Australia Part 1…Brisbane!

After Grace left I only had a little under 2 weeks to prepare for my next June adventure. The trip I have been waiting for the entire year and really my entire life. Drum roll please…

It was time to go to Australia!!!!

Not only was I finally going to explore this beautiful country but most importantly I was going to see Will and be with him for a few days in Brisbane, Australia. 

I flew in a day early so I could get a good night sleep and be rested before he got there. I knew Will had to do some work the first night an hour away in the Gold Coast, but I assumed he would come to the hotel to drop his things off first. First mistake of the trip…don't assume. I got an email from him around 2:30 that said he didn't have enough time to come by and that he wasn't going to be home until around 7am the next morning. Obviously this wasn't the ideal thing to hear but I was in Australia and decided to make the best of it. I met up with most of my other friends in the squadron that night and still had a great time. 

The view from our hotel

4am rolls around, and even after an attempt to stay awake in hopes Will would walk in early, I passed out. Most of the time when someone comes in really late/early in the morning they are really quiet and careful not to wake the sleeping person up. 

Wrong. 

Will decides to loudly open our door and say "HEY" as loud as he could while walking in the room. I was so excited to finally hear his voice and to know he was there with me, but I don't remember the last time I was that terrified coming out of a deep sleep. Finally…we were back together! 

The next day we got some lunch, shopped around and later in the evening we went to Mount Coot tha to get a view of the entire city. It was absolutely beautiful and the time of day was perfect to see the sunset. 

The next day we had a Wine tour with our friends from the squadron. We took a bus full of 26 people up Mount Tamborine and stopped at 5 different wineries. It was such a fun day and weirdly reminded me of how much I miss having this crazy group all together back in Japan. 

The next day was probably the one I had been looking forward too for this entire trip. We were finally going to the Lola Pines Sanctuary where we could hold a koala and feed some kangaroos. Doesn't get more Aussie then that! 

We took the river ferry with our friends to get there and had the most amazing time. If you ever get a chance to visit Brisbane, this place is a MUST! 

Our last day together rolled around and of course I was dreading it. We wanted to spend the day alone, so after some research we found a place called Escape Hunt. If you play computer games you may already know what this is, but basically its a place where they give you a scenario as detectives and put you in a room full of clues to try and solve the mystery. As weird and random as it may seem, it was so fun and hilarious. Afterwards we stayed in the area of Brisbane called Southbank where we ate dinner and talked at a bar for hours trying to push the inevitable. Will had to be back on the boat that night and before we knew it we were back at the hotel packing his bags again. 

My first Port call experience was amazing. When you marry someone its with the intention of wanting to be with them and around them every second your given. The military obviously makes this difficult, but the time Will and I do have together gives me motivation to get to that day where this will be possible. It was almost a bit of a tease to have those 4 days with him but I am thankful and grateful for each one. Getting to see Will and being in Australia at the same time will be a trip we will never forget. Now the countdown begins to the next time we see each other at the end of this year!

With Brisbane being over and missing my husband already, what better way to distract yourself then a 5 day trip to Sydney, Australia?? 

xoxo

Caroline 

By the GRACE of God!

With the sad cloud of deployment hanging over my head, I was in need of some serious girl time and distraction. There was one friend in particular that would take care of this and has always been there when I needed her. Usually its a movie night, getting our nails done, a trip up to Virginia Beach, or just a phone call. This time she really out did herself and came to my rescue all the way in Japan! 

Grace was finally here! 

I impatiently waited in the hotel room of the New Sanno in Tokyo on Thursday June 4 knowing any minute she would show up! Once I walked out the front door and saw my amazing, extremely tired, best friend standing there it was like a scene of a movie running towards her. Call it dramatic and slightly weird if you want, but seeing a familiar face after 5 months of living in Japan was exactly what I needed. 

After Grace took a much needed 2 hour power nap, we were off to enjoy our first evening in Tokyo. First stop on the list was Shibuya. It was the perfect place to introduce Grace to the chaos and craziness of Japan. After shopping a bit and walking around we headed to dinner at a restaurant called Hacienda. It is a Mexican restaurant on the rooftop and the food and views were amazing. 

