Officially ONE YEAR!

So we have officially been here in Japan for one year... kinda crazy. I have not stepped on US soil for ONE YEAR. These are some pics from our long day to get here. It was a really long flight and I definitely do not look forward to doing it again... someday though I will. My favorite part on the plane was that near the end (about the third meal in) we started getting sushi... yikes!

Brian, guarding our bags... with that face who would wanna mess with him?
Me once we arrived in Japan... I don't exactly do well on little sleep, so this is my "I'm tired leave me alone" smile :)
The day after we arrived, we ventured out to see Japan. We didn't get far cause we didn't get any yen and were so starving we had to head back to base where we could use our American dollars...

So... you might ask yourself... what have I learned being in Japan for one year? Am I fluent in Japanese? Let me tell you a few things that I have learned being here in Japan:

- Japanese people are very nice and polite
-They don't like confrontation, but once in a while you will see them honk their car horn (I make it my goal to drive obnoxiously to see how much it takes... no, not really)
-personal space is just not something they understand
-very artistic people in general
-extremely tidy/clean... they freaking sweep their gutters regularly, their gutters people!
-If you are slightly off in saying something (or if the English word is very similar, and you say it in English) they still won't understand you.
-They love dogs, but fear Shugo (in general that is... there are many people who LOVE Shugo).
-Though personal space is unknown here, shaking hands, hugging, and any public affection is rarely seen.
- They will always say they don't speak English (especially if you ask them in Japanese)
-They go out of their way to help when asked (which is sometimes awkward cause if it's not a big deal and they are still trying to help... and I just want to move on with my life...)

Anyway, there is so much more, but I must go. I know I have been slacking here. I have been really busy with work, Brian being home, and photography shoots. Now Brian is gone, and I can focus my energy into getting things done. I have no balance in life. When he is here, everything hits that back burner, and when he is gone, I overload to not be bored (which makes for a lot of stuff hitting the back burner while he is here). Has anyone out there found balance in life? Ever? Is it possible? I am still searching and someday hope to find it...

Our Plan... as of Today :)

Alrighty folks... YOU ALL need an update. There was talk of Brian doing EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) and us moving back stateside in the next few months. However, as we are accustomed to in the Navy our plans have changed drastically. So let me just give you the rundown...

Brian's EOD package was approved by his command and sent off to the detailer. We were waiting on orders when we found out that the detailer denied it. This came as a surprise to us cause we didn't think it could get denied after being approved by the command. The reasons it was denied were 1) Brian's higher tenure, 2) His age (EOD age limit is 30), and 3) he recently dropped out of BUD/S. Apparently EOD is in the same boat as SEALs and if you drop out of one you cannot return to either until 2 years has passed. Though he is over the age limit his PT scores are great so I am not sure why that mattered. Probably because it was just one more thing (he would need a waiver). As for his higher tenure.... it does not make sense to me because though he is an E-4 it's not like he is behind the curve.

Regardless of these things the plan now is to resubmit the package when he advances to a higher rank (E-5). Advancing in the military is complicated and I don't feel like explaining it, but basically when he advances he will be resubmitting a package to EOD.

What does all this really mean? In a nutshell... A) When Brian advances he will resubmit his package, if it is approved we may be leaving by July 2010 (not likely to be any sooner). B) If his package gets denied he will finish out his time in the Navy here in Japan (so we will be here until Nov 2011).Does Brian plan to retire with the Navy? Good question! If he goes EOD, yes, he will likely do 20 years. If not, he will likely get out in January 2012.

So there you have it! That is our life plan as of today! It could very possibly change by tomorrow, next week, or next month. We just never know with the military. This is our basic plan for now, but who knows what will come up.... so sit tight everyone and if you want to come visit please do!

What are we Really up To...

So, I put this pic on here, just cause I think it is super cute and I don't have any other pic to post right now. Shugo does look bigger than Brian in this pic, but Brian does actually weigh more than him.

So... what are we really up to here in Japan. Well, since June Brian has been gone a lot. His ship pretty much goes out for 4-6 weeks and is in for 2 weeks and then back out for 4-6 wks. So, when he is here we cram pack all our free time with exploring. So, when you see me posting all these things that we are doing, it's not that we do cool stuff all the time, it's just that we do a lot in a short period of time and I spread it out over several blogs.

I am working on base doing Graphic Design. It is very weird having a desk job, but it is definitely nice having a set schedule and a little better pay. So, when I am not working I am usually either working out or going on a hike somewhere with Shugo. I get in my outdoors time when I get home from work. I spend at least an hour playing with Shugo or taking him on a long walk or hike somewhere. The weather has cooled down a lot and it is really nice. We've had a bit of rain and it seems like winter is just around the corner.

As I am sure some of you know and have heard... we may be moving back to the states soon. "Soon" as in it's likely to happen in the next year. We don't have orders yet, but things are slowly progressing. We are definitely going to Florida when we come back cause Brian will be in training there for a year and a half. So, for those of you who thought we'd be here until 2011, we won't. But either way, Florida is on the other side of the country, so it's not like we are going to be within an easy travel distance anyway...

So that is an update on the simpleness of our lives. I know I usually post about all our adventures and craziness, but I figure I should give a normal life update for those of you that I don't talk to on a regular basis.