High Five For Friday 3/21

Last week I pushed myself to the limits, staying up late and doing nothing but working, and then staying out late with friends on the weekend. I was feeling fine and the lack of sleep didn't seem to be bothering me that much, so I kept pushing on. This week, it finally caught up to me and real bad. I have been super tired and now I am sick. My immune system hasn't adjusted to all of the germs that come along with elementary school kids yet I guess. And then on Thursday, I had one of those days where everything seems to not go right. I woke up late, Lexie was sick, I got my key stuck in my front door, and then later that night as I was making meatballs, I spilled them all over my oven and floor. As I looked at my wonderful meatballs in pieces all over my oven, I wanted to cry. But instead, I just sat down and laughed. I mean really?? How do you drop your meatballs everywhere? Thankfully, I had a whole tray of perfect meatballs, and they were delicious. But here is how the rest of my week played out.

{one}

Last week I bought a juicer off of someone on the Craigslist-type website here. That website is awesome because all the Americans here use it and you can find so many great things on it. I got the juicer for $15. It was old but had only ever been used once. I have been drinking juices all week but I am looking for more recipes, so if you have a good one, please share! My current juice is carrot, cucumber, kale, spinach, apple, lemon and ginger. It is pretty tasty. But I will tell you one thing, juicing is not cheap. 

{two}

I had to give our inherited class pets a bath the other day. I hadn't ever really paid much attention to them, they are just hermit crabs found at the beach here and they just kind of sit around and eat stale popcorn. When I was getting them out to give them a bath, I discovered there were 25 of them. 25! It was so interesting to see them climbing all over each other. 

{three}

I love living in the more rural area part of the island. Most people live down towards the more populated area of the island and where there is a concentration of bases, where as we live further out where everything is more spread out and quiet. Every day when I am driving home from work on cute little back roads, I see the local farmers out tending to their crops and the bull trainers taking their bulls for a walk. It is so fun to see how daily life plays out here. 

{four}

With all of the birthdays and special events, teaching has not been good for my clean eating. I really couldn't resist when a student brought in red velvet(my favorite) cupcakes for their birthday. I have been making some yummy, clean meals for dinner. My two favorite recipes this week:

Baked turkey quinoa spinach meatballs (These were THE meatballs that fell all over the oven. But they are absolutely delicious and my newest obsession)

Quinoa Pad Thai

It wouldn't be a favorite meal without quinoa!

{five}

Today Jake and I have been together for 6 years (and married for almost 2). SAY WHAT? That seems like forever. So cliche, but I can't wait for the many years to come. 

This picture was exactly 6 years ago. I share this picture all of the time, but it is my very favorite, so I probably won't ever stop. I knew that day something exciting and real was starting, but I never knew we would be where we are today. Love you Jake!

Have a good weekend!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie

Here's To 23

{one}

It's my birthday! I am the big 2-3. What an in-between year. I feel like it is kind of one of those random years, one that you may forget about later in life. But I am still excited to see what 23 has in store for me and I am in such an exciting stage of life, there is no way it can't be great. . 22 was such wonderful year. I started it with wonderful friends, jamming in the car to Taylor Swift's 22. I wasn't that excited for my birthday this year, not because I don't care or anything, I just have other stuff going on, and Jake isn't here to celebrate. But, I always love an excuse to have friends together and do something slightly out of the ordinary, so I'm going to make the best of it.

{two}

I drive past this cute little flower shop every day. I thought today was a perfect opportunity to stop. The ladies at the shop were the cutest and helped me make a bouquet. I have had a flower obsession lately. They make the house smell so good and make me smile when I see them. 

{three}

Getting to Skype with this cute guy was the highlight of my day! The end of this exercise can't come soon enough. It has been difficult to talk, FaceTime, etc. because he hasn't had service. We have both been complaining about it, but finally I told Jake that we should just be thankful that we get to talk at all. I know there are other spouses out there that don't get to hear from their husbands for a month at a time. I am trying to be a bit more appreciative that I at least hear from my husband once a day. 

{four}

Another highlight of my day was my students. I finished my first week teaching full time. It had its good moments and difficult moments, but I absolutely love it. When I chose teaching as a profession, I did it because I wanted to be excited to go to work every day when I wake up. Even though I have been somewhat exhausted this week, I have never dreaded going into work and can honestly say I was excited about each day. This morning the students came in a gave me presents. A lot of presents I could tell they had dug out of the bottom of their backpack, like old valentines candy and princess bracelets, but it's the thought that counts, right? It is also notes like these that make it all worth it.

