></div><div>I could have been angry with the groomers and the clerks but they didn't expect the one groomer to have an emergency and need to leave early. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope to continue to learn how to be upset without being angry. I'm allowed to have emotions about things and situations without being angry or mad with the people involved. It's not an easy thing and I'm just now "getting it". I hope I can show empathy to others and let them know it's okay to be upset. </div>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-37811312193526866252022-11-03T12:49:00.004+09:002022-11-03T12:49:58.438+09:00Spatula Happiness.<p>I never imagined buying a spatula would make me happy but here we are. I'm happy with a spatula. </p><p>Some people call them egg turners or flippers but I call them spatulas. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7noauB2VUHcMFiu-e0tUM9sJdXfQQwBLyPzWdM5weRDHbCb93BZtegTr8crOvolLmIBPkL9s5RH3xQNHCYD9bvmN8FELCr0UUnPLpoEq6jwZpijfZLBKw4wzTqES0m4l6dyvn6GeVkSXV0IWjsM6f1_6Erp2mMWsPAmBnCDtZGIi9WKuVc7y0zcS/s3024/20221103_122701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl7noauB2VUHcMFiu-e0tUM9sJdXfQQwBLyPzWdM5weRDHbCb93BZtegTr8crOvolLmIBPkL9s5RH3xQNHCYD9bvmN8FELCr0UUnPLpoEq6jwZpijfZLBKw4wzTqES0m4l6dyvn6GeVkSXV0IWjsM6f1_6Erp2mMWsPAmBnCDtZGIi9WKuVc7y0zcS/s320/20221103_122701.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p>To make it even more confusing I also call these spatulas as well. </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZnJeA9-L14YLIILfR0I_MzXhiqv_EGW77JS5IgXpbl53WqKZeVsfQ9_Eeb9AfakQtp8i87Cf9q_0pBosthB-URk0yRAqDrG7EF_nSoE5YEDe7NgihxjqePV19C6PU0ElJ49WXRA0gvYba3DnnxVch_CaC4wZwmwNlxSq6KZb4-i7OA0RlII9Qez-/s3024/20221103_122721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZnJeA9-L14YLIILfR0I_MzXhiqv_EGW77JS5IgXpbl53WqKZeVsfQ9_Eeb9AfakQtp8i87Cf9q_0pBosthB-URk0yRAqDrG7EF_nSoE5YEDe7NgihxjqePV19C6PU0ElJ49WXRA0gvYba3DnnxVch_CaC4wZwmwNlxSq6KZb4-i7OA0RlII9Qez-/s320/20221103_122721.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> But anyway, back to this marvelous Big Mama Spatula. She's 15 inches! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ovabBXvLpac8QKGlEsxg3EGU5PYHWthIpxUz3BFYaJ5LME87DiNH205nqmaaf6zc7EujLzca3bs5Y17dT6OWSpXAHQl0Xz3BxzFdoRJjwfWDyDOmErnXzENvNNabsB_Qc679YKDm91CE5HmJOScEfsiJPbRR0stMEM-_-4TqrTO7UDsQe3r4E_2N/s3024/20221103_122907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ovabBXvLpac8QKGlEsxg3EGU5PYHWthIpxUz3BFYaJ5LME87DiNH205nqmaaf6zc7EujLzca3bs5Y17dT6OWSpXAHQl0Xz3BxzFdoRJjwfWDyDOmErnXzENvNNabsB_Qc679YKDm91CE5HmJOScEfsiJPbRR0stMEM-_-4TqrTO7UDsQe3r4E_2N/s320/20221103_122907.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I had a hard plastic one that I loved and used for 25 years and then it broke. I asked for a replacement for Christmas last year. Sometimes I give easy suggestions to make it easy for the kids to buy me a gift. They got me a nice one, the one in the photos, but it was too flimsy. I need something firm and strong. I did not like the way the spatula would bend when I was trying to dip something out of or scrape something out of the pan. <p></p><p>Last week I started searching for something made in the USA and found this Big Mama. It's made in the USA out of hardwood. It is perfect. It is large. It is firm and strong. It is wooden. It is made in the UDS. It requires a bit of upkeep but so worth it for me to have a sturdy utensil to flip burgers and whathaveyou. It needs to be washed by hand and occasionally oiled. </p><p>Should you like one for yourself here's a <a href="(Disclaimer. I receive a small commission when you purchase through my link with no additional cost to you). " target="_blank">link</a>. <i>(Disclaimer. I receive a small commission when you purchase through my link at no additional cost to you). </i></p>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-670877239891844492022-10-31T06:37:00.003+09:002022-11-03T12:34:33.366+09:00Trunk or Treat 2022<p> </p><p>I have always wanted to participate in a trunk or treat, and this year we had the opportunity to join in the fun. We participated in the Autumn Fun with the command. </p><p>I'm a sucker for a theme. I decided to go with the "Witch's Tea Party". I set the table and it was glorious. Our costumes were fabulous. I gave each child that came through a tea cup with two pieces of candy and a little squeaky toy. We got a few votes but did not win however we had a very good time. I loved it. I hope to be able to do many more in the future especially if we happen to live out in the country. </p><p>I used many items I already had as well as purchased some items specifically for this theme. I had the silver tray I used in the middle. It was given to me by my husband's grandma, she got it as a wedding gift. It needs a good polishing so it looked great on the table. I ordered the tea kettle from Amazon. </p><p>I had the tablecloth but ordered the spiderweb table runner. It came with bats and several other spooky linens. I am obsessed with the tea plates and cups. I found them at a thrift store. I am always looking for different kinds. I put glittered water in the cups to look like tea. I used edible glitter. I also bought crystal teaspoon sets because I'm extra. I picked up silver rectangle serving trays from Daiso. </p><p>It's hard to see in the picture but I also had a small apothecary and cauldron in the trunk. </p><p>I had more things I wanted to put out. A sign for broom parking, and an invitation to the tea party but it was very windy. That's why my hat is pulled down on my head. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQp8QSR7g-9XQ-eIrAq_4RfG8uZGCxqbSgPSLX4UmlKURimO8swJsgj2x7astEt9oZtWtGS7LIHuQo9-QypveRCDA947vi4S9yfOwtlP2sMyot3okU-b9oFSz8lEvHFlRslWjxLTApDDRX6N2GiUbeKSUnXRuU7xCcG4z2I3eWCD66s98OG9wb8TCe/s3024/20221029_164113.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQp8QSR7g-9XQ-eIrAq_4RfG8uZGCxqbSgPSLX4UmlKURimO8swJsgj2x7astEt9oZtWtGS7LIHuQo9-QypveRCDA947vi4S9yfOwtlP2sMyot3okU-b9oFSz8lEvHFlRslWjxLTApDDRX6N2GiUbeKSUnXRuU7xCcG4z2I3eWCD66s98OG9wb8TCe/w640-h640/20221029_164113.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEs_zqC5HWNmI69imbzjMtfiX4FfAT8FDvvissElXcl-g9jhBkrppzE3131fWzhae0CHItCc73w_ccvShTE0LLFfwHMyuSNs2S3Qmzm44rFEwLDr8z80EAhCPN6tkRuxb7WwpUk_eulKyWiqLI4kVGyJuh0LksvnG0H5eCbq0K8hxe6ixAr9TwAaz/s3024/20221029_165546.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEs_zqC5HWNmI69imbzjMtfiX4FfAT8FDvvissElXcl-g9jhBkrppzE3131fWzhae0CHItCc73w_ccvShTE0LLFfwHMyuSNs2S3Qmzm44rFEwLDr8z80EAhCPN6tkRuxb7WwpUk_eulKyWiqLI4kVGyJuh0LksvnG0H5eCbq0K8hxe6ixAr9TwAaz/w400-h400/20221029_165546.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS7Lh_ovuz9K5yCwErl6eqJ8oH8l9oIxstmzfJ1S6eyzeZrAmo3omK5sjNk4DXm9jp9z7a5v1L1HLhZfqNyorCmJ5FdGJB3nswiaCV9fJgOmEdXpCiwV1z89tyHR8IsRHmDQVNrqLXvRg4hmVW8vdSQXIIQNZYRo7g1ZS8BOC7ftgiGJvemh_UA3L/s3024/20221029_165600.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizS7Lh_ovuz9K5yCwErl6eqJ8oH8l9oIxstmzfJ1S6eyzeZrAmo3omK5sjNk4DXm9jp9z7a5v1L1HLhZfqNyorCmJ5FdGJB3nswiaCV9fJgOmEdXpCiwV1z89tyHR8IsRHmDQVNrqLXvRg4hmVW8vdSQXIIQNZYRo7g1ZS8BOC7ftgiGJvemh_UA3L/w400-h400/20221029_165600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96QumAfZlBKrEa1peM9JDr9plpG3n07HivRN34BcqB4dfiS2AJIhow3elfC1Fn15IbfUmJeMSbw3ShXf4RfHWrc8tI0pwy8wrVWxVOpD47tYqoT9EBmL4B3hKYFjx9PHP6KojfoUtU3hLvQQ2cTNqZwRIitBHFjtNiYVZsju5cwZBo-eBGWxbgPsQ/s3024/20221029_181747.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96QumAfZlBKrEa1peM9JDr9plpG3n07HivRN34BcqB4dfiS2AJIhow3elfC1Fn15IbfUmJeMSbw3ShXf4RfHWrc8tI0pwy8wrVWxVOpD47tYqoT9EBmL4B3hKYFjx9PHP6KojfoUtU3hLvQQ2cTNqZwRIitBHFjtNiYVZsju5cwZBo-eBGWxbgPsQ/w400-h400/20221029_181747.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzTZ2aOHEzisJv8S0g1oFlP11xWcePYHIt8cA0Ykur9Qo3ZD380DBF26kMacLgqi3mWSlk6o6Yv6i6ntq25oEeUrakwznc4NU90JMVl1bjdeAti04fhS2PdRSse8Sf_qcuth0huTleGGUBTKeEo6oK0aQmQJaRH4dgse-aiEvlrWqGm-jolycaOB_/s3024/20221029_181756.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzTZ2aOHEzisJv8S0g1oFlP11xWcePYHIt8cA0Ykur9Qo3ZD380DBF26kMacLgqi3mWSlk6o6Yv6i6ntq25oEeUrakwznc4NU90JMVl1bjdeAti04fhS2PdRSse8Sf_qcuth0huTleGGUBTKeEo6oK0aQmQJaRH4dgse-aiEvlrWqGm-jolycaOB_/w640-h640/20221029_181756.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Items I used:<div>*<i>(Disclaimer. I receive a small commission when you purchase through my link with no additional cost to you). </i></div><div><i><br /></i> Costume Items: </div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3gUQZcN" target="_blank">Renaissance Dress</a></div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3FpJdln" target="_blank">Witch Hat</a></div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3TO2RvO" target="_blank"> I'm with the Witch t-shirt</a> </div><div> </div><div> Treats: <br /> <a href="https://amzn.to/3TP5Zrd" target="_blank">Squishy Octopus</a></div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3NnL0JM" target="_blank">Squeaky Piggy</a><br /> <a href="https://amzn.to/3FzGPIZ" target="_blank"> Rubber Duckies</a></div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3WsGPR5" target="_blank"> Clear plastic cups</a><br /><br /></div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3TR0MPE" target="_blank"> Tablecloth</a><br /> <a href="https://amzn.to/3U81TtP" target="_blank">Table runner</a></div><div> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0995NNM4D/ref=emc_b_5_t" target="_blank">Bat lights</a></div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3Nh4TlD" target="_blank"> Backdrop cloth</a></div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3ztJG2h" target="_blank">Teapot</a></div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3DjZCVW" target="_blank">Spoons</a></div><div> <a href="https://amzn.to/3WgOYaX" target="_blank"> Edible Glitter</a></div><div> <br /> </div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-23387705684246285342022-10-30T21:00:00.002+09:002022-10-30T21:00:00.140+09:00Decorating for Halloween 2022<p> </p><p>Do you decorate for Halloween? Some years I decorate a lot and some years I decorate a little. I left a lot of our Halloween Decorations in storage for this tour. I brought my big storage container of costumes though. I keep all the costume pieces from year to year that can be used again. You never know when a costume will be needed. </p><p>I like to decorate our tv stand for each season or Holiday. For Halloween this year I simply used these bug twinkle lights. I cannot even remember where I got them from, I've had them for so long. I also placed a black and silver pumpkin to the side. I made that pumpkin a couple of years ago from a Dollar Tree pumpkin and some fabric. I would share a photo but the boxes with the items for our truck-or-treat are all in front of the tv stand; so it's a mess.