Not Me Monday!

"Not Me Monday"

Today, I did NOT...

* I did NOT wake up and frantically rush to get Keely to the Vet, only to find out they are CLOSED for inventory.

*I did NOT call the clinic and sound a little bit snotty.

*I did NOT get caught in a rainstorm while walking from the BX, and while running yell out 'Oh Hell!'

* I did NOT talk on my cellphone while driving home... totally illegal in Japan and huge fines follow if you are pulled over.

* I did NOT answer my phone only to find out some crappy news from Mr. Top Gun.

* I did NOT hear Mr. Top Gun tell me he needed ME to reschedule the delivery of our household goods and the pickup of government furniture, because the Air Force changed some things on him...

* I did NOT have to rush home and frantically search for the numbers for TMO and FMO and the Japanese moving company.

* I did NOT hang up on a rather snarky mouthed Sr. Airmen after said person failed to answer my simple question, because I called 5 minutes before they were supposed to leave for the day!

* I did NOT speed back to the base to get the the housing office, only to find that the doors were locked- an HOUR before they are supposed to close.

* I did NOT run back to my car and burst into tears.

* I did NOT proceed to call the housing office from outside there doors, and demand that they let me in. (For the record, I WAS let in!!)

* I did NOT spend the next hour sitting at a very obliging Airman's desk, using the phone to call FMO, TMO and the Japanese moving company.

* I did NOT call the moving company and ask them what kind of Japanese Holiday requires them to shut their business for three days, after I was told Saturday was the only day available for re-delivery.

* Mr. Top Gun totally DID NOT call me on my cellphone from his plane, just to make sure I was Ok before he took off :) LOVE HIM!!

* I did NOT prepare a baked ziti at 10:00 at night.

So, what did y'all NOT do today?

Amawori Liquor- It's all right with me!

Here is what I was doing on Saturday evening...

Add some freshly squeezed Mango Juice...
And the local Okinawan Liquor, called Amawori. Apparently, my palate is QUITE fond of this rice liquor and I had not problem downing three or four drinks with Mr. Top Gun last night! The juice made the drinks seem 'not so strong,' that is, until I decided to stand up and walk down the stairs. Suddenly, I felt really warm and HAPPY! Mr. Top Gun got a kick out of seeing his 'prim and proper' lady a little tipsy, and very, very chatty! In all, we had a fabulous date night complete with a wonderful dinner (yes, I had sushi) and a fun, boozy filled evening. We even came home and watched a movie and shared some milk and cookies!
My newly found Okinawan drink: Amawori Liquor! Add some fresh juice, and you're good to go! Mrs. Top Gun is now a fan of this!

Goings on at Casa De Top Gun

These pictures go along with part of the craziness at Casa De Top Gun. Read on to find out how they fit into this mess!

*The Nigiri Sushi we ordered* I recognized three types of fish here. The rest I did not touch. Mr. Top Gun's tummy later paid a price for eating the 'unknowns.'

*Sea Urchin* Not cool with me. Not eating this.
*Horse Meat?* Yes, they had RAW HORSE MEAT on a sushi menu!!

This week has been absolutely hellacious for me, and I am relishing in the fact that I have a dinner date with Mr. Top Gun tonight (NO FELLOW FLYBOY FRIENDS TAGGING ALONG,) and I shall be imbibing in some fun and fruity island drinks! Luckily for us, all of our fave restaurants and bars are within a stones throw from our home, so no worries about the drinking and driving issue. Oh, and in case y'all didn't know the legal BAC limit here in Japan is... wait for it... .03! Yes, that means that if I even smell a freakin alcoholic beverage let alone have a sip of one, I am legally drunk and can be arrested by the Japanese Police or Security Forces! Nice. I was also informed during a random conversation with Mr. Top Gun, that due to some weird chemical reaction that occurs in our bodies when we drink milk, that if you are given a breathalyzer it will show that you are drunk. So now I have to be afraid that my morning cereal and milk or my afternoon or evening glass of milk may very well be my ticket to jail time! (Ok, so I'm told there are formalities with this, but I still find it to be completely ludicrous.)

