Okinawa {the non-vacation}

As most of you know we took our October Okinawa trip a little bit earlier than expected! We invaded the island to get out of the insanity that was becoming our neighborhood. Our plan was to hang out a few days while the restaurant was closed, but due to an extended closure we ended up staying a over a week. Even though we tried not to treat this as a vacation, when in Rome... Our hearts hurt a little bit as we read about the fleeing "Gaijin" or "Flyjin" as we are now referred to. We didn't necessarily mean to bail on our host land but in all honesty, lets face it. We are foreigners and have a 5 month old baby to think about. Plus, our intentions of returning made us feel a little less guilty and it was a great way to give our families back in the states some peace of mind. Would we have loved to pack up and head to the states? Sure! However, here is where our responsibilities lie. So, on to Okinawa! What a beautiful place. Bright sun shine (for 4 our of the 9 days, at least), palm trees and bougainvillea vines everywhere you turn. Seaside cafes and beach bars. Millions of t-shirt shops and Shisa dog statues all over. We were able to fit in a trip to the Aquarium and Ella climbed her first light house. Actually, I think we all climbed our first light house. We did some whale watching from enormous cliffs and played in the sand. Ella sat up for the first time on the beach (couldn't have planned that milestone better myself!). We got a little sun on our faces and walked along the sea wall several times. Oh, and Stephanie took us to her Japanese dad's sushi restaurant where we ate the freshest, most thoughtful sushi since our arrival in Japan! It was a great trip considering we were desperate evacuee's. Like I said, "when in Rome...":

Photo blogs to follow: {sightseeing} {lounging around} {food & various other things}