Cai is a growing, eating, scooting, pooping machine. He is curious about everything, loves being outdoors exploring, loves food, and is a ham with the Japanese women. He sure knows how to melt hearts that's for sure. We love watching him grow and every day we notice something different he has learned or discovered to do. It's pretty awesome.
School is still school. I have two classes left before I have to student teach and complete my Masters degree in Special Education. This is pretty exciting as it has been a part of my life for the past year and a half and I am ready to part ways with it.
I started taking pictures again and that also has kept me occupied. I have been booking photo shoots left and right which is awesome but also nerve racking. I still get nervous every single time I leave the house. I don't feel that I am anywhere where I want to be skill wise in photography but understand that practice is the only way I will ever get better. That, and a brand new camera!!! I have a jar set up where I have been saving and will eventually buy myself a "dream" camera. In the meantime I must not be too shabby if people are paying right? Cori has been extremely supportive and takes care of Cai whenever I go out and do my thing. Just yesterday he told me that he is happy I am doing this and pursuing something I love so needless to say, I have an amazing husband.
Cori's career is in the works right now. He is not sure in what direction he wants to head and what he wants to pursue at this point. He has options but doesn't know which door he should attempt to open or which ones he should leave closed if this makes any sense? Regardless of what happens we are confident that he will make the right choice and that life will take its course. We are also confident that God has a plan for everything and as long as we follow along we will be just fine :) Sometimes "the plan" is just hard to understand at the time.
So, TOKYO!!! Cori had to take a flight aptitude test in Yokota (mainland Japan) so I figured we could all go this time (first time he went on his own) and make it a mini Tokyo family trip. We were able to space a there on a C17 which was pretty awesome and we arrived there early Tuesday afternoon. Cori did some last minute studying, put his uniform on, and headed to take the test early Wednesday morning only to be completely shot down. Turns out that he wasn't eligible to take the test since he needed to wait 6 months before taking it again and he didn't fall under that time frame. The lady in charge made a mistake by not realizing this when she scheduled his test and felt really bad but Cori actually laughed and told her it was okay. I guess we're learning to roll with the punches. I can't say I would have done the same. Pretty sure I would have been angry but he wasn't so he is definitely a bigger person than I am. The hotel had a bus that left to downtown Tokyo where there is a military resort called the New Sanno which is where we were headed. When we got to the hotel we immediately headed out to explore since our room wasn't ready for check in yet. We walked around the neighborhood, visited a local bakery, and stepped foot unto a beautiful park. Figuring out how to maneuver the stroller around the park was a mission but we had NO IDEA what kind of maneuvering was awaiting us later on. After exploring we went back to the hotel, had lunch and checked in. Cai at this point was ready for a nap so we laid him down and continued the exploring after resting for a bit. This time we headed to the metro and took it to the Tokyo Tower. Using the metro system in Tokyo is a mission on its own, with a baby on a stroller it's mission impossible!! But we did it! Cori and I would both take a side and carry Cai up and down all the metro stairs as if he were a king. It was a sight to see and some Japanese people were clearly annoyed that we would bring a stroller to the metro and interrupt their precise walking flow during rush hour. OUR BAD! The minute we arrived there I immediately regretted the idea. I am not terrified of heights but I don't enjoy them in the least bit. Cori of course wanted to go to the highest point and that is what we ended up doing. I was extremely nervous but managed fine. Cai was loving it and enjoying the views. I can't believe how huge Tokyo is! Talk about a massive city. It's insane! On our way back from the tower we ran into a german restaurant where we had a beer and some fries.
The next morning we headed out after ordering some room service for breakfast and waiting for Cai to have his morning nap. By this point we were faster and more efficient at carrying the stroller around the metro. We made our way to the Imperial Palace and one of the biggest shrines in Tokyo. It was a fun day of A LOT of walking. We also went to Roppongi district which is basically a massive shopping mall full of restaurant and shops. All I wanted to eat was a blooming onion from Outback Steakhouse and I finally got my wish. Cori tried to change my mind by saying " we can eat Outback anytime...." and I said "no, we can eat sushi anytime in Okinawa. Who knows when we will be able to eat Outback again", I was right, so I had a blooming onion for dinner and I was happy :) We left the hotel the following morning and made our way back to Yokota Air Force Base and THAT was a mission. We had to switch metro stations and trains about 5 times and this time not only were we lugging Cai around but our luggage as well. We were sweating pretty bad and definitely tired but somehow we managed to get back in time to catch a flight back to Okinawa.
Even though our adventure was short it was worth it and I enjoyed every minute of it despite it really being more of an "adventure" than "fun". Life really does change when you have a kid and so does travelling. It doesn't make it less exciting, just a lot more different. I know I wouldn't change it for the world. As a matter of fact we will be exploring Thailand for two weeks next month. Thailand has always been on my list of places to visit and now is the time to do it since tickets are so cheap leaving from Okinawa. I will update the blog later after our Thailand adventure.
Sorry I haven't been keeping up with this as much as I should but know that you guys are always in our thoughts and we miss you tons!!
The Bemis Clan
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