Lovin' it! All!

I'm branching out in my shopping!  I can recognize a lot more and I'm brave enough to put those things in my basket now!!  

I finally made it to the 9's market... Lots of great produce (great prices, too!)...

I love these ornamental cabbages... I bought one today to put it in a vase on my counter!

The Japanese love Santa!!  Apparently he's tasty, too...

I finally caught a picture of this satellite dish... It's on the street right out the gate.... If I wasn't looking for the little fun stuff I might not have seen it., but now I can't help but look for Mickey every time I drive past it!!

Nicole was having dessert... Uncle Connie style!

She was also fitted for a snowboard and boots!  We're ready to eat lots of snow this winter!!

Oops, driving and taking pics!!

My neighbor and I drove to shipwreck beach. It was beautiful!!!  We were looking for floats.... 

Found this fish instead ;)

Kind of a trade off... 

On the way home I went on a shopping spree at Lawson's!  I found these Mickey ear muffs and thought it might help me blend in here in Japan!!

I want a rubber duck!!

These 'cases' (can't call 'em refrigerators!) have hot AND cold drinks!!

Tink ate a bunch of Hershey kisses... Shame on her!!  This is her acting ashamed.... She acted drunk, she was leaning against the door and she wouldn't move!!!  Too much chocolate!?  Naughty puppy!!!

Our pots came.... Or whatever they are!

Please, come to misawa!  And I'll take you to the place that serves this amazing bread and the most delicious cappuccinos you have ever had!!!  But if you don't come, that's okay, too... More for me!!

Tink is making that ashamed face again!  But she didn't do anything.  I'm just convinced she's always a guilty puppy with an old man's beard and eyebrows!!

We have a masquerade coming up next week!!!  

Mall sightings:

Complimentary green tea at the mall!

Delicious ramen!  I'm not sure what kind, but apparently that pink and white thing on top is fish of some sort...

We were serenaded by Christmas carolers!  

And then had salted caramel crepes for dessert!!

This isn't even anywhere near a lot of snow, but the dave-guy HAD to get out the snow blower!!!!

I 'graffitied' some cars while he was busy  cleaning up the snow!! 

A new yummy drink: hot ginger ale!  It tastes like a warm apple cider and it's fizzy!  And delicious!  And it kept my hands warm!

I've been making homemade Christmas gifts for friends.... This is my peppermint bark!  

This morning we went to the elementary school in misawa and Santa surprised the special ed class with a visit!  They only get 1 visit a year, but these special classes got a 2nd visit!!  The principal brought us some hot green tea while we were waiting in his office!

The kids LOVE Santa-San!!

Afterwards, we were given a coffee service!  Such royal treatment!!

I like the sign on the principal's door!  It actually looked just like the principal!!

Santa-San is a cowboy!!!

I find this hilarious!  This rice cake is coated in chocolate!  That's the only way to eat DIEt food!!

Then I found this... Lost my appetite, anyway!  

And I love the paintings on the truck... That way driving across the city isn't so boring ;) oh, there are lots of pretty things to look at in the countryside!  The truck just adds to it ;)

I didn't know we were the United States base!!

This van is advertising vending machines.... And I can call and have new ones put in if there aren't enough!!!  But aren't there enough?  Maybe not EVERY building has one, just every other building!!!

The rec center is giving us free arcade games for the month of December as a Christmas gift.  Nic 'n I love air hockey!  

And basketball!  (Just me, not nic!!)

9 points, prize get...

The sky is so beautiful!!!

Misawa is beautiful!!

Happy Merry Christmas!

We set up our Christmas tree!  Well, this is the Charlie Brown tree we bought to replace the one that fell apart in Alaska!  

Funny names...

I had KFC for lunch the other day!  The tempura chicken strips were great and the fries were pretty good... And the green melon fanta was great!  KFC should be JFC!!!

I was being followed by a Monsieur....

See his 'stache!

This is the ghost of Christmas present I tried to compare this shrubbery art to!!

You can see it now, can't you?!?

I went float hunting with a friend!!!  I didn't find one.  I got some sea glass and lots of sanddollars instead!!  And tink loved the ocean!!

I helped host a friendship lunch with the Japanese wives.... They made gingerbread houses, we had a combat gift exchange (which was hilarious!!), and had some wonderful food!

We also got a REAL Christmas tree!  It's ok.... Not like Christmas tree shopping in the states.  We didn't get to walk around and compare trees, we literally picked a tree and brought it home.... And they were all the same.  

Turns out, ours isn't bad, but I have to lean my head to the side so it's standing up 'straight!!'

And doc put up the lights!!

Don't they look great?

A neighbor had fun lights!  I can't wait to see if the Japanese do lights, too!  I'll make sure and take pics!

As of 3pm, these were the only trees left in the 'lot!'  I'm lucky I got what I got!

I came home happy about my tree.... So we had panclocks for breakfast.  With boysenberry syrup.  Happy holidays!  Soon I'll be fat and sassy!  Or jolly!!

Hai!

A friend of mine saw the WHOLE rainbow!!  I was so busy that day I was stuck in the car!!  But we have had some beautiful skies!!!  Japan has a different sunset, a different sunrise, and a different sky every day!

This probably a yawn, not a smile... But she's still cute!

Aunt LJ sent Christmas presents for The Girl, but tink thought it was for her instead.... She claimed it!!  

Ramona and I went to the ANOTHER 2 turtles sushi!  This one was in Towada.

And we drove past this bakery on the way out there... On the way back, we pulled in... Everything looked so good!  

However, the mini pastries I bought have an interesting seal... This taste... It warms my what?!?

Actually, it was really yummy!  A flaky pastry with a large apple chunk and cream in the middle!

Very interesting!

This was our potluck Thanksgiving!  NO one walked away hungry!  Even tink got a special bone for Thanksgiving! 

Great turn out!

Then, Black Friday we shopped at the BX and the weasel's den... There was a convention of home based and military businesses.... Plus a huge Burton expo!  We shopped a bit, but relaxed the rest of the day and went to see Catching Fire... Since it was the only attraction on base, it was packed!!

Today we went shopping.  My beloved's brother wants funny Japanese translations... What about funny Japanese fads?? 

Sometimes I'm really glad there is an illustration on everything!  

We also tried a Japanese KFC!  It was very similar to what were used to... But the chicken strips were a tempura batter, the coleslaw was not sweet, and I had that green melon soda again!  

It was delicious! 

We walked through the bowling alley.... 

To this arcade!!!  

(And saw a different kind of fight club!)

And then there was this spastic air hockey game!!  They got like 10 disks to play!!!  At once!

Which one is funnier.... The animal-like full body pj's with the bow tie?  Or the one with the pacemaker and the hood??

Not sure what they were trying to translate...

Then we went to Mr. Donuts!!

It looks like a cream filling, but.....

It was good, it was like a mild Bavarian creme!

Then we went to swan park.  You can't see the swans in the pic because the sun was killer!  They WERE there, though!!

And nic 'n I got new glasses!  Isn't she cute?  Actually, every time we go to the optical shop, the lady hugs Her because she thinks she's so beautiful!!!  (I agree!)

And our friends' kids LOVE nic, too!  

And see this 'lip' and tape in the center of the bag?  This is the 'security device' that all stores implement after purchase... Smert Japanese!!!

Tonight we went out to Italian right outside the gate.  This adorable little cafe had a tiny kitchen, had a limited amount on the menu and specials board, but it was cute and cozy!

This was my carbonara!  It was so creamy and yummy!

See?  It really is a little hole in the wall!

Life is good!!  

And I love checking stuff off (with a smiley face) of my Japanese-bucket list!!