Tuesday, September 29, 2009

One More Sleep

Shew...the kids and I packed up the TLF. We took two van loads of things over to the new house. Two neighbors were having things delivered. Our time is coming.

Other than that - I did nothing today. Hmmm....must have done something.

Oh, finished the Protestant News.

Melissa, a new friend, is loaning us a queen size air mattress, two sleeping bags and some sheets. I have to write it here so that I have a list somewhere because my brain is fading.

I also went to the BX for a few items.

Arielle, Mollie and Gracie are at drama club....and I'm downstairs wishing I could reach Bre but knowing it is on 4 a.m. in OR. LOL

One more sleep and we'll be in our new home. Now, don't think the blog will go silent. I'll update when I'm on base.

Jared and I were discussing today how this move has lasted 4 1/2 months...unbelievable. We commented that it was nice the "adventure" was over....and then we heard about Bre's car.... ::snort:: This is a summer our family will not soon forget.

Contemplating if THIS is the month I could order some food to ship from the natural co-op in TX....I'm sure missing a few items. LOL

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Prayer Request for Bre

BreAnne's car was broken into outside her apartment. Grrrr....pray for Bre (and Krista's) peace of mind...both work closing shifts....and for any identity theft issues as that seems to be what they took (registration, insurance) .....so once again our identity is compromised....I'm about to take out a huge Internet ad...."Want my id.....come and get it!" ::snort::

Seriously, living surrendered...God's still in control...He's able to help Bre better than us...but that doesn't mean we won't keep trying to get a connection to talk.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Monday, September 28, 2009

Lease Day

We have a key!

Armed with gifts, we set out early this a.m.

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Chocolate, the universal thank you! ::snort::

We are exhausted. We ran ALL day...but we got a lot done. We signed a lease. We received keys. We filled out reams of paperwork here and there.

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Amazing how much excitement one key can cause in our family.

Our appliances will arrive at our residence on Wed. We'll move out of TLF on Wed.

Our "early luggage" will arrive Thursday.

Our household goods will arrive Friday.

Our phone and Internet may take a month to hook up. YIKES.

We shopped for sleeping bags (as we'll arrive at our home before beds). We found two at the BX. We found several at Homac...then Mike did the math and told me they'd come 1/2 way up the boy's bodies. We put them back. After dinner we went to Sanwado and bought two futons. We'll beg and borrow some air mattresses and sheets for a couple of nights. Or something. I'll worry about it tomorrow.

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The tan packages are the futon bottom. The red/brown package contains a futon cover. Since we couldn't find sleeping bags and didn't want to buy more sheets (no where to store them in the house)....we did this. Zander and Stacia will need the futons anyway....and really we'll need MORE for visitors. LOL BUT we settled for two.

OH, we went over to a gentleman's home who had a bowflex advertised. We bought it. He and his wife have lived in Japan for years...he's the Principal of one of the DOD schools. We had a great time asking questions, seeing their furniture and getting directions for new adventures. We'll pick the bowflex up on Wed. Now to find an elliptical machine or something.

This product name cracked me up.
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Mike will go into the office tomorrow and get as much done as he could. I'm up late finishing the Protestant News so that it can be proofed and printed tomorrow. The kids are in bed. Jared is about to try to connect with the boys in TX. Full day.

Note that we will have VERY sporadic Internet when we check out of TLF. We'll be able to check email and possibly blog when we are on base....but don't worry if you don't hear from us for a bit of time...and then we'll have Fiber Optic and be easily accessible.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sunday

This was a "practically perfect" day.

Sunday School was great. Thanks, Renee.

Covenant Players presented a message in drama at chapel. They were good. Ms. Amber gave me info for Josiah and Jamin. She graduated from ASU and now travels with Covenant Players. She had names and mission opportunities etc sponsored by a campus ministry there.

During the "meet and greet" time I discovered a new family will be living in the same subdivision as us.

This afternoon we headed to the ocean - AGAIN. Rodney, Windy and the kids found themselves there too.

