Morning Bike Ride

I discovered my bike has had a rough winter. The handlebars are twisted, the speedometer and bell are missing, the basket holder is missing. I know it sounds like an old lady bike but it makes me happy. The speedometer and bell are useful for work outs. The basket is great for going to the market and putting produce in to bring home. Oh well......The debate will be - do I buy a Japanese bike or wait a year until we're in the states and leave this one here. Probably the latter. 


This morning was beautiful for a bike ride.  Stacia was happy to go with me and my lopsided bike.

This road can get busy

Most of the roads are rural 

See the mountains! 

I love all the early morning greetings we get as we ride by our neighbors and through the fields.  This is a great time of year to simply observe.

Newly flooded field of rice

This field has dried out enough to be mud. LOL 

After a rather harrowing sharing of our narrow lane with trucks and such...we made it to the smaller produce market. I bought spinach, bananas, apples and an onion.....filled my back pack (since the basket is out of commission).  Stacia bought....

Chocolette icesu creamu.....as Stacia gets a bit steadier in the traffic....we'll attempt to ride to the big produce market by us - the foot onsen/organic restaurant/strawberry field market! 

Choosing Joy!

©2012 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~

Living all of life before the face of God...

Curry Rice Casserole

I'd never had curry until I moved to Japan - but I like. Kobiashisan told me that curry is "Japanese fast food" like mac and cheese.  I put this together and it's good - though I know Michael won't eat it. I think Michael used to like curry or at least tolerate it until his last deployment. They ate curry every single day. Now he doesn't eat it....I don't blame him...but we like it. LOL  Today I created this go to  dinner.  I'll make a big salad and fish for Michael. 

The commissary began carrying these "all natural soups".  Arielle and I like this one. 

Ingredients - to make a big crock pot

2 containers of Curried Red Lentil Soup
a big onion - chopped
4 - 6 garlic cloves, minced
2  - 3 potatoes (yes, that IS the size of them here and they are EXPENSIVE)
handful of carrots
2 - 4 T of Curry powder
1 - 2 tsp of chili powder
leftover cooked rice - 4 cups

Heat up soup and mix curry and chili with it. Taste. Do you like? If not add more.

Put cooked rice, chopped onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes in crock pot. Pour seasoned soup over all. Turn crock pot on High for about 3 hours. Adjust as needed.

I needed to write this down before I forget what I did.....and I'm going to find a good curry recipe that doesn't use "mixes".


Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

"....My Parents Were Married!"

I am a woman of average height (alright already I'm 5'4" when I stretch but in Asia that makes me tall!) I am the mother of a daughter who is very tall for her age. Check out the photo of her playing twister below. She will be seven in August. It's fairly hard for me to cuddle her these days. Growth charts predict she will be at least 6 feet tall.

Having heard from some of my taller friends that life can be awkward as a tall woman, I've begun encouraging her in any of her girly pursuits, I often tell her how regal and elegant she is. Tonight she told me, "Mom, I'm not regal my parents were married - you should know!" ::snort:: But I'm planting seeds.

Barb, herself a tallish woman, hadn't seen Stacia in about 4 months (like the new feather she's sporting  - she waited nearly a year for it). She commented on how much Stacia has grown. She was about to tell Stacia how tall she's gotten when Stacia said, "I KNOW - I'm BIG."  As Barb and I talked she verified I was on the right track. When a young girl hears, "You're big for your age!" She doesn't hear, "I'm tall, I'm elegant, I'm regal."  She hears, "I'm BIG, I'm FAT, I'm a CLUTZ." 

Might we more carefully consider the words we speak in a child's presence? 

I HAVE and WILL teach her about inner beauty, being comfortable with herself et al....but I do think I will be much more careful in the future about the words I use to describe young kids in their hearing...they pick up on them young. LOL  

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Earlier Love

Before God blessed us with Yuuki, the wonder dog, the highlight of our month was to go to Barb's. Not for haircuts but to play with Lucy.......

and Reeses. 

We had appointments scheduled for the week Michael came home from the hospital. I couldn't break away and so we simply cancelled. We finally got gussied up again today. Shew. It was time.  The above kids are pre-haircut.

It's always fun to visit with Barb and watch the kids play with these dogs. They began to worry what Yuuki would think, but we decided they'd just have to tell Yuuki these dogs were their loves before her...but they love her best now. ::snort::

Yuuki seemed to forgive them.

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

How Many Gherkins Can You Find?

• TnT - Ps 51 "Renew a steadfast spirit within me." Steadfast...firm...established...fixed in the face of life. In leadership, I'm encouraged to be steadfast in the face of challenges. In my personal life, steadfast in the face of uncertainties, kids flying the nest, child rearing challenges...steadfast. 
• Bike ride with Zander and Stacia through the Japanese farming fields, early a.m. "Ohiyogoziamasu" to neighbors....priceless.
• Fielding ministry emails and praying for a regional brain (admin coordinator) and more. LOL 
• Zander earned $10 after he rewashed the car and got it right! 
• Haircuts for all. 
• Strange incident with an irritated bicyclist.
• We stopped with dinner on base so we could see Michael. 
• Rousing bedtime game of Twister....like the new haircuts? There are four Gherkins in this photo - can you find them all? 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Playing in the Big League Now

A major milestone in our family is the day you get your military dependent ID. You don't need one until you are 10. You lose them when you are 21 or 23 if you are still in college. 


Zander worked HARD to learn to write his name in cursive...and Alexander Gxxxxxxx  is a LONG name to fit in a tiny spot. I told him to just write a G with swirls...but Michael insisted on learning to write it for real. We did compromise and let him sign as Alex G..... 

 I think that's a long horn sign.

The tradition is ice cream for family celebrations. I went out to dinner with friends last night and got home after Michael was already in bed (he still gets really tired at the end of the day).  I assumed they'd have ice cream before I got home. Evidently Zander told Michael he'd like to wait for Jared (at work) and I to get home before ice cream. Sweet boy. 


Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

A Full Tuesday

• TnT Ps 50.23 - Being a person of thanks + determining my conduct beforehand  = liberty, rescue, freedom. Do the word studies to figure out how I reached this one. LOL 
• EARLY a.m. Skype with Mom Mary and Dad Earl - great service from a worker at CC Rehabilitation Center to set it all up. Dad Earl slept through the whole thing, but I think it was good to see him. Certainly was fun to see Mom Mary and for her to see and talk to all, see our home etc. 
• Spent PWOC with the kidlets today....it was FUN...though terrifying...and a bit snotty. ::snort:: 
• Zander was my secret weapon to play with the little boys. Good time for all. 
• Lunch with Arielle, Stacia, Zander and Michael. 
• Zander got his ID
• Cooked a "go to" dinner for family 
• Night out with friends - I need to do more of that!  

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...