"Greece"

 

This “trip” is part of our adventure around the world. If you would like to see how it all started or where else we’ve been, start here.

 

Okay, so when I was planning this trip arond the world, it was much more organized. I guess I forgot to factor in the possibilty of typhoons and babies (although I knew he was coming). This dadte was scheduled for September, and then postponed due to a typhoon and then again for Ronin's birth.

It has also taken me a couple weeks to finally write about it.

 

Our trip to Greece consisted of a night in with a two week old baby and a two year old. It wasn't any sort of thrill seeker, but it was certainly some quality time that was much needed.

 

We started the night with some of these Grilled Chicken Pita Sandwiches.

A recipe I found on Pinterest.

 

 

I followed the recipe to a T and as you can see mine do not look nearly as delicious as the professional photo. They didn't taste very delicious either, but that's okay.. at least they were "Greek!"

 

 

We also indulged in some Stacy's pita chips, because pita chips are Greek right??

 

 

And then we topped it off with some delicious Greek yogurt. By far my favorite part of the night.

 

P.S. This brand of GY is delicious.. the only brand I like =)

And lastly, We all snuggled on the couch and popped in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which neither of us had seen before. Good Movie!

 



 

 

So yes, Greece was a little lame, but I had fun hanging out with my little family and Mikael had fun laughing atmy lame attempts to create a Greek theme. All in all, it was worth it.

 

October's date is planned for this weekend and takes us to Germany. So cross your fingers that it actually happens and stay tuned for all the details!

 

 



 

 

 

Off to "Italy"

This “trip” is part of our adventure around the world. If you would like to see how it all started or where else we’ve been, start here.

 

 

Italy just screams romance to me. So naturally, as I was planning our trip around the world, Italy came to mind first. It just so happened that a local wine festival was scheduled for the same month. That made it a no brainer!

This trip was originally planned for August, however due to a typhoon sweeping by the island, the festival was postponed two weeks. Other than having to swap our Friday night tickets for tickets on Saturday night, everything went as planned.

 

 

 

Okinapa.. where to begin?

We dropped K off with the sitter and headed to the festival around one. As soon as we arrived, we were handed wine glasses and a list of all the wines available (there were hundreds!! From all around the world). We didn’t waist anytime and headed to the first table of wines. I’ll admit, Mikael and I went to the same festival last year, so we already knew what our favorite tables would be, but Mikael was a good sport and still tried many other wines on the list. I, of course, just pointed to the wines I was curious about and had the waiter fill Mikael’s glass. I think he was having trouble drinking for two!

I drank for two, too!! Water that is. They even had sparkling water so I at least got to feel a little bit cool!

 

We ate intermittently throughout the event. Mostly because there is a baby cramping my stomach and Mikael just needed to balance the wine from time to time! The food was absolutely delicious! I meant to take pictures of the spread or at least my plates full (yes, there were many), but I was so engrossed in just eating everything that I forgot. We ate plenty of pastas, cheeses, and even crepes for desert. The also served a bit of local fare: Yakitori, Gyoza, and a few other seafood dishes, which are always Mikael’s favorite. Needless to say, we were stuffed by the time we left.

After tasting countless wines, Mikael and I had several stars next to our favorites and headed to the sale room. The room for purchasing is full of all the sampled wines and organized by table and number, which made it very easy to find what we were looking for. We lucked out, having only two of our “star” wines be sold out. It’s not uncommon for many wines to sell out on Friday night of the event. We do, after all, live on a very little island in the pacific with a very small wine selection… and let’s face it, people just need their wine!!

 

 

 

We filled our basket and had them all boxed an ready to go. We made out with 12 bottles (and got a discount for buying a cases worth) and spent a little over $100.00, which I thought was great.  The really great part is that you get the case discount even if all 12 wines are different!

 

We are now stocked on wine for a while and I certainly can’t wait to enjoy a glass after this baby arrives. I’m sure I’ll need it by then.

 

Our trip to Italy wasn’t as Italian as it could have been, but it was a much needed and well enjoyed date for both of us.

 

 I have to add that I have the greatest babysitter in the world and am so lucky to have such great support so far from home. It’s nice to be able to go out and not be so worrisome about my baby!

September will take us to GREECE, so make sure you stay tuned for our next adventure!

 

 

 

 

The Perfect [anniversary] Gift.

Seriously, why is it so hard to come up with a gift idea for a man.  I could think of a million things my husband could do for me for our anniversary, yet it took me weeks of searching to figure out what I was going to give him! All I knew was that it had to be perfect.  And Cheap. I may be a working woman, but I am definitely on a budget.

I thought for a while about things my husband may have mentioned or things that he enjoyed and I realized that it had been so long since we had spent time together NOT being parents that I wasn’t really sure what he liked anymore.  So, we obviously needed some alone time.  So for the first part of my gift, I made reservations for Okuma, a local military “resort” here on Okinawa.  I knew we’d have to take little man, because there’s no way I’m ready to leave him with anyone overnight yet, but at least it would get us out of the house for the weekend and out of the everyday routines we’ve fallen into.

Keeping up with the latest craze, I scoured Pinterest for gift ideas. I stumbled onto The Dating Divas and almost immediately found what I was looking for. A Passport to Love.  A homemade gift that required plenty of thought and love and would guarantee a date with my husband at least once a month for a year… Sold.  And it was cheap! For now at least. I made a list, using some of the ideas listed on the website, of all the places we’d go “visit” in a year. Mikael has only opened his August adventure so far, so I can’t spill the beans yet, but I will keep you posted.

Anyway I printed the passport, put it all together and added Mikael's information.

I also printed the airline tickets to all the places we were going. And then I decided to add a few tidbits about each country. I printed each country’s flag, a map, and a picture that I thought reminded me most of that country. (This particular month also included tickets to the wine festival!!! See the Italian theme there? )

I also bought a pack of blank thank you cards ( the only purchase I made for this gift) and then I made a card for each date/country. On top I wrote the destination and on the bottom half, I wanted to remind my husband that no matter where we go in the world (which could be anywhere with the military!) I will always love him. I then wrote 12 different reasons why in each card, so he could be reminded each month.

I put them all together, bundled them up and added a not and voila!

He loved it!  We’re going to “Italy” first, so stay tuned and you can travel the world with us! =)

 

Our Trips

 

Italy
Greece