The Bottom Line

This past week alone I've read more pitiful status updates and sad attempts at attention about how he/she just wants life to be good, fun, happy, and stable. 

Or how complicated their life is. 

oh whoa is me....

blah. 

blah. blah!

Well WAKE-UP life is unpredictable, short, and down right messy at times. 

Life (noun): the course of existence or sum of experiences and actions that constitute a person's existence.

Therefore I have a few rules that I live by...

Think intelligently (not emotionally) about issues and decisions. 

Take chances. 

And don't put up with anything you don't deserve. 

Enough said. 

Planting New Seeds!

Spring break is definitely Oh-ver!!
Just ask the bags under my eyes....

Needless to say, after my {heavenly} spring break...
I'm feeling a bit drained this week. 

No more waking up when my body feels like it. 

No more extra time to keep the laundry at bay. 

No more running errands in the middle of the day when everyone else is at work...
siggghhh...

And WHY do I work?!?!

Oh yes... 

To feed my endless need for anything shiny, sparkly, and cute! 

_____________________________________
A good thing came out of some sunshine this week:

Despite not having a green thumb...

I'm attempting a balcony "garden" 

(a.k.a. 3 pathetic potted plants)

for the 3rd season in a row. 

I have a good feeling about these plants.

They look hearty. (They need to be if they are on MY balcony). 

Especially since they are planted in the same pots they saw me pull out the brown, dead, lifeless plants that previously resided on the balcony..

so.sooo.sad. 

seriously..please pity me 

&

pity my pitiful attempt at beautifying my concrete balcony!!

______________________________________________________

On a completely different note:

Did I mention that I'm helping to coach some girls soccer??

No??

I am !!

and loving every minute of it! 

Let's bring it back to highschool..

not-so long ago, actually. 

I played for YEARS! 

Now flash forward to college...

[Let's hear it for New Yoooorrkk!]

At a small minuscule Catholic College, CMSV.

I played my first season of college soccer there...

(We even won our conference championship against Staten Island!)

Sadly - NYC didn't last long...

I transferred back to community college to be closer to family. 

[Which ended up in my favor since The Hubby and I met there]

[[AND I was able to spend the last 2 years of my fathers life with him.]]

{Everything happens for a reason}

Okay, back to soccer...

I can guarantee if I stayed at private school, I would have continued to play soccer for another 3 seasons and built my way up to a mildly successful stint as an athlete [relatively speaking, of course!].

So I'm back on the field, not as a player, but as Coach Kate. 

yea...they call me that. 

yes... I love it! 

And I'm slowly reminding my muscles what it feels like to be in "soccer" shape. 

Yikes! 

Dear Muscles,

I'm going to take the opportunity to apologize, in advance, for the MAJOR pain you will undergo as I push through the drills to regain your memory on exactly HOW to run up and down the field, while dribbling a stupid ball....

p.s. Is muscle memory just a myth? If not, what can I do to boost your memory?

Forever In-debted, 

(Coach) Kate.  

_________________________________________________

Now I'm off to enjoy the weekend...

Which includes hosting a baby shower

(well baby "sprinkle" - its her 3rd!)

for a special someone. 

Could it be this cute preggo?

Happy Weekend-ing!!

Homesickness.

This post addresses the very bane of my existence...

Feeling Homesick. 

(okay.. that was a bit melodramatic...)

But feeling homesick and not being able to afford the money (or time) to go home is 

profoundly annoying!!!

It ebbs and flows. 

It comes and goes. 

But never the less, it's a rotten time for people around me. 

I'm miserable. 

Mostly because it is no longer Winter.

(I'm never homesick for Upstate NY during Winter..)

I am, convientently, homesick during Spring..

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TIME TO BE IN JAPAN! 

And it is one of my last two here.

Do you see this flower???

[how could I be longing to go back to muddy, rainy NY spring weather?]

*Not that it's been any nicer here...

it's April and I could see my breath today...*

Yikes!

_________________________________________

Dear Universe, 

I no longer find it funny. 

Please take my nostalgia away.

p.s. Money should grow on trees.... 

(maybe submit that at the next faculty meeting with Mother Nature)

Love, 

Someone who caught the homesick bug.
_____________________________________________

Happy Weekending!

Please Read Me!

I didn't even know how to title the post. Seeing as it has been so long. 