{five}

My brain is too fried for five whole things this week. I am so ready for a weekend of fun with friends. I may work a bit. just to do some finishing decorating touches on my classroom and a bit of lesson planning, but I think I earned some fun this weekend. And some sleep. 

Have a good weekend!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie

High Five For Friday 3/7

This week has been a bit hectic, but I like it like that. I spent the week learning about the classroom I am taking over. I feel pretty good about it and can't wait to start!

{one}

This week, I have stayed up way past my bedtime perusing pinterest for teaching ideas. One of my favorite parts about teaching is planning lessons. It is extremely time consuming, but I like finding engaging ideas and watching the students get excited about something I have planned. I know students learn better when they are engaged and having fun. I have found some great ideas and I am so ready to start implementing them. 

There is this cool site where teachers can upload their lessons, power points, games, etc., and get paid for them. It is like a Etsy for teachers. There are tons a free items on the site as well. It is so awesome how many resources are out there to make teaching a bit easier.

{two}

This weekend I am getting my classroom together. I remember the first time I walked into the 100 yen($1) store here. I thought to myself, "this is a teacher's paradise." So I was so excited to go in this week and stock up on goodies. All of the bins and things make this little organizer one happy girl! I got all of this stuff for $50. Okinawa for the win!

{three}

I finally got my haircut this week. My hair grows extremely fast, which most would like, but I don't. All growing up I liked my hair super long. Last year I cut it short, well short for me, and now I don't want it to be long. I think it looks more mature and healthier. But, if I don't cut my hair every two months, it gets very long. I love a good haircut. It makes it feel so fresh and healthy. 

{four}

Thursday evening was my last day teaching English to local children. I was sad to say goodbye, but I just couldn't continue to do it any longer due to my new job. I will share more on it later, but for now, how cute is this little guy who wanted to take a picture with me!

It is not a stereotype, they love the peace sign here!

{five}

In celebration of my last day and two weeks with no sweets, I bought myself some macaroons from my favorite little spot close to the Japanese school I teach at. It is an hour away from my house, so I figured I wouldn't have an excuse to stop much longer. They are seriously the best macaroons I have ever eaten!

 Hope you have a great weekend! I will be instead working on my classroom all weekend!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie

High Five For Friday 2/28 + Giveaway

This week I had a couple of days off to get some stuff done before I start working full time. It was much needed, as it is hard to run errands when some places are only open 9-5. I was able to get our taxes done, do some projects around the house, do yard work, walk to dog lots, and do lots of blogging. I was also able to get our JCI done for one of our cars. A JCI is the Japanese Compulsory Insurance. It is an insurance and tax that comes with an allover inspection of the vehicle once every two years. It is a dreaded process here in Japan because you can end up paying a ton of money to get little things fixed in your car. It is not fun, but it is also what keeps cars in such good shape here. I was worried about it because our car is a 1998. I was sure that it was going to have tons of problems and take a few days and a good chunk of change to figure out. Thankfully, it only had one minor, inexpensive fix and took less than 2 hours to finish the entire process. I am thankful to be done with it and not have to deal with it again for awhile!

Here is what else is going on this week:

{one}

The only good thing about Jake being gone(besides less laundry and a cleaner house) is that I can eat whatever I want. I don't have to buy all of the junk food he craves or work hard to plan healthy meals that he will enjoy. The minute he was out of the door, I threw out everything in the entire house that is not conducive to my clean eating plan. I plan on eating clean 3 meals a day for 5 days a week while he is gone. I am going to start it out with the Dr. Oz 3 day cleanse starting tomorrow. I am going to do a full review on how it went as soon as I'm finished. Wish me luck!

Threw all of this out or gave it away. It felt so refreshing!

Oh and remember this post last week?? Well I worked out every day this week and plan on going to cycling in the morning. Who the heck am I? Let's just see if I can stay motivated!