In other news, my HOUSEHOLD GOODS are here!!!! We received an e-mail late Thursday evening informing us of the arrival, so they are scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. The weekend kinda screwed up an earlier delivery, and they require a full days notice to come and pick up the loaner furniture... gay. So, Mr. Top Gun and I shall be sleeping on the air mattress Tuesday evening, which should be a total blast *sarcasm* I am just so happy to finally be able to decorate my big old house with all of my gorgeous furniture and furnishings! Oh, and possibly needing to purchase some more new curtains and storage units for the bathrooms- this house has TONS of windows, but the bathrooms in Japan don't have cabinets or vanity type sinks, so I must figure out a way to store our towels and toiletry items. The other news in the household has been Keely and her throwing up... It seems that a few days ago while I was walking her, she decided to start chowing down on the grass in the dog park. No biggie right? Dogs eat grass when their tummies are bothering them and then usually they throw up whatever was bothering them- nope, not Keely. She ATE A FREAKIN BEE! Apparently when she ate the grass, she also ate the little bee and so when we came home Mr. Top Gun notices a few minutes later that her upper lip is swollen- not a biggie right? Well wrong again.

I suppose the bee sting and all the grass and whatever else she had in her stomach decided to turn into three days of her constantly retching and throwing up, and in turn had me running up and down the stairs to the laundry with her soiled blanket. And all of this happens on the one day that Mr. Top Gun doesn't come home until way late in the evening, so of course by this time I am bitchy and tired from cleaning up puke and washing laundry all day! Keely is finally feeling better today, and she is back to eating her Science Diet kibble like normal now. And last but not least, Mr. Top Gun and I had our first experience at an authentic Japanese Sushi Bar last night. When I say authentic, I mean like a hole in the wall place where no Americans are eating, nothing but older Japanese people, no english menus and nobody speaks english... fun night!! We proceeded to sit down on the tatami mats and begin ordering, and then I notice this on the menu: HORSE MEAT SASHIMI... I immediately lose my appetite and tap Mr. Top Gun on his side to show him. He responds with: "Awesome. Are you gonna order it?" I just wanted to leave, but we were eating with friends so I sucked it up and ordered a tuna roll. It was good, but I think it was "too Japanese" for our tastes... I think the fish had literally just been killed and then sliced and put into my roll within seconds! Mr. Top Gun ordered a sampler, and when his came out it looked like the ocean had been slaughtered on his plate. He had salmon, tuna, eel, shrimp, octopus, scallops, squid, red snapper and some other fish which NONE of us could identify. We left full of fish, and only paid 26.00$ for the meal- which was very authentic, but I think we realized that we prefer the sushi bars here where the Japanese chefs are used to the American style of sushi, and still put their own twist on it. We both came home with bellies that later felt a little sick and urpy, so I don't think our stomachs are quite used to the water around here yet! Needless to say, a return trip is not in our foreseeable future. (No offense to the chef or the Japanese, but horse meat is not cool!) That is all for now. I'm sure I'll have a boatload of crap to blog about next week, so be ready to listen to me bitch, rant, complain, and generally let y'all know what is going on. Oh, and decorating means pictures of my house for y'all to see!! I know you are all so excited :)

You know you are in Japan when you see these...

A few of the signs I have seen around our town...

In case you wanted to give your finger up as a snack...

A sign on the Metro bus. Apparently it stands for the following:

1. A person with a hurt ARM can take your seat. I think it looks like an erect penis!

2. A person with a child can take your seat.

3. A woman who is pregnant can take your seat.

4. A person with a HURT LEG can take your seat. Nope, this is not a pregnant person who is pooping. WTF?

A sign posted on one of the public beach areas by our house

*Don't swim while you are drunk*

Another sign on one of our beaches...

*Don't be topless!*

How to properly use the restroom. Yes, it really was in the stall.
Who goes fishing for poop? And who lifts a leg like a dog?

I have a Va-Jay-Jay, therefore I am NOT equal?