Maggie and Stacia (gotta work on social skills and sharing with this gal)
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Arielle & Gracie
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Benji
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Nolan and Molly - I love this photo
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We all drove over to the subdivision. What fun when Rodney pulled up into our driveway to talk to us...our FIRST VISITORS!!!! Then the husband from the family at chapel showed up. Are you ready? They are going to live directly across from us. ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Saturday, September 26, 2009

MY BOYS ARE COMING!!!

My boys are coming to Japan. I'm so excited. OK - OUR BOYS are coming to Japan. They won't make it for Christmas, because they have to work, but they think they can fly out the 27th and they'll be here for two weeks.

I went right out and tried to find samurai swords to give them for Christmas....wonder if they'll settle for samurai or sumo kokeshi dolls?????

We must remember to check into this whole "dependent ticket" thing next week.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Shopping and Relaxing...

Arielle and I went to the "big" Bazar sponsored by the MOSC today. We bought Christmas presents for grandparents and the girls.

Mom, I almost bought you a most unique nativity - until I found it was the "seven gods". ::snort::

After lunch, Arielle and I met up with Windy and Molly (Mollie?) and explored shopping spots in Misawa. We went to a Y100 store, Sundays and Sanwado... I shortened Windy's life by two years on one of the narrow roads...but what's a few years amongst friends? ::snort::

We are looking for the same sorts of items, student's desks, futons, shelves....it was a fun day. I think it will prove productive too.

My wonderful husband, Michael, spent the day with our three youngest....something they greatly enjoyed. Jared was helping a friend put up a shed. We all got home about the same time. Mike suggested we pick up a chicken and.....go to the BEACH!

Our Beach - 2 miles from "home"
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Hard to relax with the waves flinging these things against your ankles. ::snort:: This is ONE jellyfish.
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Back at the TLF Michael and the boys played two hours of basketball. They're showered and settling down and I decided to check email and throw some photos up.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Friday, September 25, 2009

One step forward...THREE steps back

1. I was told by our rental agent that if the base gave us the lease on Friday we could pick up the key on Friday.

2. Our homes passed inspection Friday a.m.

3. We showed up at the base housing office and they asked us to come back Monday to pick up the lease. No ONE can look as pathetic as I when I say, "But we've been in TLF for 11 weeks with 5 children." ::snort:: She gave us the lease and asked us to come back on Monday to take care of the rest of the base paperwork. We'll start to receive the allowance for living off base overseas.

4. We went to the rental agent's. She'd said she'd call Friday and hadn't. Turns out she was out all afternoon. I suspect she thought she was safe telling me we could pick up a key Friday as she knew its not typical for the base to give out leases the day of the inspection....but SHE didn't figure on my pathetic routine. ::snort:: ANYWAY - we CAN'T get a key until Monday because the carpenter still needs access this weekend. ::sigh::

5. We stopped by TMO (to schedule delivery of our household goods). They said it shouldn't be a problem to get our shipments in this upcoming week...but they "can't schedule it until we give them a copy of the signed lease." They also are unaware that there is a subdivision of 12 new homes that is going to be ready on Monday. ::snort::

6. We stopped by to schedule phone and Internet hookup. They can't do that because they "can't schedule it until we give them a copy of the signed lease." They also said that it will take up to 3 weeks to get service because "Koishi, she gonna build out in no where!" ::snort:: ::gasp::

7. Bottom line....we didn't sign the lease, receive a key, or schedule anything yesterday....yet we spent a full day not doing it. ::SNORT:: As I said, the lesson I'm learning this week is that around here the key is to be politely patient.

We have a meeting at 9:00 a.m. with the rental agent to sign the lease. THEN we'll retrace our steps and see about a dozen various offices (OK - 5 offices) with the copy of the lease. We HAVE to be out of TLF by next Saturday. We will be moving this week. We pray we move when we have beds, a fridge and a stove. If not, we'll camp out in the house.

After all THAT, we collected the kids and went to the beach. It was a blast. Mike was suitably impressed. I suggested we change "Friday night pizza and a movie" to "Friday night s'mores on the beach"....Arielle wants "Friday night pizza and then s'mores on the beach". ::snort::

I had ordered a replacement of Tim Hawkin's "I'm No Rockstar" along with the new Banana DVD and they arrived yesterday. We watched those and I laughed until I cried. I also got a CD with the songs on them and that was GREAT in the car. We are having a hard time with no English stations in the car.....and few CD'S traveled with us.....

