Checked or Carry-on?

A friend said she always takes photos of her luggage before a trip so she can provide them to the airline in case of loss. Interesting idea. I say, "Don't lose my luggage." But it got me thinking...

This is what it looks like when a family of 7 packs for the flight home. 16 check-in and 8 carry-on. The boxes are here because several pieces of luggage are not. Scott says we didn't bring them. I'm thinking, "how did we NOT bring them?" So my stuff and all the leftovers were relegated to boxes. I gave away several pair of shoes because of a comment my husband made. Can I just say out loud - I don't have that many pair of shoes. And now I hardly have ANY! For the record, Scott has 3 loaded suitcases.

Closing a Chapter

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this post, but it's time to write it.

We are leaving Japan.

The Firm called in late July to say, "Come home. Now." It took 2 months for things to materialize, but the house is near empty of recently acquired goods and the packers come on Monday. We've been giving away stuff left and right. It was still a comfortable place until Saturday when the big couch made it's way out the door - but the rug is so soft where it used to sit. It was still emotionally comfortable until I told the girls' school teachers. Both of them broke down in tears and I didn't think Ueno Sensei (twin's teacher below in pink) was going to stop. I started looking around for a paper bag, no lie. A's teacher has decided that she is just moving to the U.S. She is totally serious. She is continuing her English classes and looking for an American husband (preferable a returned missionary) and plans on visiting us next year. She's really awesome (2nd photo) so if you know anyone...

It's the same thing every time we leave a "home." It's not the culture, food, tourist sites or the stuff to do. There isn't a thing that I really love, except the people. We have the best friends! I know people that would give me a limb. Or their car. Or anything. I love the Japanese people!

We're a walking freak show with our over-sized stroller and five little kids and some times the looks we get are really annoying. But when we are face to face, interacting with people we are treated so well. (EXCEPT by the butcher at U-STORE. That guy is a pig and a half! If I want 5 packages of 500grams of his stupid ground 70%pork/30%beef combo, just sell it to me and keep your snide comments to yourself. He is a real jerk and no, there is no lean ground beef in Japan outside of Costco. He's such a jerk, even Scott hates him. And Scott likes everybody.)

So. The movers come on Monday, the suitcase movers on Friday, and we drive to Nagoya on Saturday. We'll spend the night with the Johnson's, whom we love, and fly out of Nagoya on Sunday to...

MICHIGAN.

We spent weeks looking at properties in San Antonio, just sure that's where we were heading next. That feeling of "I don't like any of these houses" was really a stupor of thought. I love those! We were looking in the wrong place. Then the Firm called. Michigan? Didn't I swear NEVER MICHIGAN? Technically I swore never Detroit. And I'm standing firm there. We are looking away from Detroit and keeping our distance from Flint - although I found this amazing place that looks like only 2 or 3 windows have been shot out. If we built a wall...

The cool thing about this move is that my man is so important to the Firm that they are bringing him home early to save the day. They had a fight with the Japanese over him. The Japanese wanted him to stay for another year... WWII all over again. That's why it took 2 months. The Americans won, but let the Japanese think they won by letting them pick our moving date. Then the Americans said, "Be home October 6th." See, it's just like WWII.

I've been working really hard, but don't have much to show for it. It's time to pack suitcases and everyone is fighting a cold. Poor JJ spiked a fever yesterday and I've been nursing her. I'll get to the suitcases. I gotta take care of my baby.

The bummer thing about moving is that our children are doing so well in their Japanese. A gets a compliment daily from the people who speak to her. She is learning to read Hirigana too! My man says if we were to stay 3 more years she would be fluent for life. What a skill that would be. We are hoping to find an opportunity for her to continue her Japanese study in Michigan. The twins have just hit that mimicking stage - they are ripe for learning. They are all doing so well in their English study too. A is writing sentences and reading little words. She's so funny. She loves puzzles, but gets so impatient with word finds. She says, "I'm not old enough to do those."