Yesterday, my house was filled with five little Japanese men, who literally descended upon my home within a mere 4 seconds of ringing my doorbell. Two of which scaled my four story home after being lifted up into the air by a crane/box type thing, and the other two ran up my stairs, into my living room and immediately began hooking up all types of cables, wires and routers. What was the purpose of this chaos you ask? Well, Mr. Top Gun and I opted for the uber fast fiber optic internet and TV package and this takes a month for them to set up... yeah, a freakin month for some cables and wires! I shall now digress from this tangent and discuss the real subject of the post. As you know, in Japan women are not viewed as equals to their male counterparts. They do not have doors held open for them (never seen it happen yet,) men do not stand close to a women who is not their wife/fiancee, and the DO NOT SPEAK to the woman of the house unless the MAN is home?? Yep, that's right! and it happened to me yesterday.

Mr. Top Gun was not home, so I ensured I finished my errands early in the day so I would be home when the men showed up for the installation. 2:00 rolls around and I hear a knock at the door, so I buzz them in via our fancy intercom system :) The Japanese guy WILL NOT come into my home. In fact, when I went downstairs to the first floor to let him in, he STEPPED AWAY FROM ME! He was literally speaking to me from across the yard- in the rain. I ushered him inside, where he proceeded to first place his shoes outside, in the rain... I brought them in and he thanked me and ran up the stairs. As they are running around my home, I realize nobody is speaking to me and when I would go down to the laundry room or walk around the house (where they were working,) they would scatter and suddenly go outside. So, I decide the best thing for me to do is start baking a chocolate pie for Mr. Top Gun. Hey, at least I would be in the kitchen and OUT of their way and hopefully their view... NOPE. Didn't work either!

By this time, I am beyond frustrated at the lack of communication, the language barrier (nobody spoke any English,) and not being able to get a hold of Mr. Top Gun. After leaving about 500 voicemails on his cellphone, Mr. Top Gun calls me and immediately says this: "I am on my way home now. What the heck is going on. Are you ok? Your messages sound like you are going to crack." YES I AM GOING TO CRACK. So, come home please? After the phone call, I am pointed at by one of the workers and then he points at the wall... what? Apparently he needed an extra power grid and cord, which would have been a simple thing to ask me for right? No. Instead I finally decipher that he needs one of two things, so I again frantically call Mr. Top Gun and tell him to go to the BX and get the power grid and cord because I can't speak to them anymore. As usual, my incredible husband saves the day and arrives shortly after with the goodies, but not after I am looked at like I am crazy for offering them bottled water- which, I took downstairs to them and naturally as they see me walking towards them they ALL BACK AWAY. Thank GOD Mr. Top Gun came home in time right?

I'm not finished yet. This story gets better! As I am waiting for Mr. Top Gun, the lady from the internet company calls me and tells me we need to come to their office to be assigned a password for our network, and she will not do this over the phone- at all. I tried to be nice with her, but I admit to raising my voice and telling her she was 'absolutely ridiculous' for asking me to do this! With goodies in hand now, Mr. Top Gun shows the men the power grid and cables and they start plugging things in- Magic! He then tells me he is going to drive down to the internet office and get the password set up, and he'll be back soon. At this point, he tells one of the men that he is leaving to get a password and then this happens: The guy inside our home RUNS over to the contract papers which have our info on it and points at ME and shakes his head. He then points at Mr. Top Gun, points to the papers and points at me again. I finally realize he is ASKING MR. TOP GUN'S PERMISSION TO ALLOW ME TO SIGN MY NAME ON THE WORK ORDER COMPLETION FORM!!!! Because his name was listed as the primary account owner, I could not sign anything without his oral permission. Oh, and all of this nonsense was because I have a va-jay-jay.

I want my new HD TV and Keely tries out for the Olympic Running Team...

Mr. Top Gun has completely spoiled me. I admit it, and I am not afraid to say that yesterday I told him this: "Our TV from the states is not here yet, and it won't be here for another month. I need a new TV so I can see my shows when the fiber optic cable gets installed on Monday." His response? "Ok. Let's go look at the BX, and you pick out the one you like." **SERIOUSLY** So, yesterday we found this 42' beauty of a TV at the BX and Mr. Top Gun said I could have it!! Naturally when I go to get an associate, I am told they sold the last one last week and have none in stock. UGH. Now I felt really guilty and crappy because Mr. Top Gun had told me to pick whatever I liked and now they are out of stock. Plus, he had work to do and I held him up looking for a non existent TV. We left the BX upset (ok, I left upset) and wondered what to do.

