Always Angie

Angie thinks...chocolate

2012-02-14T21:36:00.001+09:00

VALENTINE'S DAY

Today is Valentine's Day. You may remember from last year that I'm not a big fan of the way Valentine's Day is here in Japan. What way? Well, girls give chocolate to boys. That's it. Only girls (and women) give. Only chocolate is given. Who do they give to? Every single boy/man they know. This might be an exaggeration on my part, but not a very big one. They have actually stopped allowing the girls to take chocolate to elementary school. So the younger boys don't get as much, unless they have an after school club or something together...or if they live close by and the girl has the guts to take it to his house. But as they get older, they have to give more.

There are two kinds of chocolate.

First is "love chocolate" which is kind of self explanatory in that it is given to the boy/man that you love (or like). The second kind is called "giri chocolate" which is given out of obligation. This is the chocolate given to friends, co-workers and bosses. Where do we get all this chocolate? There are sections in all grocery stores set aside for Valentine's Day chocolate. The bigger the store, the bigger the section. The bigger the section, the bigger the selection. And deciding is NOT easy. Prices range from 315yen to 5,000yen. OR some girls/women choose to make their own.

What did I do this year? Well, I did a little of both. I bought chocolates and sent some to some of my favorite boys/men (and some women, too) in The U.S. And I also made a box of chocolates and sent them to one of my friends in The U.S. kind of as a "will it still be ok when it gets there?" experiment. I haven't heard from anyone yet about the packages...so I guess no one will get them in time. I really did try to get them mailed with plenty of time. Guess I didn't.

As for what I did here... I made chocolate brownies.
For my 2 nephews, my brother-in-law and my father-in-law I cut the brownies into bite sized squares and mixed them in with whipped cream and put them into a muffin cup. On top I sprinkled candied hearts and placed one pink and one white heart shaped marshmallow on the top. I placed each cup into in individual small paper sack with a lovely kind of design on it. They really did turn out cute...although it kind of sounds stupid and simple. I wish I would have taken a picture.

For Taka and Kaito I made something like a parfait with the brownies, strawberry yogurt and heart shaped marshmallow.

Kousei doesn't like his food to be "mixed" so he got the same things...just separately.

I was talking to a couple of my students last week. They lived in the U.S. for 8 years and came back to Japan about 2 years ago. They are in 6th and 9th grades now. I asked them what they do for Valentine's Day and they said nothing. They really miss being in the U.S. for Valentin's Day because they miss the party, the sweet little Valentine's Day cards and just the fun of it all. Here, the teacher doesn't even say "Happy Valentine's Day". In fact, no one does. They said that even if they give, or receive, chocolate they never utter those words. They are nice words to say. They are even nicer words to hear.

I hope everyone found some way to acknowledge this sweet little special day.

Always Angie

Angie thinks...clairvoyance???

2012-02-13T10:13:00.001+09:00

If I didn't know any better, that's what I'd think it was. Clairvoyance.
Go ahead and chuckle...I am too...but the last couple of weeks have been kind of weird for me. Let's see...where should I start? I guess I'll start at the beginning.

First, I had a dream. I had a dream that, as it turns out, ended up being a memory that was stuck in the back of my mind. In my dream I was in my dad's yellow pick-up truck. I was with my friend and we were in Idaho Falls. He took me to a street that was in front of the cemetery. Across from the cemetery was a pool hall or bar, something like that. There was a sign that read The Blue Room. We parked the pick-up across the street and he talked to me about his father that had lived in the apartment above The Blue Room. I woke up and kind of put the dream out of my mind. But later that morning, my friend posted something on facebook about his father teaching him how to play pool. When I read his post I was just covered with goose bumps. As I chatted on facebook with him that morning, he assured me that my "dream" was actually a memory and he remembered that day exactly the way I had dreamed it.
How weird is it that I dreamed something just hours before my friend decided to mention it on facebook that day?

Next, I woke up singing a song. This isn't weird, it happens to me all the time. I love music. I love singing. It makes sense that there would be music in my dreams, and that I would wake up with those melodies still in my head. But on this morning I woke up with a song stuck in my head. A song that I hadn't heard in at least 20 years. A song that I liked, but didn't particularly love at the time that it was popular. A song by a singing duo that has since broken up. And this song was solidly stuck in my head until I put my earphones in my ears and got on the treadmill with my running play list blasting in my ears. For 30 minutes I listened to songs with a totally different beat, from a totally different genre than the one that had been stuck in my head when I woke up. And then...my 30 minutes was up, my treadmill came to a stop. I took my earphones out of my ears to wipe up my sweat and guess what song was playing on the gym sound system... That's right. It was the song that had been stuck in my head that very morning.
How weird is it that I would wake up with a song in my head that I hadn't heard in 20 years, and then hear that very same song later that morning at the gym? If you want to hear the song... Click Right Here To Watch The Video On YouTube.

This isn't the last thing, but this will be the last example I give you in this post.
On Wednesday I was searching on iTunes for some new music to add to my running play list. I don't really remember how I came to it, but I ended up on a page of Whitney Houston songs. Now, as a girl who loves music and who loves to sing...to really belt out a song while driving in my car...Whitney Houston - and her music - touched me. In the late 80's and early 90's she came out with some songs that made me smile, made me cry, made me dance but most of all made me want to sing. Her life kind of went off track and she ran into some hard times, personally, and her music, in my opinion, suffered. I stopped listening to her new songs and eventually, while switching from cassette to CD to MD to MP3, stopped listening to her music altogether. So, I decided that I would buy 10 of my favorite songs on this list of hers. Although picking only 10 songs was hard for me I was finally able to chose the 10 songs of hers that I felt moved me the most. And I downloaded them onto my iPod on Wednesday night. Then, on Sunday, I read of her death.
How weird is it that I would find my way to her music once again, just days before she died?

So, what do you think? Do you think I'm clairvoyant? HaHaHa!! I know I'm not. It's all just very interesting to me.
Always Angie

Angie thinks...Eigenji Mini Basketball

2012-02-12T22:03:00.000+09:00

Well, they lost ALL of their games this weekend. And, unfortunately, it was their last chance to play together as a team. But I could not be any prouder of these boys than I am right now. I am so impressed with the improvement they've made over the last several months. I remember their first game after the summer break. The coach told the kids that their main goal for the day was to keep the opposing team under 100 points...and for them to make at least 12 points per game. Yes, this was their goal!! And the least amount of points they got this weekend was 36. That is a FANTASTIC improvement. So, the 6th graders will leave for Jr High and hopefully we'll get a fresh batch of kids who want to learn the game, in April. This year's 4th and 5th graders are finally looking like a team. So, we're hoping that the next team won't take as long to get their act together. The season ended on a very good note. Looking forward to April...
Always Angie

Angie thinks...don't forget your beans

2012-02-03T10:18:00.000+09:00

Today is February 3rd...the 1st day of spring (or so they say)...and Setsubun, here in Japan. Don't forget to eat your beans everyone!!! You've got to make sure all those evil spirits stay out of your body and home (apparently evil spirits don't like beans). For some of us it's too late, but the beans are yummy anyway ;-)
Always Angie

If you enjoyed this post, you might want to check this one out, too. Click Here.

Setsubun is an old Japanese tradition where Japanese greet the spring on February 3rd. One of the main activities is throwing beans to ward off evil and bring in good luck. At temples and shrines many rituals and performances are held. At Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, Geisha apprentices, known as Maiko, dance and later throw beans to gather crowds on February 2nd and 3rd.

Angie thinks...influenza

2012-01-30T19:33:00.001+09:00

There has got to be a better way to test for the flu. The mile long cotton swab up the nose so far that it tickles your brain is just simply inhumane! And both the boys had to go through it this month. Poor boys!

Kousei started acting weird on Saturday the 14th. When I went to pick him up from his Baa-chan's house after work I knew right away that he was sick. It is just unnatural for him to be asleep at 8pm. Baa-chan said that he was just tired. But I knew different. He slept until 10am on Sunday. This is rare because I have never let either of my boys sleep in that late. But Kousei has a TV show he likes to watch on Sunday morning that starts at 7: So for him to sleep until 10...well, I knew something was up. But, I have to admit, I was being a little selfish here, and I didn't even try to make him wake up. Kaito and I were watching the SF 49ers football game -- I know, I know, Bad Bad Mama! I took Kousei to the doctor on Monday morning and, as I had expected, he has the flu. This was his first time for him to get the flu...so the first time he's had to have the test. He was NOT happy about it. But he was a trooper and only cried for a minute or so. Kousei knows how to be sick...and how to get better as fast as possible. He slept the entire day. Woke up only to eat - and ate as much as he possibly could. His fever went down on Tuesday and he would have gone back to school on Thursday...but his class had been canceled - too many kids out sick with the flu - until Monday. So, he was home for an entire week.

