The Shortest Month

February has blown by just as quickly as I thought it would. I turned 29 this month which is absurd because I still feel like I'm about 19...until I try to go on a bender and then it quickly becomes clear to me that I'm waaaay closer to 30 than 20! It is so surreal how quickly time flies.

When I think back to college and where I thought I'd be in my life right now, its honestly shocking to me how things turned out. I definitely did not think I would be married to a Marine. Or living in Japan. Or working as a yoga instructor instead of a Realtor! So many things have happened that I didn't expect. It's funny how life works isn't it?

And the craziest thing of all is looking back and realizing how many tiny, quotidian instances and decisions lead to this very moment! The person you are today has been a process, millions of thoughts and emotions turned into actions and words. An infinite number of choices could have been made, but each specific one you CHOSE has lead you to now. 

It's so incredible to me how interwoven our lives are, and how easily things could have been completely different (The Chaos Theory and all that). I just feel so incredibly lucky to have been surrounded by such wonderful role models my whole life. I know for a fact that I would not be the person I am today if it hadn't been for my parents, family, friends, even chance encounters with strangers. 

I feel like as I get older, I am more easily able to step outside of myself and try to see the bigger picture. I've learned some pretty great life lessons in my 29 years and I'm definitely not claiming to know it all but here are just a few things that I wish I could tell my 19 year old self...

Always, always be kind, to everyone, even if you don't feel like it.

Try to get to know people who are different from you, you'll be better for it.

Talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words.

Don't care so much about what other people think.

Don't ever let your happiness depend on someone else.

Above all always be truthful and genuine, especially to yourself.

You don't have to say everything you think out loud. 

It's okay to say 'no'. 

It is sometimes better to ask for forgiveness, than for permission. 

Start building your credit history!

You will never regret going out of your way to help another.

Focus more on the NOW.

Keep spending time with your family, you wont regret it!

Never settle for something just because it is easy.

It is okay to be alone. In fact your relationship with yourself is the most important.

One day the little things will be the big things, and the big things will be the little things.

Try to meditate for a little while every day. 

Keep reading everything you can get your hands on.

Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. (-E.R)

Always speak out when you witness injustices, even if its uncomfortable. 

It's okay to FEEL sad or angry or upset, but remember that YOU are not your emotions. 

Your thoughts become your words and deeds.

There are so many things that I have learned about myself and life in the last 10 years. I have made a lot of mistakes, done my fair share of stupid things, and eaten my words more than once, but ultimately I think it all worked out okay! 

What do you wish you could tell your younger self? 

Em

P.S 

Here is my Pinterest board for motivational words of wisdom!

https://www.pinterest.com/ememismeme/more-than-words/

January 2018 Update

It's already the end of January and the theme of this month for me has been: creating routine. It's always difficult after one of these big PCS moves to orient yourself and find a place in your new home. And honestly this overseas move has been much like the others, just with the added factors of being in a foreign country and not being close to family and friends. Overall though, the process has been much the same.

The first couple of months are all about getting your physical place, your home, situated. It's about J getting settled into his new squadron, finding the nearest grocery store, learning how to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, meeting new friends, finding your new favorite restaurants, you know finding your place literally.

But as we came into the new year, I found myself struggling to find space mentally. The holidays were over, we were done settling in physically, and now all of the sudden it's time to make space mentally and realize that this is going to be our home for the next few years. Since J and I started dating, we haven't lived in one place for more than a year, so it's difficult for me to get my head around actually living in one place for 3-4 years. AND of course it doesn't help that our new place is on the exact opposite side of the world from home.

Home. A word I've been struggling to redefine since this move. A word that means so much more than a building, or a city. Home is where your people are. It's where your heart is. But what do you do when your heart is in a bunch of different places? Obviously my heart is with my hubby and our little family unit here in Japan. But pieces are also with my family and friends back in the states.