Well, I was up at the crack of dawn this morning with Keely for her walk- which turned into a mild disaster. It seems that she decided it would be a good time for her to wrangle her little and now hairless neck out of her fancy jeweled collar, and SPRINT off from the dog park and from me!!! This little dog is all muscle and she is like a bolt of lightning when she runs, and I'm pretty sure she has ambitions to be a star in the Olympics. Imagine a crazy looking American woman dressed in white gaucho pants, a tank top (which is falling off,) flip flops and her hair on top of her head running at full speed trying to get her dog... Yeah, that was me this morning and I was the freak of the neighborhood and the American who let her dog get loose. Whatever! Turns out my running after her made it worse, and once I stopped and let her go she ran right for home and was sitting on the front porch when I arrived (dripping with sweat and really, really pissed off!!) Once that crisis had been solved, I moved onto figuring out how to GET MY NEW TV- that is after I told Mr. Top Gun what happened and this is what he said to me: "What did you do that for. How did she get loose. You did something right?" WHAT THE HELL??? So, I get dressed and decide to go back to the BX and demand that our name be placed onto the waiting list for this TV which I so very much need/want right now. I suppose today was my lucky day, because they had already ordered a huge load of them a month ago, and they are going to arrive on Thursday!! So, I placed a hold on mine (oops, OUR) TV and WE get it on Thursday!!! I should go now and start dinner and finish dessert for my wonderful Mr. Top Gun who indulges me oh so much :)

A visit to the Churaumi Aquarium and Mike's Tex-Mex

Mr. Top Gun and I decided to take a road trip to visit the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium this weekend, and we were glad we went! After the 2 hour drive (courtesy of the world's SLOWEST Japanese drivers,) we finally arrived were greeted by a SEA of Japanese tourists... Seriously, I knew this aquarium was muy famous, but this was ridiculous to me! Needless to say, the trip was a huge success and we were able to see some of world's most gorgeous sea life and creatures, not to mention the HUGE whale sharks in the tanks (3 of them) and the gigantic sting rays, sharks, tropical fish, baby sea turtles, sea snakes, eels, dolphins, manatees and so much more!

After arriving home we decided that sushi didn't sound so appetizing anymore for dinner *GASP!* I actually decided to try the new Tex-Mex restaurant up the road from our casa over my beloved sushi... something is wrong here! The food was fabulous. And coming from a little Mexican girl who grew up with this cuisine and knows how to cook it, I was uber impressed with the flavors, textures and authenticity of my meal. The chips are homemade, as are the tortillas and the addicting and utterly divine salsa. My cheese enchiladas were made with white cheese *yum* and covered with a deliciously light yet tasty sauce, and the rice and beans weren't too bad- although I think I could offer my assistance to them :) I'll leave you with a few pictures of our adventure!

Mr. Top Gun and his candid photos. He is sneaky!

The HUGE stingray!!
Gigantic Whale Shark!!

Being goofy in the car at the ATM

This is what my home looks like! Tropical everything!

The "Gem" up the road...

You want to know how I know that this Island is KLASSY? Well, then look no further than the local "Men's Relaxation Salon," right up the road from us! Now, I know some of you are thinking one of two things right now: "Is this a massage place/spa for men," or, "Holy crap. This is a sex massage place!" If you guessed the latter part, you are indeed correct! Apparently, these types of places are legal here in Japan and rather popular amongst the Japanese men and sadly some of our own American Service members stationed abroad. They are off limits to the military, but there are places that will allow entrance to their 'spa' if the price is right... The price is somewhere around $500.00 for an American guy to have a night or day filled with a relaxing, fun, and happy ending! The spas that don't charge high rates for the services performed are nasty, and I've heard of a few guys frequenting some of the off limits establishments and bringing home a 'gift' if you like for their spouses, who later realize this is the type of gift that doesn't bring happiness, but rather a very nasty STD...

