More Summertime Pics

The pics in the previous post are from my moms' camera. I finally got all of mine downloaded, so I wanted to share some more. Enjoy!!

Summertime

I know it has been a long time since posting, but we have been having a lot of fun and going on adventures every day. We've spent a lot of time with cousins and family friends. The boys have gotten to play with the grandkids of all of Nana and Papa's friends, which has been fun for them.

The first week we had played a lot outside and caught up from jetlag- we also all had a day or so of a nasty stomach bug, which set us back, but we fully recovered quickly. Matthew and his cousin Claire attended a kindercamp at the Sherman Lake YMCA, so they got to do many fun outdoor activities- the beach, sandcastles, rockclimbing, water fights, etc. They seemed to enjoy it, but I am glad it only lasted for about two and a half hours a day because both of them were very happy to see us when we picked them up. :)

The first week ended with a day trip up to a friend's cottage in Northern Michigan. The boys and their cousins loved it and keep asking to go back. What boy wouldn't like to run around in a bathing suit all day, play in the sand and water, eat chips and cookies, take boat rides, etc? Patrick and Matthew also tried out tubing in the lake, which they both had a blast doing. They kept wanting to go around again and again.

Last week, we had fun with several adventures such as blueberry picking, jumping at bounceland, eating at the Taste of Kalamazoo, and playing on the beach and swimming in Lake Michigan. We went to South Haven, Mi and in the evening took the boys on a pirate excursion, which included going out into Lake Michigan and acting like pirates to capture the treasure from another boat. The lake was very choppy, but the kids didn't seem to mind. They got eyepatches, pirate hats, swords and spy telescopes. At the end, we got the treasure and the kids all got to choose from the box of treasures. I think they had a great time during the trip. Luckily no one from our group got seasick, which unfortunately was not the case for some people aboard who just couldn't stomach the big waves.

It is now Sunday (the 27th) morning in Michigan and I returned yesterday from Chicago where I spent two days doing girl things with friends. We shopped, ate, karaoked, walked, people watched, and just caught up with each other. It was a nice break and so great to be back in the Windy City. We ate at PF Changs- yummy!! We also ate at Berghoffs, which is a very popular German restaurant in Chicago. I even got my Norstrom fix and coffee at Caribou :) We moved away from the Chicago area almost five years ago- Wow- I can't believe it has been that long. Brian and I love Chicago and spent a lot of time in the city while we lived in the Northern suburbs. Brian went to grad school at Northwestern so he has quite an attachment to the area. I know he is jealous that I have been back twice since moving. Thank you Patty and Maria for another awesome girls adventure.

While I was in Chicago, the boys went with Nana and Papa to Shipshewana in Indiana. This is an Amish village. Patrick had seen something about the Amish a while ago, and he has been asking some questions about their way of life, so we thought since it isn't that far away, they would go visiting the area for a day. From the sounds of it, they had a great time. They saw all of the horses and buggies, their farms, the people and ate in an amish restaurant. I guess they loved the roast beef, mashed potatoes and noodles. Patrick and Matthew are still trying to figure out how little boys their age survive without tv, nintendo, and electricity.

We have a week to go and we'll have to see what's in store for us. Brian, if you are reading this blog in Diego Garcia, Happy Anniversary. I can't believe it has been twelve years. Today, the weather in Michigan looks and feels exactly like it did twelve years ago. We can't wait to see you in a week- I love you!!

We're Here, but very tired!

