okinawa – Monday Morning with Mona

Bloom Café

Back in 2016, I used to see my amazingly funny friends no less than twice a week. We played kickball together, and our team had fun. We won some games. We lost some games, but it would be tough to find a team who got along as well as we did. In addition to kickball,Continue reading “Bloom Café”

Tour of Homes

I think the first Tour of Homes that I ever attended was on Okinawa, and it was December 2019. I had heard of Tour of Homes. They have them on most of the bases, but I was never in any of the clubs that hosted them, and I never felt like I was missing out.Continue reading “Tour of Homes”

Above and Beyond

Even if you aren’t a fan of American Soccer or “Football”, as the rest of the world calls it, I am pretty sure that you heard about the Japanese cleaning the stadium after their match. After the Japanese defeated Germany, their fans spent hours cleaning up the stadium. I’m pretty sure they left it cleanerContinue reading “Above and Beyond”

Growth, Leadership, and Filling the Hole

I moved to Okinawa in August 2018. It was an exhausting summer and a very challenging move across the world. Anytime you move, it is tough, but moving to another country adds another layer to the experience. Add in the loss of your father, and a move to the other side of the world seemsContinue reading “Growth, Leadership, and Filling the Hole”

I couldn’t do it.

For those of you who actually read the blog, please pardon the redundancy. For those of you who are new, here is the three sentence run-down. I tried to run the island of Okinawa last April, and my friend and I ran seventy miles from south to north. Last weekend I tried to run itContinue reading “I couldn’t do it.”

Okinawa Travel Part 1

I’m from Texas, and in case you didn’t know: TEAXS IS BIG. If you haven’t driven across it, it’s hard to comprehend how BIG it actually is. I used to tell people that it is SO big that you can get from Beaumont, TX to the Atlantic Ocean faster than you can get from ElContinue reading “Okinawa Travel Part 1”

Climbing Mount Fuji

I like to write my blog in real-time. I feel like if I wait too long, then I forget some of the details, and the details are where the good stuff is. That being stated, if you read my last blog, you will understand why I am so late in writing about my Mt FujiContinue reading “Climbing Mount Fuji”

Finishing What We Started

We started our traverse on April 17th at 5:00am, and after 22 hours and 11 minutes, and covering 70 miles, we called it quits. We felt good about our accomplishment. We had been up for almost 24 hours, and it felt acceptable to get in cars and to go home. On May 11th, we decidedContinue reading “Finishing What We Started”

The Intent not the Goal

Intent: “The State of Mind with which an Act is Done.” Goal: “An Aim or a Result.” The GOAL was to make our way up from south of Cape Kyan to Cape Hedo. This would be the southern point of the island of Okinawa to the most northern point (as the crow flies 66 miles,Continue reading “The Intent not the Goal”

The Peak Week

When you do something you have never done, consider documenting it. I remember many years ago I completed a 60-mile run week. I built up to it over time, and I was running 6 days a week. I remember feeling like I had accomplished something; yet, other than living in Virginia Beach, I don’t rememberContinue reading “The Peak Week”