{two}

One of my favorite things to do is run errands. I just love having a list, running around doing things, and crossing things off my list. I love being able to wander around stores and take my time getting things done. That is one of the main things I miss about not working during the day (along with binge watching shows on Netflix). I kind of felt like I was running around like a crazy person this week trying to get all of my errands done. I did have time to meet up with a new friend I have met from this wonderful thing we call blogging at a curry place she wanted me to try. It was fabulous and I always love meeting new people! I was also able to try to Sakura Chocolate Cream from the Starbucks here. I avoid Starbucks here on the island because it is super expensive and the drinks are really small. Sakura is a unique seasonal flavor to Japan, though, so I thought it would be a fun experience to try it. Sakura is cherry blossom and is really popular here around this time. It was pretty good, but very sweet. I could barely drink 1/3 of it. It was fun to try, but I probably won't be getting it again any time soon. Not to mention, the tall was almost $5!

{three}

This week I found out that our wedding was featured on the Kentucky Bride Magazine website. It was so fun to see our special day featured! Go check it out HERE! 

{four}

Yesterday I announced that I am now accepting sponsorships. I already have some wonderful ladies up on my sidebar that I am so excited to be working with! I have one swap spot left and lots of other openings. Go check out my sponsor page for more information!  

{five}

Recently, I met Elora, who blogs over at Out My Front Door.  Her blog is so interesting and unique. She shares interviews with travelers, authors, and sellers, as well as personal posts and photography. She also has an awesome Etsy shop, Transcendence Designs, where she sells travel-inspired jewelry that she makes. Her love of many different cultures and trends inspires her creations. She has lots of wonderful bead and seashell earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Seashells can always win me over! Go check out her shop, she is offering 50% off right now. She is also generous enough to offer a set of Nomad earrings to one lucky winner. Enter using the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie

High Five For Friday 2/21

This week flew by thanks to the lovely 3 day weekend! Monday was quite an adventure and if you follow on twitter you may been able to guess what happened.

{one}

We finally made it to the steak house near our base we have been hearing about. We had been wanting to go for lunch since it was half the price as dinner, so a day off was the perfect time. The steakhouses here are the typical Japanese steak house you find in the states. They cook the food in front of you on a large grill. The only difference is that the food is 10 times better. Jake and I both got the steak set. It came with soup, salad, rice, and vegetables. It has turned into our new favorite restaurant! 

{two}

So on twitter I had posted a picture of our little mishap the other day. Jake loves to off-road, like I have said before. He is always looking for trails to take his car on. The other day we were walking on the beach and he saw tire tracks. He decided it was a good idea to drive his car around on the beach. Everything was going great, until we were getting ready to leave and we heard a loud noise. Sure enough, Jake's tire had popped. We had a spare, but the car is a 98', so the lug nuts were rusted on. Thanks to help from the friends we were with, they were able to get the tire changed. Lesson learned? I don't think so. 

{three}

And here are some pictures of our fun Monday before the tire fiasco happened 

{four}

And this is what we ate this week

Sunday: Hotdogs and s'mores (give us a break, we were camping)

Monday: Pork Loin, mashed cauliflower, carrots

Tuesday: Salmon and grilled cabbage

Wednesday: Grilled chicken and mac and cheese quinoa

Thursday: pork chop quinoa pasta (aka random things thrown in a pot)

{five}

I tweeted that there are some exciting things happening over this way in my real life and my blogging life. I don't mean to be a tease, but I will share soon enough!!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie

High Five For Friday - Valentine's Edition

Happy day of love everyone!

{one}

I like Valentine's Day. I always have. I loved the cool little mailboxes you got to make in elementary school and taking hours to pick out which valentine to give who so that your crush wouldn't figure out you like him. My mom's birthday is on Valentine's Day, so she always loved the holiday as well. She would make sure that we had a little present and candy. And our house was always decorated with hearts and pinks and reds in February. 

It really bugs me that people bash it so much. And it's people who are single and in a relationship. Why so critical of love?? Yes, I know it is commercialized, but every major holiday is. I know that there shouldn't be just one day to tell someone you love them, but why not give a little extra love on a particular day. And I know that sometimes people who are single don't enjoy being around lovey dove couples, and that's understandable. But Valentine's Day is so much more than that. It is to celebrate love in the world, a day for people to celebrate all of their relationships; friends, family, etc. Or to even celebrate the love you have for yourself. Eat some chocolate, wear pink, take a bubble bath,  tell your family you love them, and enjoy a day that promotes giving and being kind. Not to mention all of the best movies come out on Valentine's Day.

Jake and I aren't huge celebrators of holidays in general. We don't buy big, expensive gifts or make huge gestures. In all the the Valentine's Days we have had, we haven't even been to a fancy restaurant. We take the time to write a heartfelt letter, cook a slightly fancier dinner, and always indulge in some chocolate. I wouldn't have it any other way. Happy Vday Dear. 