Well after about 28 hours of total travel time, we have arrived safely in Michigan. The trip was long, but thank goodness the boys were well behaved and kept themselves entertained throughout the whole trip. We started off on the wrong foot when we arrived in Nartia by shuttle bus, and we got off at the wrong terminal. Unfortunately some idiot told me that American Airlines was Terminal 1, but really it was Terminal 2. The driver wouldn't take us back, so we had to find our way (with all luggage in tow) to a shuttle bus that took us to terminal 2. Some very nice Japanese men helped on and off, so we were thankful for that. The flight took off as scheduled and landed as scheduled. It was once we finally arrived in Chicago that we had problems. We got off the flight and proceeded to immigration (which is not as smooth as immigration in Japan). The line was very long- in Japan, people with children get to go to the front of the line. Not the case here in America. We got our bags and had to recheck them through to our domestic flight to Detroit. Once we got through that, the boys and I all had to go to the bathroom. Okay- this is not an easy task when a mom is traveling by herself with two young boys. In Japan, they have family restrooms everywhere, but I could not find that in the Chicago airport. I was not about to send my 7 and 4 year old boys into a public restroom while I waited outside. This I do in Japan all the time, but I do not feel it is unsafe to do there. Bathrooms are creepy, especially in this country. Patrick was not about to come into the women's restroom with me either, so I finally asked someone, and I was directed to a family restroom. Finally, we were able to go to the bathroom and brush our teeth. We had to go through security again before we headed to our gate. I guess I didn't put my laptop in the bin correctly, so therefore a very rude and impatient security man scolded me. I really wanted to tell him that he didn't want to mess with a woman who had just traveled from the other side of the world by herself with two children. Why the heck couldn't he just do it for me- really, my hands were full and I was more concerned with going through the checkpoint with my kids. We finally made it through and headed to L4, our gate for our final flight to Detroit. It was now 4:30, and our flight was scheduled for 6:50. Not the case, unfortunately. It was delayed until 7:25. We found something to eat and grabbed some empty seats so the boys could play. Finally at about 6:00, we checked the sign again, and saw that our gate had changed to H9, and the flight was even more delayed. At this point, we had been up nearly 24 hours, and we were beat. The last thing we wanted to do was trek across the airport to a new gate. Matthew was dragging at this point- but I could not carry the poor little guy. So, we walked (very slowly) to the new gate. We boarded the flight at 7:15, and we were just about to pull away from the gate when the pilot came on and told us that due to a very dark cloud and predicted storm, we could not pull away, and they had closed the ramp. We would have to sit on the plane and wait it out. Well, wait it out we did. We finally were given the go ahead to leave at about 9:35. By this time, both boys had given in to some much needed sleep. Before we knew it, we were landing in Detroit- I must have dozed too!! We had finally arrived! We had a two hour drive home, but Nana and Papa were there to drive us. By 3:00 am, EST we were all in bed, sleeping soundly with our little Jazzy dog, who was so excited to have us back!

I'll post more as soon as we are more rested. Just a side note- it is now Saturday morning and we have been up since 3:00 am!

USA- Here we come!

In a little over 24 hours, the boys and I will begin our long trek back to the states. All in all, from the time we get on the shuttle to the airport until we arrive at our final destination, it will take us about 24 hours. Brian leaves on his long trip to Diego Garcia very very early tomorrow morning. We are getting packed and ready to go. It is a lot easier to pack for summer than it is to pack for the cold, snowy winter. Please pray that everything goes smoothly for all of us, as we have long days ahead.

We'll see some of you very soon!

Kimono Day!!

Here we are with the ladies who dressed us up in the Kimonos

This is the group of students and both me and Liz. We are missing just one person, Nariko.

This is the wedding Kimono that the brides wear- very heavy!

Today was so much fun, and I am so excited to share it with all of you. As most of you know, I have a group of ladies that I teach English to every Thursday. I will be taking over the class permanently in August. They are absolutely a hoot to be around and make me laugh when I am with them. They love to learn about America, our food, Hollywood gossip, etc. We talk about culture differences, families, tv and movie stars, food, cooking, and so much more.