Oh, and the best part about "U-Time?" It happens to be located right outside the base, and is conveniently placed between a Pizza Inn, Sushi Bar and the GI Bill Pay Service center! Oh, and it is also in the same shopping plaza that Mr. Top Gun and I bought our cars at. Now that's Klassy! I still get a kick out of seeing the guys walking into the spa in broad daylight, and when Mr. Top Gun is with me in the car and he sees them he says: "We just saw you go inside. Embarrassing!" And if you are lucky, you may sometimes even see the ladies walking to their place of employment- trust me, they don't look like they are walking to the local bank.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Top Gun!

It's official... Today, August 19th is Mr. Top Gun's Birthday!!

I think blogger is retarded because they date my post a full day behind, and we are almost through his birthday here in Japan!

To Mr. Top Gun,

I can't believe I am celebrating another birthday with you. These past three years have flown by (hehe, get it?) and I am so blessed to have you in my life! I love you more today than I did yesterday, and I shall love you more tomorrow than I do today. My love for you will never falter, even if times seem tough and the world seems like it is out to get us- I will always be right beside you, no matter how far apart we may be. Thank you for choosing me to be your Mrs. Top Gun!! You are by far, the sexiest man alive, and I have the life long privilege of having you for the rest of my life.

Oh, Mr. Top Gun you've come a long way, since your days of being a 'swimming champion!' You still have that gorgeous auburn hair though! Don't you LOVE his long, flowing hair here? And check out those lips... He still has the most kissable, luscious lips today! Mr. Top Gun is going to kill me for posting that, but whatever. It's his Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!!! I love you!!!

I got my first blog award!

Thanks to Mrs. G.I. Joe for....

*My VERY First AWARD!!!*

I feel so honored to receive this, so I am going to pass it on to five of my favorite ladies! Go check out their oh so fab blogs- I guarantee you shall get a good laugh, very many smiles and you might even decide to follow their blogs!!

I am passing this award on to:

1. Running In Stilettos

2. SinGal (running through life)

3. Crazy Shenanigans

4. D.A.R.

5. M.G.

Craziness at The Top Gun's, and more fur baby pics!

I have been running around like a woman who has lost her marbles since Monday. It is now Tuesday evening here, and I think I may still need to run around like a crazy person tomorrow- but only for a bit! Mr. Top Gun has become an elusive person in the last few days, and I now cherish each and every second I am able to spend with him (even if those seconds are counted as us sleeping together or eating a late night meal together...) His days have become filled with early morning wake-ups, crappy fast food lunches *if he has time for lunch* and late nigh arrivals home to me :( At least I have Keely, who has become her momma's lunch and naptime partner in the daytime when the heat is soooo ungodly unbearable to deal with, that I'd rather stay in my a/c cooled home and read a book or clean or do the LOADS of laundry I have been putting off! The last load is waiting to go in the dryer as I type, and Mr. Top Gun is nowhere in sight... still...

Tomorrow is his BIG DAY! Yes, that's right. Mr. Top Gun has a BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! and I have been running around getting things prepared for his surprise in the morning. Note to self: It is SUPER hard to find certain birthday items on base here. Apparently, everyone else decided they needed to have a birthday too, thus causing me to run across the base in search of the items I need! Ugh. But, I found them and now I can bake his cake and hopefully make his day a happy one tomorrow!

Keely's Story

As I promised yesterday, I shall now give you Keely's story and how we came into her life and how she changed ours. Mr. Top Gun and I have always talked about adopting a shelter/rescue dog when we were settled and in our home in Japan, so us getting a dog didn't seem like a big deal- until we started researching animal care and it's aspects in Japan. All I can say is this: I mean no offense to the Japanese culture nor it's people, but animals are regarded as being 'disposable' here. A dog or cat on the streets with a collar or micro chip doesn't mean anything to the dog catchers who go out everyday in their cramped, hot, windowless metal trucks and lure the dogs and cats out of the bushes, homes, nooks, crannies- wherever they are they seem to know how to capture the animals. Then, the dogs and cats are stuffed into the truck and transported to OZATO. Ozato is the main facility where they hold all strays on the island, but it's not like a pound in the States where you can go and adopt a dog or cat, it's a death pound.

