Sunday, May 12, 2013

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

We really have been so blessed to have been given this opportunity to live and work in Japan. My whole life I have dreamt of traveling everywhere. We have seen and experienced so much these past three years that it literally blows my mind. 
I didn't keep up with the blog as I had planned, and that's okay. Because I spent so much time enjoying myself! I really am in amazement by it all. God is so good!
We've made friends.
And lost friends.
Said "goodbye for now" to people we care about,
and "goodbye forever" to some family members along the way.
We've had visitors,
made it through a deployment. 
We've fought and laughed and cried and laughed some more. 
We made some mistakes, but grown together as well {who hasn't!?}
We moved (and then moved again), 
accomplished goals-and maybe even fell short on some.
And now here we are, May 2013. It's hard to imagine we arrived on this little island 2 1/2 years ago. It was scary and wonderful and exciting and terrifying. 
I remember networking with some wonderful ladies like crazy from the states, trying to gather as much information as possible to make the move to Okinawa seamless. 
I remember telling people I was moving to Japan, and not really believing it myself.
I remember sitting in our tiny room at the Westpac, praying for everything to work out with housing so Boomer could stay with us. Then we got an apartment, and a car. I got my first real job teaching. What a blessing and what a learning experience that has been, especially after doubting myself so much as a teacher and not knowing whether or not I could actually be the teacher I wanted to be. 
We both started our Master's Degrees. 
I haven't been back in the United States since we arrived in Japan, and I've dealt with my fair share of homesickness. 
Our time is now coming to a close, perhaps even sooner than we expected. 
A new chapter is ahead of us, and it is again scary and wonderful and exciting and terrifying at the same time. We have no idea what is in store for us, where we will wind up, or even really how we will get wherever it is we are headed. 
I can only hope the next 3 years are as incredible as the last. 

Here are some of the many highlights of our life these past years

New Year's Day in Japan

Kyoto, Japan

Taroko Gorge, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan

Night Market Food, Taiwan

Tokyo,  Japan

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo

Patara Elephant Farm, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Phuket, Thailand

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand

Floating Market, Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Sacre-Coeur Paris, France

Paris

The Louvre, Paris

Christmas Eve Market, Paris

Christmas Day, Paris




Paris

Omaha Beach, Normandy

Utah Beach, Normandy

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich, Switzerland

Salzburg, Austria

Irish Pub, Salzburg

New Year's Eve Munich, Germany

Beer Pong in paris

Neuschwanstein Castle

Bali, Indonesia

Lowak Coffee, Bali

Roasting Coffee Beans, Bali

Coffee Tasting, bali

Bali

Bali

Bali

Forbidden City, Beijing, China

Beijing

Great Wall of China Marathon (10k for me)

Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China

Shuri Castle with Kim

Peace Prayer Park

Cape Zanpa

Camping on the Beach, Okinawa

Tedako Festival

Zip Lining

Kamakura, Japan

Tedako Festable

Sunrise from the top of Mt. Fuji, Japan

Top of Mt. Fuji

Okinawa, Japan

Bali

Okinawa, Japan

Bali

Biking through Bali

This sweet face, my little buddy

Philosopher's Walk, Kyoto

Kyoto

Kyoto

Kyoto

Arashiyama, Japan

Arashiyama, Japan

Taroko Gorge, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan

Night Market, Taiwan

Patara Elephant Farm Lunch, Thailand

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Bali

A
little step may be the beginning of a great journey