Big News!

     SO ...Danny and I have some big news! And no- we're NOT pregnant. We have found out that good ole Uncle Sam will be sending us to Yokosuka, Japan! I'm sure you all have lots of questions and this is our bullet pointed way of attempting to answer most of those.

     First off is the big one-when? Well, we don't know really. Originally we weren't supposed to leave his current ship until around January but that could always be extended until March and this notice said as early as October....so sometime between October and March. We are supposed to get 60 days notice but we shall see and as soon as we have a confirmed date with official orders we will let y'all know. Secondly, YES the dogs are going with us. They are family and we treat them like kids so this was a topic of no discussion and no  hesitation. They have already began their process for vaccinations, blood drawl and quarantine. Thirdly we are not sure whether we will be living on or off base. Much of it depends on availability so we will just have to wait and see when we get there.

     A big thing is Paul Mitchell. So if it was March I could cram and possibly get really close to finishing but anytime prior is completely unrealistic. So that leaves us with what we consider to be the most logical, least stressful and completely family orientated decision- the pause button. Put school on "PAUSE" and resume when I return to the states. I'd prefer to finish at a Paul Mitchell or Aveda. The credits DO NOT expire and they ARE transferable...so it literally is a "PAUSE". Now when do I put it on pause.... we have 2  options. First is at 450 hours( September 5th-last day) and second is between 800-900 hours, (mid November-late November). These are schedule hours not actual hours and the reason for these hours is because this is when financial installments come from the government. If you withdraw between 451-799 the school can't keep that installment and you owe the school the thousands of $ difference. So it will be one or the other and as we patiently wait for orders we will soon be deciding and I will let you know. If you still want something done hair/nails/makeup- just sent me a text or Facebook message and we can work something out.

     Communication is a huge thing too. We are not sure what type of phones we will use or have but we know a few great forms of communication.  Of course there is Facebook, (Ashley Peters / Danny Peters), email, (areneek@yahoo.com & danny.n.peters@gmail.com), Twitter (Ardent Prints) and Instagram, (Ardent Prints). There's also Facetime (Ashley Peters / Danny Peters) & Google Chat . My friend in Japan currently uses an app called "TANGO" so you can send texts at no additional charge to whatever phone we have. Our current numbers will be put on military suspension. We will have a physical mailing address as well.

     A side note that seems silly but is still drastically important. When it comes to gifts, trinkets, etc that you may send us please check with us first as many things can not be used there or cannot be brought with us due to military shipping policies and limited space. So no liquids(ie wine, nail polish, etc), nothing perishable, nothing large. Honestly we'd prefer gift cards and the such just so we can have what we need and what is culturally appropriate without wasting anything.

     We are very very excited to go to Japan. It's an adventure! And we've always wanted to live abroad. We will be located about 40 minutes south of Tokyo which is the worlds most populous city and also the most expensive. Our sushi addiction will only be fed more with things such as "sushi-go-rounds" which are even open for breakfast. We will have the ability to buy square watermelon. Japan has festivals for practically everything which we plan to see many of. We will get to see snow again and experience some of the best powder in the world. Mt. Fuji is just south of us soy es we will be hiking that at one point. Japan is home of the original woodcut printmaking so as this being my field as an artist I'm exited to receive some cultural wisdom and inspiration. We will have an opportunity to see the world's largest Buddha statue. Since karaoke is so popular , yes we plan to do it at least once there.There are so many incredible and amazing new things we will get to experience. We will surely keep you posted as time goes on with all of the adventures and antics. Check back as we continue to post updates.