The dogs are held in a separate area and the cats are stuffed into boxes tinier than shoe boxes. The workers never touch the animals, they drive them into the cells and then drive them into the gas chambers. Most of the dogs and cats have owners. They have id tags, they are micro chipped, and someone is looking for them. The dogs are often injured or ill and they are marked with a RED line of SPRAY PAINT to indicate that they are to be gassed immediately. They don't get the 3 day rule applied to them. Gassing animals is the most inhumane and horrific way to end their lives, but the Japanese don't see it like that. We humanely euthanize animals in the U.S. all the time (which is still wrong, but better than gassing them!) here, the dogs and cats often don't die after the gas is stopped and the chamber opened and they have to suffer through another gassing- which sometimes is quite many, depending upon how 'high' the pile of animals is. SICK.

This is where Keely's story is told. She was a rescue from Ozato, and she was pregnant. The people who rescued her are with a local animal rescue society here, and they are fabulous people who devote all their time and money to rescuing the local dogs and cats in Okinawa from certain death. Keely gave birth to 6 puppies about 2 years ago, and all her puppies were adopted- but nobody wanted her. She will turn three in November, and I will be celebrating her birthday with her since Mr. Top Gun is going to play in the sand! Mr. Top Gun and I found her through a rescue society about a week ago, and fell in love with her immediately *online* that is :) The base was holding an event yesterday with the OAARS society and we had been in contact with the foster family as to whether or not she would be at the event, so we could see her and interact with her in person. As soon as we walked up to her, she rolled over on her back and put her paw out to touch my hand. That was it! She was coming home with us!!! Her original name, Foxy didn't work for her so KEELY it is! We are now the proud parents of a gorgeous oki-mix who loves nothing more than cuddling, being loved, walks outside and sleeping on her huge cloud bed! God sent her to us and he sent us to her, and I think that makes her story incredible. She has many moves to make with us, and we look forward to having her grow with our family!

Welcome the newest Top Gun family member!

Please welcome the newest member of the Top Gun family! I'll fill everyone in on the details of how this little angel came into our lives later (i'm dead tired,) but I will say that she was rescued from the gas chambers here in Japan about a year and a half ago. She was pregnant, had 6 puppies who all found homes, but she never did.. she has been in the care of foster parents since then. Well, she is no longer a foster dog! Her foster name is foxy, but Mr. Top Gun and I don't think she looks like a 'foxy," so we are thinking of the perfect name for her! Tomorrow I'll post about her story and tell y'all how our first night with her was. I am so glad that we saved her from what could have been a terrible ending to a gorgeous, 2 year old life. Now, she will help me dry my tears and snuggle on the couch with me when Mr. Top Gun is gone far, far, away.

It feels like Christmas in my house!

Guess what got delivered to my house yesterday? My express shipment!!! Oh, how nice it is to be able to have real flatware and dishes to use now! I also am very pleased to announce that my ENTIRE BOX of shoes arrived in tip-top shape, not one missing nor did any of stilettos break. Amongst the goodies? Blankets, soft and comfy towels, my Vera Wang linens for our bed (which is not here yet,) all of our DVD's and CD's, and all of Mr. Top Gun's fancy flight gear. Our new printer made it as well, and the only item which was broken was my African wood duck :( My dad had this shipped in for Christmas for me the first year Mr. Top Gun and I had been married, so the fact that his beak got broken makes me sad.

*These are NOT what I wish to have in my kitchen. I found them on the floor when I woke up this morning, and figured Mr. Top Gun was rushed for time in getting showered and back to work from his morning PT run. What I didn't expect was... THE SMELL. OMG. Let me just say that when someone goes for a 1.5 mile run and then plays ultimate frisbee (seriously, guys?) in a climate where the humidity level is alway 100%, the combination of sweat and the human body DO NOT make for a pleasant smell. His socks almost made me gag! Although, I would like to clarify this: On behalf of Mr. Top Gun, he is not a stinky man. Seriously, I don't get it but he doesn't smell- ever. His shirts never smell bad, which makes laundry nice for me.

