Sleeping does not come easily 'round here...

So our shipment (containing all of our household possessions that we couldn't quite squeeze into our 4 suitcases & 4 carry-ons) is delayed. It was originally supposed to arrive in port here in Okinawa on Feb 21st & then Feb 26th & now March 5th. Hopefully that's the end of the delays. If that is the case, we can hope to have it delivered to us (after clearing customs) around March 9th. We are SO READY for that event!! ;-) And one of the main reasons is our sleeping experience in our apartment. We have been borrowing a very air-tight queen-sized air mattress from a gracious coworker of Betsy's. And while it was fine for a week or so, Josh's lower back (bearing a few more pounds than Betsy's) is really starting to be unable to handle it. So we made it a goal today to purchase an alternative, something firm & inexpensive & that we will be probable to use again. We went to several recommended stores, on & off the bases, 2nd-hand & new, considering western futons (sofa by day, bed by night) & Japanese shiki futons (sleeping mats). At our last stop before giving up, we found a small western futon in cream-colored leather. It is light (wood frame) & low to the ground, so it will easily fit in our spare bedrooms. And it was cheap! Only 10,000 yen (about $85) which was a huge selling point. Unfortunately this is partially because it is small, about the width of a single mattress & only 6 feet long (so only Josh's heels hang over). Well, we were bound & determined to have it ASAP for Josh to sleep on, so we insisted on taking it right away in our little mini-SUV Daihatsu Terios. As proven by the last several photos in this album, it fit!

Okinawa - Out & About

The store loaders allowed us to make fools of ourselves, wedging Betsy in behind the wheel with her seat back reclined so the futon could come inside as far as possible. The rear door wouldn't quite shut (oh, yeah, and it was drizzling) so they used discarded plastic box straps to tie the door shut using the rear window wiper fixture. Josh wedged himself in on the passenger side between the window & futon. And the 10 kilometer drive was made in only medium traffic. After we arrived home, Josh dashed up the stairs to get the camera to show everyone how functional (debatably) at least one of ours cars has proved to be! ;-) Thankfully our apartment building is right up against a store that sells bedding (among many other things) & was having a 15% storewide sale. So we didn't have to go far to purchase a cover & blanket to go with our cheap futon! Now let's just hope it actually helps Josh's back begin to recover!