The theme of this week has been "living surrendered". You may note that SURRENDER was Last Year's Memorial Stone (see the side bar)......but Sunday we read some excerpts from CS Lewis in class and were challenged to begin each day this week by committing to "living surrendered"...and wow...what opportunities I've had to live it out. Sometimes with success, sometimes with failure, sometimes with whining...but always with a heart that desires to follow Him fully.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Yesterday's Adventure

We went out to check the progress on our home. They may well be done by today. We pray.

Jared and I were sure that we were near the ocean. We decided to go find it. I'll save the video for when I'm in a house with Fiber Optic connections. It appears that this Verizon line on base simply doesn't allow me to load videos. I'll post it later. Twyla had called and invited us to follow her to shipwreck beach yesterday...but we had the drama workshop. This all spurred us on to explore by our home....because it was a beautiful day!

THIS is what we found about 2km from our home (is that about a mile)? For a minute, I thought we'd found Shipwreck Beach and thought that would be hilarious as we tried to find it and drove for a couple of hours a few weeks ago....but it isn't.


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Arielle came home, got out Apologia and researched for us.
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Big crashing waves, lots of wonderful sand, shells, jelly fish, picnic areas, squatty potties, camping spots...


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Welllllll.....they must mean us to enjoy the beach as there are restrooms, and tent sites on this sign...not sure about the rest of it....but Jared did make out that this is Momoishi beach on one sign. It's handy for him to be working on Kanji and Hiragana. We were able to verify the name of the beach later on another sign. Cool!
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LOOK - the first public basketball hoops we've seen...we are so blessed!
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People talk about beachcombing and finding glass balls and floats...but we left it....
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I cried when I saw this so close to the house. It's a dream. I LOVE the ocean. I'm so blessed that God put us 3/4 to a mile away...an easy walk....AND it has basketball....we are thrilled.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Covenant Players in Town

Thursday the kids were blessed to be able to participate in a homeschool drama workshop led by Covenant Players. The games and activities all led the kids to explore the seven elements of drama. We were personally excited that Ms. Amber had attended college at ASU in San Angelo.
Zander calls out animals for others to act out.
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Arielle inserts a pencil into a pencil sharpener....
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I have a couple of other great photos, but they show faces of others' children so I won't post them. I loved the one that Nolan's group came up with. They were a toaster. They picked Nolan and another boy, Michael to be the toast. Michael's mother and I tried to figure out why Nolan was going down and Michael was popping up.....until the Covenant Player facilitator explained that they'd thought it up themselves. The toast went down white and popped up black. ::snort:: I should have asked Maisha if I could use the photo, but didn't think of it.
We look forward to the Covenant Players presenting the sermon in drama at Chapel on Sunday.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Today's Adventure


Be sure to watch until you hear Zander's comment on the location. ::snort::


©2009 D.R.G.



Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Living Surrendered

A few quick thoughts. I've been dealing with a lot of "things" this week, from the trivial to the profound. I've struggled to LIVE SURRENDERED....not just pray it in the a.m.

Yesterday, God brought me back to this Psalm..."Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me." Psalm 131:2

I was fanning the frustration, focusing on the confusion and God calls me to compose and quiet my soul....and so now I'm trying to LIVE SURRENDERED and deliberately choosing to compose, still, smooth, quiet, silence my soul. He is God. He's on the throne...in the trivial and the profound.

Compose - level, smooth, set (H7737)
Quieted - be silent, still, struck dumb (H1826)

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

I had the Noodle Dream....

(Have you ever seen Kung Fu Panda?)

I dreamed I walked into MOSC (officer's spouse club), dressed approrpiately in my little black dress, and found B*E*T*S*Y!!!! We hugged, we laughed, we skipped around the room, we did CARTWHEELS, we preformed an amazing display of Kung Fu....and THEN we set down and ate some amazing bowls of ramen?

