Come to Texas, mess with us= YOU GET THE HORNS!

This is what defeat looks like. Sucks doesn't it OU?? All I'm saying is this: You came to Texas and you messed with the best, so guess what? YOU GOT THE HORNS! Nice try though. Oh, and someone must be so proud of their child crying like this on national television :( If I were sitting next to him, I would not have offered a tissue. 

 Yes, people. In Texas, FOOTBALL is THAT HUGE OF A DEAL! And yes, I realize I sound a little nasty, but hey- I Iove me some college football, and I LOVE ME SOME TEXAS LONGHORNS!!

Up Next Saturday? UT (Mrs. Top Gun's School) VS:

MIZZOU (Mr. Top Gun's School)

You should prepare to be defeated, Mizzou Tigers. Longhorns know how to kick some Tiger tail!!!

Should I ask for the Prozac now, or later?

I swear to goodness that I am going to join the club of people who take Prozac. And, I am going to do to VERY SOON if Japan doesn't start straightening its act up with me! As you all recall, I was involved in an accident about a month ago, and since then my life has been hell. Due to certain circumstances involving the case (nothing serious, no jail-) and the very strict and confusing laws here in Japan, I cannot say much at this time. What I can say is this: The other party has accepted the insurance money and has re-couped the damage I caused to his car. He was not injured, albeit a 'neck strain...' Yeah, get the point? I, on the other hand was informed that until the police here conclude their investigation and the 'prosecutor' concludes his, I way very well be placed on... wait for this... SIT DOWN, GRAB A DRINK...


   *INTERNATIONAL HOLD*   This basically means that I cannot leave Japan while the case is still open. Normally, this would not be an issue considering I live here and obviously Mr. Top Gun has a certain amount of time he is committed to on the island. However, I have a plane ticket to go home in a month and a few days, and if they place the hold on me? I get to stay here ALONE for the holidays and the duration of Mr. Top Gun's trip to the sandbox! How likely is this to happen to me? Well, I am not sure. It depends upon how fast they close the case, and if I am placed on this hold I will have to fight to try to be able to go back home, with the promise of me returning.  I cannot deal with this right now. I am facing a deployment in the next few days, the fear of being alone overseas, and the fear of what may happen to me while Mr. Top Gun is out fighting this damn war. I am at a breaking point, and I don't know how much more I can take. I swear on all things holy right now, that for those of you reading this I ask one thing of all of you:
   
       *Please keep me in your prayers, and pray for this case to be settled  swiftly and justly.*

Check out the view from Mr. Top Gun's Office

Isn't this one heck of a view? Well, this is what Mr. Top Gun sees everyday from his "office."  Of course the scenery changes with each mission, but I was able to procure these pictures from him this time. These photos are from his latest trip, where he and his fellow crew members assisted and aided the Indonesian people after the devastating earthquakes hit the area. 

He is in one of the seats in the cockpit :) I am so darn proud of him!!

He is somewhere in here too... He is a secretive Mr. Top Gun!

Taking a picture of the Volcano! And yes, he DID take this one.

                             This is a volcano with a lake on top of it! Very cool right? And no worries- He was still flying and did NOT take this picture... Someone else did, and I had it sent to me.

                     Fly the plane closer, so you can see it better :) This was around 10,000 feet- that is how high the Volcano/Mountains are, which explains why it looks like they are sooo close to it.

                    Just another day in the life of Mr. Top Gun! Looks difficult right? I wish I had the opportunity so fly over and see these gorgeous landscapes, but for now I will remain quite content living vicariously through Mr. Top Gun. 

New kitchen toys=Happy Mrs. Top Gun

Mr. Top Gun is home! Well, only home for a little while before his STUPID DEPLOYMENT... 

So, we decided to check out the new BX today. Yes, I have been like a million times by myself, but he has been gone for awhile and I wanted him to see it too! Besides, I really haven't 'checked' out the BX and all it has to offer, and the few times I have been inside I have run in to get Keely's fancy $15.00 dog food and some extra towels for the typhoon (that NEVER REALLY HIT...) Needless to say, Mr. Top Gun was muy, muy impressed with his new BX! He was excited to see it and we walked up and down the aisles- yes, ALL of the aisles. We have been looking for a nicer and higher wattage microwave since we moved in, and the old BX had small 700 watt ones which take years to cook in, so we decided to upgrade and throw out our little black one for a nice new stainless steel one!