Kaito was acting strange at the LakeStars basketball game on Sunday the 22nd. He kept telling me he was ok, but I knew something was wrong. It wasn't until we got home that he told me his head had been hurting all day. Kaito's first sign of a fever is a headache. When we woke up on Monday his fever was just above the point where I usually let my boys stay home from school...but not high enough to warrant a trip to the doctor. So, I didn't take him to the doctor until Tuesday morning. He had the flu test and it came back negative. But with the way he was feeling...all his symptoms...the fact that Kousei had the flu the week before, and the fact that the flu was running rampant through our neighborhood and school, both the doctor and I felt like it had to be the flu. So, she asked us to come back in the afternoon for another test. As we were sitting in the waiting room, waiting to pay, he informed me that he WILL NOT be letting her do another flu test on him. He said he'd run away first. I can't really blame him. I can't imagine doing it once...let alone twice in the same day. We went home and about 20 minutes later got a call from the doctor's office saying that the test did indeed change colors and he does have the flu. So we had to go back to get his medicine. Kaito is not a very good sick person. He doesn't sleep in the daytime - no matter how terrible he feels. And I couldn't get him to eat much of anything. And I had to remind him (force him) to drink something every 30 minutes. He was bored and wanted to watch TV or play his Nintendo DS - both absolute no nos to sick people in this house. My rule is this: if you are too sick to go to school, you are too sick to watch TV or play computer games. So, I had to spend a lot of time "entertaining" him. Which is not very easy! Kaito's fever went way up, then came down a little, then went way up again, then came down a little. He didn't have a "normal" temp until Friday. But while he was out, his class, too, was canceled for 3 days. So, thank goodness, he didn't miss too many days of study.

The flu shot. We get our shots every year without fail...the 3 of us. This is Kousei's first time to get sick with the flu. I have never had the flu. But Kaito gets it every year without fail...even with the shot. When Kaito was just a baby I had to research all these vaccines and whatnot and decide what I was going to do about them. I decided that, in my opinion, it is best to get them. Yes, there are risks, but they are very rare. And like with the flu, if getting the vaccine will help you either not get sick, or to keep your sickness at the lower level if you do happen to get it, well, to me, that is worth it. I read a story on line the other day about the flu shot. And there were a lot of comments after the story. I read a few - and one kind of struck me hard. She said that she had never gotten the shot and had never gotten the flu. Then one year she decided to get the shot and that year she ended up with the flu. She said that she almost died from the flu that year. And she blames getting the shot. But I couldn't help but wonder if maybe that was the year she would have gotten the flu whether she had gotten the shot or not...and it was actually the shot that kept her from dieing from the flu that year...lots of people died from the flu that particular year. I know that some people have averse affects to these vaccines...and those people should be very careful about getting them. But for those of us who are otherwise healthy and have never had any bad reaction to a vaccine before, isn't it better to be safe than sorry? I know there are a lot of different opinions out there about these vaccines. This subject can cause a very heated debate. And some people feel very very strongly against them. But this is how I feel. And this is the way I decided to go with my boys. So, the flu hits our house every year. But both boys had relatively light cases this year - if not just loooong. If you get passed the high fever and the pure boredom, they were fine.

I wish I could be one of those moms who sends her kids to bed and leaves them on their own - checking in on them from time to time. But I'm not. When one of my kids has a fever (or is throwing up) I stay with them. We separate the boys, in the hopes of keeping the other one healthy. So, the healthy one gets to sleep in my bed...and I move into the boys' room. I leave them only to cook their meals...and I never go more than 15 minutes without checking in on them. So, with 2 weeks of the flu, (and the mumps just before that) you might be able to imagine how bored I've been. And just how tired I am. Do you know how tiring it is to do nothing for 2 weeks? And sleeping on the floor in a futon for 2 weeks sure didn't do much for my back. Not to mention sleeping with a light on...and with one ear open. Yes, I am exhausted. But my babies did not have to be scared and left alone while they were feeling sick. And they are feeling better now and I feel good for helping them get through this. It's all good.

Today...Monday the 30th...I feel like I am finally starting the new year. Both boys went to school and Taka went to work. I have a scratchy throat and I've had a headache for most of the day...and I can't wait to soak in a hot bath and crawl into my bed. But I went to the gym this morning and ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes, used the weight machines to exercise my arms, shoulders, back, chest and abs, and rode the stationary bike for 20 minutes. And it felt soooo GOOD! And I got to teach my Monday classes this afternoon...for the first time in 2012. Very nice. Now, I am ready to eat and get ready to call it a day.

I hope you are all healthy and feeling well.
Always Angie

Angie thinks...Eleven!!!

2012-01-20T18:41:00.001+09:00

Yesterday (the 19th) my first born child turned 11 years old. That sounds so weird to me. Eleven years old. WOW!

I waited a long long time for him to come to me...33 years! Well, to be fair I really didn't start waiting until I was 19. So I guess I only waited 14 years for him. That makes it sound like I barely had to wait at all, doesn't it? THEN I waited the 9 months it took for him to grow inside me. And Boy Oh Boy did he GROW! He was a big baby!! THEN I waited, and I have to admit that during this last part I was anything BUT patient, through 40 hours of Pain before he finally arrived and was put into my waiting arms. Did I cry? You bet I did. I never would have been able to imagine that sense of relief I felt when I finally got to hold him in my arms. And now, it is 11 years later and I still love to hold him in my arms.

And so, on his birthday, I sent him off to do something that I've been dreading for a very long time. Kaito, along with the rest of the 5th graders in his school, went skiing. You might be wondering why I've been dreading this. Well, you see, I hate snow. I hate skiing. And I've dreaded this because I just know that not only will Kaito be good at it, but he will love it. And then what do I do? What do I do when he says to me, Mama will you take me skiing? In actuality it isn't snow that I hate so much. I don't like to be cold. Snow or no snow. And it isn't so much skiing that I hate...as I've never really done it, I can't really say I hate it, right? It scares me. Deep in my heart (way deep) I kind of have the feeling that I'd probably really like skiing, if I could ever get over my hard-headedness about it. I guess it's that last little bit of "California girl" in me that refuses to accept the "Idaho girl" in me. Yes, I know a lot of people from California ski. But we never did. So, like I said, it is my stubbornness that keeps me from trying it...because I know I'd enjoy it. So, anyway, I sent Kaito off today for his first run at the mountain. And it kind of made me sad. I guess you can say it's a right of passage. LOL!

And guess what... He loved it! He said that he was the first one from his school to pass through all the "skills" in the ski class and get his "license". So he was the first one from his school to ride the chair lift. And he rode it all by himself - the chair lift scares me. Actually it isn't riding the lift that scares me...it's getting off. Remember, I've never done this before (not in winter anyway). So I imagine myself jumping off the chair, being unable to stop myself, and sliding down the back side of the mountain. It just scares me. And Kaito said he was scared, too. First time, all alone and everything. But he said it was a piece of cake. And there was a teacher there waiting for him. So Kaito and the teacher got in 2 runs together before being joined by any other students. I guess you can say he took to skiing like "a duck to water".

To celebrate his birthday he asked for adobo and pancit for dinner. These are Filipino dishes that my Grampa Bautista used to make for my birthday...it is what I've asked for for my birthday dinner for the last 44 years! So that is what I made for him. And instead of a cake Kousei wanted to make a "ski mountain". So that is what we made for him. A mountain so tall that it touches the stars and the (red) sun. The candles represent both the 11 and also ski poles. This is homemade chocolate fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, walnuts, star candies with a maraschino cherry on top. Kaito asked his Baa-chan and Jii-chan to come over for dinner too. I only had between 7:15 and 8:30 to get dinner on the table, eat, make the "mountain" and eat dessert, clean off the table and then get ready for my 8:30 class. It was kind of a rushed dinner party, but I think we got all the basics covered. He loved his birthday. Said he had all his favorite foods and most of his favorite people there. That was nice to hear. I still can't believe he's 11!!!

And this morning this is how our first conversation of the day went...
Kaito: Morning Mama. I can't wait to go skiing again. I had a dream about it. I know you'll love it because it's just like riding a roller coaster. When do you think we can go?
Me: ~~sigh~~

Always Angie

Angie thinks...Martin Luther King, Jr Day

2012-01-16T12:30:00.000+09:00

This morning I read this speech to Kousei. He, of course, didn't understand what it means. I explained to him that this great man, Martin Luther King, Jr, was a leader for the African Americans in the United States before I was born. And he gave this speech so that everyone in the United States could hear it. What he wanted was for ALL Americans to be the same. Not some to have better jobs or have better schools because they are white and the others to have less just because they aren't white. Basically, I believe that what Mr. King preached of was pure and simple... to love one another, and to treat others the way that we would like to be treated. It's all very simple. It doesn't matter where we come from. It doesn't matter what color we are. It doesn't matter what kind of job we have (or what kind of job our mom and dad have). It doesn't matter what our religious beliefs are. The only thing that matters is that we are all human. We all live on this same earth. When will we ever learn to get along? Mr. King preached of getting things done without violence. Yet, isn't it interesting how so many of his "followers" turn to violent crimes to try to get their point across. Mr. King was murdered for having a dream. When will we learn from our mistakes?

I'm not sure if any of this will make sense to anyone else reading it. But this is the way I feel. This is the way it comes out of my head. And I am allowed to write it here for anyone to read (or not read), because of the freedom I have and enjoy. You might wonder why I think this man was so great. He wasn't fighting for MY rights. But in a way, he was. As a woman of both the Caucasian and Filipino races who now lives in Japan, I am just about as "minority" as you can get. I feel that Martin Luther King, Jr. was, indeed, fighting for my rights too. His dream was for ALL to be equal. And I thank him for all of his passion and hard work. So, today, I read this speech to Kousei. And I will read it to Kaito tonight. And I will TRY as a mother to teach my boys to not judge others based on their outward appearance. But to look at the character and actions of those around them.

To Love One Another, just like Jesus taught us to.

I got the copy of this speech from here: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm. Please take the time to read it. I promise, it is 17 minutes well spent.

Always Angie

Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I Have a Dream"

delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio. (2)]

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!³

Book/CDs by Michael E. Eidenmuller, Published by McGraw-Hill (2008)

¹ Amos 5:24 (rendered precisely in The American Standard Version of the Holy Bible)

² Isaiah 40:4-5 (King James Version of the Holy Bible). Quotation marks are excluded from part of this moment in the text because King's rendering of Isaiah 40:4 does not precisely follow the KJV version from which he quotes (e.g., "hill" and "mountain" are reversed in the KJV). King's rendering of Isaiah 40:5, however, is precisely quoted from the KJV.

³ At: http://www.negrospirituals.com/news-song/free_at_last_from.htm

Also in this database: Martin Luther King, Jr: A Time to Break Silence

Audio Source: Linked directly to: http://www.archive.org/details/MLKDream

External Link: http://www.mlkmemorial.org/

External Link: http://www.thekingcenter.org/

Estate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Intellectual Properties Management
One Freedom Plaza
449 Auburn Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
Fax: 404-526-8969

Angie thinks...お正月

2012-01-03T16:00:00.000+09:00

お正月

Oshougatsu...New Year's Day is here.

We got up this morning and got our pile of nengajo, or new year's cards, out of the mailbox. We didn't get as many as we have in years passed. But this year the cards had to be mailed by the 20th in order to be delivered on the 1st. We just barely made the deadline...I'm sure there were many others who didn't. That's ok. We'll get more over the next few days.

We went over to Taka's parents' house for おせち料理. Osechiryouri is the special New Year's meal that is packed into a leveled laquered bento box. It was designed so that it didn't need to be heated up and it would last for the 3 days of the holiday. That way people don't need to cook during the holiday.

O'Sake (for breakfast, yes)

Kuro-mame (黒豆), black soybeans. Mame also means "health," symbolizing a wish for health in the New Year.

Tatsukuri (田作り), dried sardines cooked in soy sauce. The literal meaning of this kanji is "rice paddy maker," as the fish were used historically to fertilize rice fields. The symbolism is of an abundant harvest.

Gobo- （ごぼう), burdock root is good because of its long, tough fibers, which signify perseverance.

Yes, even mama eats the entire fish...only on O'shougatsu.

And someone felt the need to take a picture to prove that I'm eating it.

The jūbako (重箱), which is just a large sized bentō box, is full of foods symbolizing good health, good harvest, happiness, prosperity and long life.

(tilt your head to the right)

And we have a platter of Salmon, shrimp, ham, rolled egg and strawberries.

(tilt your head to the left)

I'm sorry I can't figure out why these photos won't turn.

The Yasuda family supplements the bento box with お雑煮. Ozouni is white miso soup with mochi, carrots, daikon and yama imo in it. And, of course, there are platters of sushi and sashimi. Sorry I didn't get any pictures of these things.

This morning Kousei woke up with a fever and was complaining of the side of his face and neck hurting. おたふくかぜ The mumps has been going around for the last month or so. I've been wondering when, and which boy, it would hit. I guess it has hit.
We ended up not getting our annual family picture taken this morning because Kousei wasn't feeling well. In fact, I got very few pictures of anything.

We usually go to Taka's parents' local shrine for our 初詣. Hatsumoude is the first visit to the shrine in the new year. But because Kousei was asleep and Taka had too much to drink and didn't feel like moving out from under the こたつ or heated table, we ended up not going. But, on our way home, we did stop at our local shrine for just a few minutes.

Our shrine's name is 御河辺神社 Mikabe Jinja. We went here last year for the first time...because we've just always gone to the one near Jii-chan's house. But as the boys are getting older, Taka has decided that we need to start going to our local shrine. We only go the one time in a year, so does it really matter which shrine we go to?

We got our fortunes おみくじ for the year. All three guys got 吉. Kichi is the second to best fortune that you can get. I got a 小吉. Shou kichi is like "kind of good". HaHa! So I guess everyone will have a good year, but mine will be just kind of good. After reading the fortunes, we folded them and hung them at the shrine...otherwise they won't come true. Or so they say.

Since it was just the 4 of us, we couldn't get a family picture...and no one seemed to want to get their picture taken anyway. But Kousei wanted to take his picture at the shrine where one of his classmates lives, but he didn't want to be alone. So I stood in with him. Kaito is taking the picture and taking kind of a long time...people are waiting behind him. I guess this scowl of mine is my "can we hurry this along a bit" face. LOL!

As for the rest of the O'shougatsu holiday...1st, 2nd and 3rd...Kousei and I stayed in our pajamas. His temperature soared and his jaw hurt so bad that he couldn't eat. We camped out in his bedroom for 2 1/2 days. Not a real fun new year holiday...but we made the best of it.

Taka and Kaito went back over to the grandparents' home for dinner on the 1st...then again for lunch and dinner on the 2nd. Then they parked in front of the TV on the 3rd for the entire day.

Other than the fever...this has been a very typical Japanese O'shougatsu. Eat, drink, sleep, watch tv. That's about it.

I hope that each and every one of you had a safe and enjoyable (and healthy!) new year holiday. I'm praying for 2012 to be our best year yet...for ALL of us!

Always Angie

Angie thinks... 2012!

2012-01-01T00:10:00.000+09:00

あけまして　おめでとうございます!!!

Well, the ball has dropped. 2012 has arrived. Happy New Year to all my friends and family who will read this. Love you all!!
These are the 年賀状 nengajou or New Year's Cards, that will be delivered to 250 households here in Japan today - the 1st of January. I just thought I'd share them with everyone...since I want to wish everyone an awesome 2012!

From Angie & Taka:

From Kaito:

From Kousei:

May 2012 be your best year EVER!!
Always Angie

Angie thinks...良いお年を

2011-12-31T23:55:00.000+09:00

The last day of the year. We aren't much into big parties or going out for New Year's Eve. We just stay home and countdown together. Mostly watching strange Japanese TV. I wish I could show you some of the stuff they have on TV here. It is strange, amazing and often just plain stupid. But my family was all laughing and I guess that's what's important.
For snack time I made a platter of salami, cheese and ham. We also had strawberries, chips and salsa. But I forgot to order the Root Beer...something I think I'll feel guilty about for the entire year. Of course Kaito said it is ok and made due with Coke, but I feel bad just the same. I know Root Beer is his favorite and he only gets it on special occasions...I messed up this time.

For dinner we ate 湯豆腐. Udoufu is just hot tofu with some vegetables. And the boys had some sushi and Taka had some sashimi. As a tradition we ate nimono, which is vegetables (daikon, carrots, yama imo, kombu) boiled with soy sauce and sugar or mirin...and grilled sardines...that Taka's mother brought over for us.

Then at 11:00pm we had 年越しそば. Toshikoshi soba literally means "year-crossing soba". This is a traditional Japanese new year's eve meal, for us anyway.
We watched TV as we ate and counted down to the New Year with several Japanese "Idols".

How did you celebrate the end of the year...and ring in the new year? I would love to hear about it.

Always Angie

Angie thinks...End of 2011

2011-12-30T15:47:00.000+09:00

Well, it's here, the end of 2011. It has been a busy year, a fun year and a tragic year. We grew a lot in 2011. We changed a lot in 2011. I think it is pretty safe to say that this is a year we will not soon forget. But in the end, it comes down to the people in our lives. We have some pretty amazing people who surround us with friendship, love and support.

Here are a few pictures of my end-of-year party ... お疲れ様忘年会 ... that we had at one of Taka's best friends' restaurant. We are so lucky to have a friend like Ike-chan who will open his restaurant just for us!!

My people


The NABE! Yummy!!!

Tsugumi-chan & Shin-chan...

We became friends with Shinya and Tsugumi when they came with The Schafer's to Kaito's birthday party 2 years ago. Shinya plays on the Shiga LakeStars basketball team. He is the team captain this season and we are so proud of him! He has become Taka's best fishing buddy. Shinya often talks about quitting basketball and becoming a professional fisherman. But, Shhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone. HaHaHa! Our family just loves Shinya! He is definitely one of the most "real" people we have met. He is fun, kind and is a great addition to our family. And we love spending time with his girlfriend, Tsugumi, too. She is so nice, treats our boys like little brothers and does a good job of handling Taka when he's gushing all over her. LOL!

We love these two!

Mayumi-chan, Hiromi-san and Sa-chan

Mayumi is a friend of Taka's from High School. When Taka was the student body president, Mayumi was the secretary. They parted ways after graduation, but got back in touch when they planned their class reunion about 6 years ago. They found out that they have boys the same age (Kaito and Kiryuu) and Mayumi was intrigued by Taka having a wife from America. ("He always hated English class and was so bad at it!") She hounded Taka until he finally introduced us. She and I hit if off right away. She is so much fun to be around! She is kind and gentle and one of the most generous people I know. It is so funny to hear Mayumi and Taka talk because they bicker about everyting, just like brother and sister. It's fun. And our boys hit it off right away, too.

Hiromi and Sachiko are my students. Sa-chan has been coming to my class for 9 years, while Hiromi has been coming to class for about 4 or 5. These two ladies have become a staple part of my life. I love knowing that I will be seeing them every week. When I have a good thing to talk about, they listen intently and cheer and laugh with me. And when I have a bad thing to talk about, they listen with soft hearts. And they return the favor by sharing their lives with me. My boys consider these two, most definitely, part of our family. As they should...These ladies have watched every step of Kaito and Kousei's growth. And they cheer them on whole-heartedly, coming to their basketball games and such.

Kazutaka-san and Yoshikane-san

Both of these men are in the same class as Hiromi-san and Sachiko-chan. Kazutaka joined us about 3 years ago (I think) and Yoshikane has been coming for 9 years. These men are great! I love seeing them each week. They are both full of information. Kazutaka travels a lot for work, and it is fun to hear of his adventures. Yoshikane is a fan of F1 Racing and it is interesting to hear about the races he goes to. These two have become like uncles to my boys. There are times when one of the boys will come home from school and say that they can't wait to tell Kazutaka-san or Yoshikane-san something about what happened this day.

Shinya and Justin

2 seasons ago I was sitting next to Justin at one of the Lakes basketball games in Hikone. He asked me what #5's name was and if he was from Nagahama. I knew his name but didn't realize he was a Shiga boy. Then Justin said that he thinks Shinya was one of his jr high school students several years back. They used to play basketball together after school. After that game I got one of the other players, Luke Zeller, to bring Shinya over to us. Shinya right away recognized Justin and yelled out, "Sensei!" It was a great moment. I'm so glad that I had a hand in bringing these two together after so long.

Rion (8), Kousei (8), Kaito (10), Kiryuu (10), Kanata (6)

Rion and Kousei are best friends and their dads are good friends, too. Kaito and Kiryuu are brother/friends and their mom and dad are brother/sister friends too. Kanata is Rion's little brother. And, yes, it looks like Kanata is drinking beer...but it is orange juice, I promise!

We love our big brother Shinya!!!

Tsugumi-chan and Taka-chan

Come on Taka! Be serious for 5 seconds, please! LOL!!

Miho-chan and Toshihiko-kun are Rion and Kanata's parents

Toshihiko and Taka are on our town baseball team together. They both like fishing and we are all big basketball fans. Miho is from Wakayama - where I lived when I first came to Japan - and is a super nice lady. I love that our families get along so well together. They are what I call "easy friends" in that it is just easy to be with them and feel comfortable.

Sachiko and Justin

I met the Anderson's at church when I first moved to Shiga 18 years ago. Sa-chan has become like a sister to me. She is always the first person I call when I have news, good or bad. I wish we lived closer, but we talk on the phone as much as possible. Her English is better than mine and Justin's put together! So, as you can imagine, over the years I've called for her help a lot. The boys call Justin "Uncle Justin". We love these two!!

There are obviously a lot of important people in my life that I couldn't invite to this party.

So whether you are in my daily face-to-face life, a part of my cyber-world, or someone that I don't keep in touch with as much as I should...Thank You! Thank you for being a part of my world, for those of you that I choose to let in are truly important to me and I just might not have made it through this year without you. And the fun...oh my goodness, the fun...definitely would not have happened without all of you, my friends, my family.

As I look back at the posts for this year I am amazed at how much went on! WOW! What a year! My prayer is for a safe, healthy and fun 2012 for each and every one of us.

Always Angie

Angie thinks...Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T06:18:00.000+09:00

I think Christmas Eve could, quite possibly, be our favorite day of the year.

Last night we had the party for the adults and turkey dinner. Today we have Kaito and Kousei's party.
Each year the boys get to invite one friend over to spend the day with. This year we had a hard time finding friends to come over because:
1) It is Saturday and a lot of the fathers are home for the weekend.
2) The mumps is going around our little town and it seems to be hitting at least one kid in every household, which is making it hard for the other kids in the house to visit other houses.
3) Both boys are old enough now that most of their friends are involved in either soccer, baseball or swimming, which takes all their Saturdays.
The friend that Kousei invited this year, Ryuuya, had a fever this morning so he couldn't come. But it just so happened that another friend, Hayate, came over un-announced this morning, so we just called his mom and asked her if he could stay for lunch.
Kaito invited our neighbor boy, Shouta. Funny, this is our 7th year doing this and it is the first time that Kaito has asked Shouta, his best friend and next-door neighbor. As it ended up, Shouta's grandmother came to pick him up early...so he wasn't here for snack time (hot cocoa is Shouta's favorite!). :-(

The first thing we did was make a gingerbread house. A couple years ago we did two houses and that really was too much. So this time we just made one, and each boy had a side to decorate. Plus we had 4 gingerbread men, so each boy got one man. It worked out great. Everyone was happy and it was timed perfectly.

The gingerbread men...which you can't see at all.

I asked Taka to take a picture of each boy with their own side of the house. But we don't really get to see the different sides very well in these pictures. But all the sides looked good. Trust me.

Kaito (10)

Shouta (11)

Kousei (8)

Hayate (9)

Next we ate lunch. I usually make a separate, and special, lunch for the kids, but we had so much leftovers from last night's dinner that I decided to feed them a turkey lunch. This was the first time Shouta or Hayate had ever eaten mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey and stuffing or pumpkin soup. I asked them to give it all a fair try and if they were still hungry when they finished all that they can eat, I had some fried chicken and rice they could have. They all cleaned their plates...and Kaito and Shouta asked for seconds! This was Hayate's first time to ever eat at a friend's home. He was nervous but funnily enough it was Shouta that told him he didn't need to be worried about eating here, "The food is always great and they are nice if you can't finish everything." is what he said. (((smile))).

When they finished eating they all went upstairs to play for an hour...while Taka and I ate lunch and then I cleaned everything up.
Next it was snack time. I had sent 2 gingerbread men home with Shouta...and I planned on sending 2 home with Hayate...but the boys wanted to try a piece of the gingerbread cookie. So, we really had no choice other than...

...busting up the house!

Even though it was a spur-of-the-moment invitation, Hayate's mother still managed to bring over a bag of goodies. And one of those goodies was some home-made french fries. So, the boys had pieces of the gingerbread house, french fries and hot cocoa while they played cards and read books.

All 4 boys had a good time and I think, once again, this Christmas Eve party was a success.

December 24th is Taka and my wedding anniversary. As a warning to anyone getting married in the future...and anyone who ever wants to celebrate their wedding anniversary...I suggest NOT getting married on Christmas Eve. We celebrated the first year - I was HUGE pregnant and mostly sick all the time. Since then, Christmas Eve is all about the kids. But this year Kaito was old enough to at least remember and wish us a happy anniversary. 12 years.

The best thing about having turkey dinner on the 23rd, is turkey ramen on the 24th! This is the third year (or is it the 4th?) that we've made this. And it is definitely a tradition that we plan on keeping in our family. There is nothing better than turkey ramen. We get it only once a year...we look forward to it all year long...and it is so totally worth the wait!

(tilt your head to the right)

Along with pieces of turkey there are bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and green onions. This is Taka's place setting so there is, of course, rice.

It is also our tradition to open up our presents on Christmas Eve. We do this because usually Taka has to work on Christmas and opening up presents makes for a hectic morning. Although Christmas fell on Sunday this year and Taka had the day off, we decided to stick with our regular routine. So the boys opened their presents from their American family tonight...in the morning they will open their present from Taka and I, and their present from Santa (if Santa comes).

And thanks to our very good friend, Tracy M. in Idaho, we had Peppermint Hot Cocoa just before bedtime...as we were talking about The True Christmas Story. The cocoa arrived TODAY...the timing could not have been better!

With marshmallows it was the PERFECT Christmas-Eve-just-before-bedtime drink. Thank you Tracy!!

After leaving out a few cookies and a glass of milk for Santa...and a couple carrots for the reindeer...it was time to head off to bed. And we slept while visions of sugar plums danced in our heads.

I hope that each of you felt the true spirit of Christmas this year. It is in all of us. And I totally Believe. Do you?

Always Angie

(if anyone can help me figure out why my photos upload turned...and how I can get them turned the right way...I would really appreciate your help)

Angie thinks...Christmas dinner

2011-12-24T11:03:00.000+09:00

December 23rd is a national holiday. It is the birthday of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Akihito (who, ashamedly no one ever seems to mention much in this house). Taka bought a Japanese flag a few weeks ago - with a pole and everything - so he will hang out the flag today, in honor of His Majesty's birthday.
Today we are celebrating the birth of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am hosting a turkey dinner for my family +10. Because I was sick with the Shingles this month, and the doctor told me to reduce the stress in my life, Taka decided that the best way to do that would be to cancel my annual Christmas dinner. I, on the other hand, know that missing out on Christmas dinner would not, in any way, reduce my stress. In fact, I feel like it would severely stress me out. And just that he announced to my friends that Christmas dinner was canceled made me so angry and frustrated. Thank goodness that one of my friends knows me well enough to suggest an alternative plan. Instead of me planning, cooking, setting up and cleaning up the entire event, Hiromi-san suggested that we have a pot-luck dinner. You may recall that last spring I introduced the concept of "pot-luck" with my friends for Sarah's birthday party. So, Hiromi-san just took it over. She wrote down the usual menu and then asked the people that were there at the time what they would like to bring. Then I asked the others coming to the dinner to bring the rest of the stuff on the menu. I was a little apprehensive about giving up control of the menu, but I also saw the advantages of not having to cook the entire meal. And it all turned out fabulously.

Back row L to R: Kazutaka-san, Yoshikane-san, Hideko, Sachiko, Me, Taka, Justin and Sa-chan
Front row L to R: Kanto (1st grade), Kousei (2nd grade), Niko (4), Hiromi-san and Kaito (5th grade)

The Turkey
The absolute biggest one I can fit into my oven...it just barely fit!

The Table

Hiromi-san: hors d'oeuvres platter.

Sachiko: green salad.

Hideko: shrimp & vegetable quiche.

Sa-chan: mashed potatoes and apple crisp.

Yoshikane: drinks.

Kazutaka-san: bread

I cooked the turkey, gravy, stuffing and pumpkin soup.

This year was the first time we had a woman cut the turkey. Sa-chan said she is an expert. So we let her have the knife.

The last picture I have of Hideko and I is from my 30th birthday party on the beach. Let's just say we've changed just a bit since then. She's still my best friend, though. Love you Hide-chan!!

Hideko and Sachiko actually knew each other before I even came into the picture. The three of us have been friends for... about 18 years. WOW!

Everyone was talking about how when Kaito was littler he looked just like me, but as he grows up he looks less and less like me and more like a Yasuda. What do you think? By the way, this goofy smile he has on is his "Mama smile". I don't smile that goofy, do I? LOL!

And what's a Christmas party without a birthday cake...or two.

Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus
and Emperor Akihito
Happy Birthday, to you!!!

I feel so blessed to have these friends in my life...who have been in my life for so long that I really do consider them all family. And I am thankful that they come and help me celebrate the birth of Christ every year. It really wouldn't be the same without them. Love you all!

Always Angie

Merry Christmas!
From the Yasuda Family

Angie thinks...Snowflakes

2011-12-21T23:12:00.001+09:00

I was trying to come up with an idea for a Christmas craft and I was completely stumped. After 19 years of teaching, 19 Christmases, I think I've done it all. Yes, I could probably repeat something that I did 18 or 19 years ago. But to be honest...I can't remember what I did. HaHaHa! Plus, I know I used to put a whole lot of time and money into these special holiday crafts. Neither of which I have much of this year. And then one afternoon, as I was taking a walk in the bright sun, I said to myself, "I would like to see some snow this winter." And, there it was, my craft. We would make snowflakes. I know it is more 'wintery' than it is 'Christmasy', but it works, don't you think? Besides, I was doing the whole story of the nativity anyway. And that would take care of the 'Christmasy' part.
When I sat down to "make a snowflake". I was kind of at a loss as to how to do it. Can you believe that you can forget something as simple as this? Well, I suppose it's been way over 20 years since I've cut out a snowflake. When I sat down to figure it out, this is what I got. Not bad for a first try, I think.

Soua 6, Ukyou 7 & Riki 7

Inori 10, Junon 9
Takuto 10, Hayato 9 & Uryou 10

Kenta 12, Tatsuki 10, Yui 11, Hinako 11 & Riho 10

Since I hate just sitting there doing nothing as the kids are doing crafts, I joined in...while we talked about "What is Christmas?"

Rua & Utaru were absent today.
So Kira and Yoshiki (4th grade) didn't want a "class photo".

Kaito & Yuuma were absent tonight.
So Akari, Momoka, Ryuuki & Rikuto (5th graders) also opted out of the group picture.

Ayano 14 & Rino 12

It actually snowed a little bit last night. So the kids who woke up really early on this Saturday morning were able to see it. Some said they made a little snowball. They were so excited to make snowflakes...a very timely craft!

Saturday 4:00 4 - 6 years old

Saturday 5:00 1st & 2nd graders

Saturday 6:00 3rd & 4th graders

Saturday 7:00 5th & 6th graders

I have to put up both pictures of Kane. She is adorable! In the first picture I said, "smile!" and this is what she gave me. In the second picture her mom said, "keep your mouth closed." (in English) and she closed her eyes. HaHa! She is 2 years old.

Ryouto 5 & Masato 6 were disappointed that Ryuuki & Hyouma were absent for yet another class picture. I'm not sure why my nephews always seem to be absent for our special holiday classes.

Haruka 8, Rion 7
Kousei 8 & Misaki 8

I usually spend about 80% of class time laughing with Yuuto and Kentarou (12) but they really made me work hard to get these smiles out of them.

Jinya 10, Ryuuki 10, Jun 9
Marin 9, Rina 10 & Suzune 10

We are all hoping for a White Christmas. And if that can't happen, then at least enough snow, during winter break, to build a snowman or two. In the words of Kentarou, "Is that asking too much?"

Which snowflake do you like the best? You know, no two snowflakes are ever exactly the same. :-) Why don't you go make one right now...and then let me know how it turns out.

Always Angie

Angie thinks...lunar eclipse

2011-12-11T02:00:00.000+09:00

This may not be a big deal to anyone else. And I'm sure no one else cares to hear this story. But this was kind of a big deal for me. For us.

So somewhere around 10am-ish, Kaito came down stairs from studying and asked me if he could stay awake until midnight. I asked him why and he said that because from 9:54 to 11:56 (or some kind of weird times like that) the moon would be turning red. Hmmmmm. I couldn't even come up with an idea WHY the moon would turn red, but I told him that if he wanted to stay up that was fine. At that particular moment I was online chatting with a friend and I mentioned this brief conversation to him. He immediately said there is going to be a lunar eclipse tonight. Huh. It's always interesting to me how everyone around me always seems to have all the answers that I never ever have. I guess it's a good argument for keeping the people that are around me around me. I have never seen a lunar eclipse. I don't know, never been in the right place at the right time. Or maybe just didn't know enough to look up at that particular moment. But I kind of got excited to see it tonight. So, after work, as I walked to my car in the community center parking lot, I saw the moon and it was beautiful. Very big and super bright with a ring around it - just as the ring had been around it last night when I went to pick Kaito up from karate. I got really excited thinking that the lunar eclipse is going to be super cool. I drove over to my in-law's house to pick Taka and the boys up from having dinner over there. We ended up not leaving until just 9:55. But when we went outside the sky was completely covered with clouds. Oh what a bummer!!! When we got home we stood outside for a bit, searching for any sign that the moon might peak out at us. But we couldn't even tell where it might be. We went inside around 10:30 feeling pretty disappointed. At 11:30 Kousei started acting like he wanted to go up to bed. Kaito gave me a look like,"Mama do something!" and it wasn't until that moment that I realized that he had been looking forward to seeing this as much as I had been. So, I decided to take one more look outside. And guess what...the sky was completely clear! And the moon was, indeed, red. I called everyone out and we stood outside until a little after midnight. We just watched and looked. The stars were so bright and there were SO many. We aren't used to seeing the stars that much here. I'm not sure if it is just that the sky is always murky or if it is just too bright around here to be able to see the stars. But tonight the sky was exploding with stars! We must have made a little bit too much noise because our neighbors actually came out, too. They were wondering who was outside and when they saw me the father was like, "Ha! Of course it's Angie outside at midnight looking at the sky! HaHa!" Yeah, I kind of have a reputation for doing "weird" things. LOL!! Anyway, we all stood outside together for a while. We finally got overcome with the cold and decided to go inside. Kousei was asleep in front of the heater in about 30 seconds. Kaito decided to stay up, but he could only make it until 12:30. We went back out just before he went upstairs. It was truly a beautiful night.

I don't have a camera capable of taking pictures of the night sky. These photos were taken by a friend that lives just down the road. He said I could put them on my blog...as a reminder to my family of what a fun night it was - standing around out in the cold :-)

But the thing that struck me most was that as I put on facebook that we were watching the moon change colors, I had friends in The US say that they were seeing it too. Isn't that cool? That we were looking at the same moon, from different sides of the ocean, at the same time. I just love that. It kind of puts it all into perspective for me.
Thank you for the pictures, Endo-san!
Always Angie

2011 Summer Vacation #12

2011-12-02T18:50:00.001+09:00

Sunday, August 14, 2011

This morning we slept in. Late. Late for us, anyway. We slowly got up and went downstairs for our complementary breakfast. This was interesting to me. Usually a complementary breakfast means coffee and donuts or maybe a buffet. But here, they said we could order anything we wanted off the menu. Kaito had biscuits and gravy...something that he has never had...and Kousei decided he would order the same thing as his brother. I had a waffle and bacon. When our breakfasts came out, I'm sure our eyes bugged out of our heads. Huge plates. I mean HUGE plates full of food. Kaito somehow managed to eat his whole breakfast. Kousei didn't like his because it was "spicy" and he and I shared mine...and that ended up being just perfect size for me - maybe still a little too much. Kaito said that he wanted to live here at this hotel. He thought it would be great if we could live here and have breakfast here every weekday, then go home to Rigby for the weekends. I guess he has it all figured out. After we lingered over our breakfasts, we went back upstairs to get ready to go out.

This hotel that my friend, Paul Pickett, found for us, was only a block and a half from Temple Square. So we decided to take a walk to the Temple. We stopped at The Beehive House, which was the home of Brigham Young, and we decided to take the tour. What a beautiful home!
Then we walked through the gardens and took some pictures.

We stopped at the North Visitors' Center where we met up with my cousin Julianna and her friend, Shannon. We spent a few minutes with them and then said our goodbyes. They had a few historical places they wanted to visit before getting back in their car for the 2 day drive back to Los Angeles. I am so thrilled that Julianna decided to come and visit us. What an awesome surprise for me. And the boys just loved loved loved hanging out with her!

Once we said goodbye to JP and Shannon, my boys decided they wanted to take a guided tour of Temple Square...and they wanted a Japanese missionary to give them the tour in Japanese. HaHa! What fun! We hadn't heard or spoken any Japanese for 3 weeks, but I was, once again, impressed with how my boys just switched right over. This Japanese was kind of hard for them (and me!)...church words that they - to my regret - don't get to hear very often. But they listened very intently and answered the questions that the 2 woman missionaries asked them. And they even asked very pertinent questions themselves. All in all it was an informative and very interesting tour.

Kaito was sure we weren't supposed to be taking our picture. He refused to smile and refused to get in another picture. My poor boy - always worried about doing something wrong.

Temple Square really is a beautiful place. If any of you ever have the chance to visit I hope you will - no matter what your religious affiliation - it is a gorgeous place filled with history.
We stopped for lunch and then rode the streetcar back to our hotel. We were there for just a few minutes before my friend, Paul, and his family came to pick us up for dinner. It was so funny because I was so surprised when I saw Paul in the lobby. Why was I surprised? Well, I'm not sure. I knew he was coming. He called and told me that he was here (I thought he'd be waiting out in the car, though). I hadn't seen Paul in like, oh I'm not sure exactly, probably 25 or 26 years. He told me he had grown out his beard for a role he was playing in a church movie. But when I walked into the lobby I kind of walked right past him at first. Then I glanced at him and it was one of those classic double-take moments. It was the beard that caught me off guard. HaHa! But he looked great! He had told the lady at the front desk how long it had been since we'd seen each other, so she was kind of chuckling at my response, too. Yeah, Paul! It's great to see you!!
Out in the car his wife, Jennifer, was waiting with 3 of their 5 children. What a beautiful family this is! And Jennifer was so sweet and kind to me and the boys. We felt very comfortable right away. We made the short drive to Paul's sister's home.
Now, let me explain about my relationship with the Pickett family:
I'm not really sure how it all began.
I remember one night, not long after my family moved to Rigby, my sister, her best friend, and I were in Rigby late at night fooling around. I think we were waiting for someone to get off work, or something like that. Anyway, we were in the LaPizzeria when they still had the video games in there. We were either playing PacMan or Asteroids when Dad Pickett came out of the kitchen with something he was "experimenting with" and asked us to try it. It was like a little baby calzone that he had deep fried. Well, to say the least, it was super yummy. Those "Bambinos" are now being sold in franchises in Rigby and Idaho Falls.
Andy, one of the 3 sons, is my age and we went to school together from 9th - 12th grade. Andy is my one friend that remembers me actually attending classes in high school...I don't remember that part of school LOL! He says he even borrowed, and subsequently stole, a few pencils from me. So, there's proof not only of me attending a class or two, but also proof that I took a pencil with me. My first memory of the "Pickett Family Home" was in their home kitchen. I have no idea why I was there, or what we were doing, but I remember that my friend had a crush on Andy and she asked me to take a walk near his house...somehow we ended up inside and in the kitchen cooking and eating with the family. I also remember standing out in front of his house one late summer night, watching the meteor shower. Silly and incomplete, but memories nonetheless.
One 4th of July I was at the town barbecue and party in Menan when Mom Pickett walked up to me and asked me if I had plans for the next afternoon. I had been planning on taking my nephew and niece to the lake, but I asked Mrs Pickett what she needed. Apparently, one of her workers at the pizza restaurant that they owned had quit suddenly and she needed someone to work. I told her I'd help her out the next day...and the next thing I know I'm working Friday and Saturday nights for over a year. I never even liked pizza until I started working there! LOL!
Lee (who everyone seems to call Lina these day) is one year younger than Andy and I. And we spent some time together in the LaPizzeria kitchen. I remember Angenette and Ryan being at the restaurant sometimes, too. But they were much younger. Paul is a year older than me and then Lelani is 2 years older than Paul - she went to school with my sister, actually. Every time I go home I always stop and have lunch, once or twice, at the LaPizzeria. It's always great to go into a place where you feel at home and are treated like family. I just love the Pickett family!
Anyway, so that is how I know these folks...and we are headed over to Lee's house for dinner!
Talk about feeling comfortable and at home! What a great time! We took a few pictures...

From left to right: Lee, Jennifer, Me, Kristie Sharp and Julie Butikofer
Kristie and I were friendly in school but not great friends. She's one of those amazing people who were always so kind to me no matter what I did or said. We were often together because both of our last names begin with "S". But outside the classroom we ran in different circles. Kristie now lives in Portland Oregon and she came to Utah to see her family. I feel so blessed that she chose to make her trip coincide with my trip just so that we could have a few hours to spend together. I loved getting the chance to see you and talk in real person with you again Kristie!
Julie and I, again, ran in different circles. But I have to say that I remember Julie as being one of the most genuinely nice people I've ever known...and I'm talking about her like she's no longer here...but she IS still here and she is STILL genuinely nice. My birthday, if you'll remember, is in July. Somewhere around the time of my birthday this year Julie was making a birthday cake or a dessert for a party or something wonderful like that (she is a fantastic cook!!!) and she posted pictures on FaceBook. Oh no! I remember what it was, she was wanting to bake something and was asking for suggestions on what her friends think she should bake. Well, I commented that I would love to have homemade cinnamon rolls for my birthday. And guess what this sweet woman did!!! You guessed it...she made me cinnamon rolls. And even though it was a month after my birthday, she even put a candle in mine. Love you Julie. I just wish I had one of those cinnamon rolls right NOW. Seriously, YUM!
You can see Kousei on the sofa here. He was a little nervous to jump into playing with all the kids. There were a bunch there! But he was fine just hanging out on this super comfy sofa for a while until he got acclimated.

I love this picture of these 3 beautiful ladies. But it is so unfair that Lee can take the rubber band our of her hair, give it a shake, and have it turn out flowy and this gorgeous. Julie is, as always, fabulous. And Kristie looks so perfect in her (kind of) new hair cut. This is actually the way I've been wanting to cut my hair for some years now. But I've been told that my face is too "chubby" to pull this look off. Well, Kristie pulls it off. You look amazing, Girls. Me, on the other hand, forgot all my hair product at my mom's house and my hair was a pile of frizz this morning, so I just pulled it all up...and I ended up with the "bald" effect. ~sigh~ I look totally out of place in these photos. LOL! It's a good thing these ladies love me whether or not I look good.

We had a bit of a "happening" happen with the kids. Seems Kousei was trying to give a stick to Sophia and he ended up hitting her in the eye. He was SO very very sorry for that! So Paul and Jennifer and their family had to leave suddenly to take Sophia to the eye doctor. And that is right about the time that Lelani and her husband showed up. WOW! I haven't seen Lelani in so very many years. She was older - a senior when I was a freshman - so she never had a clue who I was. But I am so glad she came over for dessert. I loved sitting and chatting with her for a few minutes. Yes, Kousei is back on the sofa...feeling so bad for hurting Sophia, and scared that someone was going to get mad at him (no one got mad at him).
How lucky am I to be sandwich between these two beautiful Pickett girls!!
(Oh no, actually that is me on the far right...don't I look fabulous in this picture? ;-)

What an amazing evening! Kaito absolutely adored playing with all the kids - especially Lee's 10 year old son! They really hit it off right away. Kousei did his best to have a good time. But he did say he felt happy to meet everyone. Beautiful house. Beautiful people. Wonderful food and conversation. Beautiful friends...wonderful family. Lee and Justin thanks SO much for welcoming us into your home and making us all feel like family. Love you all!!!!!
Only regret...I didn't get a single picture of Paul. How in the world did that happen???
Kristie drove the boys and I back to our hotel. On the way we saw a lightning storm in the distance and Kaito was enthralled by that. Kousei cried himself to sleep in the backseat. And I enjoyed having those extra few minutes to have a quiet conversation with Kristie. Thanks for the ride Kristie!

I ended up not sleeping very well tonight. That lightning storm we saw in the distance on the way home, came right over top of us. From my hotel room it just sounded awful. I'm usually not afraid of lightning. In fact, I love to sit and watch a storm! But I don't know if it was being alone in the hotel room, saying good-bye to friends and family, Idaho and Utah, or whatever it was. I'm not sure. But I could not get to sleep. So, I spent a few hours on FaceBook on my iPhone and ended up paying $400 for just that night. Ha! Next time I'll go to sleep. LOL!
What a fantastic day! Thanks to everyone who took part.
Always Angie

Angie thinks...shingles

2011-11-29T09:38:00.001+09:00

Singles...just what you need...if you're a roof!

