Priorities

We've been on the island almost 5 days and we love it more each day. I'm a little terrified to eat out at Japanese restaurants because I have no idea what I am ordering (I'm a vegetarian) but I'm sure before too long I'll get the hang of it.

My (not-so) vegetarian Japanese curry with complimentary pork

We're slowly getting organized. We don't have cars. We don't have a house. But we have amazing scuba/snorkeling gear! And today we decided to try it out. We put the kids in life vests and put them on our backs and headed out to explore the ocean.

Oh you mean we were supposed to be at an in-processing briefing?

Wow! I felt like I was swimming through 'Finding Nemo'.Beautiful colorful fish swam amongst us, nibbling on our rock shoes. Bright blue, yellow and orange starfish hugged the rocks beneath us and sea cucumbers lined the sea floor.

The water here is crystal clear and warm. Chris and I both kept saying that we cannot believe this is our life now - not just a temporary vacation, but this is how we will be living for the next four years. Amazing!

Ready for his oxygen regulator

We headed to the beach after snorkeling and found two hermit crabs battling for a new shell. The kids were very excited and Natalie was cheering on the pink shelled crab (of course). Dominic just liked the fact that a fight had broken out. We stayed there until it started to pour with rain.

Even in the pouring rain it is beautiful.

We found a delicious little Japanese pancake house this morning where they churn their own cream and butter. It was delicious - the pancakes were light and fluffy and the cream was thick and smooth. We will definitely be going back.

The kids are both doing well and sleeping well over here. Natalie finds the new language very amusing and uses her new Japanese words at every opportunity - 'konichiwa' here, 'arigato' there...we are very proud of her.

Dominic has decided that cribs are for babies and a Japanese bed was far more his style, so he has moved into a bed. He's never been happier - he just walks on into the living room when he wakes up and plays with his toys.

We start the hunt for our new house this week - hopefully we'll find something we love before too long. We have also put in an offer on two cars so we may have both our cars sorted out this week too. Potential progress!

Chris bought these thinking they were fruit pouches. They are actually filled with jello/jelly. They kinda burst in your mouth - an interesting texture. I don't think we will be buying these again.

Starbucks over here tastes a whole lot better than in the US but holy goat, it is expensive. We paid $14 for two coffees - now I know why they pay us a cost of living allowance over here.

Our view every morning.