So life continues and illness ebbs - thank the Lord! It's nice to finally be over that nasty little virus that derailed things there for a little while and be back to "normal". And normal for us means being on the go and having things to do. So for our first outing we went to the Craft Market at the Schilling Center on Kadena. It was small and simple. There were several venders set up selling various goods from Scentsey to homemade hair bows. I particularly enjoyed poking around the cloth diaper table and bought a very cute set of wet bags.
After a stroll around the craft market we headed over to the BX to check Santa's schedule and we were pleased to see he was in for the afternoon. I rushed Kyleigh to the bathroom pulled her Christmas Dress out of my bag and got her ready to go have pictures with him. She was so excited. She immediately ran up and hugged Santa and had a little small talk with him. She almost completely forgot to leave her Christmas request but did end up asking for a cat and a moose. Santa got quite a kick out of that and was taken aback when she declined to take a candy cane. Our daughter is just so special!
We also took in the III MEF Band Christmas Concert. Cookies and coco were provided which was a wonderful addition as the concert was free. We arrived at the Theater just as the band was starting and it was packed and we were lucky enough to find a place to stand. The program wasn't horribly long and included a very cute and funny skit during the intermission put on by some of the members of the ensemble and the music was wonderful. In addition to a very jazzy rendition of "Jingle Bells" and a toe tapping number called "Pop Rock Christmas" the program included well preformed favorites like "O Holy Night" and ended with the "Hallelujah Chours" and a well deserved standing ovation. It was a great show and I'm glad we had a chance to attend this year.
And after being cooped up and a steady diet of chicken soup and juice it was time to get out of the pj's and go out for something with a little more flavor. Who's up for a McDonald's burger and shake?
And for those who don't know this, Japanese McDonalds and our McDonalds in the States are not the same. Things are seasoned differently, they have a different menu too (though you can still find many of your favorite items here but in addition to some items with more of a local flavor like the teriyaki style burger). I am a big fan of the classic Double Quarter Pounder but over here it seems much larger than the one we get in the states. 
Either way it was a welcome diversion for the taste buds from the chicken noodle we'd been eating for a week or so. And no day out on Okinawa is quite complete with out a stop in one of our lovely 100 yen stores! I got a chance to grab a few stocking stuffers and browse around. You never quite know what you are going to discover at the 100 yen. Sometimes you come across a beautiful little basket or trinket and there are always lovely dishes to choose from. But sometimes you come across something that just really catches your attention for it's oddity. On this particular occasion Kris stumbled across an interesting cream that got us thinking..... what part of the horse is this made from?
Always an adventure here! Kyleigh also got the idea earlier in the week that she wanted to make a gingerbread house. She decided that this project would be a wonderful surprise for her Daddy. Since we didn't have kits available I went online and found a recipe and decided to give it a try. While I don't think we're ready for the National Gingerbread Competition I'm fairly proud of our very first from scratch gingerbread creation.
While all the excitement and rush and bustle of Christmas is in full swing I think our biggest gift this year is that we are all feeling well, are fairly healthy, and that we will be able to enjoy Christmas together. I don't think we can ask for anything better!
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