Day 12 - Being an Air Force Brat

I am very glad for my experiences as an Air Force brat. I made some great friends, got to live over seas, and visit Europe. Living over seas is some of my favorite memories!

As I was growing up we moved around a lot. I was born in Kansas, moved to New York, then to Germany, and lastly to Japan. We lived in Germany for four years and Japan for two. After our second year in Japan my dad was forced to retire. They were making cuts in the Air Force and sadly my dad was one of those cut.

I loved living in Germany! My brothers and I rode our bikes through the woods by our house. In the backyard we had a playground and during the winters we got to play in the snow.

My favorite memories from Germany were setting up clogs around the Christmas Tree the night before Christmas to receive presents and candy. I also loved building snowmen with my brothers.

While living in Germany we got to visit England and France. We took a double decker bus and then a ferry. It was a lot of walking and a lot of trains... I really didn't appreciate it at the time because I was too immature.

I turned 8 while living in Japan and lived there until I was 10. I loved it! We lived on base in a gated community called Chibana. My brothers and I would watch animé and record it with VCRs and videotapes. Mostly we watched Dragon Ball Z but every so often we'd branch out and watch others, one of them being Sailor Moon. We collected figures, trading cards, and pogs. Anything we could find that was DBZ related.

While living in Japan we got to visit Disneyland in Tokyo. It was amazing! I loved seeing the shows in Japanese! That's one of my favorite memories. My other favorite memories revolve around going to Okuma beach. A lot of times we'd go to the beach with our good friends who were also our neighbors.

I really wish Jim and I could afford to take our children over seas. I think they'd both love it and appreciate it! Not only is the scenery beautiful but I really loved learning about another country's culture.

My dream is to one day go back to Europe, Japan, and maybe one day Ireland or Greece. Hopefully we'll be able to bring the boys but if not then it'll be a romantic getaway 😊