 Next up? a new rice cooker for me!!

You see, I have a little obsession with rice. Like I could eat rice everyday and with every meal, and I am a HUGE fan of plain, white steamed rice- especially Japanese rice. It just makes me happy :) A few months ago, while we were still in New Mexico, I learned the art of making the perfect pot of authentic Japanese steamed rice, and have been quite proud of myself since then (thanks to my Nana for showing me how, since they lived in Japan years ago.) Well, now that I have tasted the BEST rice on the planet here in Japan, I have been lusting after a Zojirushi rice cooker, and have pointed it out every time I see it in the BX. I didn't think about buying for myself, because I just don't do stuff like that (except for sunglasses and purses and shoes :) and I figured Mr. Top Gun would pick one up for Christmas for me anyways. Well, we walk past the microwaves and I spot it: My rice cooker, right in plain view! Mr. Top Gun looks at me, turns around and grabs the big old box and places it in our basket. OMG. I have my rice cooker in my possession!! At this point, I am all smiles and Mr. Top Gun says: "Why didn't you just buy this for yourself while I was gone? You know I don't mind what you buy."

So now I am the proud owner of a lovely microwave, my new rice cooker, and some other various items I very desperately needed for my home. Oh, and the TEXAS HALLOWEEN TOWEL in my kitchen?? Y'all love that right? I was unpacking a box which was randomly placed in our bedroom when the movers came, and I came across it! Apparently the movers thought a box which read "Kitchen towels" actually meant "Linens" and "Master Bedroom..." Yeah, welcome to Japan!

Murphy's Law strikes me again

Alright. I have seriously had it up to HERE with the ridiculous shenanigans which seem to ensue right after Mr. Top Gun leaves (for god knows where in this world he may be!) As you may recall, the last time he left I managed to get into one heck of a car accident, injure myself, scare the daylight out of Mr. Top Gun and his Squadron, and total his car. I thought that would be enough for awhile (the next time I was thinking I would be pregnant and in labor without him here,) but apparently good ol' Mr. MURPHY has decided to pay me a visit once again! *SIDENOTE* I AM NOT PREGNANT WITH A LITTLE TOP GUN. THAT IS NOT EVEN AN OPTION UNTIL AFTER MR. TOP GUN COMES BACK FROM THE  SANDBOX* Upon first visiting, Mr. Murphy decided that it would be a great idea for me to almost cause a fire in my home. Yes, a darn fire! I must admit though- I am extremely embarrassed that I even remotely allowed this to possibly occur, given the fact that I know my way around my kitchen and surely I know about how some ovens have the broilers underneath... right? WRONG. FAIL.

 Apparently, I thought my new oven here in Japan was like my old one back in Texas. You know how some ovens have storage underneath? The little drawer that you pull out and slide back? Well, I decided to broil a steak the other night and all of a sudden I smell this intense burning smell. I open the oven and see nothing, so I finish cooking and turn the oven off. A few hours later, I decided to bake some mini cinnamon rolls for a spouses' function the next day and that is when I figured it out: Holy crap! I had completely burned one of my favorite (and old- like given to me by my mom and all that good stuff,) wooden serving trays.  In all my years of cooking, I have NEVER pulled anything like this! Thank you, Mr. Murphy for always keeping me humble... grrr!  And yes, those are Mother's Iced lemonade cookies and Keebler's Chocolate Covered Graham Cracker Cookies sitting on top of our microwave. Mr. Top Gun claims the Keebler's and I claim the Mother's.

My second visit with Mr. Murphy came in the form of this:

    Yes, you are looking at the current track of a Super Typhoon named Melor. Welcome, please feel free to turn around and GO AWAY! Seriously?? I am the biggest weenie with even the smallest thunderstorm, and now with Mr. Top Gun flying around the world I am even more of a weenie. I need him home to protect me! All I know is that the current track has the brunt of this storm hitting early Wednesday morning, with 50-60 mph winds and lots of rain. I surely hope and pray that it stays on it's current track- I can handle 45-50 mph winds (as forecasted by the Weather Flight here,) but I cannot deal with a Category 1 Typhoon right now!!! Mr. Murphy, please just leave. You have indeed worn out your welcome, good sir! On the plus side though, I did manage to have my Japanese housing agency come out to fix my awfully leaky slidng glass door today (bad for typhoons, you think?) and I even managed to visit our brand new BX! Yeah, I went. But, I went for extra towels incase water decides to come in the windows from the storm, and I happened to find some much needed goodies for our home :) Here's to Mr. Murphy leaving very, very soon!

Mr. Top Gun helps the Typhoon and Earthquake victims in Indonesia

As you may have heard in the news, Indonesia was recently hit by an extremely powerful typhoon and then rattled by another one and an earthquake. Mr. Top Gun happened to be flying around in the area when him and his crew were asked to fly into Indonesia and provide much needed aid and assistance to the people in the area. I just received these photos from him, and can I just say this:  I AM SO STINKIN PROUD OF HIM!!  My heart is filled with so much pride and joy, and I am so incredibly honored that my husband was able to help out these poor people, and he told me that the people were coming up to him and thanking and hugging him for what he has done for them. How awesome must that make him feel?

If you look closely in each picture you can see Mr. Top Gun! Just look for the tall, auburn haired guy in the flight suit- you'll see him :)

So, here is to you Mr. Top Gun! I love you with all my heart, and although I do wish you were here with me, I am beyond proud of what you are doing over there. You are truly my real life prince charming, who didn't ride in on a white horse, but on a pretty awesome plane! I LOVE YOU! You totally rock :)

Apparently the new BX is the place to be?

I have never seen so many cars on the base as I did so today. I have never seen every single parking lot (including the Med. Clinic lot) filled to capacity, and I have never seen HOARDS of people and kids walking around in 97 degree heat just to visit the.... NEW TWO STORY BX?  Now, don't get me wrong or anything- I love going to the BX (when I need to,) and I am happy we have a brand new and fancy BX on our base now. What I don't like is the fact that the entire base seemed to take the day off of work to attend the "Gala Grand Opening" today (which started at 7:00 a.m.,) and the fact that ALL of the parking was FILLED to the BRIM at the clinic! Excuse me, but I have an appointment to go to, and I would greatly appreciate if people would use the darn shuttle to get to the BX!! Yes, I said shuttle. Since this is obviously the 'event of the century,' as AFN has been saying over and over for the past MONTH, I suppose having shuttles to pick up the hoards of people from the random parking lots is a good thing? FAIL.

 Make that an EPIC FAIL, in my opinion! You know there is a serious issue when you drive past the Security Forces building and the Bank Parking lot and then the Clinic, and you suddenly realize that not all of those cars and people are there to pay a friendly visit to SF... The BX has the same items that the old BX had yesterday, they are merely sitting upon newer and shiner shelves today. The toys, garden supplies, home decor, computers and pet supplies are still the same, they are just on a different aisle today. People, you really need to have a hobby, go to your job, perhaps take care of your children- and realize that TAKING THE AFTERNOON/DAY OFF OF WORK is NOT COOL! When you are not at your job (pharmacy and flight medicine to be exact,) I suffer. I suffer because it takes 45 minutes to see the Dr. since nobody is in the clinic, and 30 minutes to get some tylenol and motrin for my messed up knee. Oh, and the best part about this? Last night while out to dinner with some friends, we were discussing the ridiculousness of this whole thing, and someone happened to mention that while she was coming off base to pick me up she noticed that---- wait for it---- PEOPLE WERE SLEEPING IN THE BX PARKING LOT. Yeah, like camping out in tents and in their cars. Insanity has officially struck this island, and I think it may have something to do with the fact that wives are either extremely bored since most of their husbands are gone, the men who are here are crazy and bored at work, and the teenagers who should be at school learning, skipped school for this.

 I cannot understand camping out in this heat to wait for the BX to open! I say hold out for a week or two and then go and pay a visit to the new store. Until this madness calms down, I will NOT be shopping at the BX unless absolutely necessary. And to all of you who are parking in the Commissary parking lot... MOVE YOUR CARS! You have other places to park, and I don't think it is fair that I have to lug groceries 1/2 a mile to my car because you want to be 'closer' to the BX. Stop this madness now, please and stay at home :)