Before I leave Okinawa...

That phrase has been the start of many of my sentences lately. Even though we are ready to leave, and many things (fuzzy phone line, squeaky car, cans falling out of the cupboard and narrowly missing my head, the handle coming off of the cold water in the bathroom and requiring the use of pliers to turn on and off)remind me that we are very very close to having worn out our welcome here, I'm a little bit sad to leave. I feel like I have been so focused on getting out of here lately that I haven't been very appreciative of this place.
Okinawa has been our home for 3 years, 6 months, and 14 days, and you know what? It's been good to us. Sure, we've had the occasional cockroach infestation and our internet connection is normally at least as slow as molasses, but we've had some good times.
Okinawa was our first home...the first place we lived together alone as a married couple.
This is where we met our first best couple friends, Jill & Scott.
It's where I held the brand-newest baby I've ever held (Grace).
It's where we made our first joint furniture purchase, and the first furniture that I wouldn't be willing to just open the doors of the storage facility and put a big "free to good home" sign.
Okinawa is the place that David decided he liked curry.
It's where I won my iPod!
It's the place where we bought THREE cars for a total of $2300.
It's where I got good at driving on the "wrong" side of the road...and car.
It's where I've been able to run in shorts and long sleeves, without fear of black ice 4 winters in a row, and run marathons in February without a chill in the air.
It's the first place where 4th graders that I taught as 1st graders have been able to stop by my classroom to say hello.
It's where I found ScrapVillage and got my Ravelry invite.

And even though we keep saying we're ready to leave, there are a few things I still want to do (again or for the first time) before we have to go:
1. Eat at Transit Cafe (again) for lunch or dinner right when they open and sit outside on the balcony. Preferably dinner because they have mojitos!
2. Run along the seawall (again)
3. Run on the path to Araha Beach (again) with my camera (for the first time)
4. Eat at the Hawaiian restaurant (again)
5. Go to Zampa Point (for the first time)
6. Go to Jusco (again) and get some bento supplies (for the first time...at Jusco)
7. Get a pedicure at Cocok's (again)
8. Drink the tea at Cocok's (again)
9. Eat at Petit Voyage, The Loop, Sabani, and/or Neko House (for the first time)
10. Pick up some fabric at House of 66 Cents (again)
11. Get take-out Chili's (again!)
Edited to Add #12: Eat at Marino's (again) SO yum!