The Winning Haiku Submission

Thanks to all of you who submitted a haiku (or a few of them) for my contest! There were 27 submissions in all. I had my work cut out for me trying to choose a favorite. Jenni and Mandy_Reeves, you two are the winners. I couldn't decide between the two so I choose you both. Congratulations and thank you!

Jenni's: Kit Kats are yummy/Feels so good in my tummy/I'm eating some now

Mandy's: strange kit kats my fave!/their odd flavors I do crave!/make a ketchup flavor!

Jenni and Mandy, please complete the "Contact Katie" form with your mailing address. That'll come directly into my email and is only viewable by me.

I also promised a random drawing of my followers, and the person I pointed to on my monitor is....Kerri In CT. Kerri, please do the same as above with the "Contact Katie" form.

If I don't hear from you in three days I'll choose someone else in your place. If you don't hear from me within three days of contacting me please add a comment in this post!

Win Some Japanese Kit Kats, Egg Molds & Other Goodies

Want some free stuff? I have too many Kit Kats, cans of Pringles, Japanese egg molds and other goodies that are taking up too much space in one of my cabinets and two drawers!

On May 15th Pass the Chopsticks turned one year old, and to celebrate I'm holding a contest.

In April I posted about a contest to help me clear out the cabinet above the microwave. It was called the Contest Idea Contest, and the winner's (Kelsey from Canada) idea was to write a Haiku about Kit Kats. A Haiku is a Japanese style poem and I explain it below.

Submit your Haiku (by leaving a comment in this post) within the next 15 days.

Contest begins as soon as this is posted and closes two weeks from today - that'll be July 10th at 10 am JST, July 9th at 9 pm EST.

Winner will be announced the evening of July 11th (JST), so those you in the U.S. will see it the morning of the 11th. Be sure to check back for updates and the winning Haiku!

The definition for Haiku for this contest is as follows:
An original poem of 17 syllables in 3 lines written in the format of
-line 1 in 5 syllables,
-line 2 in 7 syllables, and
-line 3 in 5 syllables

-Keep it clean/family friendly language
-Entrants can be world wide
-No limit on entries

*As an added bonus, I'm going to have a drawing on July 11th. The names in the pot will be my followers. Right now there are 95, so become a follower and you'll automatically be entered! You'll see the Followers gadget in the side bar on the right side of the page and can add yourself there.

And the Winner Is...

Thanks to all of you who submitted ideas for the blog contest! There were 30 submissions in all. I had my work cut out for me trying to choose a favorite. I loved the idea about a recipe using Kit Kats, weirdest candy moment ever and the favorite Katie story, but ultimately, I think the one that's the most fair would be the haiku about Kit Kats. FurryBeaver (and what a name that is) you are the winner! Congratulations and thank you!

To celebrate Pass the Chopstick's one year anniversary in May I'll hold a contest for the haiku submissions, so start thinking and let the creative juices start flowing!

FurryBeaver, please complete the "Contact Katie" form with your mailing address. That'll come directly into my email and is only viewable by me.

I also promised a random drawing of my followers, and the person I pointed to on my monitor is....Candee in Holland. Candee, please do the same as above with the "Contact Katie" form.

If I don't hear from either of you in three days I'll choose someone else. If you fill out the form and don't hear back from me leave a comment in this post!

Contest Idea Contest - Win Some Japanese Kit Kats

As you can see, I have a ton of Kit Kats, Pringles and other goodies. There are two and three layers in this cabinet, not just what you see in the front. We eat them (well, I smell them because I don't like chocolate), don't get me wrong, but it's time to start making room for more flavors coming out. I'm still going to keep part of my collection, but just one of each flavor.
Help me make more room. You, loyal (and new) readers can help me, and in turn you'll get to indulge in what you've read and seen pictures of here.
I've decided to have a contest to help me declutter this cabinet, but can't think of a contest. So that'll be the contest: submit a contest idea by commenting at the end of this post. Don't worry if you don't have an account with Blogger.com, just select "Anonymous" and sign your first name at the end of your comment. I'll choose my favorite, and the person who submitted the idea will get a package from me with some goodies from the newly deemed "Katie's Kit Kat Kabinet."
Make your contest idea conform to these guidelines:
-Not too easy or difficult
-Keep it clean/family friendly language
-Entrants can be world wide
-No limit on entries
Submit your idea (by leaving a comment in this post) within the next seven days. Contest begins as soon as this is posted and closes one week from today - that'll be April 24th 10 am JST, April 23rd at 9 pm EST. Winner will be announced the evening of April 24th (JST), so those you in the U.S. will see it the morning of the 24th. Be sure to check back for updates and the winning idea!
After I pick the winning contest idea, we'll then have a contest using that idea, and the winner of the second contest will get a box of goodies from me.

*As an added bonus, I'm going to have a drawing on April 24th. The names in the pot will be my followers. Right now there are 71, so become a follower and you'll automatically be entered! You'll see the Followers gadget in the side bar on the right side of the page and can add yourself there.