The next morning we wasted no time. We continued our Tokyo adventures and started out our day with a delicious brunch at the Clinton St. Baking Company. From there we went to Omotesando Hills and Harajuku to do some shopping…our favorite past time! 

Selfie Stick Fun! 

After shopping we headed back to my house in Zama. But the fun didn't stop there…

Saturday we decided to drive up towards the mountains to a town called Hakone. Our mission was to find Mt. Fuji and take as many pictures as we could. The drive was beautiful and we ended up at Lake Ashi, the lake where you are SUPPOSED to see Mt. Fuji. Sadly the clouds were in full force and even though we didn't see it, we still had a great day. 

Sunday we got to experience our first Japanese Baseball game together! I had always heard they were so much fun so I figured Grace would enjoy it too! We headed to Yokohama with 8 other wives to cheer on the Baystars. Even though it was pretty hot outside, we had great seats and loved watching the Japanese fans get into the game. 

After the game, Grace and I split off from the group to continue our day in Yokohama. We took a boat taxi from the train station to an area called Red Brick Warehouse to do some more shopping since we can't seem to break that habit. It was fun to see the city from the water and gave us time to cool off and rest our feet. 

From here we took a taxi to Chinatown. It is similar to the one in New York but most of the vendors only sold japanese trinkets. We were on the hunt for Dr. Fish which is the place where you put your feet in the water and fish eat off all your dead skin. I think Grace was pleased to find out it had closed down, but I was totally bummed. From here we went to eat dinner at my favorite restaurant in Yokohama. Another great day/night checked off our list. 

This was fate…and so random

Finally the sun came out and we had good enough weather to try and go to Zushi beach. Its about an hour train ride and on the way there we stopped in a city called Kamakura. This is where the "Great Buddha" statue is and where hydrangeas are starting to bloom everywhere. 

Cleansing our hands before entering 

As luck would have it, the clouds rolled in on our way to the beach. Being the beach bums we are, we were a little upset but still made our way down to the water. The ocean has always been our happy place and I found it so cool that we went from sitting on the sand at Atlantic Beach to sitting on the sand/shells in Japan. Definetly a moment I won't forget!

Zushi Beach

Tuesday was a lazy day and Wednesday came fast. That morning we woke up early to meet some girls to walk the flight line. The flight line is 5 miles long and circles the runway on base. On most days when the sky is clear you can see Mt. Fuji on your walk. We didn't see the whole thing but we did see the very tip of it through the clouds. It wasn't what I had hoped for Graces sake, but at least she can honestly say she has seen it now! 

The tip of Mt. Fuji above clouds

After walking we took the train to Vina Walk in Ebina. We ate brunch at a place called Latte Graphic and once again the food was delicious. The rest of the afternoon was back at my house washing clothes and repacking Graces suitcase. I was in denial that she was leaving the next day and couldn't believe a week had already flown by. That night we went to base and watched the Bachlorette with a group of wives. I loved introducing Grace to all my Japan friends and showing her a piece of my military life. Girls nights are always welcomed here. 

The dreaded day finally came and it was time for Grace to go home. I took the train with her to Yokohama and from there she took the Narita Express which goes straight to the airport. Needless to say…I wasn't too happy to let her leave!

I love you so much Grace and can't tell you how much I appreciate you being out here with me! Can't wait to see you so soon when I'm back in the states this summer. 


Next stop…Australia! 


xoxo,

Caroline 

And So It Begins...

Ever since Friendship festival the first weekend in May, there has been a constant dark cloud hanging over my head called deployment.

We were officially in deployment mode which meant shopping, Will destroying our guest room with all the packing, and spending as much quality time with each other as possible. With this deployment being our first one we honestly didn't know what to expect. Will is always cool, calm and collected so he handled everything like a champ, while I was the one constantly staring at him with sad eyes (making him very uncomfortable), randomly giving him the "I love you" speeches like it was going to be my last, and having mini freak outs every now and then. Its safe to say I have been a bit of an emotional mess, but in my defense this is in no way normal and you can't really prepare yourself for it. 

