Seven Years!!

Has it really been seven years??  It has!  Although I feel like the past seven years of marriage have gone super fast, if I stop to think about it, it really hasn't!  So many things in our lives have changed and we've done SO many things in that time... things I never even thought possible!  I guess that's the magic of marrying into the military.  Matt and I have been through a lot of life changes and experiences together that have forever changed us, and I wouldn't change one minute of the past seven years;)

For our anniversary, we made reservations at a restaurant Matt and I had never been together - Bian.  It is a stylish restaurant up on a hill-top, overlooking the East coast of the island.  The large windows offer beautiful views of the Okinawan city lights, and all of the tables along the windows have private little rooms.  The menu is a modern mix of Okinawan food, and instead of one main course, Matt and I ordered a bunch of smaller items and shared them all.  Delicious:)

Our view

Appetizers

Delicious Skewers

Me & my yummy Salty Dog

Stuffed mushrooms

Us at our private little table

We had a great night celebrating our seven years!  Here's to many more:)

-C

Snow Lagoon

"A southern paradise in the heart of Coral Island Okinawa, comes a delicious ice cream that would put a smile in everyone's face.  Snow Lagoon Ice Cream brings a different experience.  The only ice cream paradise in the world that would make everyone feel like its snowing." 

So, this is a little shop that we pass every time we drive down south on the island, and every time I have to point it out!  After living here for over 2 1/2 years now, we finally made a trip here.  Snow Lagoon is an Ice Cafe that serves ice cream here in Okinawa, and the quote above is how they describe themselves.  I'm not quite sure if I felt like it was snowing in there, but it did have a really cold ice room and some very refreshing ice cream! 

Exterior

See - they put it right on their door!

A bunch of flavors that are different from our usual ones at our local Blue Seal

Mine was more like a sorbet (I got raspberry and mango) but it was perfect!

Matt's was more of a sundae with a cup of milk to pour on top?  Note the cornflakes on the bottom (classic Okinawa for you)

The ice room

Obviously, it wasn't quite -25 degrees (I think they keep in colder in the hot summer months)

It was still freezing, and I couldn't stand being in there for longer than a minute, even with the borrowed jacket

Thank you all for following!

-C

Bike Ride Through the Big City

There is a freedom that comes with riding a bike.  You can go almost everywhere you could if you were on foot, you don't have to follow any rules that you would if you were in a car, there's no sitting in traffic, and you can cover a lot of ground quickly.  We've been riding bikes a lot lately, and it's becoming one of my favorite ways to see the areas where we live.  Big bike fans here:)

On this beautiful Friday, we decided to get our weekend started early and take the bikes down to Naha for an all-day ride.  We've done this before, but we wanted to make it a point to find a few places in the city that we'd never been to before.  First stop on the list was Fukushen Garden, a (you guessed it) garden right in the middle of downtown Naha.  It isn't too big, but it is a serene escape from the business of the city with lots of flowers, pagodas and ponds.  

After Fukushen Garden, Matt and I rode our bikes all the way up to Shuri Castle, which is an uphill battle all the way!  We have been to Shuri-jo before, but making it all the way up there and back was a goal of our's, and the gardens that surround the castle are pretty for riding around.  

Matt and his duck friends

Next was our fun ride down from the castle - much more enjoyable than the way up! 

I liked this fun Shisa Dog sign I saw on the way down - I actually noticed them all around Naha that day.

Matt with his Go-pro camera mounted to his head (so cool ;)

Check out this video clip Matt took with his Go-pro riding around the marketplace on Kokusai Street:

 

Big Shisa in Downtown Naha

Cruise ship that was docked in Naha Port

Yes, we rode our bikes over this bridge!

Another place we've never been to before: The Naha Fish Market

Yes, fish eyes

More adventures to come!

-C

Sunset on the Seawall

As Matt was recovering from shoulder surgery, we had to limit our outdoor activities somewhat.  Like this night where we took a walk along the seawall at sunset.  I know Matt was wishing he was actually IN the water diving, but he had to settle for taking photos of the water instead:)

 

It was a beautiful night with a pretty sunset and bright lights from all of the bars and restaurants along the seawall!  Check out some of our photos from one of my favorite places on Okinawa!

 

 

Definately going to miss this place someday!

-C