Pizza-La

One of our favorite Japanese treats is Pizza-La.  

The large is about the size of an American medium.  And the price is pretty stiff - about $40 for a large.  But the toppings can definitely be an adventure (the pizza above was a cheese and honey.  As weird as that sounds, it was really tasty).  Although there's a menu in English, don't take the translations too literally.  Mayo, for example, isn't the sweet stuff Americans are used to.  Instead it's a savory sauce made with miso.

They do deliver and there is a way to order online, but my Japanese isn't good enough to navigate through all that.  Instead we go to the restaurant and order in person.  (We use the Uruma City store, which is down the 75 just past the 36 intersection (the one with the big, yellow Jeans Shop).  Here's a map.  The Pizza-La website does have a list of locations around Okinawa but you will need to know the neighborhood nearest you.)

Little difference: call buttons

Japan has a brilliant system - the restaurant call button!

Just push the button to let the waiter know you need something.  No hovering waiters with corny jokes while you're trying to eat, no waiting for a refill or the check.  I love it!

(btw, if you've ever wondered what the server is saying when approaching the table: "Shitsurei shimasu."  The phrase is used like "Pardon me" but literally means "I will behave rudely.")

Setsubun and Lunar New Year

We've been busy little bees out adventuring and celebrating.  The good side of that is lots of fun with the boys; the down side is not a lot of time to blog.

We had fun with Setsubun (the Japanese holiday marking the first day of spring).  We got our mask and bean set at Aeon (they had a big display by the bakery).  Chris was "too busy" to let us throw beans at him, so the boys and I took turns wearing the oni mask and chasing each other around.

Demon Isaac

Soy beans

For Lunar New Year, I decorated the tatami room and I tried out some new recipes.  The spring rolls and wontons were yummy, the celery salad not so much.  The boys were in an antsy mood, so I only got a couple of pictures.  After dinner, we did some small fireworks and ate fortune cookies.

Isaac more interested in the dragon than me

We didn't do much for Valentine's.  In fact, we actually went out to eat at Obbligato (their chimichangas are amazing but not exactly romantic).  I made an angel food cake with strawberries for dessert and that was about it.  Low key can be a nice change sometimes.

Alrighty, I've got the Okinawa 10k in the morning so it's bed time for me.  Good luck to all the marathoners tomorrow!

Our merry little Japanese Christmas

KFC and a Christmas cake

On the 23rd we needed to make a quick trip to Nitori.  Driving home I spotted a bakery (Petits Fours on the 85 near Makeman) that had a bunch of Christmas cakes on display.  We decided to go all out with our Christmas in Japan and pick up some KFC.  The cake took a bit of toddler damage but it was still delicious.

Definitely a fun way to celebrate!

Sanders Claus

Courtney Fest

Rides

American Dogs

Beni-imo pie

Games

Prizes

Food

Yatai (屋台)

Date night at Goen

Last night, Chris and I were able to get away for a date night.  We went to Goen (五苑) for all-you-can-eat yakiniku (they also have an all-you-can-drink for an hour - the chu hi cocktails are so good!)  

Although we love yakiniku (grilled meat), the kids and a fire pit in the middle of the table aren't a great combination.  Definitely much more enjoyable with just the two of us.

Now that we've found a couple of good babysitters, hopefully we can start getting back into having a routine date night.  So excited!

Sam's By-the-sea

Chris has been jonsing for a good steak dinner.  So far, he hasn't found anywhere on base that he likes (we've tried Kadena Marine, Chili's, Macaroni Grill, Camp Courtney's Tengan Castle).  Normally we just fire up the barbie, but grilling on our own isn't currently an option (our barbecue's lid blew away during Typhoon Sanba).  We decided to try Sam's By-the-sea in Awase.

Aloha!

The front porch

The tiki bar decor was fun!  I ordered a drink for the souvenir cup (I got the skull, but the Jaws mug looked awesome too).  The soup was amazing and the salad dressing was delish! Although Chris wasn't too thrilled with his steak, I liked my rib eye.  I was so totally fat and happy by the end of the meal!

Sam's is a bit on the spendy side, but I definitely want to go back soon.

Luau!

Thursday, we woke up to find our flight was delayed once again.  We went from a roll call at 7am pushed back to 4pm, then finally to 10am on Friday.

I took the boys out for breakfast and swimming while Chris got caught up on work.  Owen had fun chasing the fish at the lagoon and Isaac ate plenty of sand.  On the way back to our room, I saw signs for a luau that night.  The Hale Koa's luau was one of the cheapest (about half the price of the one at the Hilton) and the kids were free, so I figured why not.

We arrived that night greeted by free drinks and shell leis.  Most of the guests were wearing Hawaiian shirts and dresses.  Kicking myself for not thinking to bring my grandmother's amazing muu muus from the 60s!

