Friday, October 4, 2013

High Five For Friday 10/4

Hello again Friday. How did you get here so fast? If you checked out our double high five for Friday last week, you saw how crazy our week was! This week was a lot more mellow, which I am not complaining about!


{ONE}
Typhoon Fitrow is headed towards us as we speak. In case you didn't know (which I did not before we got the the island), a typhoon is a hurricane in the Pacific ocean. We have never been through a typhoon before, so we are a bit uneasy. I've been told that I will be rethinking wanting an ocean view. Luckily, Jake likes to be prepared. We have about 7 boxes of MREs. I don't think we will go hungry if the power goes out, but I REALLY hope it doesn't come to that. He also prepared the "bugout bag," I'm pretty sure you are supposed to stay inside for a typhoon, so I doubt we will be "bugging out."

I have been running around filling up water jugs, getting non-perishables at the store, putting batteries in flashlights, and bringing in our outdoor furniture. These things are known to pick up cars, so I hope my teeny tiny Will is safe (I've named him Will.I.Am in case you were wondering).  And in most recent news, another one is headed our way Tuesday as well. This one is predicted to go right over the island.

{Two}
I've started a garden! We have always lived in apartments and have moved around a lot. Now that we have a yard and will be settled awhile, I wanted to start growing some veggies and such. Inside I have a few pots of herbs. Outside I have a lemon tree, which seems to be doing great. I also have a tomato plant that may take a long time to produce anything. In another pot I have green onions, some sort of leafy green, eggplant, and cucumber. Those are all not doing very well. I will be honest, I have no idea what I am doing. That's what google is for, right? Any advice from the gardeners out there?

{Three}
I don't ever post selfies, but there is a reason behind this one. I finally have a reason the get out of my yoga pants and put a real outfit on. I got a job! Now before you get all excited, it's just teaching English to local children for about 4 hours a week. It is not a full-time job and I definitely won't be bringing home the bacon. On the other hand, I am so excited for it! I will get to be teaching, at least, and it will be a great experience!

{Four}
I have started back on my strict clean eating habits again. I will share how clean eating has changed my life in later posts. It was near impossible to eat as clean as I wanted during our transition. I wasn't feeling great and was so ready to get back on track! My days of course start out with a green smoothie. I am grateful I can still find all of my ingredients here. I also made two really great meals this week; BBQ cauliflower salads and zucchini nachos. I loved them both! Jake has even begrudgingly jumped on the clean eating train, not without some wishful thinking that there would be tortilla chips with his nachos instead of zucchini.

{Five}
I finally solved the curtain debacle after 5 trips to the store! It was quite the ordeal. Thankfully, they already have rails with rings attached to the sliding glass doors in our house. The curtains in the stores come with clips for the easiest curtain install ever! I'm glad I didn't have to worry about drilling holes and hanging rods. I did, however, have a hard time figuring out what sizes would work. The packages were in Japanese so I could not figure out what was happening. Some sizes came with a set of curtains and some only came with one panel. We would get home to hang them up and there would only be one or it would be too short. It's all figured out now and we can finally stop getting dressed in our closet so people don't see us. This living in a foreign country thing is exciting, but definitely is not absent of struggles. 

Lastly, I wanted to share my Friday letters with you, just cause I need to rant

Dear J.Crew Factory, sorry we can't be besties anymore. I really do miss you, but I am not an online shopping kinda girl. I need to try on your clothes to see if my weird shaped body actually works in them. You do not exist here in Japan, so it may be awhile. My bank account is not sorry, though.
Dear Target, how I dream of you at night. I wish I could hop in my car, visit you, and spend hours roaming through your aisles. I hear through the blogging world about all the new wonderful things you have and it makes me sad. We may meet online soon, though. Dear cable TV, you are so, so missed. I've tried to be cultured and find new things to enjoy, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to watch you. I missed the season premieres of Glee and Grey's Anatomy, and cannot get them here in Japan. We may have to find a way to meet again soon! Dear Okinawan drivers, why must you park in the middle of traffic. I do not like having to drive an obstacle course everyday. Dear typhoon Fitow, please be easy on us. I have never met your kind before and I am not sure what to expect. Thank you in advanced. 
Signed, Mackenzie

Hope you have a great weekend. We will just be here snuggled up waiting for this thing to pass!




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We Took the Road Less Traveled

8 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that I found your blog, via High Five for Friday! Who knew about all these wonderful "Friday" events going on around the web?! Not I, said the fly!

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  2. That's awesome you have a job, even if it is for only a few hours a week. At least it will give you a chance to wear more cute outfits like you did above! :)

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  3. Hey Mackenzie!

    Hope you and your hubby Jake make it safely through the typhoon and that its is merciful! Good luck with the gardening.. I'm not the best either, I bought a basil plant thinking I could keep it "alive". Sadly, it's dead.. I look at it saddened, thinking "I should have left you at the store, you would've survived there." I live in an apartment though and it is hard to place it under proper sunlight. No balcony either :( Congratulations on your new job! It's nice to just have something to give us a purpose, make us feel moderately useful so best of luck. :) Hopefully, the kids are well behaved because they can be a handful.

    Have fun eating clean and making it through the typhoon!
    -Iva

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  4. Just found your blog through 5 on Friday! Good luck with the clean eating, I've always wanted to try it but am terrified to jump right in! Have a great weekend, and stay safe during the typhoon!

    Ashley
    http://monogramsandmargaritasblog.blogspot.com

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  5. Just found your blog from the link up! Very cool you're living in Japan but I'm sure it's tough being away from your family! Living in SC we are in a hurricane path so I know what you're going through with getting stuff ready! Luckily we haven't had a big one in 24 years but they always get close every year! Hopefully the typhoon won't do too much damage and will pass by quickly! I'm with ya on the clean eating! Needs to start ASAP!

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  6. Well, I'll keep you guys in prayer that the typhoons don't do any damage! Congrats on the teaching position. Teaching is such an emotionally rewarding job. And have you tried watching Glee and Grey's online? Maybe a subscription to Netflix or Hulu could be another solution?

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  7. Yikes! Hoping the typhoon isn't too much trouble for you! What an adventure living in Japan! Although, I don't know if I could part with my Target.. seriously, it's like an addiction. Have a great weekend and stay safe :)

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  8. Hi Mackenzie! I found your blog via the blog hop. I hope the typhoon doesn't cause too much damage. And congrats on your teaching job!

    Bailey
    BecomingBailey.com
    PS I'm from Kentucky too! I go to Murray State.

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I'd love to hear what you have to say!