Day 250: Sunset VI

We spent some time at the seawall this evening, and we got to watch the sun setting over the East China Sea. Beautiful.

Day 249: Broccoli

I used to think of broccoli as but a vessel for ranch dressing, but lately I find myself snacking on it frequently. I think I finally figured out I love fresh broccoli, I just hate it when it's cooked.

Day 248: Muffins

One thing I definitely know how to make is muffins from a pouch - they are Jenn-proof.

Day 247: Creepy

Look who I ran into again on Kokusai Street in Naha. I think he's following me.

Day 246: Sam's

Took this out the window during a late-night run to the shoppette for some snacks and sodas (we know how to party).

Day 245: Book

There's been a lot of updating resumes going on in the McGovney household this week. Lots of changes coming up!

Day 244: Lemons

Tim and I had date night again at the O Club for Mongolian stir-fry. Last week we made it way too spicy (I'm not allowed to do the red pepper anymore), and this time it wasn't quite spicy enough. I think next week we will get it just right.

Day 243: Grape

"It's like that one grape in the bunch that never got to be a grape."

Day 242: Redemption

Remember how I said I accidentally made some pastry dough while attempting to make cupcakes? That wasn't an exaggeration. I absentmindedly started mixing butter and flour instead of butter and sugar for several minutes before I realized my mistake. I almost threw the whole thing in the trash, but then I realized if I added some more flour I could make pastry dough, so I went for it and stuck it in the fridge for later. My baking redemption came in the form of some very mediocre cheese straws.

Day 241: Cupcake II

Here's the story of the cupcakes. My mom and I made cupcakes from scratch several weeks ago, so I could practice the recipe and make them for Tim's birthday in Okinawa. They were absolutely delicious - better than any cupcakes I've ever had. And really easy to make. Fast forward to last night, when I finally got all my ingredients together and was ready to give it a go. After a few missteps (including accidentally making some pastry dough), I made some very pretty cupcakes. Which tasted AWFUL. Not sure where I went wrong, but they are terrible. Tim put on a brave face and said how good they were. Then I tried one and told him he didn't have to lie. "You're a cook, not a baker," he said. Too true.

Day 240: Night

I finally bought myself a tripod, and I have been excited to start experimenting with night shots. We have the best view right outside our building overlooking the city and the ocean. To start out, I just stuck the camera out the window on the tripod (so I probably looked like a stalker) and the fence was in my way, but I just wanted to get some practice. Sometime soon I want to take everything outside at night and perch on top of the hill and get that great view.

Day 239: Dinner IV

Hmm, most of my posts lately have been photos of food and drink. Shows what my priorities are.

Day 238: Guinness

Okinawa has Guinness! Happy St. Patty's Day!

Day 237: Stir-Fry

Wednesdays are Mongolian Stir-Fry night at the O Club, which happens to be a stone's throw from our apartment. We had so much fun eating our too-spicy stir-fry and talking/dreaming about the future that I think we will make it a weekly tradition.

Day 236: Packed

This is the bag Tim had to pack on Sunday when we weren't sure whether he would be going away for a while. Thankfully it's been sitting in the corner since then.

Day 235: Mug

Another day of searching for something to take a quick photo of. Hopefully tomorrow I will get back to actually taking walks and putting in some effort. This was the mug that our dessert came in on the last night of our honeymoon. I still dream about that dinner.

Day 234: Wine III

Wine bottles are so great to take pictures of when I don't feel like being creative. Good thing we always have a supply on hand.

Day 233: Thankful

It was hard to do much on Saturday but count our blessings. I spent the day following the news on CNN.com and Twitter. Lots of anxiety about aftershocks, tsunami warnings, and possible deployments. So far everything is still good in Okinawa.

Day 232: Aquarium II

We spent most of our Friday enjoying the aquarium, until the tsunami warnings hit and we heard about everything that was happening on the mainland. So far nothing to worry about in Okinawa (knock on wood).

Day 231: Wine II

We celebrated Tim's 31st birthday in style with our favorite wine.

Day 230: Eel

Finally made it to Naha and immediately pulled out my camera to get a shot of the aquarium in the airport. Eels freak me out!

Day 229: Flight

Just a tip, flights to and from Asia are basically an open bar in the sky. Also, one glass of wine at 30,000 feet roughly equals three glasses of wine on the ground.

Day 228: Time

This was the time I sat up in bed in my hotel room and remembered I still had to take a picture. They can't all be winners.

Day 227: True/False III

For the last day of True/False, we decided we needed some lunchtime bloody marys. We also saw Armadillo, At the Edge of Russia, and Project Nim. Great weekend.

Day 226: True/False II

Day Two of our True/False weekend was mostly spent at the Blue Note, with a couple other venues sprinkled in. We saw KNUCKLE, Bobby Fischer Against the World, The Burger and the King, and Page One, then attended Gimme Truth, which was hilarious. Another awesome day at my first film festival.

Day 225: True/False

Megan and I kicked off our True/False weekend on Friday evening by watching the rainy March March parade through downtown. There were fire spinners, which is cool, and people in masks, which is not cool. Then we got to watch Resurrect Dead and Troll Hunter, which were two of my favorite films of the weekend.

Day 224: Pippin V

I want to make a book called The Many Faces of Pippin.

Day 223: Murry's

I think I have officially hit all of my favorite restaurants on this trip home - Flat Branch, Osaka, Shakespeare's, and last night, Murry's. Yum!

Day 222: Sushi II

How can you not love a sushi place that puts a skeptical smiley face in your spicy mayo? If you haven't checked out Love Sushi in Jeff City, I recommend it.