The Verdict is . . .

Yes!

I am going on the dive trip.

Well . . . it's official! I am going to scuba diving with hammerhead sharks in mid-February. I talked through all of my (highly irrational) fears with Kyle and we reasoned through all of them. I am very excited about the dive and the weekend. It promises to be amazing. We'll be on a little tiny island that is the western most point of Japan. Our friend B is coming on the trip as well and he's a yoga instructor. So, I have visions of waking up and hiking to one of the capes that overlooks the convergence of the China and Philippine Seas and then doing morning yoga with B. Talk about sun salutation!

After the morning yoga session we'll head back t the lodge and enjoy a wonderful Japanese breakfast of green tea, miso soup, rice, and some kind of fish. Before long we'll load up on the boat and out to the open sea!

Wow! I am so excited and a bit anxious. I'll keep you posted with pictures and video once we return. If you are bored and would like to do a little websurfing go to YouTube and search Yonaguni hammerhead sharks. There are a few videos out there.

Scuba Diving . . . with sharks . . .??

Yesterday Kyle and our friend B paid their deposit for a scuba diving trip over Presidents Day weekend. The trip is off one of the outer islands, Yonaguni, and the purpose of the trip is to dive with hammerhead sharks as they migrate.

Hum. Why haven't I paid my deposit? Well . . . it sounds like an awesome opportunity . . . drop 60-90 feet below the surface of the ocean and float in the drift of the Philippine Sea and the China Sea and hope that a school (or multiple schools) of hammerhead sharks will come floating by. Hum. Why haven't I paid my deposit? Because they are freaking meat eating sharks!

I saw some very cool pictures from previous trips. The dive master assures me it is safe. They've been doing this trip for 30 years and no one's lost any arm yet. The captain of the dive boat has been taking people out for 50 years and again, no tragedies. . . But I'm still scared. I'm a bit scared of a freak shark attack. I'm a bit scared of getting out on the boat, getting ready to roll off backwards into the wide open sea and chickening out. I'm a bit scared of my husband getting eaten by a shark. I'm a bit scared of having a near panic attack after I drop in. At that point there is no choice. Figure it out. Breathe through the reg. Take in the beauty of nature. Watch for sharks.

Then again . . . probably the opportunity of a lifetime. These sharks migrate in mid-February. They migrate in the exact location where the two seas converge. The dive company has an 85% sighting rate overall and a 97% sighting rate during the dates Kyle and B have booked their trip. We might not be here in February of 2011, so February of 2010 might be my best chance.

The dive master says, "if we get lucky, we'll roll right off the boat in to a school. Last year we dropped right in to a school of sharks." He continues, "If we're lucky, a shark will be swimming between you and your buddy."

Oh . . . the other dives include touring an underwater city, sort of like Atlantis. The ruins include a large stone structure that looks like a face (think Sphinx, sort of) and a bunch of buildings and stone ruins. There is no consensus about whether or not the structure was human-made or formed naturally. But, if it was human-made than it is one of the oldest structures on Earth. It would be so old that it was made long, long ago and is now covered by 40 feet of ocean water. Respected scientists fall on both sides of this argument - some say it's human-made, some say it's a natural occurrence. Many won't go on the record saying anything. As the dive master put it, "Academe doesn't like that kind of thing. They'd loss tenure and stuff."

I really, seriously need help with this decision. Am I crazy to go? Or crazy not to go?

Pictures of the ruins in Yonaguni

Another dive perspective

Sumo Wrestling in Okinawa

A few weeks ago Kyle attended an exhibition sumo tournament here in Okinawa. I was planning to go along, but I didn't feel well, so Kyle invited our friend Blaise. I think the boys really enjoyed the sumo matches.

I've posted a few videos so you can check it out!

Shaken not Stirred

Kyle wanted to get dressed up and have a night on the town. Really, he just wanted an excuse to wear one of his hand-tailored suits that he bought while stationed in Bahrain in 2003. Well, he came up with a reason. He decided to rally the troops and host what he named "James Bond Night." The boys all wore their hand-tailored suits and the girls got dressed up in our favorite LBDs (little black dresses).

The evening started with Kyle making a phone call to the restaurant/jazz club called Bar Dicha. He attempted to make a reservation, but when he asked the person on the other end of the phone "eigo ga dijoubou des ka?" (is English okay) they said no. So, he couldn't speak English to the staff at Bar Dicha. Well, I was feeling a little gutsy, and as you all know, I always like a challenge. So I pulled out my Japanese phrase book (thank you, Wendy) and started hunting for phrases that would convey that I was trying to make a reservation. I dialed up the restaurant and stumbled through the phrases. The person on the other line started speaking a bit of English and I continued to speak a bit of Japanese. At the end of the conversation I was quite confident we had a reservation for six people at 7 p.m. Kyle looked at me and offered a proud high five! When we arrived at the restaurant with our well dressed group in tow the waitress looked at me and asked, "Are you Jen-san?" I replied with yes (or hai) and she seated us at a beautiful table for six (roku)! She then looked at me and asked "Nihongo o hanashimasu ka?" which means "Do you speak Japanese?" Of course I DON'T so I got a good laugh out of that question.