Trays of punch and mai tais

I was surprised to see several activity stations set up on the lawn - I thought we were just getting dinner and show.  From making a lei with orchids to getting temporary tattoos on his arms, Owen loved all the fun.

Owen practicing Polynesian dance moves

Cocktail hour music

The dinning area and stage

Since I booked last minute tickets, our seats for the show weren't the best.  The meal was good, with a little variety of Hawaiian foods, and big enough to share with boys.  The entertainers were funny and we loved watching all the dancers.  Maybe next time the boys will be old enough and we'll go all out with the show at the Polynesian Center (we also promised Owen a ride on the submarine and swimming with the dolphins), but the Hale Koa's luau was great for us.

The bar

We packed our bags and got ready to say aloha to Hawaii in the morning...

Yellow Submarine at Bagdad

One of my absolute favorite things to do in Portland is watch a movie at the Bagdad Theater.  Cheap tickets,  awesome atmosphere, adult beverages, good pizza, and great bus system to take me home - doesn't get much better than that.

When I saw ads for an all ages show of Yellow Submarine on the big screen, I decided the boys must go!  I think everyone should have a funky Yellow Sub story to tell; I watched it for the first time in school with my hippie 6th grade teacher, Mr Weed (I shit you not).

I forgot my camera and the pictures from my iPhone didn't turn out, so here's some pictures from various sources:

Exterior (Wikipedia)

Foyer (Bad Blogger) 

Glass of microbrew in the theater (Portland Ground)

We only made it through about an hour of the movie before the boys had enough.  Oh well, hopefully we can try another movie again soon.

The Oregon coast

One of the things I love about Okinawa is that the commissary sells Tillamook Cheese.  Whenever my parents came to visit us in Virginia or North Carolina, they always brought me a brick or two of cheese (which I'm sure the TSA loves seeing go through the x-ray machines).  My family used to regularly go camping at Netarts Bay and the trip wasn't complete without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for samples and ice cream.

Of course, things change.  I haven't been to Tillamook in several years (maybe even since before we moved to NC in 2004).  Because I haven't gone in so long, we made a special detour on our way down to Lincoln City for lunch and some ice cream.

Isaac watching the cheese makers in action

Sharing a scoop of Rootbeer Float, the family favorite 

We arrived in Lincoln City in time mix up some martinis and watch the whales playing in the ocean.   Usually we only see the puffs of spray but this time we could see them breaching and lobtailing.

Whale watching

A surfer near Nelscott Reef 

We ended our day by walking down to the beach and letting the boys having some fun.  (Owen quickly learned that the beaches in Oregon are very different from those in Okinawa.  Most importantly, this water is much, much colder.)

Owen playing at sunset

Rogue's Voodoo

Rogue Brewery's Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale

Saw the bottle at the Made in Oregon store.  Had to buy one for Chris.

A Portland morning

The boys woke up ridiculously early (the jet lag is getting better, but we're still not 100% on schedule yet).  I decided to go out to eat and try one of the many breakfast options in downtown.  The famous Mother's is closed on Mondays, the new (to me anyways) Zeus Cafe was too long for us to walk, so I picked Bijou Cafe near Voodoo Donuts.

Bijou Cafe

By the time we got to the restaurant, the boys were tired and fussing like crazy.  Usually they do well and behave nicely when we're out to eat; this was not one of those times.  Climbing in and out of their seats, throwing sippy cups, dumping food on the floor, playing with the salt and pepper shakers, sticking fingers in the ketchup pot - generally just being those badass kids everyone hates in restaurants.

We left as quickly as possible, then I let them run around near Saturday Market while waiting for a train back to the parking garage.

Watching the Max trains go by

Ankeny fountain

Downtown

My dad is still in the middle of construction on my parents house, he's remodeling the upstairs bathroom, and the bathroom and guest bedroom downstairs.  It's going to be very nice when he's done - the house was built in the early 1900's, the bedroom was a poorly done addition in the 70's or 80's, both bathrooms badly needed to be updated and repaired.  But in the meantime that means we don't have a place to stay with my parents.  Instead, I splurged on a couple nights at the RiverPlace Residence Inn in Downtown Portland.

The Portland Streetcar stops right in front of the hotel.  The boys would have the fun of riding a train and I could have a couple drinks at dinner at not worry about getting a cab.  The streetcar took us right through our old neighborhood on 10th and Market St.

Our first apartment

Playing before dinner

McMenamin's Market Street Pub

I have an obsession with McMenamin's tots and ranch

I was in luck!  The pub even had one of my all-time favorite cocktails, the Workingman's Tang, back on the menu.  And of course, the service was as terrible as always (seriously waiter dude, if I ask for the check and you take 15 minutes to get it to me, you forfeit the right to give my impatient kids the side eye).

