Wow! It has been SOOO long since I have done a blog post and I am so sorry. I had the best of intentions to keep up the blogging, do lots of "second baby" prep work and just be overall really active on social media this summer. Alas, that did not happen.
A few things play into this, the first being that we listed our house back in July. At the time, we were thinking it was a good time to sell and to "get ready" for orders that may or may not come this year. Getting a house ready to sell is a lot of work, doing that work pregnant and with a 3 year old running around is near impossible. Since our house is still relatively new, it was some cosmetic and cleaning up work that we had to do. I am happy to report that after a month and a half on the market, we are under contract and awaiting our closing date, keep your fingers crossed!
Second was the fact that being pregnant while raising a toddler is HARD. I worked full time while I was pregnant with Luke, but this pregnancy has been some of the most tiring and draining days I have ever had. Ok, so Luke has slept really well for the past 2.5 years (like, really well) so I am not use to going on little sleep, but the naps that I have been taking during this pregnancy are epic. So good that there are many days where Luke wakes me up and let's me know that it is time for "Fireman Sam." I have gained more weight than I wanted to, but am still really active and getting in some good workouts at least 3 times a week so that is a plus. All in all, I am healthy, baby girl is healthy and Luke is still beyond excited about the addition so there is not much more I could want.
The military is funny because things can happen rather quickly. Sometimes you have an idea that something is coming and sometimes you have no idea. We have been trying to move for about two years now, not because we don't love Tucson, but because one of the benefits of living this military lifestyle is that you get the chance to live in places you would never have even thought about living. You can raise your kids in another country, you can live in a state that was never even on your radar (hello, Arizona) and you get to do it all while having some job security. Some may not agree but for us, those experiences is a huge reason we decided to make this a full career for Ryan.
So, when he received the email that we were headed to Kadena AFB we were thrilled! That's right in one month we will be headed to Japan to live for 4 years. Crazy, right?! We took a few days to process the information before telling anyone. We knew our family would have mixed emotions and honestly, we had mixed emotions. They wanted us there in November which was a few weeks before my due date, we hadn't sold our house, our dog would be no where near her finishing her quarantine period by the time we would arrive and most importantly this was a HUGE move. I also took a LONG time to announce to the blogging world our big move. This was for a lot of reasons. Things can always change in the military and mainly I was so busy and focused on getting everyone and everything ready for this move that it left very little time to do much of anything else.
On average you get 6-8 months to prepare for a move this big, we got a 2.5 month notice. There are medical things to do beforehand, there are passports to get, there is lots of money and lots of vet appointments involved to get your dog ready for the island and then throw in the fact that I am pregnant and we had to keep the house ready for showings. It was a wild month of July and August but I am happy to report that the house is under contract and the we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact the movers are here right now packing up all, OK half of our stuff, for the big move.
This blog has been so important to me for the past year and half. I kept it going through a 4 month deployment, which is a huge feat in itself, and I have been so happy to see how the recipes and the stories have helped people. I will continue to blog. Yes, you may see more traveling and military lifestyle posts, but I hope you stick around to see our life and adventures in Okinawa. The next few months will be sporadic posts, since I won't have my computer, we will be in the process of traveling to Japan and well, don't forget about baby #2 that will come a short month and half after we arrive on island. I have SO much I want to share with all of you about this process, and I have a few posts in the works, but for now I am excited to showcase the freezer meals that I have been preparing for the time we will be in the house with no household goods before we leave AZ. Every day next week, I will showcase a recipe on my Instagram account. So make sure to follow along if you are planning a move or need some "Back to School" inspiration!
Also make sure to follow along on this crazy journey, using #NYEfamilymovestoJAPAN!
Also make sure to follow along on this crazy journey, using #NYEfamilymovestoJAPAN!
さようなら
Sayōnara
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