The twins are excited to return - they understand there are toys in storage that they own, but do not remember. This is intriguing and every once in a while they say something like, "Will we have a place to ride a bike in America?" Every conversation includes the phrase "in America." They are very excited that Gramma & Papa will be at the airport.

I think my main feeling about this move is relief. I was released on Sunday from the Primary Presidency (although I still have to pull off next Sunday). It doesn't matter in the least what my next calling is because, chances are, I will speak the same language as those I am called to teach. What an enormous challenge it is to teach people who speak another language. I was a lazy missionary, called to teach people who speak English with an Irish accent. What a breeze! New missionaries come here and I feel their pain - but I watch what the Lord does as they put forth their best effort and learn. He blesses their inability and it becomes enough. I have no Japanese ability, but the personality of one who will open her mouth and insert a size 9. It is enough to open our mouths. Thanks to a translator I have been able to teach the children. Thanks to the Lord, A's teacher is attending English class and she will soon have a Book of Mormon.

And here's one for the journal...I wanted to take home something tangible and meaningful from Japan. My idea was pottery. I've been looking and haven't been inspired. Then I found something left behind by previous tenants of this home. It's a board, smooth and varnished, with Japanese kanji characters written in calligraphy. Sachiko read it for me - it's a sign for a florist's business. It inspired me and I asked her about getting one done for us. She has a friend...

So she takes the Book of Mormon to her friend and asks her to write this verse (#26) on a board in Japanese calligraphy for me. The friend is floored. She was so inspired by the verse, she asks for a copy of the Book of Mormon. She asks Sachiko, "This is about Christ? Mormons believe in Christ???" Sachiko asked me if I would be the one to give it to her. I tell you now, the Lord will make a way if we will only ask. I am so thankful for opportunities to share the gospel!

Silly Faces Contest

So, we posted a little ditty by Alex - the glasses made from the top ring of a Star Chips cannister (Nabisco's answer to Pringles). Alex's cousin T took this as a challenge and posted a crazy photo of himself on his family blog (see T). This prompted John's girls to add to the fun (see Abbi). Well, you guys are just awesome and you do some really funny stuff. And we love you. But see, we have Jac. Jac didn't even know about your silly faces contest and she blew you all out of the water. This isn't staged, it isn't rehearsed, she had no prompting, no help and needed no inspiration. She is simply brilliant on her own. (And yes, we buy washable crayons.)

Obon Week II

While those good Japanese people visited their dead, we also went to Nagoya to the site of the Aichi Prefecture Expo. It's our favorite swimming spot. A huge area of fountains and pools and water contraptions all about 12 inches deep. The little kids love this place. Every time we ask the kids what they'd like to do this weekend, they say, "Nagoya!" There's no charge to play in the park and once you forget about the 6000 yen it costs to drive on the highway, it's a cheap weekend.

Obon Week

Every August Japan takes a week off for Obon. All the good people go to their ancestral home to visit the graves of family already gone. WE GO TO THE KOBE OJI ZOO! That's a Kawasaki Panda. They were awesome. Thanks to Papa's company, Kawasaki, for bringing the feisty cute things from China. They are absolutely adorable. Behind glass.Here come the koalas! (sleeping in tree behind Care Bear)

Andrew was a riot...yelled "Hi!" to all the animals. The petting zoo was so cool. Goats running right up to the kids. And only Care Bear freaked out. Go figure. "Don't touch. No! Get back!!"

It's such a terrific zoo. Well laid out and not too big. The kids had a great time. Alex said her favorite was "that bear..." The koala? I asked. No that big white one laying on the ground in his cage. OH! The polar bear. He was awesome. And huge. That coat would look great on the floor in front of the fire place. Sorry. It would.

The tigers were incredibly beautiful - Katie's favorite. She waited until the very end to see the lions and tigers. The hippo was a real treat. He put on a big show, yowling (yes, it's a word) and snorting up a storm, like he's been trained to entertain. Scott has some more pics on his camera. I'll get those posted too. Great day at the Kobe Oji Zoo. Well worth the trip when you are in the neighborhood. Cheap too. 600 yen for Scott & I; the kids were free!