What did the dream mean? I haven't a clue. I'm missing Betsy, whose wit and sense of fun continue to bless me though we've both left TX? We're watching too many videos? I need some fun? God's about to heal Betsy's knees and she'll be doing cartwheels? I don't know.....BUT it reminded me that I'd STILL not found a ramen house....all the places we go to seem to serve rice and meat, sushi, yakasoba...but no RAMEN. I had promised Jared we'd try at least one Japanese restaurant....this spurred me to pick one we'd heard of.

Cheese Roll...I'd heard the food was scrumptious...I'd heard that a cockroach was spotted there in the recent past. I decided after growing up overseas and living in the South for many years....I'd take my chances with the cockroach. ::snort::

We set out for an adventure. Nolan wanted to join us. Zander did NOT want to go to a Japanese restaurant, but he isn't always 100% obedient to Arielle, so he came. I drove around and around the Cheese Roll looking for parking. I finally found a lot, but wasn't sure if it was for public parking.

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A nice, middle-age gentleman was walking along....."Sumimaisen, parking dijobo desu ka?" I was so proud of myself for stringing a phrase together. I pantomined driving and parking to go with my one english word.

He replied, "Yes. This is fine. Most workdays it is parking for the bank, but today is a holiday to respect aged ones so you are fine to park there. "

The man spoke better English than we've heard since we arrived....but oh well...he smiled big at my baby Japanese. We have noted that some will say they don't speak English and when we try to communicate in our Japanese they suddenly speak English. I guess they realize they speak a lot better English than we speak Japanese. ::snort:: We are having a blast.


Isn't this great decor?
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Look at these cheese rolls....
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I'd only heard about the cheese rolls at this restaurant and had no clue it was a RAMEN HOUSE - a NOODLE HOUSE....and what a bowl of ramen it was. WOW.

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Some of us have more luck than others of us with hashi. I finally had him move over next to me and fed him....and the little ladies in the store loved it. LOL
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Others of us have no trouble adapting to culture in the least.
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I laughed out loud when I saw it was a ramen house. I think my noodle dream led me to this adventure...and I took Betsy with me. ::snort::

I happily slurped ramen...and discovered the Japanese ladies really DO like it best if you slurp, ramen noodles are HOT when first served and thus slurping can be painful, and slurping ramen can be a messy affair.

Mel, we told them oishi...and they beamed. Best of all...they have obento...take out lunches.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sara is home with Jesus

Sara, the young lady I requested prayer for yesterday, has gone home to be with Jesus. I hesitated to post anything until Brad had, so that close friends did not find out via an impersonal blog or email...however several of you have emailed to ask if there are updates. You can read Brad's words here.

Please continue to pray for Brad, their young daughter Chole, all her friends and family.....

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Name that Veggie

The boys and I went out for a little adventure today. I'll write about the first part later.....but I'm really curious to see if some of you can help me out here.

We drove around until we found a farmer's market right off base that we'd heard of.

I learned a new word - nashi = pear....and the conversation to glean this info was hilarious. They are yellow and ROUND...I thought they were pears and not apples but wanted to check. I asked if they were apples...no, no, no. I held up green - "normal" looking pears and the yellow globes and said, "Pears? same?" and was told no....but then they came back with a little electric dictionary and told me "nashi - pears".

WHAT are these and how would you cook them?
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I'm guessing the the long, geen things are a squash of some sort...but how would you cook it?
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A full market basket...and we were happy!
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It's funny to note that most everything I bought was marked down, with a big red slash through it and wasn't the "freshest". They explained this to me...but most was 1/2 the normal price and looked just as good as the "fresh" produce at HEB....this basket full cost me Y2800....but I think I'll begin to set aside a weekly yen allowance for produce at the markets. The produce (even at the grocery stores) is MUCH fresher than the commissary.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Monday, September 21, 2009

Urgent Prayer Request

We have a young couple in our chapel who work with youth. She's been battling cancer and a high risk pregnancy. Baby Chole was born on 15 Sept - 4+ lbs...and is home and doing well. Sara began to have headaches, sieze and was put into a medical coma while they tried to decide how to help her. The situation is now very grave. Please pray for Brad, Sara and baby Chole. Here is their blog address

http://bandssullivan.blogspot.com/

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Deep Sea Fishing

Mike and Jared went on an ITT tour billed as a "deep sea fishing" trip. Mike, the boys, and Krista had gone on several of these trips in AK. Jared was due to go on one before we left but it was cancelled due to weather. This seemed perfect.

The men returned far earlier than I expected. They commented that they are "not in AK any longer". Later, I heard more....

In AK you have a big boat, you go hours from shore, you catch BIG fish (130# halibut), they have a cleaning and packaging spot right there.....

Here...they were in a small boat, went out about 4 miles, the fish were very tiny and there was no where to clean them. We had HEARD they often bring up octopus on these trips...so I was glad that their catch was small!

I think they'll try to find a tour sponsored by the local fishing industry for their next adventure.


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Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Going to the Fitness Room....

has new meaning for our family. Several weeks ago I discovered (shhhhhhh) the wifi signal from the computer room works in the next door fitness room. Why does this matter? Because in over 7 weeks in the TLF, I've not seen one person outside my family USE the fitness room. They've moved all but the stair stepper out....but this room is GREAT for skyping. (Is that a word)? I can bring the kids down, with books and coloring books, or let them watch the kids' channel....and use the computer..... AND we can talk with family without the rest of the building hearing. Housekeeping and other employees have found us in there numerous times. Today one of the management gentlemen told me that they'll eventually turn it into something other than a fitness room...but I think it will remain long enough to serve our purpose. He's always surprised that we get a signal in there...but it's faster than the one in the computer room. ::snort::

We spent the a.m. talking to Mom and Dad, Jamin, Josiah and BreAnne. Krista was at work. This will be great when the computer is running all day in our home - we'll have much more chance to catch stateside friends. It's "funny" we've not caught Nate and Heather yet as they are only one hour different from us in time.

We spent the afternoon schooling.

We are waiting up now to call the title company at 11:00 or midnight so that they can CLOSE ON OUR TX home. YES. Josiah, we are so proud of you for taking care of this for us. Can you believe that we have to close the morning of the closing? Not a day earlier??? ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sunday, September 20, 2009

My First Onsen or Japanese Baths - Part 2

As the kids and I researched Japan in preparation to move, we began to hear about Onsens. Friends who have lived here before (or live here now) said we HAD to do this. I determined I would. Wikipedia reports:


An onsen (温泉?) is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. A volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth. Onsen were traditionally used as public bathing places and today play a central role in directing Japanese domestic tourism.

Yes, I was shocked when we discovered that we would be expected to go nekkid in the hot springs. The kids decided it wasn't for them. I decided I would do it....and I'm thrilled to have done it early in our assignment so that I can enjoy Onsening for the next three years. ::snort::

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Twyla, me, Deb

Friday night four ladies from chapel (me being one) went out for dinner and onsening. For two of us, Renee and myself, it was our first trip to the Onsen. I'd heard that some Onsens frown on foreigners because we don't always follow the proper ettiquette. This is for cleanliness and relaxing...not for rowdy rough housing. I am thankful to Deb and Twyla for inviting me to go onsening.....they KNEW what to do and I didn't have to worry about being unaware of offensive actions. I'm also thankful that Renee went along so that I wasn't the only one feeling a bit anxious about the experience. LOL

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Renee - my first friend in Misawa, I've been promising you a photo and there she is on the left...about to try Onsening for the first time. I believe she's still glad I moved here. ::snort:: Don't you love Twyla's rather gaudy earring?


We stopped for dinner at a Korean restaurant. I had bolgogi and it was yummy!

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We encountered the above sign at the Onsen.

Wikipedia shares this:


People with tattoos are usually not welcomed but one may be allowed in if the tattoos are not terribly obvious. If one ventures to an onsen that is publicly owned, this "should not present a problem as they have a duty to let all tax-paying citizens in. The original reason for this ban was to keep out yakuza, or members of other organized criminal gangs."[3]

I wish I'd taken the time to try this. The little fish nibble the dead skin from your feet. Maybe next time.