</p><p>I have also enjoyed changing out the tablecloths for the season. This one is a lovely rusty color with leaves. I've had it for a few years. I also have had these placemats for so many years that I really have no idea where I got them from. I like to use them throughout the fall. The shiny leaves table runner I bought at the Exchange on Kadena Air Force Base a few weeks ago. I overheard a little girl exclaim, "Oh Mommy! They are so pretty!" When I saw what she was talking about I couldn't resist. It almost blends in with the leaves on the tablecloth. I know my table has a lot of orange colors going on, but I love it. I have a clear vinyl table cover on here as well. I use this to keep from having to wash the linens every day because we are messy. I bought it from Amazon. Here is the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006B46V2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=mobilea0ce080-20&linkId=b38301cd09880e767d650fb147bc34ef&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">link</a> if you would like one too. *<i>(Disclaimer. I receive a small commission when you purchase through my link with no additional cost to you). </i></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FoVsRlZw60BWgwIfi7KKBqvq7lTy25MOrlbGljem4cdtkAUlxRBR85pS2Bo2w2ou-XP2hn1oJuPuHjJc0BV8GKyK1T4FGMXYTfA6UtimobVDkfWUtEQQGv5CtMGm_ACYAMurF3lxzu2Jo_GHnjXTA27hMQvU5GYnb7TSw44n8AK2UIL4399dCXb4/s3024/20221030_095347.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FoVsRlZw60BWgwIfi7KKBqvq7lTy25MOrlbGljem4cdtkAUlxRBR85pS2Bo2w2ou-XP2hn1oJuPuHjJc0BV8GKyK1T4FGMXYTfA6UtimobVDkfWUtEQQGv5CtMGm_ACYAMurF3lxzu2Jo_GHnjXTA27hMQvU5GYnb7TSw44n8AK2UIL4399dCXb4/s320/20221030_095347.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Placemats, tablecloth and copper metallic table runner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><br /></i><p></p><p><br /></p><p>I have this lovely Welcome sign that has cute little changeouts for each season. I believe got this one from Lakeside Collections several years ago. They don't seem to have them any longer but <a href="https://www.lakeside.com/product/interchangeable-welcome-sign-or-icon-set/LS_94451" target="_blank">this one</a> is similar. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSquynAY-XJMjHHDn0g8LpNe8ZFiOhqFwQrKoOO6KlhOxbgAH5lDc_ZHbS4CngsVhOZ1rlOtOgiuKFNB8Q055NDH7mFWGR9cn7RlU3nUvESyAVZoh8ZO9NuUEuAQqx1MY4Sz0973eRYFYdr0PWC7miEmfkXl-7R6n5xuDhMZpjhBHLgPRzQ7T0Y9t/s3024/20221029_070657.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSquynAY-XJMjHHDn0g8LpNe8ZFiOhqFwQrKoOO6KlhOxbgAH5lDc_ZHbS4CngsVhOZ1rlOtOgiuKFNB8Q055NDH7mFWGR9cn7RlU3nUvESyAVZoh8ZO9NuUEuAQqx1MY4Sz0973eRYFYdr0PWC7miEmfkXl-7R6n5xuDhMZpjhBHLgPRzQ7T0Y9t/s320/20221029_070657.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome sign</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br />While we're on the interchangeable signs, I also have the napkin holder with the magnetic icon to change out also from Lakeside. They still have <a href="https://www.lakeside.com/product/interchangeable-salt-and-pepper-set/LS_94509?skuId=LS_2107018" target="_blank">this one</a>. My pepper shaker broke (we move a lot y'all) plus we prefer freshly ground pepper anyway. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7yIbBtBJQSNSNfQiDMTn9NpCdO54lHhlv9zeh3-NN_fPkYPajH6KSSrZ8WaQB6yb1lDC7itgl0KN59ZMXQ2aDJT8UyRTE9rPC23yOclMfyLiRq2qkC3ZPwjhHq8hTWIsORB-7QwNvwwbeO3nLTgR21ShvX_dytzljp3F9djirDVao2k-NwLbRsMR/s3024/20221030_095417.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7yIbBtBJQSNSNfQiDMTn9NpCdO54lHhlv9zeh3-NN_fPkYPajH6KSSrZ8WaQB6yb1lDC7itgl0KN59ZMXQ2aDJT8UyRTE9rPC23yOclMfyLiRq2qkC3ZPwjhHq8hTWIsORB-7QwNvwwbeO3nLTgR21ShvX_dytzljp3F9djirDVao2k-NwLbRsMR/s320/20221030_095417.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt and Pepper shaker on the table</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>I have this fun pumpkin that lights up and talks but the kids keep turning it off because they find it annoying. I picked him up on clearance last year at the Exchange after Halloween. I have him sitting on a plant stand in the window by the front door.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEtoD3NrLzhO3NPw1OzaugJAk9eD5jytbOZbTvrUEt-K4vPzSTLyftZ8F8ZBEtv9TCM4Sg46l43LkAT8OO6rCDt8JokbZlAQyhcDXIAI245A_TcZvtWmJ2whGrV8A1r2k8grvAE-HJKA5yyN5IZS0BHVdWbQflcn86tI8-8SjXOUNFdepT6qwXL7d/s3024/20221029_070823.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEtoD3NrLzhO3NPw1OzaugJAk9eD5jytbOZbTvrUEt-K4vPzSTLyftZ8F8ZBEtv9TCM4Sg46l43LkAT8OO6rCDt8JokbZlAQyhcDXIAI245A_TcZvtWmJ2whGrV8A1r2k8grvAE-HJKA5yyN5IZS0BHVdWbQflcn86tI8-8SjXOUNFdepT6qwXL7d/s320/20221029_070823.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spooky fake pumpkin lit up</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkvZZcEk43B_pB0wmWUC4Nic6oXllQhFIWI7KvM8GioOzTd5jmHp_TJypUeoky1Z5W4oldfG_fbLe4KIqPQXd7tfcoE_jotJa6a7CvWvYTqOjeZcRv8nmKJFlTQw4KwXwTNm3GGM3hQZ1K17AZXs1VJcqx2X6OiTxlS0FEYZYK_PiHddsG5kduy9r/s3024/20221029_070817.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkvZZcEk43B_pB0wmWUC4Nic6oXllQhFIWI7KvM8GioOzTd5jmHp_TJypUeoky1Z5W4oldfG_fbLe4KIqPQXd7tfcoE_jotJa6a7CvWvYTqOjeZcRv8nmKJFlTQw4KwXwTNm3GGM3hQZ1K17AZXs1VJcqx2X6OiTxlS0FEYZYK_PiHddsG5kduy9r/w240-h240/20221029_070817.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fake pumpkin not lit up</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><br />Outside I have this fun inflatable doggy! This is his first year with us. I bought him on sale last year after Halloween. I think it's supposed to be a dachshund but we say it's a basset hound like our Mr. Shelby Cornbread. He looks to be leaning in my photos, however, it is so windy here that he tilts to one side. It came with strings to tie him down but I did not use them. We did use the stakes to hold him down though. We just love him. Here's a <a href=" https://amzn.to/3gVVeEK" target="_blank">link</a> to him if you want one too. *<i>(Disclaimer. I receive a small commission when you purchase through my link with no additional cost to you). </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2AIa_ivphLVvGFyUuiBHVaRqnjwNhKaAHKCvCdPYnhtctcN76AaizBKHaQPULpZfPZa5_FhR-nkQztoSvDinr3BKKmwYbwNh3WDyO3gnjME7DV173sU9ula4n_si6Ir6Kw8jtRDDpWQOHo10f0fVb58JLj2tyBS5JrHRkXC_PTcZ_Z5BLUXvlLOe/s2944/20221030_171027.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2251" data-original-width="2944" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2AIa_ivphLVvGFyUuiBHVaRqnjwNhKaAHKCvCdPYnhtctcN76AaizBKHaQPULpZfPZa5_FhR-nkQztoSvDinr3BKKmwYbwNh3WDyO3gnjME7DV173sU9ula4n_si6Ir6Kw8jtRDDpWQOHo10f0fVb58JLj2tyBS5JrHRkXC_PTcZ_Z5BLUXvlLOe/s320/20221030_171027.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the daylight</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LDIgGBiRDH2UjeOkzbK9tEcRWkti58PxApYmbqXAhLwDFAYUVh3_3tZGpKbVYRIWoLHHIieCQB8zzSppo6HkDq7tV9-TnkT7sk68RxD1K_dTfQT3uGWVKq3zOOGIN4aHRfwIs9GoaFubpNVmkzscl1_20FiHn8dWjNyUv-RM_rpcULrSiDvWb5yD/s2367/20221030_190821.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="2367" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LDIgGBiRDH2UjeOkzbK9tEcRWkti58PxApYmbqXAhLwDFAYUVh3_3tZGpKbVYRIWoLHHIieCQB8zzSppo6HkDq7tV9-TnkT7sk68RxD1K_dTfQT3uGWVKq3zOOGIN4aHRfwIs9GoaFubpNVmkzscl1_20FiHn8dWjNyUv-RM_rpcULrSiDvWb5yD/s320/20221030_190821.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the dark</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><br /></i><p></p><p><br /></p><p>I have other lights that I could put out but I'm going to be completely honest, sometimes it's difficult for me to get the motivation up to put stuff like that out. I'll probably line them up on the ground for trick-or-treating on Halloween night. </p><p>So that's it. That's the extent of my decorating for Halloween 2022. </p>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-80643025449828300172022-10-30T20:07:00.000+09:002022-10-30T20:07:19.609+09:00Spooky Halloween Ghost Tour...Okinawa Style<p> </p><p>What do you do when you live overseas and it's Halloween? This year we went on an annual Spooky Sites Tour with MCCS Okinawa. MCCS is Marine Corps Community Services and they provide a lot of things for the Marines and Sailors stationed on Okinawa. They offer <a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/tours/#tab0" target="_blank">trips and tours</a>. This tour was described the following way from the <a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/mccsoki2015/_sub2015.1.0.aspx?cid=4294980309" target="_blank">website</a>. </p><p><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span> </span><span> </span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI_", "Open Sans", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: 0.293333px;">Get into the spirit on our haunted excursion. We'll visit well-known spooky sites on Okinawa. How brave are you? Test your fear factor on this tour!</span></i></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI_", "Open Sans", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: 0.293333px;"><i>*Bring a flashlight.</i></span><div><span style="font-family: Segoe UI_, Open Sans, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: 0.293333px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Segoe UI_, Open Sans, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: 0.293333px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: 0.293333px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We loaded up on the bus and headed out. On our drive, our tour guide Chris told many stories about ghosts and the paranormal. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: 0.293333px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: 0.293333px;">We made our first stop at a hill across from the famed Hacksaw Ridge. The hill was steep and I am so fat these days that I was huffing and puffing up that thing. My back played up a bit too. Thankfully I took ibuprofen before we left so I didn't have much pain, just the embarrassment of being the out-of-breath last one up. His story was spooky and I got some great photos of the moon. There was also a pillbox from WWII there that the kids went down to check out. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: 0.293333px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; letter-spacing: 0.293333px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_S9jExLARfvcqAyURMifuyB0pvYOLLqv7FqhOJ1AJ_3G6vbE_9Q0Nx2Jm6owIp8-HmDM3BBqgEGX-kxtQBE32CIwSTxhlBLhacTA8kSCIiNcnN-e0Fs_SfggRTNhLoeFQvfF6PmFWGGtNoux7zBIcfG-ZDfKluNv7FjHs8aAhZWS_K-Ium1A6Q0H/s3024/20221028_185225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_S9jExLARfvcqAyURMifuyB0pvYOLLqv7FqhOJ1AJ_3G6vbE_9Q0Nx2Jm6owIp8-HmDM3BBqgEGX-kxtQBE32CIwSTxhlBLhacTA8kSCIiNcnN-e0Fs_SfggRTNhLoeFQvfF6PmFWGGtNoux7zBIcfG-ZDfKluNv7FjHs8aAhZWS_K-Ium1A6Q0H/s320/20221028_185225.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVUS2gps7pyC3KEfMoQKruar6Cuov7xhpstX13w9Y4m5pTGrFgDcax7j5WvpEnnUyDoHjxsKscjla_rFJOPfl8y9z53rSKgdWDSgNTMF9wZdNuI2WsxLSGGfIYoXi9xRQVCb28oWJE2aF35nWakz3P58zVbYcIRIxVdhhNBRRKz4eTNySjap1tTVA/s3024/20221028_190346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVUS2gps7pyC3KEfMoQKruar6Cuov7xhpstX13w9Y4m5pTGrFgDcax7j5WvpEnnUyDoHjxsKscjla_rFJOPfl8y9z53rSKgdWDSgNTMF9wZdNuI2WsxLSGGfIYoXi9xRQVCb28oWJE2aF35nWakz3P58zVbYcIRIxVdhhNBRRKz4eTNySjap1tTVA/s320/20221028_190346.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6--00dLJ-vaIa0KDqNlWvh5sHzZq7c8cokyNXOkhWM7YqZvLl-DcTrUBx_kojNijCMWKDDiltiYQS8u3NhilLm2KKD3IEEpr7HWm4FiJ9UybSqyroF94aaUxDHYYamaEJQelU-M_Q5mQrhnu1cdDLgF_MK-j3zoOvXCXxVGuDiX_9lzhtHjGQVoC/s3024/20221028_190617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6--00dLJ-vaIa0KDqNlWvh5sHzZq7c8cokyNXOkhWM7YqZvLl-DcTrUBx_kojNijCMWKDDiltiYQS8u3NhilLm2KKD3IEEpr7HWm4FiJ9UybSqyroF94aaUxDHYYamaEJQelU-M_Q5mQrhnu1cdDLgF_MK-j3zoOvXCXxVGuDiX_9lzhtHjGQVoC/s320/20221028_190617.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Our next stop on the tour was Kadena Airbase and the location of the infamous haunted house by the childcare center. I did not take any photos there. Here's a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwmQH4Ra9MM&ab_channel=MutekiMatt" target="_blank">link</a> to a video about the haunting. </p><p><br />Our next stop on the tour was Cape Zanpa. It is spooky to see the lighthouse at night. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbuVpbQdO1CWIbR-UoM7A81_wrpK-C31LDuOF5XzFmH0TERP--F3g3sb8otJRe74WK562Of1kBSPqwoGeE_abUS3810sqlh61QLCPvtfqx4yafeBo1EjCK1ow8_l2BoxEEWSbIl3jHPpZ2NX2Ad-tRLGEG5d-pKW8j7FXQ6CCtP2QNXA6yLbJmoYL/s3024/20221028_210730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbuVpbQdO1CWIbR-UoM7A81_wrpK-C31LDuOF5XzFmH0TERP--F3g3sb8otJRe74WK562Of1kBSPqwoGeE_abUS3810sqlh61QLCPvtfqx4yafeBo1EjCK1ow8_l2BoxEEWSbIl3jHPpZ2NX2Ad-tRLGEG5d-pKW8j7FXQ6CCtP2QNXA6yLbJmoYL/s320/20221028_210730.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Overall we had a great time on the tour. <br /><p><br /></p></div>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-44429461961532678962022-10-30T11:21:00.003+09:002022-10-30T11:21:18.288+09:00Adventure to the Consulate in Naha<p> This past Friday, we had an appointment at the US Consulate in Naha. The two kiddos' tourist passports expire in May 2023 but we want to keep our options open in case we want to take a quick jaunt over to another country so we went to get them renewed. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VvfgLRpnmmh-_KLD32kIK4klcpVL8emeqONMe-vpr6EMYe5oqfMWnrOQU5smtKQNWrbAHzUY2vJw4CLLl5jbewMmFV-PthPJQ1mejjBn02FyPs0YKTJy-Yvd8pcCKQI9vR9-LDblTZEqbebZMH9Nlf5gKzlnSgucvzxSzcn7IGii2guu0sU2lA6f/s3024/20221028_134656.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VvfgLRpnmmh-_KLD32kIK4klcpVL8emeqONMe-vpr6EMYe5oqfMWnrOQU5smtKQNWrbAHzUY2vJw4CLLl5jbewMmFV-PthPJQ1mejjBn02FyPs0YKTJy-Yvd8pcCKQI9vR9-LDblTZEqbebZMH9Nlf5gKzlnSgucvzxSzcn7IGii2guu0sU2lA6f/w429-h429/20221028_134656.jpg" width="429" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Our appointments were at 8:15 and 8:30. We found the location and pulled into the parking lot. We all got out and headed to the security guard's window. The guard behind the window pointed out that our appointment was at 8:15 and it was only 8:00. Also they made sure we had masks to wear. So we went back to the car and waited 15 minutes. We are not used to that kind of reception. It's been drilled into my head to arrive at least 15 minutes before any appointment time I've ever had, so I found it a bit annoying to be told to come back later. <p></p><p>We got through security which included turning off the Bluetooth on our phones, X-rays of our purses, and walking through a metal detector. We arrived at the receptionist and the process was pretty smooth. It took just over an hour for the two appointments, so it was not too bad. They take credit cards which made payment easy. </p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-37200952794525244592022-10-24T08:00:00.001+09:002022-10-24T08:00:00.144+09:00Photos of FoodI have been taking photos of our food when we eat out for years. It all started when we moved to Sicily, the Italian food looked so good and I wanted to share it with my family back home. I supposed it turned into a habit...oh my...didn't I just talk about habits? <div><br /></div><div>I like the food photos and recalling the delicious meals we had. I usually post them on Facebook and as I write this now it sounds kind of silly to me. I do it for my own benefit since Facebook will show you memories of things you have posted. It's like a scrapbook really. I have posted so many photos of food. Lately, though, I've been posting them but keeping them private. We eat out a lot. I love a good restaurant meal. <div><br /></div><div>At any rate here are some food photos. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiHepg0t339687bVyjh5EWHOKj2wxJj6jBWxh_8ACKPOzqI2t080S9GswuonRr8K1qM8rev9-ps9nrGhjvf-hljxsueuOefzDqejj0ZXHuuYffmwwwuUv7x1GD5nGYthMBmHJ-e3rojp34qwCF1YlMGkETr1cEqclyeurFTPGg59PM2UyTZ6V9yFM/s3024/20221022_114446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiHepg0t339687bVyjh5EWHOKj2wxJj6jBWxh_8ACKPOzqI2t080S9GswuonRr8K1qM8rev9-ps9nrGhjvf-hljxsueuOefzDqejj0ZXHuuYffmwwwuUv7x1GD5nGYthMBmHJ-e3rojp34qwCF1YlMGkETr1cEqclyeurFTPGg59PM2UyTZ6V9yFM/s320/20221022_114446.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cajun Shrimp and Pasta<br /><a href="https://www.kadenafss.com/seaside" target="_blank">Seaside</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyssNUF_q2Z16F4kXd7p8Caftir0l6ECuX5M1r1a0oBz_AOL4RQZ-igIvpy1KmAOls7vqJkJuDRxMSPg3ATbZb7edZfccDMWkkenhzpraTZZmYbPD14W2cLOlpanYKj7bJcU8WccRJzdzbC9pHxEeR4XT6bGMzrEDy9P07Aw3ct5Ja5O0JcRfLUHHC/s3024/20221022_114434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyssNUF_q2Z16F4kXd7p8Caftir0l6ECuX5M1r1a0oBz_AOL4RQZ-igIvpy1KmAOls7vqJkJuDRxMSPg3ATbZb7edZfccDMWkkenhzpraTZZmYbPD14W2cLOlpanYKj7bJcU8WccRJzdzbC9pHxEeR4XT6bGMzrEDy9P07Aw3ct5Ja5O0JcRfLUHHC/s320/20221022_114434.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish and Chips<br /><a href="https://www.kadenafss.com/seaside" target="_blank">Seaside</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSKzEgbAvRLRFchoK1DQHZ6-DWhRipQOFbjXC9a94uFRv2K49DFaqkYGeKN_sq6Y6-jZm1bLshzOC68pg9Z6Pybty5CbJl5peRxzPrMqUUKf4MeE7kEKJqO6VLKnHDnX9mIZdzOZSdaptBfBZ50HAiPGiy0lUZFKP0T_NGt1jcyJ-W5O2ttyG64ds/s3024/20221022_114432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSKzEgbAvRLRFchoK1DQHZ6-DWhRipQOFbjXC9a94uFRv2K49DFaqkYGeKN_sq6Y6-jZm1bLshzOC68pg9Z6Pybty5CbJl5peRxzPrMqUUKf4MeE7kEKJqO6VLKnHDnX9mIZdzOZSdaptBfBZ50HAiPGiy0lUZFKP0T_NGt1jcyJ-W5O2ttyG64ds/s320/20221022_114432.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrimp Alfredo Flatbread<br /><a href="https://www.kadenafss.com/seaside" target="_blank">Seaside</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CJCy6ss_ihDlfqkYA-iMyXtGe6D8oov730avBs9A4nRRC3kJc1v8A-rWs2we_5o73EDEIOB1JgtQKoXDhggsHuC7Zphkrmlbmh0FcQ7UKS-6jQD1LIIUpYxGsWBEiH4JG3jWBoWP5dYRJV8vxIaLZiFN9OzXvgK37t7AV5zc1qj7oMOGgVz4NJf5/s3024/20221022_114430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CJCy6ss_ihDlfqkYA-iMyXtGe6D8oov730avBs9A4nRRC3kJc1v8A-rWs2we_5o73EDEIOB1JgtQKoXDhggsHuC7Zphkrmlbmh0FcQ7UKS-6jQD1LIIUpYxGsWBEiH4JG3jWBoWP5dYRJV8vxIaLZiFN9OzXvgK37t7AV5zc1qj7oMOGgVz4NJf5/s320/20221022_114430.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alfredo<br /><a href="https://www.kadenafss.com/seaside" target="_blank">Seaside</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr7q71srq44JAuiHU8IxzpObERmArbDcOtuRHoC2L7GrrBvE3xSeP4UkIxFrD3cYXBcl2nXcdp44GaIQY5u3DmXbeWlJYizVjWJZvJxQb8wt9IxMNsfzLXIz-fiP16NiHXkstuyH2dLZSlb6yWLa2wx2vLRpq3ZSifpIOP0PNZCRnFlyfITQQGSnf/s3024/20221022_113038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr7q71srq44JAuiHU8IxzpObERmArbDcOtuRHoC2L7GrrBvE3xSeP4UkIxFrD3cYXBcl2nXcdp44GaIQY5u3DmXbeWlJYizVjWJZvJxQb8wt9IxMNsfzLXIz-fiP16NiHXkstuyH2dLZSlb6yWLa2wx2vLRpq3ZSifpIOP0PNZCRnFlyfITQQGSnf/s320/20221022_113038.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sides salad<br /><a href="https://www.kadenafss.com/seaside" target="_blank">Seaside</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmzDLtiqGl8V47vorxQ7qWQGuv2lJpsQS_vVtbT0Pk_fIukimgzRpQXrlccfj6pRyDHAF2aUbmmnQ-DvkneBvHjvPqmUv1qvuF9XW5Pb9T5LHqFsvUCrb8oJ2PM9QoljkPPdCJF-CX1WlTzxrcO1fl6apyUxTVbrzq4gvj2TP0mgvc2XYTXR8WzXP/s3024/20221022_113035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmzDLtiqGl8V47vorxQ7qWQGuv2lJpsQS_vVtbT0Pk_fIukimgzRpQXrlccfj6pRyDHAF2aUbmmnQ-DvkneBvHjvPqmUv1qvuF9XW5Pb9T5LHqFsvUCrb8oJ2PM9QoljkPPdCJF-CX1WlTzxrcO1fl6apyUxTVbrzq4gvj2TP0mgvc2XYTXR8WzXP/s320/20221022_113035.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seafood Bisque<br /><a href="https://www.kadenafss.com/seaside" target="_blank">Seaside</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFp9Nl3AzOF035OQ1pbAxDV_F2x0sOQXrGl6iMiBb4rG0utIwtLDjvi86FduQcv1_fuPc7CHbfP0Td60HqeD6z4naW3UrfjYEUN1zjy1Mp5MvWesbE1vhu97XBR9Em_jLJLu13MNLbpHargqYjE0CVX3c1yoYvWS2mbFZoGNIt4rwEtnAbvKeK-zRD/s3024/20221021_210922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFp9Nl3AzOF035OQ1pbAxDV_F2x0sOQXrGl6iMiBb4rG0utIwtLDjvi86FduQcv1_fuPc7CHbfP0Td60HqeD6z4naW3UrfjYEUN1zjy1Mp5MvWesbE1vhu97XBR9Em_jLJLu13MNLbpHargqYjE0CVX3c1yoYvWS2mbFZoGNIt4rwEtnAbvKeK-zRD/s320/20221021_210922.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/en/products/2340/" target="_blank">McDonald's Chicken Garlic Pepper</a> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8LBJR1hmXFpRItaHP6bYoKUtWYGjjKNBrpoSlran2-03_6VnnmzWIrISYkAo_GaQ-CkvP88RlWfoCoYR5gPSU2OFWPGNXblLEd2cYDNRIM3vhi3xloO8_H3T2FxOoIOcD2SdXMJgkpWPrx1M00oMQNHbmcJOxCrzlrOww3sb_a1gn2Lraw9XYlTQ/s3024/20221021_185310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8LBJR1hmXFpRItaHP6bYoKUtWYGjjKNBrpoSlran2-03_6VnnmzWIrISYkAo_GaQ-CkvP88RlWfoCoYR5gPSU2OFWPGNXblLEd2cYDNRIM3vhi3xloO8_H3T2FxOoIOcD2SdXMJgkpWPrx1M00oMQNHbmcJOxCrzlrOww3sb_a1gn2Lraw9XYlTQ/s320/20221021_185310.