{two}

I was so excited for Valentine's Day at the school I work at today. I was excited to see the kids excited about giving to others and how happy it made them. Kids really can be sweet sometimes. They even thought of their sub, me, Mrs. Bell! I took advantage of the opportunity to make goodies and baked some red velvet cupcakes for Jake to take to work and made sugar cookies for my students. Sugar overload for sure. 

{three}

Bonnie and Taylor had a great linkup yesterday and I might be a little late but I didn't want to miss out. So why Jake and I work??

We work because I am outgoing and loud and don't get embarrassed easily while Jake is reserved.

We work because we both have goals and dreams and encourage each other. We celebrate each others' success and tell each other it is going to be ok during our failures. 

We work because we are both obsessed with a snuggly little mutt named Lexie.

We work because we make each other laugh and know how to cheer each other up.

We work because we can fight and get over it in .5 seconds.

We work because we do small, meaningful things just because.

We work because snuggling is both of our favorite things to do. 

We work because we make each other better and we are always trying to be the best spouse we can be.

We work because I worry a lot and can be super moody, while Jake is laid back and happy all of the time. We balance each other out and he always reminds me to be happy.

We work because we know the other one isn't perfect.

We work because we challenge each other and are feisty.

We work because we love each other more than anything in the world and both strive to make our marriage a beautiful one. 

{four}

Ok, corny moment over. Onto a serious note, I got an email from my secret admirer and it was pretty exciting. Sorry, Jcrew, it's no secret I am your admirer. This little sale came at just the right time and I was able to grab a few things hanging out in my shopping cart. Oh you don't go on your favorite website and put everything you want into the cart and just let it sit there?? You are missing out!

{five}

Speaking of reasons why Jake and I work, one reason is because I cook him wonderful dinners every night, and in return, he is always so appreciative. I have been making an effort to cook healthy meals at least 5 nights a week. It gets harder and harder to come up with healthy, yummy, and new meals. This weeks meals, though, were some of my favorite! Here is what we had:

Sunday: Pork chops, roasted veggies and potatoes on the grill

Monday: Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

Tuesday: Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Wednesday: Quinoa Pasta Chicken Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese

Thursday: Healthy Burrito Bowls (Chicken, corn, black beans, quinoa, avocado, 2% milk cheese)

I think these meals will be on repeat for awhile!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day. I hope you eat lots of candy, enjoy the company of others, or treat yourself to something nice. 

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie

High Five For Friday 02/07

Nothing too exciting going on here this week. I worked the whole week and ended the week feeling exhausted. I guess I'm still adjusting to being busy again.

{one}

I subbed at the high school one day this week. It was fun to get a little bit of a different perspective and deal with different issues besides hitting, untied shoes, and booboos. It was so funny to remember how high schoolers act. I had forgotten how flirtatious they are, flirting with each other every chance they get. I also forgot how they are always trying to act cool or be funny. It made me kind of miss high school, where a math test or who was dating who was the biggest problem.

Here's a little gem from our high school days. I can't until our future children are going to prom and we can show them this picture. 

{two}

I got this super cute journal for christmas. I filled up my last one, so I was excited to finally get this one out. It makes my little list-loving heart happy!

{three}

It was disappointing that after a week of perfect weather, we went back to cold and rainy. I guess I can't complain with all that is going on with the weather in the states. Lexie had been getting daily walks, so she was sad it was so rainy this week. I even found her lying next to my tennis shoes. 

{four}

Jake and I finally tried the southern food grill on one of the bases on the island. We thought we would never get sick of the food here, but we finally were ready for some good ole' American food. We were in heaven! The mac and cheese and mashed potatoes and gravy were fabulous. Jake had the ribs and he was just so happy he inhaled every bite. We definitely make an effort to try out local restaurants and eat local foods, but sometimes we just need a southern comfort meal. 

Meal complete with mason jar

 {five}

Lastly, thank you SO much to all of those who made the link-up on Wednesday such a success. I absolutely loved reading everyones' posts. It made me so happy to see everyone in the link-up visiting and commenting on each others blogs. It reminded me why I love the blogging community so much.