Today Yaeno, Junko, and Yoshiko picked me and Liz (the teacher I am replacing- another navy wife) outside of the base gate and we all drove to Emiko's house. It was a cozy little Japanese house, and we felt so welcome right when we got there. It is very traditional to give gifts in Japan, so Liz and I arrived with flowers and chocolates for the ladies. When we arrived, we met three other Japanese women who had come to help out for the day. They were the women who helped dress us in our kimonos. We all talked for a little bit, but then it was time for us to get dressed. Emiko (the group coordinator) had arranged for us to wear kimonos and get pictures taken while we were there. It must have taken about 25 minutes for one of the Japanese ladies to dress me. There were so many different parts of the Kimono, and everything had to be just right. It was very heavy, and I had to suck everything in. They are tied very tight and not very comfortable. The Obi that is tied around the kimono is so beautiful. At one point, they put the traditional wedding kimono on me. I think this must have weighed over 20 pounds!! It was so much fun to get to play dress up - we then got to wear our kimonos while we ate. That was interesting!! - I couldn't hardly bend and sit down. Lunch was delicious- everyone brought something, and although I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to like some of the food, everything was delicious, and I tried it all. One of the things I brought was scotcheroos (peanut butter rice krispy treats with chocolate), and they absolutely loved them. (The Japanese love American sweets) There is not peanut butter in Japan, so that was a real treat for them. They all carefully wrapped the extras up to bring them home. We asked if we could help clean up after lunch, but they told us that if you are wearing a kimono, you do not help out with the food or clean the dishes. We were the guests of honor, and we got special treatment! Emiko gave me and Liz Carp Streamers or Koinobori. Koi means carp and nobori means banner. They are seen all over Japan as decorations and symbols of this country.

I am posting some of the photos we took today. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed experiencing it. This will always be at the top of my list of lifetime experiences! It's not every day that your Japanese friends and students dress you up in a Kimono to be treated like royalty. Enjoy!

Tomorrow we are off to celebrate the fourth of July in Tokyo at the New Sanno hotel. Brian and I are going to The Wellingtons (a fancy restaurant at the hotel) to enjoy a fabulous birthday dinner. The boys are having a babysitter at the hotel with pizza and a movie. They are very excited! Have fourth of July to everyone!

Summer Nights in Yokosuka

Yesterday finally felt like the Japanese summer that I can remember from last year.  It was humid during the day, but cooled off a little bit in the evening.  We decided we wanted something sweet after dinner, so we walked off base to a bakery that has wonderful desserts and even ice cream treats.  It was a beautiful night and the city of Yokosuka was all lit up as was the waterfront where all of ships are in port.  There are so many different kind of frozen treats to choose that it took us all a while to decide.  Last week we had gotten something that looked exactly like a banana, but it was almost like frozen banana pudding on a stick- delicious.  So, this time we all got something different.  Patrick got a frozen bar of mint ice cream with a chocolate coating on top- the rest of us got banana flavored ones but this time they were coated in chocolate.  Yummy!!  We went outside and walked along the waterfront back toward the base with our ice cream.  

It is so nice to be able to just walk somewhere to get ice cream after dinner.  We use to just walk to Baskin Robbins here on base, but that got pretty boring, so we're so glad that we found this cute little bakery (it is a bonus that this bakery has a frozen section filled with frozen treats:))  I don't think I have ever lived anywhere that we could just walk to shops, restaurants, etc.  It is something that I really enjoy about living here.  We truly live in a city, and it has been a nice change of pace.  I can have a Gap, but I also have the little back and side streets of Yokosuka that I have been lucky enough to explore and find some great places.  I have a favorite coffee shop- you step down into this little shop and find yourself feeling larger than normal because everything is so small around you.  The tables are small and low to the ground, and the coffee cups are small and dainty.  Then there are my little pottery shops.  You can barely move around in them, but they are filled with beautiful handmade Japanese pottery.  I also have a special flower shop that I will visit every so often if I need a nice arrangement or I just want something for myself to brighten up our apartment.  I have come to know the woman who runs the flower shop, and she gives treats to the boys when we stop by to say hi. These are the places and experiences that I love about Yokosuka and living in a foreign country.  

On Thursday  I get to go to the house of one of my Japanese students for a goodbye party for one teacher and a welcome party for me.   She is going to be making lunch for all of us as well as dressing us in traditional Japanese kimonos.  I will be sure to get lots of pictures that I can post on the blog.  More to follow soon....