A Little Over A Week To Go!

With a little over a week to go, things are really moving along.
Today was a Long day, but fun i guess. We decided to get the car detailed. We wanted to come home 3 + yrs later to a nice clean 'like new' Vue. I called Saturn and they offer a service. It starts at 100$ and goes up. They do Everything. Not a reg ole' detail... they make it like NEW! This is the dept that cleans used cars, and makes them 'like new' for the lot. Anyways, It's Clean from the Engine~the Headliner! All the Stains and Spots are gone, it smells like new and the Wax Job... WOW! The car feels sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo smooth! Its wonderful! I would pay the $$$ over again, and wish i would have had this done a LONG time ago. We will be coming home to a Brand New Vue! ;) (Paid for too! NICE!)
While we waited the 5~6 hours ... we walked around in the adjacent shopping areas. We also ate lunch, and then after going back to Saturn to check up on the car we spent the last 1~2 hours looking around @ Target.
I don't feel like we got a lot done today, but i guess in the bigger picture, we did.

While we were at Target i picked the kids up some Silly Putty (in an Egg, Remember those??) and Evan needed Markers & Olivia needed a "Activity book". While i was there i also saw Mini Etch-a-Sketch's. I bought 2, and with them being light and small,... i hope they enjoy them on the trip. :)

Thursday Evan has an Eye Exam and i have a few more errands to run.
Friday we drop off the Vue at 'Storage'. :( It's sad, ... especially now that its nice & new!
During the weekend we have a b-day party to attend :) & lots of Pre-packing for the trip.
Monday is a Relax (or make-up) day...
Tuesday is a Pack-out Day #1
Wednesday is a Pack out #2 & Crate-up day
Thursday will be CLEANING CLEANING
Friday will be Checking out of our house (handing in the keys), Ethan will check out of his job (for the last time! :))
The weekend...
We will be enjoying the last few days with our friends in the area.

Olivia's New Look [Pictures Included]

Saturday we took Olivia to Len's Crafter's. She got to pick out ANY pair she liked in the Kids Section. She had a blast looking through the styles. She (to my surprise) chose a nice/pretty pair that complemented her face. :) Pictures----> :P

The Ticker...

Is now reflecting the date we move into the Hotel.
We will be living in the Hotel during main HHG move. If it was just Ethan and I, we would rough it and sleep on the floor.
With kids? Nope. We want to have plenty of rest during these crazy days.

We Have Flights!!!!!

And, Daddy came home!!
Wow! What a Day!!!
We have our Flight times/dates...
Everything worked out nicely and I am pleased.
I can not believe how Quickly time is going to pass... we are going to be in Japan... before we know it.
If any Friends/Family would like to know Dates/Times... just e-mail me and i will Tell All.
I dont feel warm & fuzzy letting the Blogger World know....

A Diffrent Look ---> Sweeeeeeet Olivia <---

Yup, you'll be seeing a *new Olivia* from now on!
I am getting all emotional, as i post this.
My baby is getting............................... Glasses!
Yup, you read that correctly. I had a 'hunch' and wanted to have Olivia & Evan checked out before we leave. (Talk about last minute.)
Evan's exam is Thursday,... but Olivia's was Today.
She is Far Sided with Astigmatism (??).
She needs Glasses Full-time, except for sleeping and showering (of course).
I am great-ful that glasses are around, so she can have a better Quality of Vision... but i am a little
sad inside.
She is beside herself... EXCITED! She cant wait... the Optometrist made it sound like she won a prize or something, and she is very happy, and cant wait for Glasses Shopping (Such a Girl!).
Her teacher made a big deal about it as well... and her Class is very Happy for her too.

One of her best friends, Arizona also wears Glasses Full-Time as well... so this helps!
Pictures to follow after shopping.................

~Good Map~

A friend of mine requested a good map with English (Simple is best) of Where Yokosuka is ... in relation to Yokohama & Tokyo... Here ya go girly!

** :) **

Port Call + 2 Weeks and 3 Days to go!

Yesterday Ethan called me, he had some good news!
We received our Port Call Message!
This little piece of paper (gosh, everything is all about the 'paper'...) is very important!
When he returns we will go down to the building where we did our passports and finalize our flight dates/times!
Yup... we are done with waiting!! When he comes home (which is still to be decided) we will head over and get those highly anticipated dates!
Of course we are very happy... but I am starting to miss the amenities of America already!
My memory of Japan... the good/bad and ugly... it's all coming back to me now!

Bitty Baby [American Girl Dolls]

American Girl Dolls

When I was younger my mother bought me a 'Bitty Baby' by American Girl Collection.
I loved it so much i saved it for my daughter. Olivia decided that Bitty (this is her name) will be making her 1st Airplane ride~!
(Last time she went to Japan, she was on a Boat with the rest of our stuff... haha).
I have been looking everywhere for a baby backpack/front carrier... I wanted something easy to put away and simple to use. My Meemaw decided to make Bitty's carrier... and it turned our wonderfully... Here are some pictures!
Thank You Meemaw for the Bitty Baby Carrier... and Thanks Mom, for Bitty... so many years ago! She has really been worth the $$$ you spent! (Back when they were so very pricey).