Creating space mentally to accept and thrive in this new place and taking the time to create a feeling of home internally is the next step. The easy part is done. Our dishes and linens are put away. The boxes are unpacked, broken down and thrown out (on the porch, but still). I no longer have to use google maps to get everywhere. We have a favorite ramen joint, and I have a yoga class I like to go to. Now, it's time to take that routine and use it to thrive.

February is going to be a month of growth. If January's theme was Routine, the foundation of our life here, then February will be about putting up some walls (in a good way!) I want to spend time this coming month really creating a life that we love out of this routine. It's been quite rainy and cold here for the last couple of weeks but I'm hoping that this next month will begin to warm up so I can get outside and do some more exploring and traveling.

Here's to Spring in Okinawa!

Jim & Em: Adventures in Seoul

Hi friends! It is the very last day of 2017 and we just got back from our amazing first trip off island to Seoul, South Korea. It was such a wonderful way to end the year! We got to visit family, explore a new country, and EAT ALL OF THE FOOD! Getting to tour Seoul with people who actually live in the city was great, my brother and sister in law took us to all of the cool touristy places but also the secret little joints that nobody knows about!

We visited temples, museums, shopping districts, and palaces! The bus system and metro were very user friendly and cheap to use, and the people were very nice (except for the old people who try to run you over and the bus drivers that attempt to fling you off the bus every chance they get...)

On our Museum tour day, J and i visited the Korean War Museum and the Korean National Museum. The Korean War museum was beautiful and very interesting to see the Korean perspective on the war. The National Museum had all of the normal anthropological stuff, just with an Asian twist. After visiting the Louvre this fall I think we were a little burnt out on the history but otherwise it was a great museum.

We also got to visit the Jogyesa Buddhist temple which had the most beautiful colors I've seen. It was right smack in the middle of the city but felt like a completely different world! That same day we walked around the art district and saw some great street markets that were full of food, trinkets, and shops! It was a complete sensory overload...but in a good way!

The architecture in the palaces was incredible and it was so interesting to compare the it to Okinawan shrines and castles! Even the dragons and shisas had different characteristics. My favorite part was the sequence of figures on the roofs that protect the buildings from fire! The inclusion of the zodiac and astrological elements was also very neat.

Some things to keep in mind while traveling in Seoul:
-Pick an Airbnb that is near the stuff you want to see (Seoul is huge and spread out!)
-If you are a vegetarian, there are plenty of food options for you so eat up!
-Know what the weather will be like and dress appropriately (it was like 15 degrees...)
-Utilize the public transportation!
-Wear comfy walking shoes because you will be walking all over the place!
-Learn a few key Korean phrases, most young people have some english but not everyone
-Try everything!
-If you know someone who lives in Seoul, ask them for their favorite places

Overall, it was an amazing trip and I feel so lucky that we get the opportunity to travel to all of these amazing places! Here are some photos from our Seoul exploration...hope you enjoy!

Now time to plan our next trip!
Em

Welcome Home

A new month. A new home. We are finally moved into our apartment in Okinawa, and it feels so good to begin putting down some roots here! It's crazy to think back to all of the times we have moved during the last few years, basically the longest amount of time we have spent in one place since meeting is just under one year. Not to mention, both of us lived separate but equally gypsy-like lives during college and the years afterwards. So as you can imagine, I am pretty excited to be settling into a home that we will get to be in for three whole years (knock on wood)!

Currently, we only have our clothes and a few random household goods since we are still waiting on our big shipment to get here. But the loaner furniture isn't terrible and honestly I'm just so glad they have stuff to lend us in the first place it wouldn't matter to me if it was made out of cardboard! Hopefully our stuff will be here this month though and I can begin to put everything into its rightful place, you know like putting clothes in closets (...I packed all of our clothes in the unaccompanied baggage shipment, and all of the damn hangars in our household goods shipment, yay me).

We love our location even though there isn't a yard for the pups and we are on the third floor, because luckily there is a park right behind our place and hellooooo booty workout going up and down those stairs eight million times a day! See? Always a silver lining haha!