Wahoo!

She's smart, she's beautiful and she's just lost her first tooth...Yeah Alex! It's been hanging for a long time, like they always do. She ate apples and granola and everything she could think of, but nothing would bring it out. Then Sunday morning minutes before SM Mom notices blood on Andrew's shirt. He'd just hit his head on a door, but that always happens. (No equilibrium yet.) No blood there. The blood was from Alex. Mom grabbed a tissue and yanked it out. Stopped the gushing just in time for the opening song. Drama, drama.

Hard to see, but it's there!

7 August 2008 - Jacqueline's first tooth has finally arrived. 'Took it's own sweet time and she's got lots of experience gumming food to death, but now she can legitimately chew! This perfect angel is growing up so quickly. Since she's slept throught the night since she was just 2 months, we're not sure she was ever a baby. It's not technically "crawling," but she's fast on her belly which means we can't leave her upstairs alone anymore. Luckily for us, she's very vocal and we know the second she is awake. Her favorite time is early morning when she plays in the sunshine and the curtains. Late at night, when the other kids are in bed, is also a great time to play in the curtains. She loves to nap, and kiss, and sing, and play with her brother and sisters. We love Jac!

Found 'em

Nicki recently sent me a note about hard-boiled egg molds used by insane Japanese mothers when making obento (lunch boxes) for their child. Only a woman with one (and maybe a baby who often sleeps) would do what these women do. We were several months into the semester when I saw the obento section in the department store. It is bigger than the hair care isle at Wal-Mart. There is such a selection of lunch making paraphenalia - I mean character shaped molds for rice balls and vegetables, sparkley seaweed sprinkles, stuff I never dreamed of. I was completely ashamed of what I give Alex for lunch. (But she likes PB&J.) These moms must seriously spend an hour putting this art form together. They are over the top gorgeous. I think Alex is lucky when she gets a left-over burrito. Her teacher grills her every day on what she is eating. I'm so pitiful, I get a thumbs up from her teacher when I put in a note for my child saying "I love you!" One day I cut hearts in her nori (the seaweed covering her rice ball). The teacher did cartwheels and so did Alex. I am so ashamed of my weakness.

Now, back to Nicki's note. She told me they have these really cool molds. You boil the egg and peel it, then immediately pop it in the mold, smash the lid on and rest it in cold water. When it's cool, your egg is in the shape of a fish, rabbit, teddy bear or car. Found them tonight at the Y100 shop. The kids were with me and Alex yelled, "Hey, all the kids in my class have eggs like those!" You see, when asked how you know that your mother loves you, a Japanese child will respond, "Because she makes my obento." I am a total failure.

But in the hopes of redemption, I bought the molds.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Thank you, Mr. Voight.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/28/voight/

dreams

I was just rescuing the boy from some restless sleep when "onechan" (o-nay-chan) talked in her sleep - in Japanese! How cool is that? My 5 year old dreams in Japanese.

Guacamole

Dateline: Sunday, July 27, 2008, 6:16 PM

After a Sunday without a husband (business travel) and without counselors (leisure travel & sick kids) I go home completely exhausted, but not in tears. A minor victory. Primary was hysterical. Andrew needs a diaper change just as I'm starting Sharing Time and strangely, his diaper is fine. Later, in the middle of sharing time, Caroline is throwing a fit, Yuuto is standing on the chairs and Chiemi is opening and closing the curtain. Brothers Hiten and Naofumi are fighting over Ammon's headband; Naofumi has the upper hand as his right fist is cocked back ready to fire. I catch it just in time. And in walks the Nursery leader with Andrew, asking me to change is diaper. Again? A mommy-test comes back positive. You see, Andrew turns 2 on Friday and he has just figured out that he is going to need a change in the near future. The nursery teacher doesn't speak English and doesn't have kids so she's not getting it. (I know, I'll potty train him soon.) Nakao Kyodai, the CTR5 teacher says, "Can I help?" Yes! You finish the Ammon story and save the sheep. I'll be right back. He says, "Can I change the diaper instead?" What? No! He's dirty, you take Ammon, I'll do the dirty. Nakao Kyodai says, "I'd rather do the diaper."

Scott has been working for this particular career victory for many moons so he gets a pass, but I'll never forgive my counselors.

So we get home and pick up the living room from Sunday morning's disaster. The quickest meal I can think of is Sloppy Joe's on re-hydrated mashed potatoes. I think my mom invented it. I've only tried it once before on my kids and they didn't eat it, but I'm tired. While I'm cooking the ground beef I remember that we went to the farmer's market yesterday. I can serve fresh vegetables and still remain mother of the year. So it's a beautifully multi-colored plate with Sloppy Joe's on mashed potatoes, fresh picked garden tomatoes and okra. Sweet.

This morning before church I made brownies and thank you cards for all the Primary teachers. I had one mini brownie loaf left over and told the kids if they ate all their food they could have a brownie. Andrew literally ate IN HIS SLEEP at the table. I've never seen anything like that boy. His eyes were closed and he was falling over, putting pieces of brownie in his mouth. Every last chocolate crumb. The man will die at the dinner table. Mark my words.

So a little later, I say to Katie, who has been staring at her plate for a little over 30 minutes, "It's OK Katie. I can save your brownie and you can try to eat your dinner tomorrow night."

Katie says to Mom, "OK."

Brief pause...

Katie: "Tomorrow, can I pick dinner?"

I laughed. That girl doesn't miss a beat. So I said, "Sure. What would you like to have?" She replies, "I don't know. I can think about it while I sleep. I'll tell you later."

6:21 PM

Katie to Mom: "Can we have burritos tomorrow?"

Mom: "Sure, Katie."

Katie: "With guacamole?"

Smart girl.

Costco Japan

This is one of the best things about living overseas today. One can experience the culture of a new land...and still get a big box of Quaker Oatmeal when you need it. Costco has a store in Osaka and Scott made the trip for us on Saturday. We all wanted to go, but if you take all the people there's no place to put all the food. Japan has this wonderfully innovative thing called cheap domestic shipping. It's about 600yen per huge box to ship the stuff from Costco to your door, even cold or frozen. But to save on shipping - and get the grapes to us faster - we kids stayed home and let Dad fill the van with the goodies. And I'm writing this post to tell you about the grapes in particular. I need someone to tell me what you are paying at home for the 4lb box of grapes in the warehouse stores. I think we set a record. 17 Bucks. Scott called me and said, "Is this a good deal?" I choked. NO! It's not a deal at all. So he put back something else and bought the grapes. It all evens out. Sunday when I was munching on them I said how incredible they tasted and they were totally worth the 17. Scott said, "Oh, maybe $14, but not quite 17."

On a happier note...

The girl likes carrots!

The Worst Thing in the World

It happened today. The most terrible thing I can think of. The stroller broke. Or I broke the stroller. Whatever happened, it is horrible! We bought the world's most wonderful, incredibly expensive double stroller and one of the shock absorbers broke today. The screws that hold the two pieces of the shock absorber together stripped, horizontally, away from their holes, not through them. I mean they went where one would say they could not go. I sent a frantic email to the stroller people. I don't know if I ever registered the warranty! That stroller is my life. This means I have to carry the baby on me and chase the boy! I can't physically do that. I'm not sure anyone can. I feel incredibly anxious. Frightened. Overwhelmed.

J's 1st Meals

J had her 2nd semi-solid meal this morning. A little rice cereal - she loved it. We'll be straining some carrots and potatoes a little later today. She even stayed in her chair. That's amazing because put her in it any other time and in 1 minute she has turned over and wiggled out on her belly. The girl can move!

