okinawa – Monday Morning with Mona

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”

Ginoza Garden Tour

Most people on Okinawa would say that we live in “northern” part of the island, but if you look on a map, we are really in the central region of the island. We are considered in the north because most of the population on the island resides in the south. Ginoza, the little village inContinue reading “Ginoza Garden Tour”

Four Lenses

It feels strange to share this blog without acknowledging that last week our nation experienced one of the worst days in our history. That being stated, I didn’t create my blog as a space for political commentary. Actually, I created it as a space where I could write about mindset, positivity, and personal growth. ItContinue reading “Four Lenses”

Glamping, Camping, and the New Year

Our New Years holiday weekend felt similar to most of 2020. We went from having a solid plan to seeing it slowly unravel. So many of us went into 2020 with plans, goals, and dreams, and slowly the plans dissolved, and the goals changed. Back to our New Years weekend…3 of my friends and IContinue reading “Glamping, Camping, and the New Year”

Christmas Eve & Traditions in Okinawa

60 years ago, my father’s family began a tradition. I don’t know if that year they intentionally created the tradition, or if they did something fun, and decided to do it again the next year, and then the next and then next. Sadly, my dad is no longer with us, so I can’t ask him.Continue reading “Christmas Eve & Traditions in Okinawa”

Going for an Ultra

As I write this, I know that I probably won’t share the link with anyone but my mom. As I write this, I secretly hope that no one reads it. As I write this, I know that because I am writing it, and I will hit publish, I am taking the first step in makingContinue reading “Going for an Ultra”