I can't wait to do a 'before and after' post for our apartment. There is definitely something to be said for moving into a new place sans everything you own because it gives you a lot of time to think about what you really need and where to put things. Basically what I'm saying is my Pinterest boards are on fire right now. And maybe the is nothing I can do to get rid of the horrible yellow tile in the kitchen and bathrooms but a few plants and some good lighting will hopefully distract from its less than desirable hue.

One of the best things about our apartment is that it is located right next to a bunch of great restaurants and bars, the beach and sea wall are only blocks away, and there are tons of other people living around us. Our view isn't too shabby either :)

So far life here in Okinawa is pretty great.

Stay tuned for progress updates and some awesome pictures from this weeks adventures on island!

We survived Saola & went to the mall!

Move to a tropical island, they said. It will be sunny all the time, they said. Well, apart from the gigantic tropical typhoons that swing by occasionally and are a bajillion times bigger than said tropical island. We are on day 3 of our new life in Okinawa, and I have to say that things have already been quite exciting.

We have spent the last couple of days with our sponsors going to housing briefs, exploring the area, and stocking up on necessities for our temporary housing while we begin our search for a home. Honestly, it has been a complete whirlwind and it feels like we have been here for a lot longer than 3 days! Yesterday, I got my first (and hopefully last) bout of food poisoning from sushi but after 24 hours of puking we are good to go again. Although I may hold off on the sushi for a couple of days...or weeks.

Today, the weather as finally good enough for us to leave base and go explore, so after a big brunch at the Officer's Club we went to the local mall to see what was up! Since it's the weekend before halloween, all the of the local children were at the mall and dressed up in their costumes for special events happening there today (so cute!) We were excited to get off of the base and visit a giant, Japanese, 4 story mall, but mostly I was just super stoked to visit the Miyazaki store and bathe in a sea of stuffed soot sprites and totoros <3 I'm only like 13% kidding...

Tomorrow, as we enter in to our first full week here in Okinawa, we begin our search for our new home. I am so ready to be out of temporary housing and the realtor in me is itching to get into these houses and check them out! Two dogs, two people, and seven bags worth of stuff do not fit well in a 500 square foot hotel suite. Especially one where the fire alarm goes off randomly during the day, the bathroom ceiling leaks when it rains, and dogs aren't allowed on the furniture.

Hopefully in the next couple of days we will have a few homes to choose from, our cars will be picked out, and the end of temp housing will be in sight! And HOPEFULLY, I will be able to share some pictures of blue water, green mountains, and beautiful scenery with you all here soon. We just need these clouds to go away :)

We. Made. It.

Well guys...we made it! I'm not going to say that moving across the world with two large dogs, seven bags, and a language barrier is easy, but with a good sense of humor and a lot of help from A LOT of people...we made it. Our flights were long but breaking down the journey into two days really made a difference for us, especially with the pups. Also, having afternoon flights was crucial for us since we had to get to the airports so early to check all of our baggage and get the dogs situated! We made sure we arrived early and had plenty of time so that we ended up spending a lot of time in airports but never had to rush or worry too much about missing our flights.

The puppies had never flown before but did amazing! No accidents (praise!). And I can't say enough good things about Alaska Airlines and their pet policy, they were so helpful and kind, and didn't charge us an arm and a leg for traveling with so much stuff and dogs. ANA was also super helpful and very attentive and kind to us. We must have looked like the Griswold's pushing all of that crap through the airport, but I think OCONUS PCS moves must be kind of like childbirth because I am already forgetting the trauma of this move haha! And, yes, some would say that it was indeed a bit traumatic. BUT! We are now finally in the land of Totoro! And I am so excited to begin exploring this beautiful country.

We are so thankful for everyone's kind words and thoughts during this transition and can't wait to share more exciting stories from our adventures here in Okinawa! Right now we are busy getting settled in and doing all of the usual PCS things like looking for housing, trying to buy cars, preparing for a giant typhoon that is coming through this weekend, you know, normal things like that.

But we will keep you all posted here, and hopefully have some fun stuff to share soon!

Stay Tuned....

P.S If you want to stay up to date on our daily adventures you can check out my instagram stories at: @emmmienardi