The first semi-solid meal was a lemon ice from the convenience store across from the school. J, A and I got roped into going to the swimming pool with A's class. I thought, "the teacher must need me; she's begging me to go." It must be an emergency policy to have 2 mother's standing around doing nothing on this walk across the soccer field to the pool. J & A were forced to sit in the stroller and I fanned them furiously to keep them alive. Alive, not comfortable, not calm. It was so hot & humid I thought they were going to pass out. Pouring with sweat, I was not far behind them. After half hour of watching other kids in a pool, we couldn't take anymore. Big boy A had been in tears since he saw the water. I asked the teacher if she really "needed" me and we bailed. We only live 7 minutes from the school, but if we go home, 20 minutes later I have to put the little guys back in the stroller and go get the twins. There is no way in the world that A would get BACK IN the stroller after having been freed. So, we went to the convenience store and got a cold drink and a lemon ice. J ate the lemon ice. No child has ever had more sugar in the first meal and no mother has ever been more desperate.

Patriots, all of us

Real American Stories is a cool link I saw today. Check it out. We're all just incredibly fortunate, if for no other reason than this.

Letting Go

It sounds like a real emotional moment, doesn't it? Letting go. Really, we just didn't want the thing to die in our kitchen. So this morning Stan the Crayfish went home to the water ditch. Andrew, Caroline & Scott did the honors. I saw a tear in Scott's eye. Caroline said, "Where is he? I don't see him." Andrew was just happy that someone was using the water. Andrew loves water. Now every time we leave the house he can run to the ditch, yell "water!" and think of Stan. Stan, what a great pet!

Price of Gas

Someone asked me what we paid in Japan. I responded, "70 to fill it up."
There has been a revision. It took Y8500 to fill 'er up last night. Roughly $85.

Here are some other prices, just for fun. (just make it easy, figure Y100 = $1)
Apple - 150y
Quart milk - 150y
Orange - 88y
500g Cherries - 600y (about 2 Cups)
6 slices bread - 108y
small watermelon - 1800y
grapefruit - 100y
Jac's formula - 1550y/can
avocado - 150y

Keep in mind that I am a bargain shopper by breeding. I've seen 3600y cantaloupe. It is easy to pay 300y for a quart of milk, and we go periodically to another town where it is only 100y. It's worth the drive because it's also low fat milk.

I like to shop at the local farmer's market. They are open 3 mornings a week and have only what you would grow in your home garden, but I can get 3 carrots for 100y there. And potatoes! They have more than 4 in a bag there for 100y. It's great and I love the people.

A.D.D. & the 4th of July

I'm adding Glenn Beck to the list of sites I like. Glenn is a little frenetic for me - I need my pundits a little more sedate than he is sometimes, but he really moved me this week. I have gotten a little frenetic myself lately in planning our future. I'm not frantic, but gravely serious about taking care of our family and not having to rely on anyone else. We talk of buying land, raising a massive garden, home schooling our children, building a giant fence around said property... lots of things like that. As if the end of the world is tomorrow. Maybe it is, who knows. There are a few reasons for my chaotic, often frenzied head of ideas. 1.) Main Stream Media. I have just a few minutes every day to read the headlines. I should listen to Rush instead, but I hate to compete for noise in the house. The MSM is negative, down on the US, and hoping we fail miserably so they will have something to say/print/publish. 2.) Takata still hasn't said anything about where we might be heading next. Most days I don't care - but I can't have a frenzied plan about multiple locations. It drives me crazy! 3.) There are other reasons, but let's get back to Glenn Beck.
Glenn spoke at a patriotic festival in the western US this week. Afterwards he wrote in his blog that he was going to focus his work in the media on the family. Here's what he said:
"GEEZ, when will I get to the point ….A.D.D. IS KILLING ME … well actually it is probably worse for you than it is for me but … wait…. NOW I AM OFF TRACK AGAIN!!! THIS IS REALLY WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY: I don’t know really why I do what I do, I am glad that you seem to enjoy it, but as I promised my wife, I will never do what I am about to do again. God shoved me down the stairs a couple weeks ago on a rainy night in Connecticut to tell me rest. Sleep. Don’t burn out, because there is much left to do. He is right, what a surprise! There is much to do. Now that the rest of the country and media is aware of the coming perfect storm, I can focus on what everyone else is not. Solutions, Hope and Family. I think you will agree with me that if you follow those in Washington or in the MSM all three of those things will be in short supply. Together, we will show them how wrong they are for I know it to be true that through our families we will find those solutions that will give us more than just Hope … they will give us a peaceful and bright future."
So, I've never written a fan letter before (not even to MARIE OSMOND!). But, if I were going to write one it would be to that insane man on CNN and say thank you for reminding me of what I already believe so strongly. It's my family that will create and provide solutions that serve and save our country. It will be your family and mine that prosper - which means our country prospers. I like living abroad. It's an enlightening experience. And it reminds me that I love the United States of America like nobody's business. God bless America. And God bless my family. We are going to buy that land and raise that garden and we will teach our children how to succeed and we will serve the Lord our God and we will protect our Constitution. And we will be blessed. Happy Independence Day!