3 Weeks to Go + an Unexpected Detour!

Yup, it's only 3 weeks now! eeek!!! I cant believe it. Time is just flying... super fast!
The Detour is...........** Ethan was called Friday and he is gone today!** Yup, that's the NAVY for ya! He was called out to help with IKE and we don't know when he will be back.
The good news is
*The Will let him still take his approved Leave ... it starts the last weekend of the month. If they are not home, they will fly him home, No Charge!
*He is still able to participate in CPO Pinning and all the stuff that goes with it... underway.
This should be fun for him...(This is one reason he did NOT want to stay home.)
*We are still on track to check into our Hotel on the 1st, and give the Keys to our Landlord on the 3rd.
*I spoke with the Flight People... and everything is in the works... :):) They have not 'lost' us. We should be right on track for flying. We don't have dates. As soon as Ethan gets back we will go into the place and look at the schedule and pick out preferred times/dates. (this is what i was told by the lady who is in charge of the flights.)
And the last good news is
*We had at least 24 hour notice, .... so we spent yesterday busting butt getting like a Million HAVE TO Projects done. At least i have that off my mind.

A Favorite Family Meal

**This is not generally thought of as 'healthy'... haha... this is comfort food for sure!**

You'll need 1 pound of chicken or beef, cubed and seared. Set aside.
Add a bit of oil and saute' a small Onion.
Drain & Chop a can (or fresh) potatoes into cubes (so everything is the same size) and add them to the onion.
Add the seared meat (we use Chicken) to the Onion and Potatoes. Add 2 & 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil (for a moment).
Chop the Curry Bar into small pieces for better melting, and add them into the mixture in the pan. Stir and boil for about 1~2 minutes, then Simmer on LOW for about 5~10 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes, serve with Sticky Rice :) Hmmmmmmmm

(note: i also like to add some carrot(when i have it) with the onion, small chopped... for Color... just a small handful... )


























We like to serve our Curry with Gioza. We just add a little bit of oil into a pan, and add frozen
Gioza. We let brown for a moment or 2... then add water to the HOT pan... it boils up and you shut the lid quick to steam the Gioza while frying it too.... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
*Beware, ... you'll have to build up skill to remove them from the pan in one piece! But, it's WORTH IT!!!*






































Try it! I bought everything in a Regular Store, in the Asian Food section. This has been a Staple in our meal plan's... Mmmmmmm

Friendly's with Friends

Last night we went with Jasmine and her kids Arizona, Dominic & Corbin to Friendly's Restaurant. We were originally going to Red Robin, a Very Awesome place... but we (the Adults) were out voted! So, we took the kids to their choice. Little did we know that Tuesday nights are Kid's Night and Kid's eat Free! (One with every Adult) Also they had a Very Awesome Balloon Maker Dude creating all sorts of Awesome hats for the kids. Of course everyone got a neat-o hat. I have to vote Dominic's hat to be 'The Best'... (and i don't even have a picture of it :(:()... it was a Spider, and it was HUGE... so big it was unbelievable! LOL ...Olivia's Balloon is a Unicorn and Evan's is WALL-E. The balloon's were Free and 2 kids ate for Free and we all got Free Sundae's!!! What a Great night/deal!

An Old Friend

Today while making myself some lunch i added some noodles and some leftover chili into a Bowl... i got out the cheese and onion ... oh and crackers too. I was prepared for a wonderful Quick Lunch.
Then i went to turn around and stick my bowl into the Microwave... as i walked toward the place the microwave is, i noticed... It's no longer around.
HAHA... It's been a few weeks, and ... i have done fine with out it. I even usually remember i don't have it, and make something in the Toaster oven... Today?
Nope... TOTALLY forgot that my Microwave is on it's way to Japan!
HAHA... You know ... That micro is a old friend... always around when you need it.......I will surely miss it... for the time being!

*And yes, i realize this is a incredibly stupid entry! *

More Web-Cam Fun

More Web-Cam Fun :)

Web-Cam Fun

Tonight we were all playing around with the webcam.I left the room for a second........The following [photos] is what Olivia and Zona did during those 'few seconds'....... Her mother and I had a HUGE laugh!

The Whole Crew at the End of the Night. :)

Halloween Preview

As always i try to be super prepared.

Because of our move, i went ahead and got the kids costumes ready. I was told that we wont have any choices once we get to Japan the 1st week of October. I will be packing them in the suitcases. Enjoy~!

1st Day of First Grade

Olivia had her 1st day at school this past Tuesday. She was pretty excited about it the few days prior. On the morning of she did great, until i went to leave, then she lost it. She was sad and cried! I was not prepared, because for Pre-K and Kinder, she was fine, No Tears.
I of course was worried about her all day, but the last 2 pictures are of when i picked her up from school... she was ALL SMILES!
She has been happy with no tears for the past 2 days, ... She is loving 1st grade!