Have a good weekend!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie

High Five For Friday 01/31 + Link-up Announcement

This week was my first full week subbing. I really love it and it is definitely one of the best jobs I've ever had. I feel like I get lots of the perks of teaching, such as interacting with the students and teaching the lessons, without having to deal with the stressful stuff. Of course, I can't wait to have my own classroom, but this job has been perfect for me right now. I also love having a routine. Thursday I subbed all day, drove an hour to my English class, taught for 2 hours, then sat in traffic for 2 hours home, which got me home at 8, then I cooked dinner. It reminded me of my hectic college years and I kind of enjoyed it. I am definitely the type of person who likes to be extremely busy. That being said, I have forgotten how I balanced things back then, which means the blog got slightly neglected this week. How do all of you with full-time jobs keep up with your blog?? Please share!

{one}

While we are on the subject of blogging, I wanted to announce the What's In A Name link-up I will be hosting next week! As I was writing a post about the meaning behind the name Bell Bliss, I started to get curious about the meaning behind the name of all of the blogs I love. I thought it would be fun to read about how everyones' blog name came about. So write a post about the name of your blog and come back next Wednesday, February 5th, to link-up. Even if there isn't some exciting story behind your blog name, I would still love to hear your inspiration. I can't wait to read all of your posts!

{two}

Have I mentioned how much I love the food in Okinawa?? It's not just the typical Japanese like ramen and sushi(which I love), but the food at the little cafes is amazing too! I went to lunch with a friend at our very favorite place, Transit Cafe. It is hard to find good salads at the restaurants here, but this cafe has one. Of course before we eat our salads we always get the cheese fondue. And it's pretty much the most amazing thing I've ever put in my mouth. Cheese is my favorite food group(yes, food group), so I have dreams about this fondue.

The other night I went to dinner with some girls at a curry place, A-Danny. I had been wanting to go to one because I heard the curry in Okinawa is fabulous, but Jake hates curry so I haven't really had the opportunity. I fell in LOVE with the curry restaurant we went to. It was hands down my favorite meal since moving to Okinawa. The cheese naan was so great dipped in the spinach and chicken curry. I would eat there every single day if I could!

{three}

I know that those people experiencing the polar vortex, so basically everyone except those in Cali, are not going to want to hear this next one. The weather here this week has been absolutely incredible. The perfect temperature, sunny, and not humid at all. I wish it could stay like this all year long. Jake got home before sunset one night this week, which was the first time that has happened in months, so we took advantage of it and headed to the beach. It was a beautiful night and reminded me how simple and perfect life is on this little island. Lexie decided to dig holes in the sand, which she has never done before, so we are now scared there is a dead body or something buried at our beach. Or maybe it was just a sea creature burrowing, but that's not as interesting. 

Since the weather was so great, I also decided to show my friend the little beach we always go to. She appreciated the beauty just as much as I do. It was fun searching for shells and sea glass and talking about how beautiful Okinawa is. I will never get used to the amazing colors of the water. We both decided we hope we never take this place or this opportunity for granted.

{four}

Today we also discovered a new grocery store! It is so nice to have the commissary with all of the American products, but it is also nice to have the local markets with all of the awesome fresh food. I have been getting all local produce and it has been so fresh and tasty. The chicken is some of the best I have ever tasted. They have higher standards of meat here, which I appreciate, even if they do eat weird parts of the animal. I also got fresh shrimp and fish to cook for super cheap! Joys of living on an island. Jake's favorite is the to-go sushi trays, way fresher than the ones you find at the grocery store in the states!

{five}

We hadn't plugged our TV in since we moved here almost 5 months ago (wow, cannot believe we have already been here that long). That doesn't not mean we haven't watched anything, since we our on our iPads and computers nightly watching all of our shows. It has been nice not having the TV be the center of our living room, but we decided we missed the nights where we sit together on the couch and watch a show together. Since cable is not an option for us in our off-base house, we decided to get an apple TV. Best $100 investment ever. We can watch Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and so much more. We can also play anything from our iPhones, iPads, or computers wirelessly on our TV. The other day I got to watch the UK basketball game on our TV and it was beautiful! We are slowly learning the ins and outs of life in another country. 

I definitely appreciate the weekend a lot more again now that I am working almost full time. Most people here have Monday off since the Super Bowl is on Monday morning. We are still learning all of the little adjustments we have to make in this new country, such as the Super Bowl not being on "Super Bowl Sunday." Each day here definitely brings a new experience. Happy weekend everyone!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie