It has been a while since I've written and a lot has
happened! Fall is always one of the busiest times of the year! I wanted to give
you a quick update of what's been happening!
Last thing I wrote about was our trip to Osaka in September,
which was amazing! Since then I've taught a bunch of English classes, worked at
FBC on Rokko Island (http://www.fbcusa.com/), gone to the zoo with the family, went on a fabulous
mother-daughter outing, ordered a computer, had family worship times, and
decided on when to get my wisdom teeth pulled! The last month just seemed
to fly by!
The weather has been perfect lately,
which has been really nice for walking to my English classes. Several times a
week I've been walking the 25 minutes to Sakuradai, down the hill, to teach
English. I have really enjoyed teaching. With a variety of classes I've gotten
to know several different families, gone into their homes, and seen how they
interact with one another. I have now taught nearly two dozen kids between 4 and 10
years old and several parents. I have really enjoyed the experience. (kidswow.com)
Yesterday Mom and I went to the Japanese hospital to check on getting my wisdom teeth pulled. Last month my orthodontist took an x-ray of my mouth and told me that I need my wisdom teeth pulled. =\ So yesterday Mom and I went first to our dentist to ask if he could pull them out. After looking at the x-ray, he told us that it looked like too difficult of an operation. That was helpful information, so we went to the hospital knowing that it was our only option. After waiting a long time we were able to see the dentist in the hospital. He seemed like a nice, confident doctor which I'm happy about since he will be doing the operation. We had to decide whether we wanted to have my wisdom teeth pulled one at a time with about a month in between each time (this option would be much cheaper and would allow me to go home right after each operation) or we could have two or more pulled at the same time, but I would have to stay at the hospital for several days which raised the price by a lot. Hmm... After calling Dad, we decided to go for having all four pulled out at the same time. I will get them taken out on the 16th of November at either 1:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. But I have to check into the hospital by 1:00 PM on Thursday! Then I will be staying Thursday, all Friday, probably all Saturday, and possibly Sunday too! I would really appreciate your prayers for that time. It's my first operation and my first time to stay at a hospital! So that is something new! :)
On a funner note, I really enjoyed going to the zoo
with Mom, Dad, Tiffy, and Jenny on the twelfth of this month. We were able to
leisurely enjoy being together, watching the animals.
The coolest thing was when we looked at the bears. There was a single black bear in one of the closed in areas. When we went over to the glass to look at it, it was staring at us with its head pressed against the window. Tiffy sat down on little ledge right beside the glass and the bear opened up its mouth and looked like it was trying to take a juicy bite out of her arm!!! So glad that glass window was strong!! Those were some massive teeth! Then it raised one paw against the glass as if to try to get at her from a better angle. I would have to say that that was the closest I've been to a bear. I would not want to meet one out in the open! Another time the bear stood up against the wall perhaps to scratch itself. It was huge! It seems like it was probably seven or eight feet tall. Yikes!
The girls have been studying about birds in school this year, so we enjoyed seeing a variety of birds. It is so interesting to see the how differently God made birds. Some are big; some are small. There are all different colors, different shapes and sizes of beaks, different ways of moving around, a variety a feet, and so many kinds! Pigeons, sparrows, parrots, peacocks, flamingos, ostriches, penguins, eagles, owls, and cockatoos... (only to name a few)! Fascinating!
Little monkeys =)
The coolest thing was when we looked at the bears. There was a single black bear in one of the closed in areas. When we went over to the glass to look at it, it was staring at us with its head pressed against the window. Tiffy sat down on little ledge right beside the glass and the bear opened up its mouth and looked like it was trying to take a juicy bite out of her arm!!! So glad that glass window was strong!! Those were some massive teeth! Then it raised one paw against the glass as if to try to get at her from a better angle. I would have to say that that was the closest I've been to a bear. I would not want to meet one out in the open! Another time the bear stood up against the wall perhaps to scratch itself. It was huge! It seems like it was probably seven or eight feet tall. Yikes!
Notice all the kids in the background
The girls have been studying about birds in school this year, so we enjoyed seeing a variety of birds. It is so interesting to see the how differently God made birds. Some are big; some are small. There are all different colors, different shapes and sizes of beaks, different ways of moving around, a variety a feet, and so many kinds! Pigeons, sparrows, parrots, peacocks, flamingos, ostriches, penguins, eagles, owls, and cockatoos... (only to name a few)! Fascinating!
Another highlight was our mother-daughter outing!
Mom and I were able to go out on Wednesday the 17th and stay overnight at
Shiawase no Mura! We had so much fun! It rained on Wednesday, so we did a
little bit of shopping at Co-op Days, before driving to Shiawase no Mura. It was
barely sprinkling (versus pouring) when we parked, so we decided to go putter golfing. We put on the ponchos
that Mom had brilliantly thought to bring, then bought our tickets, and
started playing. We were the only ones on the whole course! We were trying to
decide whether that was because it was raining or because it was lunchtime.