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In we went.....the teacher in me loves INFO and I'd gladly share this experience step by step...but most of you will never NEED the specifics...anyway...the moment of truth...it really isn't much different than showering in a dorm at a boarding school or skinny dipping. ::snort::

The showers WERE unexpected....not one giant shower room...but low counters with a stool to sit on, a mirror, your own shower hose and basin. Very nice. I'll take a photo if I ever happen to visit an empty Onsen...Friday night isn't the slow time from what I could see. ::snort::

The pools range from 16*C to 42* C. There were indoor and outdoor tubs. There was a pool with a fragrant colored water. There were saunas and steam rooms. There is a little restaurant and a massage room...lots of things to try and explore. This place is next to the Organic Restaurant....which opens up mid-week opportunities...I wonder if Onsens are open during the day and if there would be less people. There were moms/daughters...grandmoms/grandkids....friends...and I'd love to do this with Arielle and Stacia...but will have to find a quiet spot if I hope to talk Arielle into it.

I also discovered that many middle age women DO take a teeny towel with them...and I plan to buy a few teeny towels. ::snort:: I plan to explore the various Onsens in the area and find my favorite. Outdoor tubs in the winter sound delightful!

This was incredibly relaxing. I can't begin to explain how nice it was. The stress and tension you may be feeling simply evaporates. This is a good thing the Japanese culture has cultivated! If any one local is ever looking for an Onsen partner; I'm available. ::snort::

Thank you Deb, Twyla and Renee for sharing this first with me. As I told you earlier, this certainly ensures I'll not forget any of you, even when I'm 98 and recalling my Japanese adventures to my great, great grandchildren.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Blog Alarm

It's amazing how many people living in TLF will grab their laptops when told to evacuate the building. ::snort::

Yep...the second time since we've been here....the bldg was surrounded with fire trucks and men in full gear....seems someone burnt the popcorn again?

I'd been deciding on a nap or checking email and blogging...since I was now out of the bldg with the laptop....maybe I'll catch one of you on Skype. Mike has the kids playing basketball and swinging.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Japanese Baths - Part 1

One of the first things we noticed were these delightfully deep tubs in the TLF. They are common to Japan. I'd read up on the country and was expecting deep tubs in off base homes, but was pleasantly surprised to find a deep tub in TLF.

In the homes we've seen, the bathrooms are divided into at least two rooms. There is a room with a toilet and sink.....then there is the shower room.

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It's hard to see in this photo...but the entire room is tiled with shower board. There is a drain in the floor outside of the tub. The shower hose is for you to take a shower in the room, BEFORE you get into the tub. In homes without shower hoses, there is a small scoop/bucket dipper for the same purpose. Only when you are CLEAN and all soap has been removed do you enter the tub. I think the hook IN the tub is a concession for "American Style" homes. There is also a mirror in our tub?????

From our reading we've learned that the tubs are usually filled with very HOT water. The tubs come with a cover to keep the water warm between baths. In homes with big enough tubs several members of a family will soak at the same time. The purpose for a bath here is to relax, to calm down, to get warm, to be refreshed...showers are to get clean.

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I was thrilled to find that our tub is deep (though a bit short for the taller folks among us) and has a cover.



Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Friday, September 18, 2009

INSIDE the house!

We were able to go inside the house yesterday. I talked with our rental agent and they've moved the base's home inspection up to Friday, 25 September. We are praying that all goes as planned and that the home is approved Friday a.m. We plan to be at housing Friday afternoon to sign a lease. Then we can pick up a key and schedule TMO. This move may really end soon. ::snort::

The home is beautiful. It WILL require some creativity. I'm sure I'll find some before we move in or shortly thereafter....or I'll post room photos and beg for YOUR ideas. ::snort:: Windy and I have been tossing ideas back and forth.

Mike reports there are wrapped pipes under this space in the laundry room. We are hoping that means that our understanding of floor heat is the same as the builder's understanding. ::snort::
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The laundry room is big. I am thinking a wall shelving unit would give us some linen storage or such.....Windy's home does have much more closet space than ours (in the entry way, the master bedroom and the bathroom). This is something you can't tell from floor plans...or at least we couldn't....but there were quite a few Japanese notations. ::snort::
These are STEEP! One of the kids commented that it was like climbing a ladder. ::snort:: The steps themselves are taller and narrower than in the states....and the incline is steep.
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Our kitchen is a great size. We'll need to figure out more pantry/cupboard space...there are cupboards, but they are not as deep as in America. We do have a wonderful closet/pantry in the dining room....we also have an extra wide kitchen. Maybe a desk, or pantry shelves, or a rocking chair will fit in that spot.....
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Jared thinks the height of the sink should get him out of doing dishes....what do you think?
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We had been told there would be storage under the stairs. I envisioned a lot of space for boxes, like homes we've had before. However, THIS is our storage space under the stairs. ::snort:: Photobucket

The views are going to be beautiful. Every house has a few surprises and this one is no different. We'll be very happy here.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Skype

OK - we have Skype now. I used my name. If you know my name, feel free to add me to your contacts. ::snort:: Nate....I can't find you but I found Heather's old stateside one. Are you listed in MO or Japan? There is NO ONE in the computer room, Mike tested the sound, we're dying to try this out and none of you are online. ::snort::

Let's see what else did I do? I attended a PWOC related meeting. I sent in my registration for Hawaii. I played with the young ones on the playground. I met a new lady there who had a ton of fun info for me about Japan. We made cookies. We went on a long walk.

I bought stuff for tomorrow's Onsen Adventure.

Still waiting for Skype to ring. ::snort::

Rodney and Windy went over to see their home today. They were told by Koishi that it is o.k. to go inside when the workers are there. They did. They also went inside ours and said that it looks nearly done. We're going to go look tomorrow. I'm really going to have a home...soon...honestly. THEN what will I write about? ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

LAZY Wednesday

Wednesday morning confirmed many things for us. We couldn't get moving. We don't do well with evening outings. I know in AK, where we had Bible Study and Youth activities on Tuesday night, Wednesdays were ALWAYS tough for school. We didn't have mid-week activities in TX. I have opted out of the chapel mid-week evening activities because of the drive (I thought I could catch rides to the Language class) ...but after one night of language class....I realize that just being out in the evening does something to us. Hats off to all of you who faithfully pull this off, it's not something we HAVE to do, so we're content to stay home, read and play games in the evenings. LOL

SO...since we weren't motivated to get anything done, we decided to try to hook with the S family (Rodney and Windy's family). We visited.

After lunch I took Windy out to show her the house. They were inside working on their house. As we peeked in an older women said, "Dozo"..... Yeah? ALRIGHT. We got to go inside. As we took off our shoes she said "Dijobo!" Which means "ok". I wanted to be sure and wanted to ask "It's o.k.?" which came out sounding like "Dejavu des ka?" but she laughed and said to come on in, and leave our shoes on (the floor is covered with padded paper). The wall paper is up, the .....we were very concerned about tears and broken drywall all over the house...and in the ceilings!!!! VERY concerned. Last night, as we talked with Mike, we figured out that those must be the spots for the light switches! ::snort::

Dorothy - its us together - I remember praying for Windy as she had their youngest baby and her dh went to Korea for a year - how surreal that we are meeting in real life. I love how God orchestrates our lives!

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AND....guess what? If Windy has one, we're sure to have one....

A Techno Potty!
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I wonder if the plug means the seat will be heated...maybe it's just for the spraying gadgets.... Winter is so much more livable with heated feet and buns. LOL

Back on base, we grabbed kids and went to the Weasel's Den for a bit of time. They headed for Awana and we continued dragging our lazy way through Wednesday.

OH YES - and Windy is going to Hawaii with me. We filled out registration forms.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Japanese Trucks

Jamin - this is just for you! We think of you and your desire for a pick up every time we see one of these. ::snort::

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Look at the tiny tires.... The boys report the backs ARE fun to ride in. We've not seen ONE "full sized Texas truck" over here.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

~ Coram Deo ~
Living all of life before the face of God...