The Year in Pictures

I got this idea from my friend Megan. She's an Army wife and we met in Hawaii a couple of years ago.

January
Sydney turned two and we just found out Bob was about a month away from being split-toured (ahem, not by choice) to Japan so we started to really "play tourist" around Oahu. We went to a shrimp truck for the first time (really should have done it sooner) and got shave ice on the North Shore.
















February
We left our house in Manana Housing in Hawaii and used Bob's COT Leave to spend time with family in Connecticut. The girls built snowmen with my sisters.











March
Bob found an incredible deal on a flight and hotel in Munich, Germany so we went for four days while the girls stayed with my parents. Bob rented an Audi with a big and powerful engine and hit 240 kmh (145 mph) on the Autobahn. We got back and two weeks later left for Hawaii. After spending four days in Hawaii figuring out more move stuff and saying goodbye to some very near and dear friends, on March 27 we boarded our one-way flight to Tokyo.















April
We saw (The Great Buddha) Diabatsu on our AOB/ICR field trip and it was during the peak of cherry blossom season, Bob went out to sea, Housing called and said we got a unit and I accepted delivery of our HHG (household goods).











May
Keanna turned 4 and insisted on making her own pink birthday cake. Bob was in port for two weeks and during that time he turned 31. I also found a Carvel ice cream cake at the commissary which made me literally jump up and down in the freezer section. They're not available in Hawaii so finding them here was obviously a good thing. I also started this blog and got my first flavored Kit Kat, green tea.















June
Bob was back out to sea so we took a picture for him, my father and Jack, my father-in-law wishing them all a happy Father's Day and took our first ITT trip to Yunessun Spa in Hakone where fish ate the dead skin off our feet.











July
We took our second ITT trip, this time to Owakudani in Hakone. It's "The Great Boiling Valley" and eggs are hard boiled in the natural sulfurous hot springs making the shells black. The girls also got a pirate pool which they spent time in every day.
















August
Bob got to fly off the ship and come home for a week for a special meeting; it was a surprise to the girls and they were thrilled to see him. And we went to a bon odori festival where Sydney got to get on stage to play the taiko drum.
















September
I turned 29, Keanna had her first day of preschool and Bob finally arrived home! He was only home a week, but it was better than nothing.
















October
Keanna's soccer season was in full swing and even Sydney got in on the fun. It was also Halloween and the girls went in coordinating costumes I made - a movie ticket and bucket of popcorn. Did you notice Sydney's ticket number? It happens to be the date. Hardy har har!














November
We went to Yabusame held on Zushi Beach, Bob came home the third week of the month and the following weekend we went back to Owakudani in Hakone.












December
A few friends of mine along with the girls and myself made and delivered Christmas cookies to Housing, MWR, the post office, Maintenance and the fire station. The firemen were so appreciative they gave each kid got a hat and badge. Santa came to our house, ate all the cookies and drank the milk, the reindeer ate the reindeer food we made for them and left in the front yard and Bob (wearing his snowman pants) made the best ham to date.

Go Navy, Beat Army!

Every year for the Army-Navy game both USNA, USMA and AD members from the Army and Navy contribute "Spirit Spots." They'll show some on TV but a lot more inside the stadium. This year the USS Scranton (SSN 756) filmed their own and it has to do with one of my favorite shows, "The Office."

And now for your viewing pleasure...

I Want to Know What You Want to Know

Tell me what you want to see or read about!

Leave comments or ask questions in my posts or use the "Contact Katie" box in the right margin.

Little Bit of a New Look

I changed the margins tonight hoping to be able to fit more photos in. I realize the photos in my posts aren't lined up the way they were...at least on my widescreen laptop, but on Bob's computer it still looks okay. I'm going to leave those as they are and will be making sure they are right from here on out.

And please, please, please, vote for my blog at Blogger's Choice Awards! There's a link for it on the right margin, or you can go to this website to cast a vote. It's nominated in three categories.

I've Been Tagged

10 Years Ago, in October 1998, I was:
1. a sophomore in college
2. dating Bob for three years and 11 months
3. working at the Housing Office at college
4. working every other weekend at Mortensens' Restaurant in Newington, CT
5. eight months away from becoming engaged

Five things on today's "To Do" List:
1. Take the train into Zushi
2. Wardroom Wives' luncheon with Sydney
3. Strip beds and wash the sheets
4. Dinner, bath & bed for the girls
5. Rinsing and washing the tie-dyed shirts for us

Five things that I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Invest
2. Invest
3. Invest
4. Buy a Roomba to be friends with Rosie, my Scooba
5. Invest

Five places I have lived:
1. Zushi, Japan
2. Pearl City, Hawaii
3. Old Saybrook, Connecticut
4. St. Mary's, Georgia
5. Kensington, CT

Five jobs I have had:
1. Dishwasher
2. Waitress
3. Computer Tech at Double J's
4. Graphic Designer
5. Photojournalist

Okay the five people I'm tagging are:
1. Shari
2. Susan
3. Melissa
4. Kelsey
5. Megan