*Haha. Mr. Top Gun and his lovely candid shots. Please excuse the way I look here. I was awaiting the rest of my things, and I didn't do my hair that day. Rats!*
*My brand spankin new Kitchen Aide Artisan Mixer!*
*One of the many casual sets of flatware. Seriously, I own like 20 sets...*
*All of my new RED Fiesta Ware!! Cups, Plates, Saucers, Platters, dishes, bowls...*
I am off to finish getting dressed for our dinner with friends this evening! I can't believe it's Friday!!!

In La Cocina With Mrs. Top Gun

Mrs. Top Gun's Chimichurri Steak

*The Chimichurri Sauce*

*Flank steak right before broiling*
*Rice with tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos and cheese*
*The Final Product!*
*All plated up and looking delicious!*

*Please excuse my abhorable paper plates in the pictures. My china and flatware had not arrived yet...*

Mr. Top Gun gave this dinner a '10 thumbs up!' He came home from a long day at work and was greeted by this delicious meal waiting for him. See, I DO love him and take care of him :) He certainly did marry a woman who knows how to cook! *TOOTING MY HORN*

Ingredients:

* Flank Steak, nicely trimmed.

* 2 cups of mild, light tasting olive oil. (I used Bertolli)

* 1-1.5 cups of freshly chopped parsley

* 1.5 cups of freshly chopped cilantro

* 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar (adjust this to your liking)

* 2 tbsp of crushed garlic

* a few red chili flakes

*1/2 of a lime, juiced

* Salt to taste

*Pepper to taste

*Feel free to adjust all the ingredients to your liking. Add more of something or take something out!

Preparation for the sauce:

Take the parlsey and cilantro and add to a large bowl. Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice and garlic. Mix well. Then add the chili flakes and salt and pepper, mix well again. You're done! *KEEP SOME LEFT OVER FOR POURING OVER THE STEAK WHEN FINISHED COOKING*

Steak:

In a large ziploc bag, place the steak inside and pour the marinade over it. Marinate for at least 5 hours, but preferably overnight. The meat will 'cook' with all the citrus juices and the vinegar. When you are ready to grill/broil it, remove the meat from the bag and scrape off any excess marinade left on it. Let it sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before putting in the oven or on the grill. I broiled mine about 6 minutes on each side, and it came out a perfect medium rare! *my oven cooks really fast, so y'all may need to increase or decrease the time to suit how you prefer your steak cooked* Broil the meat on high or place on the grill. When you see it cooked to your liking, remove it and allow to sit for a few minutes before cutting into it. Slice against the grain of the meat, and add the remaining sauce over the steak.

Side Dishes:

1. I took white rice, added fresh tomatoes, cilantro and a few jalapenos and allowed it to cook together on the stove top for about 25 minutes. Then, I took the rice and placed it in a baking dish and topped it with cheddar cheese and a few jalapenos. Pop it into the oven at 350 for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

2. Pinto beans with jalapenos- Pain in the butt to boil, but easy to flavor. Use the basic pinto bean recipe you know and then add the tamed jalapenos *If you like more heat, add the hotter ones* And, if you don't have a pinto bean recipe you can: 1. ask me for my complicated recipe or 2. Buy some at your local grocery store!

That's it! Enjoy!!

Mrs. Top Gun gets her nails did- At COCOK'S!

I am a total snob when it comes to getting my nails done. And when I say 'snob' I literally mean I will throw a fit if my nails are not done the way I asked them to be done! Hey, if Mr. Top Gun is going to fund my twice monthly trips to the salon, then you bet your butt my nails better always come out looking absolutely gorgeous! When I learned of our move to the island, I immediately went into panic mode... No, I didn't panic about TMO or packing up our house, or leaving family and friends behind for a life across the ocean. I panicked about LEAVING MY MANICURIST. Yes, that's right. I had a minor heart attack at the thought of leaving Texas and thus leaving my favorite nail salon and longtime manicurist, for a place called Japan??? Who would even think they have nail salons in Japan, right? Well, I thought that until I heard from a friend who had already arrived on the island about a place called Cocok's....