So, just in case you weren't paying attention, I made a desperate attempt at provoking excitement about this lack-luster post....(te-he).

Hello, My name is Kate.

And I'm addicted to my Spring Break. 

[Reason numero uno for not blogging....]

I can't say that I've been having writer's block because... 

I haven't even tried... 

I know what it is....

I've had idea-block.

I don't even know where to start any of my (slightly pathetic) attempts at posting...

So here I am... begging for forgiveness from my loyal readers (yet again). 

You don't hate me yet do you??? 

I'm fearing that you are staring at my picture and thinking...

Yeah, Kate - actually I do. 

hehe. 

I know ya'll are too kind....

and very forgiving. 

You deserve a million Thank-You(s)!! 

 [Photo taken by Kim]

So where have I been? Why haven't I been blogging? 

What happened to Blog #2?

Let's answer those (very good) questions in order. 

First, I've been here on base (on my spring break), very homesick. 

[Wanna know a secret? A very pathetic secret?]

I was wishing I was one of those rich,young, hot royals on VH1  

or at least friends with one of them.

  So I could borrow their private jets to fly home. 

I would even borrow one of their yachts and boat home...

Yea - I'm that desperate. haha. 

[I told you it was pathetic....]

[Picnic @ Showa Park, Tachikawa, Japan]

Second, I haven't been blogging. 

It's not such a big secret. 

I'm slightly stuck.

What is there to blog about? 

Do you even like to read about my little (very homesick) life in Japan? 

I'll be around more often. 

(promises..promises..)

Third, Blog #2 has gotten away from me. 

I'm still personally on track with my weight-loss. 

I am utilizing many Japanese techniques to stay slim. 

And I'm taking a very direct American attitude. 

..particularly towards the excess that has accumulated 

around my middle section...

(and rear...). 

I just don't know how to spark motivation, when I can barely motivate myself. 

I'm working it all out!

I'm not giving up on it..

just trying to find some direction. 

I'll let you know here (on this blog) when I find that direction... 

OK??

Oh - And...Just in case you were wondering....

(I'm sure you were...)

I strategically placed photos in this post to keep your interest!

I will stoop to such a level!

 [My Japanese Teacher with the ladies!]

Did it work?

No? dang.

Weekend Getaway.

I jumped at the opportunity to get away for a couple days. 

Not only getaway from city life...

but to get off base and lose myself in the scenery of the mountains 

(and in the company of great friends!). 

I hope everyone had a great weekend. 

Here are a few highlights from mine...

I will write about the festival as soon as possible. 

[As soon as I find the words to describe this event.]

What a great weekend!

sigghhh...

Have a Happy Monday!

Uh-Oh!

There is a dollar or two in the Japanese sewer system.

Today while I was flushing...
a dollar (or two dollars?) fell out of my back pocket.

opps!

I stood there staring at the money...

in the toilet. 

awww Man! 

Thankfully, it wasn't a $20!!

Hows that for looking on the bright side??

This week is exercise week on base. 

What does that mean?

Grown men get to play war for a few days. 

Only its serious stuff. Super stressful for the airmen. 

[The Hubby and I have been on complete opposite schedules. He works from 5pm-5/6 am. Thank goodness he returns to days so we can resume our positions as the 5th and 6th judges on American Idol.]

But....

I found a way to make chemical warfare gear fabulous:

Add a pretty scarf and waist-cinching belt! 

How about I submit this into the Air Force for new uniform considerations?? 

Is it Friday yet?? 

The Itch

I'm going to expand on the subtopic from yesterday about my itch to take care of something.
I have gotten a lot of comments/emails/messages about it.

So let me clarify.
I'm not having the baby itch. I do not want to get pregnant and I am not ready to take care of a child.

I do however have the itch to expand our family to include
a pet.  

A dog, more precisely.

I've had dreams about my dog, the same way my mother did with our dogs...

Strange? maybe. 

We have to wait. Currently, we are living under a signed contract that forbid furballs. Despite the fact that people clearly have pets in this building we decided to wait until our next assignment. So we will wait. By next summer though we will have a puppy (atleast that is my hope!).

So - no worries (my dear family and bloggers) I am not preparing myself for an upcoming pregnancy.
I am, however, watching a lot of dog whisperer so I can be the best pack leader ever!