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ Bacon Burger<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/oceanbreeze/#tab3" target="_blank">Globe & Anchor; Ocean Breeze</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqPd3M2hXzbvYmxuG4gNQXgIie9f-7d2-GbVTFrccKLrNJh7RKP0BvjlWcT5UGILjw0duoY1L00TvjMobIIZkKLFA4qfo9tPz2pGBNYNHeL5J663yCCGA9WQimoyqlh9emuFEm4guOXOAd0eiS1o92RVKfTgFcIeDytV8UbwPVypB2YF-3Y2ZC1V_/s3024/20221021_185306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqPd3M2hXzbvYmxuG4gNQXgIie9f-7d2-GbVTFrccKLrNJh7RKP0BvjlWcT5UGILjw0duoY1L00TvjMobIIZkKLFA4qfo9tPz2pGBNYNHeL5J663yCCGA9WQimoyqlh9emuFEm4guOXOAd0eiS1o92RVKfTgFcIeDytV8UbwPVypB2YF-3Y2ZC1V_/s320/20221021_185306.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side salad<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/oceanbreeze/#tab3" target="_blank">Globe & Anchor; Ocean Breeze</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqI4s0ehpHISrjTKQkRQzqOGWAfShSE8A49R-z1XXvgWmS1Cz1FrpCNkFZWdFR5Z0j8pGqYRwiQNF_BvAO0EuhuXyMlQ8XSr35vRPXXErXhi-qJC9GjJx-QS4-b_H0Lyb-nQZNtlpY33mYdnzyylZ3CpCexgXV4aY_jznhDM_qHjKWQcuWZaYjpPq/s3024/20221021_185304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqI4s0ehpHISrjTKQkRQzqOGWAfShSE8A49R-z1XXvgWmS1Cz1FrpCNkFZWdFR5Z0j8pGqYRwiQNF_BvAO0EuhuXyMlQ8XSr35vRPXXErXhi-qJC9GjJx-QS4-b_H0Lyb-nQZNtlpY33mYdnzyylZ3CpCexgXV4aY_jznhDM_qHjKWQcuWZaYjpPq/s320/20221021_185304.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cowboy Queso<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/oceanbreeze/#tab3" target="_blank">Globe & Anchor; Ocean Breeze</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4FQJ3Mm7JwEqXNnE2LShvMabEILdwyrEoG60YbxrKp3BgIX3X3yI2xw54AtlzeZWJQvGozPDyGf1hTjiHlCPpHnjrGbpV8iTfv6bobhDFuNYlezYwHiq2Yq94YFdutqBSGPsJFeLhkpEXJ-8qcmTcLfisRbUhZOXfiP9PoO0wFvkF9pfKq1G98O9/s3024/20221021_185301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4FQJ3Mm7JwEqXNnE2LShvMabEILdwyrEoG60YbxrKp3BgIX3X3yI2xw54AtlzeZWJQvGozPDyGf1hTjiHlCPpHnjrGbpV8iTfv6bobhDFuNYlezYwHiq2Yq94YFdutqBSGPsJFeLhkpEXJ-8qcmTcLfisRbUhZOXfiP9PoO0wFvkF9pfKq1G98O9/s320/20221021_185301.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Club Sandwich<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/oceanbreeze/#tab3" target="_blank">Globe & Anchor; Ocean Breeze</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qS9py5Gy5o0-kNVpeM6FmWpOakbHx9Sb2hjf2Q_rxPKYVbvkOpQbI_6DomnZ-bYz6RZU9CjvG0AQ1tjAAUS0yAeJwpXkXFrDkjpE2GsmOiilwDhCKkeflM1HDGZwJ-Vm_5P1vs9HKmi_TPaeEO49KgjZ88tfQ2r6-ZoUe7gcHFB4JmGrgc6I5y8t/s3024/20221021_185253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qS9py5Gy5o0-kNVpeM6FmWpOakbHx9Sb2hjf2Q_rxPKYVbvkOpQbI_6DomnZ-bYz6RZU9CjvG0AQ1tjAAUS0yAeJwpXkXFrDkjpE2GsmOiilwDhCKkeflM1HDGZwJ-Vm_5P1vs9HKmi_TPaeEO49KgjZ88tfQ2r6-ZoUe7gcHFB4JmGrgc6I5y8t/s320/20221021_185253.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork Yakisoba<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/oceanbreeze/#tab3" target="_blank">Globe & Anchor; Ocean Breeze</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KT_ChHl0TH9VF_eNUNUlfzEM5icI6FWIYsT1xCrApg0TCu-BG_1Hs4WBUtmss4kpIxkC1PqpreqicROItJSPeTM9ln5UUFF80bscyslqBhJz5sf0cB0aE0wEFNsPp9-mlhOQ4larI-0fXvUadJkrEHFhzToEWic-Ud4AnhVMPjs3XB1OUr1YR0kI/s3024/20221015_193131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KT_ChHl0TH9VF_eNUNUlfzEM5icI6FWIYsT1xCrApg0TCu-BG_1Hs4WBUtmss4kpIxkC1PqpreqicROItJSPeTM9ln5UUFF80bscyslqBhJz5sf0cB0aE0wEFNsPp9-mlhOQ4larI-0fXvUadJkrEHFhzToEWic-Ud4AnhVMPjs3XB1OUr1YR0kI/s320/20221015_193131.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pappardelle Bolognese<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/taiyosteakhouse/#tab2" target="_blank">Taiyo Steakhouse</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOhLbO8XAVVo__BVqdEcGaVSuRF-Dw2MpCECFtnUb7WbYAcI9BBrw5Kul6YH4BuK6nQ4hz1N9wjzZCmpVgIQB9I9mbnizpVYfhPae0V8am4wMb-kKqAuLn_j22-Q-5InvMvpCNxrVYOdENI43r2m_0A6LgJ1cHjW2BxbJ-24rTHuLckCMoO_oS2FV/s3024/20221015_193119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOhLbO8XAVVo__BVqdEcGaVSuRF-Dw2MpCECFtnUb7WbYAcI9BBrw5Kul6YH4BuK6nQ4hz1N9wjzZCmpVgIQB9I9mbnizpVYfhPae0V8am4wMb-kKqAuLn_j22-Q-5InvMvpCNxrVYOdENI43r2m_0A6LgJ1cHjW2BxbJ-24rTHuLckCMoO_oS2FV/s320/20221015_193119.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chipotle Shrimp Linguine<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/taiyosteakhouse/#tab2" target="_blank">Taiyo Steakhouse</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIvd3ADjY5Wkmz1Egf_-Ia5Vo18zgjndz69d6Ya10p2rdSpbagbPm-9y4whOGA36Fq0jTHuHbSk__P4mot7x06NngEA4-VnmJeDuISqFzNILHxCvPBWoeeW6k7jiDz7pwVGJmZjMO2jUqJ1JMlhukdmIcDB4oAtIouog19nm2wX2JPvBufXU2WdmE/s3024/20221015_193116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIvd3ADjY5Wkmz1Egf_-Ia5Vo18zgjndz69d6Ya10p2rdSpbagbPm-9y4whOGA36Fq0jTHuHbSk__P4mot7x06NngEA4-VnmJeDuISqFzNILHxCvPBWoeeW6k7jiDz7pwVGJmZjMO2jUqJ1JMlhukdmIcDB4oAtIouog19nm2wX2JPvBufXU2WdmE/s320/20221015_193116.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked Potatoes<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/taiyosteakhouse/#tab2" target="_blank">Taiyo Steakhouse</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOYGVAG7AZCOntao1IYubzMnFDjhltgsYkpPWeayKaRAzVTGo0X3wHcoEi_kcHSM9kmLx1dGPOV_bq__5FqQu90s4DnauguzoTJvIiA9Ep5SGpBFcS2rOLP3Fmhwq65rlbC2gWEe7LQ2N7UxxfLXww3YqvFbNN2Iar4JY3V13pRtF2ljn2m6EubNk/s3024/20221015_193112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOYGVAG7AZCOntao1IYubzMnFDjhltgsYkpPWeayKaRAzVTGo0X3wHcoEi_kcHSM9kmLx1dGPOV_bq__5FqQu90s4DnauguzoTJvIiA9Ep5SGpBFcS2rOLP3Fmhwq65rlbC2gWEe7LQ2N7UxxfLXww3YqvFbNN2Iar4JY3V13pRtF2ljn2m6EubNk/s320/20221015_193112.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New York Strip<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/taiyosteakhouse/#tab2" target="_blank">Taiyo Steakhouse</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OoDlOhV9eHE7Lasi_-AGFevK8tr9SBaaTuxOIVL3W3CjN7439F3vn8H3SprxbmqOTmmtyR-M7EodC6hmWbKU-3p7jtK1Z3fA7ierNEYtNCWWB2YlS7JQz8lwP3WrOxD9Nlcl4dFZ_5tU7NKx8cNL67UF-gpLer2CB8FfLUdyCxy-mO1M2r75VMxj/s3024/20221015_193110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OoDlOhV9eHE7Lasi_-AGFevK8tr9SBaaTuxOIVL3W3CjN7439F3vn8H3SprxbmqOTmmtyR-M7EodC6hmWbKU-3p7jtK1Z3fA7ierNEYtNCWWB2YlS7JQz8lwP3WrOxD9Nlcl4dFZ_5tU7NKx8cNL67UF-gpLer2CB8FfLUdyCxy-mO1M2r75VMxj/s320/20221015_193110.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Porcini-Encrusted Salmon<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/taiyosteakhouse/#tab2" target="_blank">Taiyo Steakhouse</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5jXKsPoJsU7KSKEiJa71yCZCmXo7JktiYVaFpZxhgljlt_z5UaFJ3o1s3MBulzM4S9p8dk1AAV1Wrk0vsI1hOnhl4ixOoUxT-wt3cRREpQxodCjEYLOyUIFo7jIkn92j9qnWiX8bYfHvob4A4AXCWE5JyHaWNmhYSqIiVKS0TWj03phCYNQ3Hi7p/s3024/20221015_190603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5jXKsPoJsU7KSKEiJa71yCZCmXo7JktiYVaFpZxhgljlt_z5UaFJ3o1s3MBulzM4S9p8dk1AAV1Wrk0vsI1hOnhl4ixOoUxT-wt3cRREpQxodCjEYLOyUIFo7jIkn92j9qnWiX8bYfHvob4A4AXCWE5JyHaWNmhYSqIiVKS0TWj03phCYNQ3Hi7p/s320/20221015_190603.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maryland Crab Cake<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/taiyosteakhouse/#tab2" target="_blank">Taiyo Steakhouse</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4g7aLtrmepIbtbgdH0fF_uAN4tDTeRdUKxmzeRsA3IIf6JZQo_sb5H7aJF7ITIFvuy9YYS0GmX_mQ8qtDfCOxlBQvmYN_gM2p9qUNlJPYRHof_3XiPHt3FxsTfOIq5X04D7wIVjlUTAD9EIvaIvyB0p8Q1iRuMBlzSqhb5hs5N_2RDB2xJWSI5tc1/s3024/20221015_183621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4g7aLtrmepIbtbgdH0fF_uAN4tDTeRdUKxmzeRsA3IIf6JZQo_sb5H7aJF7ITIFvuy9YYS0GmX_mQ8qtDfCOxlBQvmYN_gM2p9qUNlJPYRHof_3XiPHt3FxsTfOIq5X04D7wIVjlUTAD9EIvaIvyB0p8Q1iRuMBlzSqhb5hs5N_2RDB2xJWSI5tc1/s320/20221015_183621.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pineapple Margarita<br /><a href="https://www.mccsokinawa.com/taiyosteakhouse/#tab2" target="_blank">Taiyo Steakhouse</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-91771579264368091332022-10-23T08:42:00.001+09:002022-10-23T08:42:36.869+09:00Habits and Routines<p><br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;">Habits or Routines?</h1><p> I remember always hearing it takes 28 days to form a habit. I suppose it's the same for a routine. What is the difference between the two?</p><p>Okay, from what I gather, a habit is a single action and a routine is a set of habits strung together. Habits are supposedly automatic. Routines are not automatic. </p><p>With that definition set up, it's clear that I'm actually not good with good habits and terrible with routines. I mean I've got not exercising down to an art. I drink too much coffee. I don't choose water over other drinks. I do enjoy driving through Popeyes for chicken strips. So I do have habits...but most of them ain't good ones. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><p>I have routines but they are mostly forced. I have to get up and get the kids off to school. I have to cook dinner for us in the evenings. I go to my volunteer jobs (forced because I signed up to do so). </p><p>I know that most of the time we try to begin new good habits at the beginning of the year, calling them New Year's Resolutions. We declare, "I resolve to XXXX" whatever that new habit will be. I've done that and never follow through. I've used Lent as a time to give up something, such as soda or chocolate, and was successful for that limited time. </p><p>I don't think I want to make resolutions anymore because the feeling of failure is not one I want to keep torturing myself with. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><p>I want to nurture myself instead of always putting myself down. I've neglected myself while trying to mother everyone else. So I want to try to form some good habits that result in some good routines. </p><p>I've got to start small and build up. </p><p>I'm going to drink the proper amount of water for myself every day for the next 28 days. What is that amount? According to the<a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256" target="_blank"> Mayo Clinic</a>, women should have 2.7 liters a day. I live in Okinawa where it is hot and humid and I sweat a good bit so I'm going to round up to 3 liters. Now it says you can count your coffee and other foods and beverages. So I'm going to aim for 2 liters daily of just water.</p><p>I will report back on November 20 with my progress. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-49524065078278183762022-10-21T08:21:00.000+09:002022-10-21T08:21:05.077+09:00Where am I now?I've moved so many times since I started this blog and even since I last updated. So where the heck am I these days? <div><br /></div><div>Well, I live in Okinawa, Japan right now. We moved here in July 2021. In the midst of the COVID times. Before here, we were in Beavercreek, Ohio for two years. We were there for 9 months before COVID hit and we spent the rest of the time at home. My husband teleworked the whole time and I loved it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I know during COVID when we were all locked down in our homes so many people figured out if they really wanted to be with their partners or not. I spent all that time with my husband and loved it. We truly are meant for each other. I can't complain about my husband, we are great together. I'm so happy we are at a place and time in our journey where that is the case. </div><div><br /></div><div>Back to living in Okinawa. I hear all the time, you either love it or hate it, no in between. I disagree with that statement. I am indifferent to it. I don't hate it here at all. There are a lot of things to like or love about it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Things to love about living in Okinawa.<br />1) The ocean</div><div>2) Yakiniku<br />3) The friendly native Okinawans</div><div>4) The blue sky</div><div>5) The green grass</div><div>6) Snacks</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But also there are things that I do not like about living in Okinawa.<br /><br /></div><div>Things to not love about living in Okinawa.</div><div>1) COVID protocols</div><div>2) Language barrier</div><div>3) How far you are away from "home"</div><div>4) How far away you are from mainland Japan</div><div>5) Slow US mail service</div><div>6) HEAT and HUMIDITY</div><div><br /></div><div>As you can see from my short (not comprehensive) lists; it's a draw. I have been enjoying my life here as best as I can; just like I do at all of our assignments. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be sharing more specific things from my lists in the coming weeks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for hanging out with just me.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-60685639833663275012022-10-19T09:46:00.001+09:002022-10-19T09:46:53.283+09:00Still Just me...I'm still just me. Still Sarahtish. <div><br /></div><div>Goodness, I let this blog lie dormant for a very long time. So much has happened in the last six years. Six years! Good grief that's a ridiculous amount of time to let something just sit. <div><br /></div><div>Poor blog. <div><br /></div><div>Well, I'm back. I'm here. I'm ready to share again. </div><div><br /></div><div>Where do I start? From where I left off? A new beginning? </div><div><br /></div><div>We shall see what happens next. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here we go...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-73315476554452961572016-10-18T23:56:00.003+09:002016-10-18T23:56:59.062+09:00Ghost Hunting in Gettysburg, PA<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">To celebrate our birthdays (mine was Sep 18th and Gavin's was Oct 13th) we went to Gettysburg, PA. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gavin and I went on what is billed as an <a href="http://www.gettysburgghosttours.com/tours.htm" target="_blank">"Extreme Ghost Hunt"</a> in Gettysburg, PA. We got our tickets and met with a team of Paranormal investigators from <a href="http://gettysburgparanormalinvestigations.com/" target="_blank">Gettysburg Paranormal Association</a> to be divided into groups and find out who our lead investigator will be. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There were what felt like 200 people there, seriously! We all gathered up in the back gravel parking-lot and were given instructions by a guy called </span><a href="http://gettysburgparanormalinvestigations.com/baldrob.htm" style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Bald Rob</a><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. He gave us the lowdown on how to operate the equipment we would be using. The </span><a href="http://gettysburgparanormalinvestigations.com/equipment.htm" style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">equipment list</a><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was impressive. There was the normal equipment that you usually see on the ghost hunting tv shows. There were voice recorders, K2 meter, Mel-meters, one other meter that I can't recall the name of, diving or dowsing rods, thermometers, spirit boxes, and laser grids. Gavin was pumped to be able to use a spirit box as we have seen them used extensively on <a href="http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/ghost-adventures" target="_blank">Ghost Adventures</a>. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We got divided up into smaller groups, thankfully! I was concerned at first because there were so many people. We were divided into a group that consisted of us and two other parties for a total of 10 people. Our lead investigator was <a href="http://gettysburgparanormalinvestigations.com/aboutginger.htm" target="_blank">Ginger</a>. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The way these hunts work is that you drive yourself to the locations. We all got into our cars, put on our flashers, and followed Ginger to the first location. We went to a farm on the edge of the official battlefield area. We parked at a barn and walked out into the field. We were across the street from a known field hospital. I believe it was a Confederate hospital, but I'm not completely sure. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were given our bag of equipment and we set out into the dark field. The moon was full and bright. It wasn't spooky at all, it was very nice out. Gavin and I walked along, we had our voice recorder out, the K2 meter and the Spirit Box. It was interesting as we began to get hits on the K2 meter. It would go all the way up to red. We asked, "Are you Union or Confederate?" and through the Spirit box we heard, "Union" very quickly. It was weird. Then Gavin asked, "What is your name?" and we believe we heard "John or Ron". It was so quick, it's hard to know for sure what, if anything we actually heard. I tried out the diving rods first. I wasn't asking any questions or anything, just holding them like the told us to and my right hand started to feel tingly, kind of electric and the rod started to move outward. It was a strange sensation. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We walked further into the field and Gavin would get multiple hits on the K2, which should be going off since it's the middle of the field with no electricity around. It was neat. There was once point that there was a noticeable cold spot. Of course we didn't have a thermometer in our bag to document the temperature change, but it was very evident. We did a bunch of evp work (they will analyze the evidence and get back to us later). It was nice that the other parties in our group were not near us, as later on I find out they are nuts! We were in the field about an hour. I would have liked to have stayed longer, but we had a second location to check out. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin with the K2 meter and the Spirit box</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin investigating</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We all headed back to our cars and made our way over to the next location. We went into the home where <a href="http://gettysburgparanormalinvestigations.com/reynolds.htm" target="_blank">General Reynolds's</a> lifeless body was taken. It is now </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Servants-Olde-Tyme-Photos-369551500016/" style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Servant's Olde Tyme Photo</a><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. <a href="http://ironbrigader.com/2012/04/25/death-general-john-reynolds-gettysburg/" target="_blank">General Reynolds</a> was the first Union causality of the battle.
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is where I realize that the people we are investigating with are nuts. First off there are three rooms to investigate in. There are 10 people. Too many for there to be any real investigating to be done. Second there is electricity so every hit on the K2 is NOT paranormal. It just isn't. The story here makes little sense to me. If the General was shot on the battlefield, in the head, why would he necessarily haunt this building? Wouldn't it make more sense for him to haunt where he fell and his soul left his body and not where they brought his body? I don't know. He is not even buried in Gettysburg. Then the story was that </span><a href="http://civilwarwomenblog.com/kate-hewitt/" style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Kate</a><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> his fiance was there. WHY? She didn't die there. She died later in New York. This is the part that makes some paranormal investigators look like nut jobs, right? I feel like you should go with the evidence that you actually find, not just the story that you think it might be. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin using the diving rods</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">So one of the parties we were with started asking ridiculous questions, like; "Do you think I'm attractive?". This was a male asking the supposed fiance Kate. Please! I found that to be just about disrespectful. There was no real investigating going on in this location. These people were nuts! There was so much chatter and talking, it was impossible to do any serious investigations. I was not impressed. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin investigating inside</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, Gavin and I did sit down on a bench and try to be quiet to see what would happen. When I first sat down there was no reading on the EMF or Mel-meter, but it suddenly spiked up to 14.0! WHAT?! It stayed steady for a long while, then it went back down. I could feel the energy. But I'm almost certain in was something electrical in the building. It would spike and then go back down, and I could feel that spike of energy, but I'm not convinced it really was anything. We finished up around midnight and we left.