Herpes zoster (or simply zoster), commonly known as shingles and also known as zona, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a stripe. The initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes the acute (short-lived) illness chickenpox which generally occurs in children and young people. Once an episode of chickenpox has resolved, the virus is not eliminated from the body but can go on to cause shingles—an illness with very different symptoms—often many years after the initial infection. Herpes zoster is not the same disease as herpes simplex despite the name similarity (both the varicella zoster virus and herpes simplex virus belong to the same viral subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae).

- Wikipedia

They hurt and itch. And are SUPER UGLY!!!!! I have a very light case - and feel SUPER thankful for that. In fact, I almost didn't go to the doctor. I have a breakout just over my left eyebrow. It started about 17 days ago and is just about cleared up completely now. I was talking with a friend over Skype last Tuesday and he noticed it right away. It took me a while to convince him that I did NOT get hit by anyone. It kind of looked like someone cold cocked me with a butt of a gun, or something. LOL! As we were talking he was looking up information on the internet. He found some pictures and did some reading and he asked me to go to the doctor to have it checked. I had already had an idea that it was probably shingles because from the sore above my eyebrow, there is a "path" to the back of my head that itches and sometimes feels like something is crawling through my hair. So I knew what it was, but - because I'm hard headed and afraid of doctors - I didn't really want to know what it was. But my friend was seeing pictures that were freaking him out and got him worried. So he asked me to please go...so I did (two days later). I'm glad I found a nice doctor. He looked at the sore and knew right away what it was. He showed me pictures-that I wish I wouldn't have seen. It is brought on by stress and exhaustion. "No stress. No stress." he said in English as he shook his finger at me. It took a while, hand gestures and some picture drawing, but he made sure I understood the diagnosis and how to use the medicine. He told me the medicine is expensive and apologized. But said that some people take up to a year or more to get over one outbreak...so please fill the prescription and take it correctly, he said. The itching and "creepy crawlies" is all nerves. He wanted to give me several different kinds of medications. But I don't really like to take drugs, so I asked him to just give me what I need to get rid of this, then if it comes to the point that I can't handle the itching and creepy crawlies I will go back and get the other medicine. But he did ask me to take some B complex vitamins (at least I THINK that's all it is) that, apparently are so powerful you need a prescription to get them. He said they will help relax me, help me better cope with stress and also help with my headaches. SOoooo, short story long (sorry!) hopefully I am now on the mend. But I am glad my friend talked me into going to the doctor. I never would have gone on my own. And this morning...17 days after first noticing the sores...I woke up without a headache and still - 4 hours later - I'm feeling good. THAT is an improvement.

Always Angie

2011 Summer Vacation #11

2011-11-02T11:08:00.000+09:00

Saturday, August 13th
This morning we left Idaho. Lots of tears for me. But I had to pull myself together enough to drive. I managed to get over to Jason's house, then I lost it again. All 4 boys waited patiently in the car while I, somehow, managed to regain control of myself. But as I drove my eyes welled up several times. I'm going to miss Idaho. I'm going to miss my friends that after a very long time apart I became re-united and re-acquainted with. But mostly, I'm going to miss my family. Daddy, Momma, Jason, April, Aylissa and Romeo...Love you all TONS!

Love you Momma!!!

We made the 3 1/2 hour drive to Farmington, Utah for a day of FUN at Lagoon! - It's what fun is! This would be Kaito and Kousei's first time ever at an amusement park and they were pretty nervous about it. But they started off with something that they loved so much we couldn't pull them out of it...the dancing fountain...

The first ride we got on was The Bat. A suspended coaster. Kaito decided he didn't want to ride, so he waited with Uncle Jason. Kousei loved it so much he wanted to ride it again. I think we ended up riding it 3 times - could have been 4, not sure - and Kaito did eventually ride (and enjoy) this one, too.

Then cousin Julianna Parr called me. She was here...somewhere in the park...WooHoo!!!! I can not believe that she, and her super patient friend, Shannon, drove for 2 days from Los Angeles just to come and hang out for the day with us. We are so lucky and loved!!! JP is fantastic! Super FUN, Super ENERGETIC, and an all around BEAUTIFUL person. If she wasn't my family already, I would certainly beg her to be my friend.
Of course we rode the Sky Ride to the other side of the park to continue our adventure...
Kaito and Romeo were in front of us.

Kousei, hanging on for dear life.

Auntie April and Uncle Jason were behind us.

A birdseye view of the Wasatch Front...and Lagoon-A-Beach.

And the 80 year old Roller Coaster that I really wanted to ride, but didn't have enough time for.

We ended up having a really great time today at the park. We rode several rides - I'm sorry I didn't take very many pictures...having too much fun for that! But both of my boys found rides that they really enjoyed. I think Kaito said his favorite was The Wild Mouse. Kousei liked the Rattlesnake Rapids. But my favorite was the Jet Star 2. Oh. My. Gosh! I have never laughed so hard on a roller coaster in my life. And that could be attributed to having JP riding with me! When we got off Shannon, Jason, Kaito and Kousei were all smiling. Kaito said he knew exactly where we were because they could hear me laugh and scream. Jason had a HUGE smile on his face...he was laughing at me. But all he said was, "Sounded like you had fun." HaHaHa! I did! Loved that ride!!!

All too soon, it was time to call it a night.

Julianna, you ROCK!!!

Jason and Julianna, I love you guys!!!

We said good night to JP and Shannon and then April and Jason drove us to our hotel in Salt Lake City. My good friend, Paul Pickett, found us a really nice but small European Style hotel right in the heart of the city...about 2 blocks from Temple Square. So, here we had to say good-bye to Auntie April, Uncle Jason, Romeo, Aylissa and her friends. Saying good-bye is Always hard for me. Love you all SO very very much!!! Thanks for everything these past 2 weeks. And THANKS for coming down and sharing this super fun day with us. All 3 boys were asleep when they said good-bye. So it didn't really hit home to my boys until the next day that they were not going to be seeing Romeo again for a long while. As soon as we all woke up the next morning we all missed Romeo. Rome, thanks so much for hanging out with us this summer. Having you around with us made our summer 100 times more fun and memorable. We are already looking forward to next trip to see you. Love you, dude!!!

Angie thinks...Pumpkin Day

2011-11-01T23:49:00.003+09:00

I realized that, in the three years I've been teaching at the community center on Saturdays, I have never taken a picture of these classes. Well, this year I decided I would. Funny that the day I decide to do this, nearly half of the students are absent. Oh well, here are a few pictures of the kids that did come to class on the 22nd of October. We colored pictures for Halloween. Last year we made jack-o-lanterns out of crepe paper and they were all disappointed that they didn't get to color anything. Keeping it simple this year, we colored.
Kindergarten: 4, 5 and 6 year old:

First and Second grades:

Third and Fourth grades:

Fifth and Sixth grades:

On Sunday, October 23rd, we went for a drive to look for a farm that I heard grows pumpkins. I heard that the biggest department store in the Kansai area buys all of their autumn display pumpkins from this place. It took us nearly 2 hours to find it but they do, indeed, grow big and orange pumpkins. Unfortunately they had their big autumn festival the week before so most of their pumpkins were gone. We took some pictures, but didn't buy one. The ones that were left were soft. Some had holes in them, some were already half rotten. I'll need to remember that the pumpkin festival is the 3rd Sunday of October...for next year.
This one weighs 38kg!

I just thought that these were a really pretty color of red.

The farmers at the this place sent us to another farm, about an hour away, that grows a few pumpkins just for their own display. We went over there and ~~begged~~ asked them to sell us the one pumpkin they had that wasn't part of a display. It's ugly. 20.5kg for ¥2,000 ($20). I think that's a pretty good deal considering I usually pay ¥4,000 for a pumpkin the size of a large cantaloupe.

We stopped for lunch at a fast food ramen restaurant. I had never been to this place. It's a nation-wide (maybe) chain and I have had several people tell me that the ramen here is great. We had to wait outside for more than 30 minutes! And it was HOT outside. But it was totally worth it! Really. I think it was the best ramen I've ever eaten...and I've eaten a lot of ramen!

Wednesday the 26th we got a surprise package from Granna...

On Saturday the 29th we decided to do something completely out of the ordinary. We decided NOT to celebrate Halloween, and instead celebrate Pumpkin Day! We started out with breakfast...which was supposed to be dinner the night before but everyone got home so late from English and Karate that no one was hungry for dinner.
Homemade pumpkin soup, garnished with sour cream and parsley, with whole wheat walnut bread. I don't want to brag here, but I make pretty darn good pumpkin soup...and this time was probably the best I've ever made. I don't use a recipe so it would be impossible for me to say WHY this time is better than all the times before, but it just was. Good. Dang good soup!

