Happy Thanksgiving!

When I hear the word Thanksgiving, the first thought that pops into my head is PUMPKIN PIE!! Followed by turkey, mashed potatoes, greenbean casserole, pretzel jello salad (it's heavenly and my family only serves it during the holiday season), spice cookies, corn pudding, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and....well basically as soon as the weather gets cold (or slightly "chilly" here in the tropics) and people start talking about the holidays, I start thinking about stuffing my face. It's the only time of year when I will voluntarily bake.

But eating until I puke is not the point of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is about being thankful.

There are a lot of things I am thankful for. Here are some of them:

My Amazing Family (all of whom really suck at holding still for photos):

(My perfect husband)

(The best parents ever)

(My favorite brother)


(The above two photos seem to be the only two photos I have of my favorite inlaws)

(And my favorite sisters-in-laws)

My Wonderful Friends:

(My Colorado Friends)

(Rebecca - The Bestest Pal Eva - My Almost Sister)

I'm thankful for friends who still care enough to keep in touch regularly, even though I have been gone for a decade (Megan, James, Jessica's Family, Tara).

And I'm thankful for Rachel (far right) - who had her brain bashed in by a reckless driver this summer, and is getting a second chance at life thanks to her wonderful doctors, supportive family, and her own personal miracle. I'm so glad you're still here Rach.

I'm also thankful for all my Okinawa friends, but I don't have room to post the hundreds of photos I have of you guys. It's nice to have a family away from home though.

My Neurotic Animals:

(The Fierceness)

(The Queen Bee)

(The Goofball)

(Bigfoot)

(Lover Boy)

I have a nice apartment with ocean views in a nice neighborhood on a tropical island.
I have plenty of food to eat, even when it isn't Thanksgiving.
I am not only employed - I have four jobs.
I had the opportunity to go to college.
I have the means to go to college AGAIN so I can get ANOTHER degree and ANOTHER job.
I have two cars.
I can afford to travel.

But the biggest things I am thankful for this year are Peter.

I am thankful he is mine.

I am thankful we have such a happy marriage.

I am thankful that he is on a boat right now, and not in The Sandy Place (he was supposed to be).

I am thankful that he has the means to communicate with me almost daily.

I am thankful that he had the opportunity to train extensively before he deployed, so that he will be better able to do his job.

Hopefully next year, I will be thankful that he is HOME.

Running Around Like a Chicken With My Head Cut Off

I have been very bad at keeping the blog updated lately. I have just been too busy to keep up! But before I talk about my busy life, let me give you a Peter Update.

Peter Update: Peter is on the boat now, and they shipped out a couple of weeks ago. They were near Hawaii, but he was not allowed off the boat. Peter has been sick quite a bit on the boat. For the first few days he had the flu because his flu shot made him sick. Then he was sick with diarrhea. Other than that, there isn't much to report. Things on the boat are pretty dull right now, which is fine by me!

Kristin Update: I am back in Okinawa now. When I got back, I had messages on my answering machine from students wondering why I wasn't in class. Turns out I am teaching a class of twelve students this term, and no one thought to inform me! In addition, no one told the students that I was on leave the first week of class, so they all showed up to class and I wasn't there to teach them. So I spent the first week home sorting that problem out. This class is the largest and smartest math class I have ever taught.

In addition to teaching, I also went back to school to get my teaching license. So I am studying to get my Masters in Secondary Education and a teaching license. I will figure out what state to get certified in when we get closer to PCSing. School is eating up a lot more of my time than I expected though. My first class, Communications, was three weeks long, and during that time I had three presentations, three papers, and several homework assignments due. This week I start my second course, The Art and Science of Teaching.

And I'm still subbing and tutoring (although the tutoring is minimal this term).

As if that weren't enough, I also joined the Navy Cheerleading Squad and Dance Team. I won't be on the sidelines cheering, but I WILL be the halftime entertainment during the Island Army-Navy football game. And entertainment it will be - I'll be doing HIP HOP. So if you're on island, come have a good laugh at my expense. And if you aren't on island, well I'm sure there will be Youtube videos. Dancing is fun, but the practices are eating up all my free time, and I will be relieved in two weeks when the game is over with. At the moment, I'm busy to the point where simple things like grocery shopping are stressful, just because I'm never home when the stores are open!

Fall Leaves - Which Don't Exist in Okinawa!! (This photo caused quite a stir with the Japanese ladies that developed it)