Luckily we have some amazing friends out here, who are deployment veterans, and knew exactly how to get my mind off Will leaving. May 10 we drove up towards the mountains to a city called Hakone. There is a Zip line and Ropes course we had signed up to do and to be honest it was way harder then we thought! Even though we had some rope burns and blistered hands, we had the best time and it was just what I needed. 

The next weekend was move in day on the USS George Washington, Wills home for the next 7 months. I got to see his room that he shares with 8 other guys and see first hand how they live. I am definitely not jealous of boat living, but Will seemed to think it was going to be fine which is all that matters. 

USS George Washington

Professional picture I grabbed off the internet 

The USS George Washington on its way!

Will got to fly a jet onto the boat so he didn't have to leave right away while the boat pulled out of port. I was more then fine with this because it meant more time together! Since we didn't know exactly what night was going to be Wills last, we had a "last date night" about 3 times. We had good ol' american food in Yokohama followed by drinks on the rooftop patio, amazing Ramen in Machida and a homemade southern meal right at home. The day before Will left we ventured up into the mountains to fish in the river. Will was in heaven fly fishing and I couldn't think of a better way to end our time together. 

Our first "last date night" in Yokohama

The day finally came when I had to drop Will off on base and say goodbye. I was really strong in holding back my tears up until that last hug before he walked away! I always knew this day would come and even when you tell yourself your ready…its not always true. Will and I had to deal with a lot of distance prior to being married, but deployment has added a new twist for me.

The moment I lost it...

Nothing makes me more proud then to be Will Cravens wife. He is so brave and selfless and is worth every sad or hard day I have in my future. We have put our full trust in the Lord and know that his plan is perfect no matter what hurdles we will face. 

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! This is definitely a new and some what uneasy chapter in our life but I have the most incredible friends and support system both in Japan and back home. 

My best friend Grace will be joining me in Japan in a few weeks and I will make my way to Australia to meet up with Will for a few days this summer! 

Love you all and thank you again! 

xoxo,

Caroline and Will 

Friendship Festival

So, when I said every weekend up until Will deploys is full…I meant it. After all the festivities of Badman week we had one more big event before the boat pulls out. 

Friendship Festival is a day where Atsugi base opens up to the Japanese public. It is a huge deal because it only happens 1 day a year and is always extremely crowded. There were over 40,000 guest and the line to get in the front gate was over 2 hours long. 

Most every squadron will set up tents where we sell merchandise we designed ourselves, so we can make money to use for other events throughout the year. Will and I were assigned to work the tents on the flight line all day. The flight line is by far the busiest area because there are jets parked all the way down where guest can take pictures and look at them. I have never seen such chaos, excitement and CAMERAS! Will made his japanese modeling debut as well…

 

Will on the Left and Jimmy on the right

This year was not only our first festival but also my first time being the merchandise coordinator for the Diamondback wives! I took this job at my first wives meeting back in January when we first arrived. My job was to design the merchandise we would sell at the festival in hopes we would make a good amount of money. 

Talk about pressure…

I did my research on the Japanese culture on the items that would be most popular. With input from some other wives, I came up with these pieces:

1. Umbrella 

 2. Sweat Towel 

3. Keychains

4. Hand Towels 
(used to dry hands after public bathrooms because they do not have paper towels)

5. Re-usable grocery bags
6. Canvas bags signed by the guys of the squadron


For the most part the items sold very well! The guys sold almost everything and watching people flock to them was so entertaining. 

Overall it was a fun day and interesting experience! The weather was beautiful and any excuse to hang out with the whole squadron is worth it. Crazy to think we still have 2 more of these festivals to go through! 

On a side note, Will and I went deployment shopping today and our guest room is now a boat packing zone. Seeing it has made me a bit anxious, but we are taking it day by day and enjoying every second we get until he leaves! Tomorrow we are going to do a ropes/zip line course with some friends so at least we have that to look forward to!

Love you guys and Happy Mothers day to all you incredible moms out there! 

xoxo,
Caroline and Will