Andrew & Stan

Every spring, every kid in Japan starts collecting living things - bugs, crayfish, beetles - if it moves, they have it in a cage. The country is lined with small drainage canals that serve to collect rain water as well as water from homes and rice fields. It looks to me like an irrigation system; it's relatively clean water. Caroline dropped her hat in the canal yesterday and there wasn't a speck on it. So we are always looking for critters. Most of them have spent too much time in the sun and are fried dead, but on the way home from school this morning Andrew hit the jackpot. We found Stan! We saw him and ran home to get a box. He knew we were coming because he was running for his life when we got back. Scared little guy. He doesn't walk very well on the plastic so he's a little irritated right now, but Andrew is thrilled. Boys are so much fun!

Food Storage

I was asked to speak in Stake Conference last Saturday night about my testimony of Food Storage. I won't post the entire talk here (let me know if you want it), but I want to share this thought from it. "I refer to the counsel to store essentials as a commandment because when I was young, the direction was to have a 2 year supply of food. Several years ago this was revised to a 1 year supply. Last year, President Hinckley begged us to have merely a 3 month supply of food. I fear that we are like the Israelites who would not live the full gospel so their prophet, Moses, reduced the gospel to something they could manage."

I don't want to have things dumbed down for me. If we don't live the entire gospel, we'll never receive exaltation. If that's the goal, then don't we need to keep ALL the commandments? I have a pretty hefty list of things that I'm not doing completely (or at all) - most of those things the Lord hasn't amended. I'm totally responsible for them. The fact that He has amended the Food Storage plan leads me to believe that he is pleading with us to get prepared. And He has been pleading for a long time, as if we are now out of time.

great week for quotes

June 25, 2008
Before prayers the girls asked if we could sing some songs. Everyone picked a song including "I love to see the Temple." Afterwards, Katie said, "If we get married outside the temple we can't be a family together forever, but if we get married inside the temple we get married forever." (Katie, 4 yrs)

June 26, 2008
Alex said, "Where did you learn to chew food with your mouth closed and when did you learn to not talk with food in your mouth?"
Mom responded, "Grandma taught me when I was a little girl like you."
Alex said, "I learned at school."

Alex loves her mom

We have great neighbors. They are all so friendly. A week ago I finally took a treat and our introduction cards to 8 nearby families . Yes, I was a month late. Gomennasai. I made brownies from a box - thank you Costco Osaka. Gave every home a few small pieces because the Japanese, generally speaking, cannot handle American levels of sugar. The little grandma (obachan) across the street passed by as I was hanging laundry a few days later and thanked me for them. She told me how much the young'uns in the family liked them (3 generations, 1 house). She asked me if I made them and I got the box to show her. She talks and talks to me and I don't understand hardly anything she says...and she just keeps talking. She is the best!
Alex was listening to me try to communicate and when I shut the door she made fun of me holding the brownie box and saying, "Boxu" with a Japanese accent. You have to understand that Alex takes her Japanese very seriously. She constantly looks for opportunities to use the words she knows. She knows a lot. She creates conversations so she can speak Japanese. It's basic stuff, but she just turned 5. She's a sponge. I told her, "I'm sorry. I don't know what to say to that sweet lady. I don't know how to speak Japanese."
Alex said, "Well, who do you think I learned to speak Japanese from?"

