Free at Last

Wow, I'm free of work! Today was my last day at work - besides the fact that I now get to sleep in a little - woohoo!! - this tells me that our time on the island is getting shorter. As much as that excites me, it also depresses me. Okinawa has become home - we have lived here longer than anywhere in our lives with the Marine Corps. Tonight we went to an Izakaya - an all you can eat restaurant - for my going away party. S and G went with me, although I know G only went so he could get free food before going out with his friends! Good food, great friends! It's so hard to say goodbye. I got three bouquets of flowers today, a photo album with group pictures taken of all of us yesterday in the office, a caricature drawing by one of the girls at work that everyone signed their names and good wishes around, and another Norikane print! I do have this print already, but my boss meant well. He wanted it to be one that is truly Okinawan instead of Japanese - this print definitely is... You can see a copy of it here.. Okinawa Roof. I love the print - obviously, or I wouldn't have bought it myself!!! S and I will take it back this weekend to exchange it for something else. We will be in the area tomorrow anyway since we have to take the car to get the windows re-tinted - dang JCI's! - and are going to go to Rose Garden for breakfast. We need to get the car finished and detailed so we can get it sold. I keep saying "we have time, we have time" but I noticed that another friend who leaves here two weeks after us already has her van for sale. I'm sure the car will sell quickly - it's a Toyota Mark II, which in the states is a Lexus.... I would love to bring it back to the states but there is a lot that would have to be done to it to make it legal to register - not worth it!