After dinner Kyle proclaimed "James Bond Night is not complete without a martini!" So we traipsed to one of my favorite establishments, Niche, for a tasty vodka martini. Kyle was so excited to tell the bartender he'd like his martini "shaken, not stirred." The bartender just looked at him and sort of uttered a nervous laugh. I guess James Bond's cool points don't permeate all cultures . . . .

Shaken not Stirred

Happy Birthday, Marines! Kyle and Jen at the Marine Corps Ball 2009
The Thanksgiving crew at Oura Wan Bay
(l-r) Blaise, Amy, Tommy, Wyatt, Megan, Chrissy, Jen, Kyle

The view from our cabin

Shisa Cabin (and the view)

Hiatus

Hiatus:
[hahy-ey-tuhs]
–noun.
1. a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.
2. a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript.
3. any gap or opening.
4. Grammar, Prosody. the coming together, with or without break or slight pause, and without contraction, of two vowels in successive words or syllables, as in see easily.
5. Anatomy. a natural fissure, cleft, or foramen in a bone or other structure.

Does my six month absence from blogging count as a hiatus? Or perhaps a sabbatical? I took time away from blogging in order to develop my style? To follow the regulations of operational security? Maybe I was just lazy? Perhaps I felt bad blogging about this fabulous life while Kyle was stuck on a ship working 24/7? I'm not sure why I stopped blogging, but I've decided to start again! You can look forward to Vlogs as well (video web logs) because I purchased a Flip Camcorder a few months ago. This thing takes awesome videos and I love to shoot footage all over the place!

The past few months have been amazing. I am not even kidding when I write that I just love our life right now. Kyle is home . . . hopefully for the next year or so. He enjoyed a very challenging tour with the 31st MEU. I think he learned a lot and really matured as a young officer. During his time with the MEU Kyle visited Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, and sat in the water off of Korea. I'll let Kyle write about his time with the MEU, but from my perspective it was a great career opportunity for him. We've made some new friends out it and it certainly strengthened our relationship.

I've done a lot of traveling over the past few months as well. In July my sister came to visit again! We had an awesome couple of weeks which culminated in a trip to Ishigaki Island. We stayed at the Club Med Kabira Beach on Ishigaki. It was probably one of the best vacations of my life. There were a total of six girls and we just had a great time living it up. Club Med is an all-inclusive resort, so we were sure to get our money's worth in drinks and food. We also enjoyed a variety of the activities they offered. Danielle became a trapeze expert and I learned how to windsurf.

I traveled to Japan and Korea to fulfill work obligations. I think I have the best job in Okinawa -- I get to teach, travel and manage a dedicated group of people! My supervisor, although very serious and 100% business, is an inspiration. She is a military spouse of 25 years and has managed to carve her own path and experience a successful and rewarding career. She currently directs all overseas program operations and reports to the Executive Vice President at our company. She has sort of become a mentor for me.

Kyle joined me for a long weekend in Korea. We visited the DMZ (demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea). We enjoyed Seoul -- dining at some great international restaurants.
In October I traveled to Vietnam with my dear friend Wendy and a few new friends, Rachel and Ricco. We spent six days seeing as much of Vietnam as possible. The trip was amazing. In my opinion, the best part of the trip was the cruise on Halong Bay. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Vietnam, about two hours from Hanoi. We met the most amazing couple on this cruise. Peg and Paul are seasoned travelers who have seen 131 countries. Peg is from Churdan, IA and they met in Orange City, IA. Of course Wendy and I felt an instant connection with Peg and Paul, given our Midwestern roots. I felt a connection with Peg and Paul on a different level -- they've been married for 21 years (the second marriage for both of them) but they truly are best friends. Wendy, Rachel and I spent a couple of hours talking with them about the secrets to a happy marriage. It was so refreshing and enlightening to see a couple who were so happy and truly complimented each other in every possible way. The coincidence of meeting Peg and Paul was truly a gift from the universe. They inspired me in so many ways!

The month of November was consumed with plans for Kyle's (final) return home from the 31st MEU. I ordered a Welcome Home banner (www.buildasign.com) and had it express mailed to Okinawa (thanks, Mom!). Kyle was able to come home for two days prior to his final return. So, I got to spend the Marine Corps Birthday (November 10th) and Veterans Day (November 11) with my FAVORITE Marine and Veteran! On November 11, Kyle went back to the ship for a week, which gave me time to decorate the house, select a CD with patriotic music and finalize our welcome home party! I hope Kyle felt really special during his homecoming. I am so proud of his work on the ship, but more importantly, I am so proud of us for getting through the deployment cycle. Kyle and I have been married for 25 months but have only lived together for 10 non-consecutive months. We are much stronger now (both as a couple and individually) than we were a year ago. I am proud of how much our relationship has grown.

We just enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday at Oura Wan Bay. We spent Wednesday - Friday at a cabin on the beach. We swam in the Pacific Ocean and basked in the glow of 75 degree temps! Megan and Chrissy cooked an amazing Thanksgiving dinner and all of the friends who joined us at the cabin helped create a fun-filled holiday.