Wow, we're actually in Japan! I keep thinking it, usually saying it out loud to Jody, and giggling. :) It's been a super busy week, coupled with jet lag and the fervor of trying to find a house, so my first post is a little slow to press, but I'll work on posting more regularly since I'm getting acclimated to the country now. We left VA on Wednesday afternoon, and arrived on base in Japan on Friday afternoon. It was by far the longest two days of my life. BUT... we all arrived safely, and they didn't give us any grief at customs or with Zero. 
She was totally over flying, for sure, but she made it, and doesn't seem much worse for the wear. She has cleared the vet's office, and after only a couple nights in puppy jail (the kennel) she is settled in at my cousin Sarah's house with two children and two other dogs to keep her occupied. That was an adjustment for her, but I think she's getting so comfortable there it'll be a struggle to get her to come back to living with us when we get our house. We had a good weekend, although it was a struggle to stay up past 7pm, but we did, and explored the trains and a cute little tempura restaurant for lunch Saturday. We spent some time with friends, but were basically Zombies all weekend.
Not wasting any time, I hit the ground running on Monday morning to find a house (the screaming baby next door is my motivation). By Tuesday morning I had found it, and after checking a few other houses to be sure, Jody and I decided that this was the house for us and signed the paper Thursday securing the house for us. There is a wait of about 1.5 to 2 weeks before I can sign the final paperwork, but I'm looking to be moved in either the day before or the day after Thanksgiving, which was my original goal. Yay motivation!
This past Wednesday, we had a Hail and Farewell and I got to meet lots of guys from the wardroom and their wives, all very nice. Zero and I even got invited to Thanksgiving dinner! After the Hail and Farewell we went to "The Honch" and I tried a Chuhai. Wow, imagine kool-aid for grown-ups. It was no joke, but is a very "Japanese" drink. This past weekend we spent some time with friends, I went shopping with the girls, and tried shoe shopping with a serious language barrier. Fortunately, I know my numbers, so once I figured out what size I wore, I could ask for the right size in Japanese. Sunday we found our Plaza Azteca replacement, Coco Ichibans. It's a curry place we can totally see ourselves eating there at least weekly. They even shout out a greeting ala "Welcome to Moe's" (who knows what they were actually saying).So, long post, but you're basically caught up, and I'll work on posting more regularly.
Japanese Lesson for the day:
Watashi no hobākurafuto wa unagi de ippai desu.
(My hovercraft is full of eels!) ;)
Sayonara!