As part of the package we got a certificate, a photo, and will receive all evidence collected on a DVD. The photo and DVD will be mailed later and it might take 2 months, because they actually analyze it and they are super busy during October. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, it was a lot of fun. I had a great time bonding with Gavin over our enjoyment of all things paranormal, however I was left wanting more. I've investigated with Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson from the tv show Ghost Hunters at a convention back in 2006 and it was a much better experience. I would say that if you do this ghost hunt in Gettysburg and you can do it in the off-season with a small group of people you know, you would be able to catch some phenomenal evidence as I'm certain there is paranormal activity in Gettysburg. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span>Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-38675431559173701532015-03-17T07:30:00.001+09:002015-03-17T07:30:42.327+09:00I'm going to be working...for free.I'm finally through the process of becoming a volunteer at the local civilian hospital. I picked up my green volunteer polo shirt today and scheduled my first day of on-the-job training, which will be this Friday. I've got more training the following Wednesday and then I'll be set-up on a schedule. I'm excited about this new adventure but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. It's always difficult to start something new. <br />
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"Will I do it right? Will they like me? Will I like them? Is this a mistake?"<br />
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My mind says lots of nutty things.<br />
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I'm still waiting for the background check and security clearance to be finished to be able to work at the base hospital. I know it's slowly working through because my hubby got two letters to fill out based on the information that I gave to them. <br />
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I've paid for the CLEP exam for sociology. I will call tomorrow to schedule the actual exam. I've began a serious study plan for it. I will make this happen. I have to since I have told so many people that I'm doing it, I can't back out of it now. I'm powering on and will do my very best.<br />
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<br />Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-48898923805107552682015-02-27T04:46:00.000+09:002015-02-27T04:46:03.824+09:00Five months and counting...We have been in Kitsap County, Washington State for over five months now and I cannot say I love it. I tolerate living here. As military families we all know that there will be assignments that we love and thrive in and then the opposite is possible too; assignments that we just live through until we can move again. I fear that this is one of those assignments for us. <br />
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First let me preface my whining and complaining with this. Washington is beautiful. The people are extremely friendly. It just is not the place for our family. Just like I'm sure many Washingtonians would not want to live in my home state of Georgia. <br />
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We have found it difficult to find our place. I'm going through the process to be able to volunteer at the local civilian hospital as well as volunteer with the base hospital. I'm also trying to work on getting the education I need to become a Certified Lactation Consultant. I'm going to do my best to get what good I can out of living here.<br />
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<br />Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-32305129200658876502014-09-24T01:19:00.001+09:002014-09-24T01:19:19.707+09:00What a Summer~This summer has been quite an adventure for us. We left Sicily for good on July 3rd and arrived to Baltimore, Maryland early morning July 4th. We weren't supposed to be arriving in Baltimore we were supposed to arrive aboard NAS Norfolk, but there was a pesky storm called <a href="http://www.weather.gov/mhx/Arthur" target="_blank">Hurricane Arthur</a> that diverted our flight. We were held on the plane for hours while waiting for Customs officials to arrive so we could deplane and get on with our lives. We were given the option of terminating in Baltimore and finding our own way from there or waiting for 12 hours and be comped a hotel and food. We chose to terminate and headed out to find a rental car one way to Virginia Beach. Boy, did we pay out the nose for that one. <br />
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We rented a car and drove to Virginia Beach where we promptly headed to Car Max and bought a new car! We stayed the night at Dam Neck (right on the beach). We were there for two days before I drove Cody to Pennsylvania. We dropped him off at <a href="http://www.iup.edu/" target="_blank">IUP</a> and headed directly back to Virginia. We stopped in Fairfax and visited one of my best friends and her family. We also went to the <a href="http://www.nramuseum.org/museums.aspx" target="_blank">NRA National Firearms Museum</a>...didn't realize there was even such a place, but there it was. Gavin loved seeing all the different guns. It's actually a nice collection of guns and it's free to go into. <br />
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We, the kids and I, drove halfway to Georgia; stopping in North Carolina for the night and finally arriving in Georgia. We spent two weeks in Georgia before Cody flew down to spend a week with us there as well. <br />
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Then we drove to the St. Louis area to visit Cody's Grandma, Uncle and Aunt and cousins for a few days. From there we headed west and made the long trek to<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremerton,_Washington" target="_blank"> Bremerton, Washington</a>. <br />
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And here I am. <br />
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Here we are.<br />
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Living in Bremerton, Washington. <br />
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A new location and a new adventure. <br />
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<br />Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-73689421551084012942014-01-03T17:46:00.000+09:002014-01-03T17:46:35.405+09:00Stranded on Laundry IslandI hate doing laundry. I shouldn't say hate, that is much to strong of a word, it implies that I have strong feelings about something; I do not care for laundry. I'm, if anything, indifferent to its existence. It piles up and smells but I don't care one way or another about it. Today I'm busting through the mounds and mounds that create the island of laundry I must do every week.<br />
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There is a strange phenomenon that surrounds my laundry. It seems that some days I will start the task and wash a load and put it into the dryer and add another load into the wash. Then for some reason it takes hours to get the one load dry and when it finally does I can move the washed load into the dryer and that is usually as far as it goes. I may or may not start another load in the washer, but it will not get completed for a day or (let's face the truth here) two. I do not know why this happens. But then on other days, such as today, it runs like a fine oiled machine and I bust through several loads; washing, drying, repeat and it all gets done. It's the weirdest thing. <br />
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<br />Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-64454260296908297272014-01-02T03:26:00.003+09:002014-01-02T03:26:45.034+09:00Pity Party Musings for the New YearHere we are starting another new year. Many people are reflecting on the last year and making plans for the new one. I think our 2013 was good. We all survived it and are ready to take on another one. <div>
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This was our last New Year's Eve in Sicily. We spent the night at home, playing Monopoly and watching movies and just relaxing. We really are home bodies. We enjoy just being at home, doing nothing in particular. We were invited (somewhat last minute) to a gathering, but declined instead stayed home to enjoy our family time. I think it's easy for me to decline such invitations because I know that this time next year, I'll still be with these crazy people that are my family and in all reality may never see the people here ever again. Or if I do see them, it will be in passing. I've become painfully aware of how very few truly close friends I have in this world. I suppose it's my personality that puts people off from getting close. I think my honesty is too much for most people, but I refuse to lie. I think it's disrespectful to lie to people. </div>
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I'm tough. I'm strong. I don't have to have people around me all the time or anything like that. However, sometimes I do get my feelings hurt and feel jealous (but would never tell anyone!). Sometimes I wonder why no one asks us to go anywhere with them. Are my kids too much to handle? Am I too much to handle? I see families getting together with others to travel, go out sightseeing or just out to eat and wonder why no one ever asks us. I guess I've made it clear that we don't have a lot of money to be doing that so even if they would have liked to ask us they won't. I don't know. I think it's more likely that I'm just not the kind of person people want to hang out with. Most of the time it's okay; but some times, some days I cry over it. </div>
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I'm ready to move along to our next assignment. In the States it's easier for me to do my own thing and not feel sad or rejected because I can do whatever I want and it's not difficult. Simple things here are difficult due to the cultural and language differences. If I want something I have to brave the traffic, then try to decipher the language on packaging or even scarier; I have to try to communicate with someone. I'm ready to just be home. I can speak English. I can go anywhere and do anything without hesitation. </div>
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We are supposed to go back to Virginia and that makes me happy. I know some people that still live there. I'll have been gone three years by the time we get back there so I don't know if people will want to hang out or how much everyone will have changed, but I'm hoping it will be good. </div>
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I guess all of this rambling I'm doing is really my way of saying that I'm tired of chameleon fake friends. I'm tired of the "we should get together and do such and such or so and so" and at first I'm excited about the possibility and then the sad realization that it wasn't sincere and were just words hits me and it breaks my heart. </div>
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I want to live sincerely this New Year. I want to have genuine and real relationships with people that want me to be their friend. </div>
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Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-73939802322359998632013-12-12T23:13:00.001+09:002013-12-12T23:13:34.987+09:00Elf on a Shelf nonsense.I am not a fan of the creepy weird Elf on a Shelf that people seem to have so much fun doing this time of the year. Here is my facebook status rant about those creepy little bastards.<br />
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<a class="uiLinkSubtle" href="https://www.facebook.com/sarah.c.schaal/posts/10202452277129296" style="color: #89919c; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">December 3</a><br />
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<a ajaxify="/ajax/privacy/privacy_menu.php?iconsize=small&oid=10202452277129296" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="1" aria-label="Your friends" class="uiSelectorButton uiButton uiButtonSuppressed uiButtonNoText" data-hover="tooltip" data-label="" data-length="30" data-oid="10202452277129296" data-tooltip-alignh="center" data-tooltip="Your friends" href="https://www.facebook.com/sarah.c.schaal#" id="js_153" rel="toggle" role="button" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 100% -257px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 854px 432px; border: 1px solid transparent; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-weight: bold; line-height: 13px; max-width: 169px; padding: 2px 20px 2px 8px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;"><i class="mrs defaultIcon customimg img sp_3fpozz sx_37c9b1" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yG/r/d3tSJ07XEf3.png); background-position: -70px -104px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 854px 432px; display: inline-block; height: 12px; margin-left: -2px; margin-right: 1px; margin-top: 2px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: top; width: 12px;"></i></a></div>
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">I had forgotten about that whole "Elf on a Shelf" weirdness that pops up this time of the year. I'm so glad that I didn't get in on that. I'm sure I'll hear from my two younger ones why doesn't the elf come to our house and I'll have to tell them; "because yo Mama ain't got time for no naughty elf up in here, up in here! You kids are naughty and messy enough, I ain't having any more. Plus I done put an elf protection spell on our house, yo."</span></div>
