I miss shopping, like really miss it. I don't know, maybe it sounds shallow, but to me it's not as much about the buying part of shopping. I don't buy expensive clothes and most of the time I leave the store with absolutely nothing. To me, it is relaxing to wander around the aisles looking at things, getting ideas, and clearing my head. Hence my Target obsession.
This weekend, on the spur of the moment, we decided to head south with some friends and somehow ended up at the outlet mall. I had originally thought that it was going to be filled with the interesting Japanese stores I have been to at the malls with all the the trendy Asian clothes. I was surprised and ecstatic to find brands from all over the world, including some American stores. It was a beautiful outlet mall full of an assortment of great shops. I had been trying to have a no spend February, even though I did not buy one single item of clothing in January, but when I walked into the Gap outlet, I couldn't help myself. It felt so nice to wander around, pick things out, and try them on instead of just looking at pictures online. I was in heaven! The prices were also great! I got 4 shirts and a sweater for around $80. Jake and I joked that Gap was looking a lot like JCrew with it's patterned oxfords and chambrays, which I am definitely not complaining about. It was so great to get in our shopping fix, it felt like a miracle to find this wonderful shopping oasis! Maybe it's a good thing I hadn't found it sooner. And that it is not close to my house.
The next day, Jake's pizza itch still had not been scratched, so after we went over to the beach to make reservations at a campsite for next weekend, we headed to a pizza buffet, Ocean's Pizza, we had been wanting to try. It was like Cicis, but 20x better! The salad bar was my favorite part. They had the Japanese salad dressing that I die over! The pizza was also really good. They had typical flavors, but also had some with squid and seaweed on it. It is also very common to find corn on the pizza here. We left feeling very satisfied.
We spent the rest of the day running errands. We got a bunch of camping gear and are so excited to camp as much as possible while we are here. There are some great camping spots right on the beach. A lot of the camping grounds have cute little cabins, but we like to rough it and sleep in a tent. They also have started to get their spring/summer items in stock at our store here, so we finally bought a grill! I had been using my stove top grill, and it worked well, but it was hard to clean and smoked up the entire house. Jake immediately went home to set it up so we could throw some pork chops on. We are so excited to be able to grill whenever we want!
It may just be that the weekend is my only free time now, but they seem to be really good lately. This place has taught me a lot about the simplicity of life. I have learned to really enjoy the little things in life and treasure each moment. It is so much fun to find new restaurants, learn new things, and discover the little things about the culture here. And it sure has taught us to not take for granted the things we have back in the States.
This weekend, on the spur of the moment, we decided to head south with some friends and somehow ended up at the outlet mall. I had originally thought that it was going to be filled with the interesting Japanese stores I have been to at the malls with all the the trendy Asian clothes. I was surprised and ecstatic to find brands from all over the world, including some American stores. It was a beautiful outlet mall full of an assortment of great shops. I had been trying to have a no spend February, even though I did not buy one single item of clothing in January, but when I walked into the Gap outlet, I couldn't help myself. It felt so nice to wander around, pick things out, and try them on instead of just looking at pictures online. I was in heaven! The prices were also great! I got 4 shirts and a sweater for around $80. Jake and I joked that Gap was looking a lot like JCrew with it's patterned oxfords and chambrays, which I am definitely not complaining about. It was so great to get in our shopping fix, it felt like a miracle to find this wonderful shopping oasis! Maybe it's a good thing I hadn't found it sooner. And that it is not close to my house.
didn't buy anything in this beauty
After shopping and a quick snack, we headed to Kokusai Street to walk around. We forgot how interesting and vibrant Kokusai street is. We were still walking around when it started to get dark, and it is so pretty at night with all of the lights.
We often get food cravings that we have to fix and we don't stop talking about it until we do. Like last week when we were craving southern food. This week our craving was pizza. I found a little pizza place on our favorite Okinawa website, aka the Okinawa Bible, and somehow navigated us through the side streets to the cutest little place ever, Bacar. It was crowded and we didn't have reservations, but they let us sit at the bar. There were only two pizzas on the menu and a couple of appetizers. The pizza was made in two minutes right in front of us. The guy pulled out a box of fresh dough, topped it with really fresh ingredients, and threw it in the giant wood-burning oven. The pizza was great, but very expensive, so Jake left still hungry.
taco pizza, pepperoni, and beef/broccoli
We spent the rest of the day running errands. We got a bunch of camping gear and are so excited to camp as much as possible while we are here. There are some great camping spots right on the beach. A lot of the camping grounds have cute little cabins, but we like to rough it and sleep in a tent. They also have started to get their spring/summer items in stock at our store here, so we finally bought a grill! I had been using my stove top grill, and it worked well, but it was hard to clean and smoked up the entire house. Jake immediately went home to set it up so we could throw some pork chops on. We are so excited to be able to grill whenever we want!
Yes, Jake is grilling in the rain. It has been raining nonstop here. I think it might be rainy season, which I am not excited for. And yes, I put my rain boots on just to take this picture. Dedicated blogger right here.
It may just be that the weekend is my only free time now, but they seem to be really good lately. This place has taught me a lot about the simplicity of life. I have learned to really enjoy the little things in life and treasure each moment. It is so much fun to find new restaurants, learn new things, and discover the little things about the culture here. And it sure has taught us to not take for granted the things we have back in the States.
Linking up with Monday Morning Gossip