Definitely nice being home!

Days 25-ish through 28

Okay, I can't read good and stuff.  My last post screwed the photo challenge up big time (skipped 20 and 21, mixed up 25, and 26 is HOT not HAT).  Anyways....

20: Soft (I love the clouds here on Oki!)

#25: Blogs I love

TYWKIWDBI

Fuck Yeah Dementia (do tumblrs count as blogs??)
PostSecret
Daily of the Day
Je te Vuex. N'arrete pas.
Fuck Yeah Grunge
Slate (I think this is more "digital magazine" than blog, oh well)

21: Music (Chris rockin the Rock Band a few years ago)

#26: An old photo

My mom in Paris, 1976

25: Long Exposure

#27: Favorite recipe

Chicken with creamy goat cheese sauce - this seems so fancy but it's pretty simple.  You can even tell people it's a seared chicken breast with a wine and chevre pan sauce topped with fresh herbs like a boss.

The new recipe below is a spin on a cosmopolitan.  The commissary had a new cranberry-blackberry juice blend, so I decided to use it in a cosmo recipe.  I think lemon juice tastes better than the usual lime with the blackberry juice, but here's my basic cosmo cocktail:

1 part vodka
1 part triple sec
1 part cran juice
1/2 part fresh lime juice

26: Hot (a sweaty Isaac napping in the car)

#28: I'm looking forward to...
Our trip!!  Although I'm really hoping we get to see Anchorage, however we get off this rock will be fine by me.  Put my ass on a plane - let's do this!

My 33rd birthday. My third Hood to Coast with my sister-in-law.  My brother is getting married - over the moon happy for them!  I keep saying this, but seriously, with every wedding and every new baby my family keeps getting more and more perfect.  On the way back to Oki, we're taking a vacation in Maui.

27: New Recipe (see above)

#29 Where I've traveled:
My grandfather passed down his wanderlust to us.  Growing up, he and my family were always going camping, hiking, fishing, and general exploring on his infamous "wild goose chases".  Obsidian flows - why not?  Devil's Punch Bowl - you bet!  I missed the entire OJ Simpson white Bronco chase because we were in the woods near Zion Canyon.  It wasn't unusual for us to skip the first or last two weeks of school because my family had a trip planned and wanted to avoid the summer rush.

So, where have I been?  All over Oregon - Crater Lake, Mt Hood, the coast from Astoria to Bandon, Hoodoo, Bend, Ontario, the Willamette Valley from Portland to Ashland, and just about everywhere in between.  Chris and I have also driven cross country three times - Oregon to NC, NC to Oregon and (with a 6 month old Owen) Oregon to Virginia.

Mt Rainer, Boise, Yellowstone, Seattle, Olympia, Mt St Helens, Vancouver BC, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Disneyland, San Francisco, Redwoods, Los Angeles, San Diego, Salt Lake City, St Louis, celebrated my 25th birthday in a small town called Whitesville in Kentucky, Smoky Mountains, Raleigh, Wilmington, Orlando, Disney World, Virginia Beach, Washington DC, Bullrun, Baltimore, Paris, Okinawa.

And maybe adding Fairbanks to that list on Sunday....

28:  Generations (My dad, Chris, and Owen)

Bastille Day

We had a little family fun day last Friday for Bastille Day.  People celebrate St Patrick's as an excuse to drink Guinness and people celebrate Cinco de Mayo for the tequila, so why not Bastille Day for the champagne?  

I moved our Bastille Day bash to Friday the 13th because I thought we'd be at Emerald Beach for the big Ocean Day fireworks show (大会) on the 14th.  But we were just too busy cleaning and packing on Saturday to spend all day at a festival.  (And from what I heard from other families on Facebook, if you weren't at Ocean Expo Park by noon, traffic and parking were very ugly.)

After going all out for Isaac's birthday party, I wanted to keep everything as easy as possible.  I ordered a beret, an Eiffle Tower centerpiece and some fake mustaches when I bought Isaac's party supplies from Shindigz.  I only put up a few decorations, mainly just some streamers and a bunting I spent about 5 minutes printing and gluing to a string.

We started our party by making some art and looking at some paintings.  (I should have saved boxes to build a wall and have the boys storm it.  An idea for next year.)

Painting with the boys

For dinner, I baked a chicken, tried out a Dauphinois potatoes recipe, and set out some cheeses from the commissary.  The boys had sparking grape juice and we had some bubbly.  (Next year, I'll try some stores off base for better champagne and maybe a bakery, like this one or this one, for some real croissants.)  Dessert was a quick mille feuille (frozen fruit, store bought puff pastry and whip cream).

Dinner time

An Okinawan party crasher

We had fun being French and silly for the day