that time we went to Thailand

While Brian was on his exercise in Korea he called me with a few days left and said, "Babe, I'm taking leave when I get back. I wanna take you somewhere. Plan a trip anywhere." And THAT is a good man right there. We, of course, knew at that time that we were pregnant and wanted to take one last big trip before baby and the timing just seemed right. So, I booked two flights to Thailand and off we went.

We ended up going to Phuket and just staying there. We would have loved to have traveled around the country some, but honestly, I just wasn't feeling up to it in my first trimester. We wanted a simple, lay at the beach or the pool and eat a lot vacation. And that is what we got! We spent much of our time lounging at the roof top, saltwater infinity pool at our hotel. We had a view of the ocean on one side of the pool, and lush green mountains on the other. And we practically had the pool to ourselves everyday. It was so quiet and relaxing. Just the refreshment Brian needed after his time in Korea. 

But don't worry, we did enjoy a few of the touristy things that Thailand has to offer. Because how can you be in Thailand and not ride an elephant? Am I right? And Brian played soccer with an elephant which was hilarious and so completely random. We also rented a motorbike for our week there and rode all over Phuket on that thing. It was slightly dangerous, as speed limits and road lines are non existent in Thailand, but it was so much fun to have the freedom to explore on our own. 

We got two celebrate our 2 year anniversary while we were there which was so special. I just adore this man. Plain and simple. Being married to him is a dream and I can't believe I get him for eternity. The past 2 years have been the best adventure of my life and I am beyond blessed to get to live life with this man by my side. 

And oh boy, I am so excited to see him become a daddy. 

God was so so good to me, as I was not feeling well up until leaving for this trip. But as soon as we landed in Thailand, it was like the sickness went away and Thai food sounded delicious to me! So we ate our weight in Pad Thai, thai curry, and fruit. And it was wonderful.

The beaches were great and beautiful, though we both agree that they had nothing on our Okinawa beaches. 

You just can't beat white sand and turquoise blue water. We are spoiled by living here.

 What a wonderful trip it was. I am so so thankful for our time here in Asia where we can travel and see this side of the world. We do not take it for granted. 

saturday drives.

Saturday drives have become our thing here. Really, a good drive has always been our thing. Windows down, music loud, holding hands. The best things.

When we got to Okinawa and found out we would have to live on base we promised each other that we would not just stay on base on the weekends, but that we would get out and enjoy Okinawa. There is just SO much to see here on this amazing island. Every view is better than the last. Sometimes we pick a spot on the map, and sometimes we just drive and see what we can find.

This weekend we drove to a couple of the neighboring islands: Hiza, Miyagi, and Hamahiga. There are so many awesome islands on the coast of Okinawa and we can't wait to explore them all.



Early morning fishermen out looking for their catches of the day.

We stumbled upon a sweet little cafe where we settled in for the afternoon to read/write and enjoy sipping on coffee and tea. Brian had some noodles with pig intestine (no thank you) and I settled for a rice ball. 

The water is so, so many different shades of blue depending on where you stand, how the sun hits, and what lies beneath it. 

 

I am beyond thankful for weekends with my husband. I will take them while I can get them.  

Tokyo Day Three: Tsukiji, Sensoji, SUMO!

Our last full day in Tokyo started early, early in the morning as we headed to check out the Tsukiji Wholesale Fish Market. It was truly incredible to watch fishermen bring fish up from the sea, to the market, and then to the table where we sat to eat nigiri for breakfast. Freshest of fresh. Just how we were created to eat!

We watched as restaurant owners and chefs came to pick up their catch of the day. And as women came to purchase fish to feed their families for the day. THIS is why the Japanese are so healthy! Fresh food people. We need it in our bodies. 

Oh, here we are just being tourists. 

Sushi for breakfast! A novel idea. We were eating this at about 9 AM. We can now say that we will literally eat sushi anytime, anywhere. 

After our sushi brekky, we headed to the Senso-ji Shrine temple. Similar to the Meiji Shrine, but much more commercialized and busy. 

And then, my friends, we ended our Tokyo trip with a bang. We spent the rest of our day at a heavyweight sumo tournament. The icing on the cake of a great trip. Sumo is so hilariously interesting to watch. These guys are massive. Like remember how I was talking about Japanese eating fresh and being so healthy? Not these guys. Large and in charge. And they put on a great show.

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Thanks for reading some long, long Tokyo posts! One day, I'll be thankful that I told these stories.

Tokyo Day One: Shibuya, Harajuku, Asakusa

Our Tokyo trip was amazing. The sights were incredible, the Japanese people so polite, and the food was to die for. But honestly our favorite part of the trip? Catching up at the end of each day over a glass of wine at the hotel. Just being together. Just the two of us. Simultaneously dreaming about the future, while talking about how we can be more effective right where the Lord has us. With no distractions or things that needed to get done. 

Since moving to Okinawa, we have been in a much different season of life than we have ever experienced. Work has been busy and overwhelming, and time together has been little. Being that we are both lovers of quality time, we CRAVE time away to reconnect and talk and laugh and make memories. This long weekend was just that.  

My sweet husband is by FAR the easiest and most fun person to travel with. He is so go-with-the-flow and patient and kind and carries my bag for me when I complain about my feet and my back hurting. It was nice to not really have much of an agenda, but just travel through Tokyo organically, stopping when we wanted to, and continue to move through when we wanted to. I felt like we did a good job of seeing a lot, but also making it a vacation. We wanted it to be adventurous, yet restful.

Japanese airport food beats American airport food, no competition.

mmmm. Pancakes, coffee, donuts. Breakfast food, sugar, and carbs speak to us. 

Guys! Don't worry about the smeary window, or my iphone reflection. This is Shibuya Crosing: the time square of Tokyo. The busiest intersection I've ever seen. At the peak times of the day over 1000 people cross here every time the light turns green. That's craziness. 

After Shibuya, we took off walking and made our way to Yoyogi Park. We were totally amazed by how peaceful and serene this park in the smackdab middle of Tokyo was, despite how crazy busy the world right outside the gates of the park were. It was a sweet little sanctuary in the middle of chaos.

SNOW! Snow is a big deal considering we will see very little of it over the next three years. I am a lover of cold weather clothes- boots, scarves, sweaters, jackets, everything- so I was loving this cold weather. 

We stopped at Meiji Shrine which was set back in a dense wooded area with beautiful trees and several wooden torii (Japanese gates) leading up to the shrine temple. Brian and I watched the Japanese people for a long while as they came up to the shrine to make an offering by tossing a 5 yen coin in the large box in front of the shrine, bow their heads, clap twice, and bow again. 

We got to witness a beautiful wedding processional while at Meiji. I love that in the heart of one of the worlds largest and most modern cities, the tradition of the Japanese people is not lost. The bride and groom dressed in tradition Japanese dress and their guests all wrapped in silk kimonos. 

As we walked through the streets of Harajuku, the crepes were calling Brian's name. Crepes are street food of the district of Harajuku, and man did they deliver. Homemade warm crepe filled with whipped cream, bananas, and chocolate fudge. Delicious.

We ended our night in Asakusa, at the base of the tallest free standing tower in the world- the Tokyo Sky Tree. The construction was just finished in March of 2012 and it is breathtaking. The civil engineer  degree side of my husband came out as we spent the rest of the night googling and youtubing videos of the construction of the Sky Tree. It is pretty amazing. 

Day one, done! And I have so many more pictures to share.