A tour well lived

I haven't written here in a long time...obviously, lol. It's been more than a year! It's hard to believe that we're less than 72 hours away from flying off this rock. This blog really helped me to work through the adventure of moving so far away and it's provided a great way to relive our memories as well. Of course as time went on we truly settled in and made Okinawa our home and I didn't need this outlet anymore. However, I just can't leave the island without a goodbye post.

We have loved our time on Okinawa. This was not an experience we asked for but we got it and we ran with it and now I wouldn't give these past few years up for anything. There are so many things I'll miss...

The sound of Eisa on warm summer nights
Festivals and fireworks galore
Ramen and rice and curry and corn on everything
Hunting Kit Kats from wasabi to cantaloupe
Beaches and sunsets and tidepooling
100 yen stores
Josh will miss the amazing underwater sights, like coral and snakes and whale sharks
The aquarium, especially the dolphin show
The endless variety of playgrounds and roller slides
Vending machines
Finding ridiculous random items like disposable men's panties

Then there are the people that we'll miss. When we lived in North Carolina I didn't put any effort into relationships. It seemed pointless since it was all going to be temporary anyway. It was a lonely way to live. So when we got here I had decided to put myself out there. I introduced myself to people at coffee and coloring. I started conversations at the playground and befriended people on facebook. The best decision I made was to join Okinawa Yarnies. I started attending their weekly meetings and then never really stopped. The members are constantly changing but the atmosphere of friendship and inappropriate conversations remains the same. They have been such a support system to me. I'm sure I'll be feeling some pangs of sadness on Monday nights for awhile. Another great decision was agreeing to spend our first NYE weekend camping with another family that I had met for about five minutes at the Battallion Halloween party. I still remember Kristina walking up to our cabin with cupcakes and thinking "Who is this Stepford wife, bringing cupcakes to a campsite?" They turned into our best friends and we spent all of our New Year's weekends camping with them since. Before we moved here I would read about how you can't go anywhere without seeing someone you know. It took awhile but this last year that has held true.

 I have grown so much through this adventure. I've learned so much about myself. I've learned that happiness really is a choice most of the time. I've been a negative and anxiety ridden person most of my life so this growth towards positivity and being grateful has had a huge impact on me.
Another reason that Okinawa will always hold a place in my heart is because this is the place where Thomas grew from a baby to a boy. He was almost 2 years old when we arrived and at the time I couldn't imagine what he would be like when he was almost 5. How has the time gone so fast?

I am so excited to be heading back to North Carolina. It will be fun to see what has changed and what is the same. It's also right in the middle of our families and we definitely can't wait to see them more often!

I keep waiting for some big emotions about this move. I haven't cried. I'm not jumping up and down. I'm just riding the wave, whatever will be will be. Of course there have been hiccups but I haven't lost my mind at any point. Funnily enough this has caused Josh to have a few freak outs. He's so used to me worrying enough for both of us that now he's stressed under the weight of worry. Luckily he got over this quickly. I think this is because moving halfway across the world is a great way to gain some perspective. When you know you have people in your life who make sure it's the right time to call with the time difference, who sends cards and gifts early to make sure they arrive, who buy plane tickets and travel across the globe to see you...well then who really cares about the small things.The only thing that really matters is relationships. I've got my husband and my son. We've got our families and friends all over the world and that is worth everything.

Goodbye Okinawa. We love you.