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So there you have my feelings on those things. I understand that it is a nice little tradition for your family. I guess if you enjoy taking that precious time when our little heathen children are finally knocked out for the night and wasting it on playing with that disturbing looking androgynous elf. If you want to spend those glorious quiet moments taking all the ornaments off the Christmas tree and replacing it with your kids underwear, go ahead. I mean, I'll just be over here enjoying some peace and quiet before passing out and starting the day over again with these three kids.<br />
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I'm not sure I follow the logic of Santa sending an elf to watch you and make sure you are doing good but the elf itself is a horribly behaved demon. How does that make sense? Do people's kids not see the idiocy in that? And the notes that the elf leaves behind? Do your kids not recognize your handwriting? My kids would. Plus why would the elf suddenly be in a weird position, wouldn't it just go back to normal static position as soon as it knew you were about to wake up? <br />
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I'm glad we don't all have to subscribe to the same set of traditions. This new one is lost on me. </div>
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Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-51785615746401988032013-12-07T00:09:00.001+09:002013-12-07T00:09:24.670+09:00I'm gonna pop a tire...gotta get a new battery in my MazdaThis has been a very challenging week here at Casa de Schaals. It all started on Tuesday morning when I fell taking packages to mail out to the car. I dropped the boxes, scraped my knees and twisted my ankle. I had to repack one of the boxes because the bag of pasta inside burst open upon impact. I'm glad I didn't burst open on impact. I managed to still get to Bible Study (which I affectionately call Jesus Meeting) and mail two packages. I thought, "well, that wasn't pleasant"; the falling, not the Jesus Meeting, but did not realize it was just the beginning of a <strike>crappy</strike> challenging week.<br />
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Tuesday evening was to be one of those, "why do we have more than one kid?" kind of night. Gavin was supposed to have Football Practice while at the same time Ethan had AVID family night at school. We had planned on a divide and conquer strategy. I was going to take Gavin to Football practice and Cody was going to take Ethan to AVID and Norah was going to hold down the fort...wait, what? No, Norah was going to go with me. It started raining and I secretly, okay not secretly; I broadcast it all over my facebook status that I wished for it to keep raining so it would be canceled. I lucked out and it was canceled on account of the super soggy fields. Score for me! I was off the hook for taking kids to the field and I could stay home and nurse my hurt knee. <br />
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Cody still had to take Ethan to AVID though. He wasn't keen on it since social interaction is not one of Cody's favorite past times. He keeps it to a minimum when he can. He's an introvert (I think I must attract them since I have more than a couple of friends that are and I'm married to one). I should really explore that further. Anyway, he suffered through the AVID night and was starving since there wasn't much food at the actual gathering, though there was supposed to be a sign-up for it. On the way home he rounded a curve in the road and BAM...hit a pothole and killed the back tire. He drove it home since there was no place to pull off that was safe and had any light. I was really, really good. I didn't yell or laugh or anything. Sometimes I laugh at the wrong times. He and Ethan got the tire changed and I came in and ordered new tires online. <br />
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It's useless to try to get a tire here. The NEX Autoport never has the size tire that we need. It's always a hassle to get one. Did I mention this is the third one I think we've had blow out on us. Potholes are ridiculous. Cody used the portable cigarette lighter air pump we have to pump the spare donut tire up to the proper Psi. The next morning he got up to drive to the gym. The battery was dead. He had forgot he had left the pump charging. Whoops. for once it wasn't my fault! Yippee!~ I've been known to be the cause of dead batteries...more than once.<br />
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We got out neighbor to jump the car off and Cody drove it to the Autoport and we had to buy a new battery. Oh yeah and that same morning Gavin woke up feeling miserable and horrid with a bad head cold. So he stayed home and since Cody took our crippled car Norah stayed home too. Not exactly the kind of Wednesday I was looking for. Norah missed school and ballet. Gavin missed school and I had to cancel our Cub Scout meeting because we have them here in the house and I didn't want to spread the yuckies to everyone else. <br />
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Thursday Gavin was still sick and missed school. As did Norah again, because I didn't want to drive Gavin with me to take Norah to school. I had to reschedule a consult with a new breastfeeding mom and Gavin missed a football game. I did get to go to a lovely dinner at the chapel, but of course I had a headache. Seriously? <br />
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Thankfully today was not so bad. While Cody is certain that the spare is going to blow out and we're going to be up shittake mushroom creek with out a paddle, I'm feeling okay waiting on the tires to arrive, hopefully next week. A girl can dream, right? <br />
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Here's to hopefully having a calming and happy weekend. But I'm not banking on it. <br />
<br />Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-27927957285013859582013-12-05T23:19:00.003+09:002013-12-05T23:19:48.778+09:00Where do you Summer?I remember the first time I heard that question, "Where do you summer?" The question was a running joke on a tv show. It refers to how rich people spend their summers at their summer homes. We all know that working folks don't have time or money to summer anywhere other than their regular house; except for military dependents. On occasion we get to go "back home" and spend part of or all of the summer there. Now usually our military members don't take all that leave time but sometimes they do. When we lived in Japan we would take 30 days of leave and go back "home" to visit. It cost a lot of money and it made the long trip worthwhile. Many families here in Sicily do the same thing. They go "home" and visit for the summer. This summer we did not do that. Instead me and the kids stayed here and Cody went back for two weeks to begin his <a href="http://www.iup.edu/page.aspx?id=117519" target="_blank">PhD program</a> in Pennsylvania. <br />
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At first I was jealous that Cody was going to get to go back to the States and I wasn't. I soon got over that. I get to say that I've not been back to the USA in three years when we finally do move. It costs a lot of money to fly commercially back to the US. When you multiply that amount by 5 for all of us, it's ridiculous. When we moved here, we made sure to let all of our family know that we were not going to be returning unless it was an absolute necessity. So far it hasn't be necessary. <br />
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How did I spend my summer? I spent it right here at my house. I didn't do anything of cultural importance, but I sure did do some family bonding with these three children. Gavin and Norah took swim lessons. Gavin wasn't impressed with them, though he did improve. Norah loved her lessons and she greatly improved from being afraid to be much more comfortable in the water. We went to the market in <a href="http://sicilia.indettaglio.it/eng/comuni/ct/scordia/scordia.html" target="_blank">Scordia</a> a few times.<br />
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We didn't do any traveling, which is disappointing, but not only did we have to pay for Cody's flight back to PA but also the A/C unit in our house in Va Beach went out and we had to buy and have a new one installed. That was not cheap so, yeah, no summer travel for us. <br />
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I will miss the summers here in Sicily. It's hot and SUNNY! I love the sunny part. <br />
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Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-34231537534677062382013-12-04T06:41:00.000+09:002013-12-04T06:41:14.274+09:00My how does time fly byWow, I can't believe the last time I posted was in June. It seems that I've let this little blog languish on the internet for far too long. What have we been up to? Nothing too exciting, just living life. <br />
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I will sit down this weekend and draft up a lovely recap of all those months that I didn't post. I really am ashamed of myself for neglecting this so much. I realize not many, if any, people read this; but it isn't here for other people, it's here for us. <br />
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Living here in Sicily has been good. I realize that I am not getting the same cultural experience that other people are and that's okay with me. That doesn't mean that I don't sometimes feel really guilty for not trying harder to "get out there" but overall I'm happy with my life. <br />
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We were able to take a great trip to France! I really liked France and I didn't expect to. <br />
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<br />Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-4391561003992587902013-06-03T04:14:00.000+09:002013-06-03T04:14:43.504+09:00Keeping Calm and Carrying OnBack last June I went to Germany (Landstuhl) on my own and took a week-long certification course to become a CLC (Certified Lactation Counselor). I had a great time and learned lots and lots of information. I took the exam and walked away confident that I did well and all was hunky dory.<br />
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August rolled around and I got a letter...all was not hunky dory. There are two parts to the exam. There is a multiple choice exam and there is a competency that involves a video. I had passed the multiple choice exam, but I did not pass the video portion. I was devastated! I was deflated! <br />
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I was eligible to retake the exam within a year but I didn't think I wanted to. How could I justify the expense when I would likely fail again? I tried to put it behind me and let it go. But it wouldn't. I kept feeling like I had left it undone. It was hanging over my head and I didn't like it. I kept watching the locations that the next course would be offered and finally it came up that it was going to be offered at a base in England. I decided to give it another try. I'm so lucky to have such a supportive husband that had no problem with me doing this.<br />
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So here I am. I flew to London and drove up to the base. I've sat through two reviews and am preparing to re-take the exam. I am more calm. I am going to do my very best and that's it. I'm not hanging anything on it. It is what it is and despite what happens, I'm still going to do my very best to help mamas and babies with learning to nurse. <br />
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<br />Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6564901458459939808.post-3325584432872307652013-04-07T04:31:00.001+09:002013-04-07T04:31:24.494+09:00When in Roma...We finally made the big trip down to Rome back in February. We used the President's Day weekend to bite the bullet and just do it. For some reason I was extremely nervous about going to Rome. I cannot explain why it made me so anxious, but it surely did. <br />
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We left on Friday morning, well sort of. Gavin had the day off from school, and I thought Ethan did; but I was mistaken so we had to fill out paperwork to take him out for the day. At any rate, we were trying to get to the airport for our flight so we stopped at the ATM on base to get some Euro out, but ALL of them were not working. So we started out our trip with very little Euro. We rush to get to the airport only to find that our flight was delayed by at least an hour (it ended up being two or three hours) and that the flight was open seating! What is open-seating? you may be asking. Well, my friend; it is where it is a free for all when you get on the plane. You just plop yourself down in whatever seat you wish. Now, in the states it would pay to be at the front of the line at the gate because you just mosey on through the tunnel and onto the plane; but here in Sicily you herd up onto a bus; the great equalizer, then you make a beeline for either the front or the back of the plane and up the steps. We managed to get me and Cody and Norah in the same row; and the boys together in a different row. Nope, never doing that again. Only if I'm flying alone will I ever attempt an open seating flight. On the flight they sold snacks and we lucked out and was given a cup of water. <br />
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When I booked our hotel I also booked a driver to pick us up and take us there. Best 60 Euro ever! He was standing there at the meeting point with a sign with my name on it and he took us immediately to the van and away we went to Roma. I don't know why we call it Rome when they call it Roma. Why is that? Do other countries call Atlanta something else other than Atlanta? Just like why is Japan, Nippon there but we call it Japan? Weird.<br />