I will live a month on that compliment!

General Conference

I was teaching Sharing Time in Primary on a recent Sunday and I mentioned the words of our new prophet, Thomas S. Monson. Shortly thereafter we had our semi-annual General Conference of the Church and President Monson spoke to the Church for the first time as the President of the Church. As I listened to him speak I had this "duh" moment which I thought I would share. President Monson spoke about his new responsibilities as president. He never said one word about being the prophet...because he's been a prophet for 44 years. We sustain the Council of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers and revelators. This isn't new for him. He's been listening to Heavenly Father and leading His people for a very long time. He's just in the front seat now. Neat moment.
I hope I have some other GC moments to share. GC is held only at stake centers here. Ours is in Kyoto and we drove around the city for two hours trying to find it for the Saturday sessions. The car navigation system took us to a restaurant instead of the church and since the navi is also in Japanese we were at its mercy. We've been listening on the internet, but we do it as a family (much like Friday Date Nights). That means the neat moments are short and quickly interrupted by a toddler &/or preschool dramatic moment. Much less inspiring, much more demanding than the whisperings of the Spirit. Heaven help us.

Haircuts & C-sections...

In a foreign language, they feel like the same thing.

You're put in a chair, draped, and all control is taken from your hands while someone else, speaking words you don't understand, cuts deep into your soul. It's frightening when the doctor does it and delivers your baby. It's scarier when the stylist does it and chops off your hair. I have got to learn this language!

After 4 straight days of rain - and we're not into rainy season yet - I just couldn't take it anymore. There was no apology to the husband who loves long hair, no hem-hawing, no thinking about it. I got online, found a cut and told the husband who loves long hair to stop on his way home and make an appointment for me. I was cutting my hair.

The next morning I set out down the street with photo in hand. First the paperwork, as if I were having a baby. Do you really need my address? I need a haircut and I'm pretty sure you don't deliver. And yes, I own a blow dryer. Seems that I chose a razor cut. I'm guessing that everyone who walks in at Yoko's Hair Shop chooses a razor cut as there were no scissors in the room. There were no precise cuts in the entire experience; everything was a saw blade chewing at my treads. At the end there was a word I finally understood - volume. And then she began butchering my head. I thought I was going to come unglued. I have finer hair than most newborns. I don't need thinning shears. She went insane thinning out my thin hair.

The end result makes me happy. I spend very little time on it, maybe 5 minutes. And I made a return appointment because it's the cut I need for this busy (wet) time of life, but I will never forget the dread I felt the first time a Japanese person cut into my abdomen. Or my hair.

Nessun Dorma

http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html

My profile notes that I am nauseated by pop culture. The "reality" element is especially useless to me, which is why I LOVE this video. Here is a guy who beat them at their own game.

Sakura in the Spring

Sakura - it's the reason to live in Japan. It really is something to sit under the sakura and just enjoy being there. I love it. This is the tiny little park in our neighborhood. We love being there.










Some kids are just cuter than others. Mine are cuter than yours.














We took a late Saturday morning in early April and had brunch under the trees. Who doesn't love brunch?

Caving to the Pressure

There is a long list of things I don't have time for, but when I noticed that I am the ONLY one without a blog...well, we just can't have that. So, #Won is now blogging. When siblings 2 through 8 are all on, #1 will eventually cave.

Please understand that I have no intention of keeping up with daily postings or digitally scrapbooking life, but between Nicki's blank link to Anne's non-existing blog and Kristi's comments about using her blog as a journal, I am toast. Here is my blog. If I call it a journal it will be like I'm keeping another commandment! Won't that be amazing?