Pretty sure it was since it was lunchtime. =)
By the fifth hole it was really
raining! We were both getting drenched, but we continued playing in the rain! It
was actually pretty fun! Since it was raining it didn't really matter what
score I got. I could just enjoy the game and not be so concerned with how well I
did. When we were finished we were both wet
and hungry. So we went to a little restaurant and had a delicious tonkatsu set
(breaded pork) with rice, miso soup, cabbage salad, and pickles. Yum! We then
drove to our hotel hoping we could check in a little early and change out of
our wet clothes, but we had to wait the thirty minutes until 3:00.
I loved our hotel room! I've been in
two hotel rooms before and each time I have loved it! It felt like a miniature play
house, but in real life. We had two cute little
beds, a little couch, chair, and table, a shower room, a bathroom, a closet,
and a tiny refrigerator. Loved it!
After getting in dry clothes, we settled
down on our comfy beds and talked. We talked and talked and talked and
talked, until finally we wanted some dinner. We went and got dinner, ate,
played a game, and went to bed. In the morning Mom set out a delicious
breakfast spread! So good! As we ate we decided what to do. After eating we
packed up our stuff and checked out right on time at 10:00 AM. Then we rented
bikes and cycled around the botanical garden for a half hour. Since it still wasn't raining we decided to go putter golfing again! There were a lot of
people on the course (I guess cause it wasn't lunch time...). I got the same score as on Wednesday and Mom got one point under
her previous score. =) It was fun!
After golfing we drove to Costco, stopping at the thrift store on the way . We walked over to the mall next to Costco to look at Uni-Qlo, but didn't find anything we wanted. So we went back to Costco, ate lunch (it was really yummy), bought the groceries, loaded up the car, and started driving home. As we drove, the sun began to set in a gorgeous display of orange, yellow, and blue. As we watched (and took pictures) it got progressively more and more stunning. I felt almost like we were driving down some magical road in a fairytale.
As soon as we got home, we put away the groceries, cut and bagged the pizzas, and packaged the meat into smaller portions. Once we finished putting away the Costco items, Tiffy and I packed for working at FBC on Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday FBC was having their annual Halloween Open House event. Tiffy helped run the shop, while I was able to help with the 4 parties. I was in charge of leading a song activity with the help of volunteers from the Marist Brothers school. Although I was a little nervous in the morning about leading the songs for up to a hundred kids plus observers, when we actually started I felt quite comfortable. I made a point to stand in the front of the room and interact with the kids from the moment the party started in order to get comfortable with being in front of a crowd. We sang two songs which went really well! We had good response from the kids and they seemed to really enjoy it.
I then sat in the photo corner for the rest of each fifty minute party. Parents would take pictures of their kids with me. Smile, smile, smile! I enjoyed it! We had a bunch of games that the kids would participate in and win prizes. Just before the party was over, we all paraded down to the river mall and back around to the FBC garden. We had a lot of fun!
After golfing we drove to Costco, stopping at the thrift store on the way . We walked over to the mall next to Costco to look at Uni-Qlo, but didn't find anything we wanted. So we went back to Costco, ate lunch (it was really yummy), bought the groceries, loaded up the car, and started driving home. As we drove, the sun began to set in a gorgeous display of orange, yellow, and blue. As we watched (and took pictures) it got progressively more and more stunning. I felt almost like we were driving down some magical road in a fairytale.
As soon as we got home, we put away the groceries, cut and bagged the pizzas, and packaged the meat into smaller portions. Once we finished putting away the Costco items, Tiffy and I packed for working at FBC on Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday FBC was having their annual Halloween Open House event. Tiffy helped run the shop, while I was able to help with the 4 parties. I was in charge of leading a song activity with the help of volunteers from the Marist Brothers school. Although I was a little nervous in the morning about leading the songs for up to a hundred kids plus observers, when we actually started I felt quite comfortable. I made a point to stand in the front of the room and interact with the kids from the moment the party started in order to get comfortable with being in front of a crowd. We sang two songs which went really well! We had good response from the kids and they seemed to really enjoy it.
I then sat in the photo corner for the rest of each fifty minute party. Parents would take pictures of their kids with me. Smile, smile, smile! I enjoyed it! We had a bunch of games that the kids would participate in and win prizes. Just before the party was over, we all paraded down to the river mall and back around to the FBC garden. We had a lot of fun!
Other news that I'm excited about is the fact that I ordered a computer! I hope to get it within a week! Our family has always been a Macintosh family, except that when Jas went to college he was given a Windows computer included in the college fee. I decided that I would really like to learn how to use Windows computers, so I ordered a Windows laptop! I'm looking forward to learning how to work with the different system. So I'm excited about that!
Life is cruising along! The months seem to fly! I am trying to decide on details for a trip to the U.S. early next year. I'd love prayers for wisdom and peace, that I would know what to plan and what I have to leave out or leave open. Thanks for all your love, support, and prayers. God bless!