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We arrived at our little hotel and it was great. No stress trying to find it. We checked in and it was like in the olden days. First they took our passports (everyone over 14) and then they gave us a real key. It had an enormous key chain on it. So every time we left the hotel, we would give them our key and then when we came back, they would give it back to us. <br />
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Our room was filled with beds! The two main reasons I booked the hotel. (Hotel Nerva) was for the location which was right at the Forum and very near the Colosseum and the fact that they would let us all stay in the same room. There was a King Size bed and two single beds there. One was a roll-away and one was a chair kind of thing that let out into a bed. It was crowded, but it worked. The bathroom was a step up and don't you know I nearly killed myself one night tripping up into there to go pee. The shower was tiny, like a shower in a camping trailer. There was a bidet, but I didn't use it. I still think of Crocodile Dundee when I see one of those things. <br />
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We lucked up and the free wi-fi actually was in our room. Many of the reviews said it was only available in the lobby, which by the way was tiny. <br />
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We ate dinner at a place just down from the Colosseum and our hotel that was really good. It was called <a href="http://www.angelinoaifori.com/" target="_blank">Angelino Ai Fori</a>. We ate inside, though they have a patio outside. I had soup and salad. The kids had pizza of course and Cody had a fritata. <br />
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We walked to the Colosseum and saw it at night. It was beautiful all lit up. What wasn't beautiful were the guys trying to sell laser grid lights and other tschoskys. They were so annoying Of course Gavin was all, "Ooh. How much is that?" which to the guy meant that if he hung around us long enough and tagged along we would finally give in and buy the thing for Gavin. Dude was he wrong! I think we told Gavin no 800 times and that guy just kept hanging around. We finally escaped that guy without buying anything! <br />
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I want to tell you that our trip was AMAZING and that Rome changed my life and was spectacular and all of those things but in reality it was just Eh to us. I wanted to be enthralled, feel the power of being in the Colosseum but honestly is just wasn't that for me. We pretty much just checked off the boxes of all the places you are supposed to see and called it good. I'm good with Rome. If we get an opportunity to go back without little kids I might, but all in all, I'm good.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Peter's Square</td></tr>
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We did not go into St. Peter's. The line was pretty long and we had already bought tickets to visit the Vatican Museum and couldn't risk not getting through in enough time to get over to the Vatican. I'm sure it is amazing and beautiful; but we never did make it back over there to go inside. </div>
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Below are photos from inside the Vatican Museum. It is huge and there is a whole lot to see; but again when you are traveling with younger children, you kind of have to fly through these kinds of things. Gavin really enjoyed this one since he had the children's tour and it had specific items for him to look for. Of course Norah was too young for it and Ethan was too old. </div>
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The thing that struck me about the Sistine chapel (you are not allowed to take photographs) was the way the hands and fingers looked very pudgy. We didn't spend much time in there. We were in there with 800 other people and of course Norah is whining about something and they have guys in there yelling "Silencio!" "No photos!" It would be awesome to visit without anyone else there. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyszFvf-vO37demvPUP-iC_qg3BftbIWpaEBt4yonMxNziSbS6PrseoxuqIDNv1S-rRBTX71SxajXW__HUEqXfXmpZHZuNzESxBW3rg1MGe9J5pxRtlVRA1_GmUxOkZ8gb2dPWFFKqCs/s1600/DSCN4518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyszFvf-vO37demvPUP-iC_qg3BftbIWpaEBt4yonMxNziSbS6PrseoxuqIDNv1S-rRBTX71SxajXW__HUEqXfXmpZHZuNzESxBW3rg1MGe9J5pxRtlVRA1_GmUxOkZ8gb2dPWFFKqCs/s320/DSCN4518.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swiss Guard</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLMmMaGBW7zj_Rm9oxSq3PjWJZq7p6lB1Hi69YfWFSEjp1iPKbyVt6RsaLgde8bjMGj-eZ8fyozu3nWcS-MhH4RhcBWZeZQM0tkoi-CXLpFc1TsXuP9xfAbJKt_7gfC9KYbeiadbM52M/s1600/DSCN4524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLMmMaGBW7zj_Rm9oxSq3PjWJZq7p6lB1Hi69YfWFSEjp1iPKbyVt6RsaLgde8bjMGj-eZ8fyozu3nWcS-MhH4RhcBWZeZQM0tkoi-CXLpFc1TsXuP9xfAbJKt_7gfC9KYbeiadbM52M/s320/DSCN4524.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is what my kids do while waiting for me to write out and mail postcards from the Vatican Postoffice outside of St. Peter's.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittBQpDU6DHRWtZdBPY4ByV2DErPFf4ssNeJ6lPoc376EFMSuufeByZHm0tVHeHdlTXm6UmpKSMu_fJhpXwDxTrG3VDacN4bFgY7laj7YCZA1_pj2yEt7MAFIqqOQdOqqnS-3RbkLQzso/s1600/DSCN4544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittBQpDU6DHRWtZdBPY4ByV2DErPFf4ssNeJ6lPoc376EFMSuufeByZHm0tVHeHdlTXm6UmpKSMu_fJhpXwDxTrG3VDacN4bFgY7laj7YCZA1_pj2yEt7MAFIqqOQdOqqnS-3RbkLQzso/s320/DSCN4544.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Forum. We never did go to the main part where you get a ticket and walk around lots and lots of ruins. We just didn't feel like it. The kids didn't want to and honestly, once you've seen a half standing building and lots of ruins, it's kind of enough for me.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuDCkKWpibTUgeAENfbgdDYBg6wJxqOXqZEEj7VCBM_KGendEaBMf8hhCs1l-R7a-wFCYTuE0rrf8Z_-Mx20RLc7Eodw1zHVzgxUVbf7i2HfegTWV7IUlePuR8J-QJUAz0MaLVZsDRvA/s1600/DSCN4547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuDCkKWpibTUgeAENfbgdDYBg6wJxqOXqZEEj7VCBM_KGendEaBMf8hhCs1l-R7a-wFCYTuE0rrf8Z_-Mx20RLc7Eodw1zHVzgxUVbf7i2HfegTWV7IUlePuR8J-QJUAz0MaLVZsDRvA/s320/DSCN4547.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I saw this nun reading and I just had to have a photo.</div>
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One really cool thing is that they shut down the street by the Colosseum on Sunday mornings. We were able to walk down the middle of the street and get some really cool photos. There were people walking and riding bikes, but no cars. It was really nice. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_kHUe_fQe07NY_JclLJ0J_yu2B3v5py2OaJUj6OevmH9D8mobLlPXRATPA6H0la3yV9CigtSAS9WCgPUujOt8snm78gJVHnn3mTNQ9ukY1UuI72ikoSlPmr-RCi2yO9lQ0Vpz1wihFE/s1600/DSCN4556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_kHUe_fQe07NY_JclLJ0J_yu2B3v5py2OaJUj6OevmH9D8mobLlPXRATPA6H0la3yV9CigtSAS9WCgPUujOt8snm78gJVHnn3mTNQ9ukY1UuI72ikoSlPmr-RCi2yO9lQ0Vpz1wihFE/s320/DSCN4556.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We went to the National Museum of Rome and saw some really rockin' old statues. This was one of the best parts of our trip. The kids loved it. It wasn't crowded and we were right up close to them. It was really fun. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NeNwhT-6ilxvBz3njYC54xYhTPWAgx4f_5xMXBCys5EUn5-iWFC4W8n9lelOav7Ix6BRbVV-lyBtJNThjrSTAGPxfjVOlCd8wzWfJJIiLxCvuUq0q7momn3MPQv5ZOBt569Tp5k7I88/s1600/DSCN4562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NeNwhT-6ilxvBz3njYC54xYhTPWAgx4f_5xMXBCys5EUn5-iWFC4W8n9lelOav7Ix6BRbVV-lyBtJNThjrSTAGPxfjVOlCd8wzWfJJIiLxCvuUq0q7momn3MPQv5ZOBt569Tp5k7I88/s320/DSCN4562.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_4E_ogJiU5SCMibwugiyBsxH4OrVMWF3KfQYuPrkRA_pHJgd-1jPsJHqZ8_ewsuukfpV4rBbB3ljtvBcT6N7KX8AQ5I7G91r9V9exdCuxuThdplEuWwoXlcE4NB2O0mOr_YXy-0dL3c/s1600/DSCN4611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_4E_ogJiU5SCMibwugiyBsxH4OrVMWF3KfQYuPrkRA_pHJgd-1jPsJHqZ8_ewsuukfpV4rBbB3ljtvBcT6N7KX8AQ5I7G91r9V9exdCuxuThdplEuWwoXlcE4NB2O0mOr_YXy-0dL3c/s320/DSCN4611.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpguZ_L03FVI5XxZPpdf-LBLI4MHPEn-8wynZeZDnUPkX_3qywgsvJFuNB2Aavoiu9rEVMGlq_ZAJvO3_GzUST97zO4Z_ccTl5DOklmhTITXpPJ3ARXA4N8YzG3aakTSUkn0ZyzMffgc/s1600/DSCN4615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpguZ_L03FVI5XxZPpdf-LBLI4MHPEn-8wynZeZDnUPkX_3qywgsvJFuNB2Aavoiu9rEVMGlq_ZAJvO3_GzUST97zO4Z_ccTl5DOklmhTITXpPJ3ARXA4N8YzG3aakTSUkn0ZyzMffgc/s320/DSCN4615.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here is one of the Check Mark things. The Spanish Steps. They are steps. The end.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Qdrw2arHmGUqmjPPsyKTS5HOHiERuWGJHrhRntaOr4s29mttb0Iz9DUxF4EDpKvIM6Vtsblk7mGpdLGJNqg3WdDSZgKG6y-cXLhCXhIlMzUtcXwfzmnv0yCTrp1sVYO4suRia_UXbXo/s1600/DSCN4641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Qdrw2arHmGUqmjPPsyKTS5HOHiERuWGJHrhRntaOr4s29mttb0Iz9DUxF4EDpKvIM6Vtsblk7mGpdLGJNqg3WdDSZgKG6y-cXLhCXhIlMzUtcXwfzmnv0yCTrp1sVYO4suRia_UXbXo/s320/DSCN4641.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And another check mark, the Trevi Fountain. Granted this one was at least entertaining to watch the people. It is beautiful, but again...it's a fountain.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicE0ribeodvet01dtYE8lF_5Btui7i0roTb9rvw82JE67vaQ3TdZ3XFJ4VE9vMMcWpMi9BT4rlnKAPzLJrl9q-85uD6As6tDZRRgqRAJB5MRWYf0yWWc1dG8LKYWpoe9qwyQLa5HaJ-4o/s1600/DSCN4651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicE0ribeodvet01dtYE8lF_5Btui7i0roTb9rvw82JE67vaQ3TdZ3XFJ4VE9vMMcWpMi9BT4rlnKAPzLJrl9q-85uD6As6tDZRRgqRAJB5MRWYf0yWWc1dG8LKYWpoe9qwyQLa5HaJ-4o/s320/DSCN4651.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkzQekpRrSGuRrjtUiDipuNgUmePen8Uc-r0P3S9rUzdsU9RnBtaxJvJc1GD0jW2bNGzzguNpHHfU-LUMpWZGj8XSg7pEiRb5gDDO1lnuMwLe2ZVNYpzrrBdCl9W-3gxAi7Xh5wjjZLg/s1600/DSCN4660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkzQekpRrSGuRrjtUiDipuNgUmePen8Uc-r0P3S9rUzdsU9RnBtaxJvJc1GD0jW2bNGzzguNpHHfU-LUMpWZGj8XSg7pEiRb5gDDO1lnuMwLe2ZVNYpzrrBdCl9W-3gxAi7Xh5wjjZLg/s320/DSCN4660.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Pantheon was nice. It was free. There was no bathroom so Cody spent a lot of time walking Gavin back to a McDonald's so he could go to the potty. I sat in there with Norah while she fell asleep. It was interesting. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtdw5ZZvqJvg3m0ZXjdClYePcptJb3H57dB3KukgPTkV7yxwRXVAg6m-5-YoEZm20UHX8xBQgyYSYCAGo1S_UyMFkG0SwnyKXQtSaHnvu-4tkG07SoWWbMWHqWVnEb708zoczrbbPZeY/s1600/DSCN4668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtdw5ZZvqJvg3m0ZXjdClYePcptJb3H57dB3KukgPTkV7yxwRXVAg6m-5-YoEZm20UHX8xBQgyYSYCAGo1S_UyMFkG0SwnyKXQtSaHnvu-4tkG07SoWWbMWHqWVnEb708zoczrbbPZeY/s320/DSCN4668.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3LCjrV3yhR70bIpH2mUWgvYdRD7Z4X5JihpwbKYUAnb6it6eWDn-Mw8GpDZN3c0JUjhYI3R0UI-Jra_Agg7W5WqVWMtOaKQgm3vzVjWGVB4N-fhPW8AnakIuEOjv9gfIZe1b-hB43nE/s1600/DSCN4669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3LCjrV3yhR70bIpH2mUWgvYdRD7Z4X5JihpwbKYUAnb6it6eWDn-Mw8GpDZN3c0JUjhYI3R0UI-Jra_Agg7W5WqVWMtOaKQgm3vzVjWGVB4N-fhPW8AnakIuEOjv9gfIZe1b-hB43nE/s320/DSCN4669.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ceiling in the Pantheon. There is a giant hole. It does rain in there. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz38tynmyaQrMVjz0wGOtlRWUBY0OwA-IcsUKur2W2VPKv_ogsYTy2usxhUXOdsrr6GhIVQc7dMfLzR_0EFmfvLJCKHIyVV9mjBpSda7WQwjMvc7xfi_ZSeaW0RsWTSOfqHk73iCuFqUA/s1600/DSCN4695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz38tynmyaQrMVjz0wGOtlRWUBY0OwA-IcsUKur2W2VPKv_ogsYTy2usxhUXOdsrr6GhIVQc7dMfLzR_0EFmfvLJCKHIyVV9mjBpSda7WQwjMvc7xfi_ZSeaW0RsWTSOfqHk73iCuFqUA/s320/DSCN4695.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sums up my visit inside the Colosseum. I sat on a rock and held Norah. It was difficult for me to visualize where the seats were and just how awesome this place was supposed to be. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSygYOJr-gXUAlw3adLCJtFfFj03HNGRqwzYjndJSfeCa9B-f5Y3mZNCoJx9xS_IMuWTrtVuH9GIzKl4vDj60Qw2UE_BfsG8mF05L1zytx2759Ee1p9SOKkz42OdwzIVm6cGPgA3Cy3I/s1600/DSCN4709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSygYOJr-gXUAlw3adLCJtFfFj03HNGRqwzYjndJSfeCa9B-f5Y3mZNCoJx9xS_IMuWTrtVuH9GIzKl4vDj60Qw2UE_BfsG8mF05L1zytx2759Ee1p9SOKkz42OdwzIVm6cGPgA3Cy3I/s320/DSCN4709.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch after the Colosseum</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WxzNKAcnW5n8GGuKoEm6UBVtAWUAu5AfUPKU8GZ8CguwAp2CMBJy546yaIvesA6EYDBdEO2HQuTdIgUjnrSUdNDZYOuBSRTE99ONwxawJIcm5Aihi_8Xj8uytlP52i8PNPw4-Y4RuH4/s1600/DSCN4708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WxzNKAcnW5n8GGuKoEm6UBVtAWUAu5AfUPKU8GZ8CguwAp2CMBJy546yaIvesA6EYDBdEO2HQuTdIgUjnrSUdNDZYOuBSRTE99ONwxawJIcm5Aihi_8Xj8uytlP52i8PNPw4-Y4RuH4/s320/DSCN4708.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin after the Colosseum</td></tr>
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<br />We also went to visit the Capuchin Crypt. That was very cool. Again, you can't take photos in there, but we did pick up some postcards. There were bones arranged into artist sculptures, alters etc. Here is a link to the <a href="http://www.cappucciniviaveneto.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=116" target="_blank">museum</a>. It really is worth a visit. <div>
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Another highlight of our trip was eating at the Hard Rock Cafe! Yes, it was so great to get a good burger and just relax in a restaurant that we knew what to expect. </div>
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So there it is. We in all honesty were not impressed with Rome. We're glad we went, but it just wasn't our cup of tea. </div>
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Sarahtishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04106200016538897768noreply@blogger.com0