Now, I was skeptical at first and decided to get an entirely new set of gel nails done before we left the states- just in case I had to search for a nail salon here! Well, as I looked down at my nails last night (after I had been chopping parsley, garlic and cilantro for my chimmichurri marinade tonight,) I realized that my time had come. It was time to book an appointment at Cocok's. So, I call the salon and am scheduled for a 1200 appt. today! There lies a problem though... yesterday, I noticed my a/c in the car wasn't cooling AT ALL so Mr. Top Gun met me at the car place and we dropped it off. I was supposed to have it back last night, but I never got a phone call, so we knew something was up. Turns out, the compressor is out and I may not have a car until tomorrow :( So, Mr. Top Gun offers to pick me up and take me to the salon on his lunch break. What he didn't tell me was that he felt like bringing a friend over to our place when he came to get me...

Cue him walking in the door and I hear this: "Hi, I have company. Are you decent?" RUNNING UP THE STAIRS... BEDROOM DOOR SLAMS... Thanks for the warning, I guess? I was half-way dressed but needed to get to my laundry room to fetch my shirt from the dryer, and the boys were down there! So, I wait for them to come up to the third floor and then I run down stairs grab my shirt and gracefully walk back up the stairs in my heels to greet Mr. Top Gun and his friend. We leave the house, and the boys drop me off here:
What color you want? You pick color!

* This is supposed to sound like the girls there*
My Japanese nails!

I am now a devoted fan and client of Cocok's! They are the best here, and I didn't even have to tell the girl how I wanted my nails shaped (squared,) she just did it! I also was served some delicious tea while getting my nails done and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the ocean. I then came home and went out on my upper deck and tanned for awhile. In fact, I think I made the F-15's zooming by take notice of my brightly colored bikini... they literally flew over my house RIGHT OVER THE UPPER DECK the entire time I was up there! Hey, even if they weren't looking at me- I'll say they were :)

An evening with a good friend and a trip to Jusco

Today was a crazy busy day for the Top Gun's, and I mean CRAZY busy! Mr. Top Gun had work related duties to attend to (which apparently meant he spent part of his afternoon eating cake and hanging out in the squadron bar...) Hmmm... this sounds like a fun day to me :) In between him being gone all day and me running around the base and my trip to the Commissary to replenish our pantry, we both had energy levels of zero by the time we saw each other this evening. Oh, and might I mention that I managed to lug an entire HOUSE full of groceries up my ever so long flight of stairs? Yeah, and I did so with sweat dripping off my face and my tank top almost falling off outside while I bent over to get the darn bags! Needless to say, our home is now fully stocked with all the goodies I need to make my gourmet meals for Mr. Top Gun! I only wish I had my fiesta ware and my china and my stemware now :( Hopefully the express shipment shall be here in another week or so. Stay tuned for that update!

After I got home from the Commissary, I received the BEST phone call ever... One of our very close and very dear friends happened to fly in last night and wanted to know if we would have dinner with him and show him around! Yeah!!!! Mr. Top Gun and I have been friends with him for a few years, and he is also a flyboy. So, we took him to the garlic house! He loved it and was immediately hooked on that delicious garlic pizza! See, I told you it was THAT good. After dinner, we decided to take a trip to the JUSCO here since Mr. Top Gun and I have been wanting to go, and now was the perfect opportunity to do so. To clarify, JUSCO is the Japanese version of a HUGE shopping mall. It has tons of food places inside and four floors of different clothing stores, an electronic department, toy stores, kids places and the downstairs is a huge supermarket! Here are a few pics from our "Adventures In JUSCO Land!"

A vending machine filled with candies!!!
Mr. Donut! "If it has Donut in it's name, you know it has to be good!" *Actual quote from our fellow flyboy friend* The HUGE ferris wheel in American Village. This is basically what the Japanese think America is like, and the village is actually a bunch of stores and restaurants that are more Americanised.

The SANRIO store!! I loved Sanrio as a kid, and love it even more as an adult! Mr. Top Gun bought me handmade chopsticks, since my hands are little and the regular sized chopsticks are awkward and cumbersome to me. They have Hello Kitty on them and are super cute! Oh, and they were 250 yen... Which is... $2.50!!! A steal!