Good morning, friends!  It is 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9 in Okinawa.  We arrived last night.  All three of us (Rex included) are safe and sound in our temporary lodging facilities.  Kyle and I are staying in a suite at the West Pac Lodge on Camp Foster.  It has a living area, a kitchenette and a bedroom.  We should be just fine until we are assigned housing, as long as we don't mind stepping over suitcases!  Rex is staying at Karing Kennels, a boarding facility on base.  It is very similar to the boarding facilities we used in Ames, so it wasn't too hard to leave him there last night.  Our sponsor, Kevin and Beckey Briggs are taking us to see Rex at 11 a.m. today.  

Mother Nature sent us away from Iowa with the worst winter storm of the season.  Des Moines had more than eight inches of snow on Tuesday, Feb. 5 and Wednesday, Feb. 6.  However, we were able to leave the Des Moines on Wednesday, Feb. 6 with no problem. 

After a short delay in Seattle, our flights were off without a hitch.  They were uneventful and very smooth, which was nice.  The worst part of the entire flight was when Kyle beat me at a game of cribbage.  We were seated in the exit row, which gave us plenty of leg room and easy access for me to get up and walk around.  Kyle was sure to study the emergency landing guide, just in case we needed to assist.  The food was great!  The snacks were even better (hello, oreo cookies!) and the flight was quite comfortable. 

We had a short layover at Yokota Air Force Base (AFB) on the mainland, where I got to walk Rex and get him fresh water.  Upon leaving the mainland for Kadena AFB we flew over Mt. Fuji and had a wonderful sunset view of the tallest mountain in Japan.  

Our arrival at Kadena was also very smooth.  We were the second family in line for the Vet, where they processed our paperwork and gave us instructions on how to proceed with the quarantine requirements.  After gathering our luggage (six bags and a dog crate) we headed out to the greeting area and found Kevin, Beckey, and their five year old daughter, Lexi, welcoming us to Okinawa.  We quickly loaded up their van left Kadena.  

Well, we are heading out for breakfast for now.  I'll be in touch soon with more details of our island adventure. 

Oh -- the weather today is a little rainy and 55 degrees.  Sure beats Iowa.  ;-)