After breakfast I took the boys to get their first round of flu shots. Oh what a joyous event!
Then...
We picked up Jii-chan (grandpa) and Baa-chan (grandma) and we headed to one of the three garden areas that are owned - and still worked - by HiObaa-san (great-grandmother - Jii-chan's mom). On this particular piece of land she grows her potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes. She also has a persimmon tree, a chestnut tree, a yuzu tree and a kiwi plant.
Now, before I go any further here I need to explain one thing. Today was a hot day. Well, not HOT like in summer, but WAY hotter than it should have been on October 29th! I was wearing a long sleeved black T-shirt. When Jii-chan saw me he told me I'd need to change. I didn't have anything to change into and I thought I'd be fine. When we got to the hatake the very first thing I noticed were the wasps flying around. Millions of them! I almost didn't get out of the car. But Jii-chan sprayed some stuff and, for the most part, they all left. But he told me that I needed to take off my black shirt because they are attracted to black - as are suzumebachi. Suzumebachi is the Japanese word for “giant Asian hornet” and literally means “sparrow-bee” (presumably because they are sometimes almost as big as sparrows). Kousei was also wearing a black T-shirt, but he just took it off and wore his undershirt. At this point, Jii-chan told me to just take off my shirt and wear my bra, "It's the same as wearing a swimming suit." He said...When Have You Ever Seen Me In A Bikini Top??? Never!!! Such silly people we have in our family! And then Kaito, my sweet Kaito, told me I could wear his T-shirt. He literally gave me the shirt off his back. Sweet Sweet Kaito. So, as you look at these pictures you will probably wonder to your self - or possibly outloud, "What in the world was she thinking when she got dressed?" And now you know...please excuse the too small T-shirt that I am wearing.
We had a small barbeque. Small in that all we had was meat...and yaki onigiri, of course. This was a very special and rare barbeque for us. Usually whenever we barbeque we invite guests, so it's always a big deal. We decided that since it was just us, we'd keep it simple.

When everyone finished eating we started carving our jack-o-lantern. We thought it would be way harder to cut than it actually turned out to be. And there was very little "guck" on the inside. What usually takes several hours to do was finished in less than 1 hour. We only had the one knife, the one we keep in with the bbq gear, so sticking to our theme for this year, we just kept it simple for the face.

Once we got our jack-o-lantern created we decided to ... SMASH him. Why? Well, Halloween is over for us now, so there really is no reason to keep him. And disposing of a pumpkin this size would be a garbage nightmare. We would have had to separate him into at least 4 bags...and garbage day isn't until Tuesday, which means those bags would have to sit somewhere in my house for 3 days. YUK! And, well, we all just felt like we needed to beat something up. LOL! Here's what we did...

Oh my goodness! That was So Much Fun!!!
After helping Jii-chan prune the trees we cleaned up and headed to another hatake to pick some mikan. And Oh My! They are yummy!!!

On Sunday the 30th, our new friend, Nichy, came over for lunch. Nichy plays on the LakeStars basketball team. He is new to Shiga this year and his wife and child have not yet arrived. I decided that he needed a home cooked meal. We ate lunch, played a little Wii, played some 1 on 2 nerf basketball and ate snacks. It was a very fun, rainy, Sunday afternoon. We are so glad he came over to play.

Here are some of the seeds that we got out of our pumpkin.

I'm thinking maybe I'll try to grow some. I'll have to go and ask HiObaa-san if I can use some space in her hatake. And I'll plant some in big pots here at the house. BUT someone will have to remind me to plant them. I'm pretty sure I'll forget if left to my own devices. Can you remind me please?

All in all, for a girl who HATES Halloween, this one was pretty darn fun! It was way different, and not a traditional Halloween at all. But we had a great time celebrating the pumpkin! I hope you all enjoyed your Halloween as well.,

Always Angie

Angie thinks...persistence

2011-10-27T13:12:00.000+09:00

It is a beautiful autumn day today...if you like the kind of autumn day when it is cool, no breeze with the clearest blue sky we've seen all year. For some, I realize, if it isn't cloudy and cool, it isn't autumn...I love those kinds of autumn days, too. But today, at 10am I was sitting in my house shivering. It hadn't even reached 60 inside yet. I was cold and the sunshine outside beckoned to me. And, sure enough, as soon as I stepped out the front door, I felt warmer.
I went to the park that houses the gym that I go to - but haven't gone to since the end of July ($$). This place is called Nunobiki Green Stadium. The track all the way around the park is supposed to be 1km long. So, this is where I decided to run today. There were a lot of people out running and walking today. Mostly elderly people.
But what I really wanted to tell you today is this...
First of all, this is what it looked like out on the track.

OK, you caught me. It wasn't this bad. Are you kidding me? If the grasshoppers were THIS bad do you really think I'd be out there running? Well, sure I'd be running...in the opposite direction. It was probably more like this.

Yep. Still an exaggeration. But there were A LOT of grasshoppers out. And, by the way, I borrowed these pictures from different sites on the internet...I did not take these pictures, and do not own them at all.
ANYway, So there were a lot of grasshoppers on the track today. And you know how they are. They sit and wait for you to get close enough, then they decide to jump and end up jumping right in your path, or heaven forbid they land on you! Eeeeewwwwwww!

Do you remember the story called James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl?

This is one of my all time favorite books. I just LOVE it. And one of my favorite characters from that book is The Old Green Grasshopper.

Well, I think I met him on the track today. The Old Green Grasshopper. Seriously! You're laughing at me. I can hear you. But I'm SERIOUS! He was so big. And he just stared me down as I approached him. He didn't even bother to jump out of the way like all the others did. He just sat there, held his position and STARED at me. Now, I wish I would have been on the ball enough to take a picture of him. But instead I just yelped like the girl that I am, sidestepped and RAN AWAY. Yep. I ran away. But, I did hear the man that was running behind say, "Wooooaaa ho ho ho ho!" hehe...see? it wasn't only me that was surprised by him. So, he was sitting there on my 4th and 5th lap - with all those people going around the track, he didn't move! That's what I call determination!! But on my 6th time around he wasn't there. And I can't help but wonder...did he finally decide to leave? Or did someone MAKE him leave? You've got to admire that kind of persistence, though. So, in his honor, I took an extra lap around the track today. I can be persistent, too. And besides, it's warmer outside than it is inside.

Always Angie

Angie thinks...Sunday angel

2011-10-23T08:46:00.000+09:00

Tator Tots fried up with some chopped onions and chunks of ham then smothered in cheese. Mmmmm Yum, Sunday breakfast.
Add to that a rare glass of chocolate milk and a basketball game on the tv and my boys are happy as clams. How do I know?
Kaito: I can sure tell that today is Sunday.
Me: Why's that?
Kaito: Because I'm in Heaven.
Kousei: AND Mom's an angel today.
Always Angel...er, I mean Angie ((((SMILE))))

Angie thinks...I'm over it

2011-10-22T13:50:00.003+09:00

Well, they're all gone. It took about 2 months...I know, that's not long at all!...But all 350,792,951 Hot Tamales have been eaten (not all are pictured here). What does this mean?

First, it means I gained about 25lbs just from Hot Tamales.

Second, it means I now have the pimply skin of a teenager.

Third, it means that I have proven that you can get drunk off Hot Tamales. You Can! The proof is in how silly you act while eating them...and the giant headache you wake up with the next morning. Of course, it takes more than a mere handful to get you drunk...we're talking a box or 2 at a time. This is not for lightweights!

Fourth, it means that I am now completely ADDICTED to Hot Tamales.

Fifth, and I think this may be the last, it means that I am SO Over Hot Tamales.

Do you know how some people say that the best way to prevent a child from ever starting to smoke is to make her smoke an entire pack all at once and then she'll get so sick that she'll never want another cigarette again? Well, I'm not sure if that really works or not...but if you do it with the Hot Tamales, it works. But the problem now is this...I'm sick of them BUT I'm addicted to them SO I want them BUT I've eaten them all SO I don't have anymore. See my dilemma?

For the record...I did not eat a single Twizzler! Kousei called dibs on them (and I think he still has a box or 3 left). AND I shared (somewhat) the Hot Tamales with Kaito (who mostly just wanted Fritos). AND I've decided that I don't like the 3 alarm ones...for future reference. (btw, I need to thank Ed & Sonja and Sherrie for being my Hot Tamale ~~pushers~~ suppliers for the above mentioned case study)

Always Angie

2011 Summer Vacation #10

2011-10-21T22:27:00.002+09:00

Thursday, August 11th

This may be hard to believe, but this morning we ...

Headed back up to Lower Mesa Falls to camp. I know, I know. You're thinking, "Wow! Angie must be a huge fan of camping!" Well, I kind of am. HaHa! Does that surprise you? At first I was thinking, "Oh my gosh, I can not believe we're going to be camping this trip." But it really didn't take me too long to remember how much I enjoy it. Once the tents were put up (Thanks J and April!) ... and since we had access to a real toilet (Yay!) ... All the good parts about camping came out in full force. The peacefulness of the mountains. The fresh air. The sounds of the birds, small animals and bugs. The beautiful green of the trees and all the many different colors all around. The smell of the campfire. Food cooked on that campfire. The hiking. It's all good. Sure there are things that I don't enjoy about camping. But, you know what?, this time there were so many things that I loved about it that I'm not even going to mention any of the bad things.

This afternoon we went for a walk with Momma. So, ironically, we drove to the Bear Gulch trail head parking area and we walked from there. We actually started walking in the wrong direction and walked that way for about 20 minutes before we turned around. We were looking for this old railroad tunnel. I'm glad we decided to go this route this time because a few days later I learned that this tunnel was imploded because it was dangerous. So, we might have been some of the last few people to get to see it. It's gone now.

Since this will be our last camping trip for this vacation, Momma decided to spoil me a bit. Daddy grilled some steaks on the fire and I cooked the hash brown patties and corn on the grill. With a big salad, this was a super yummy "last dinner".

The white bags are full of pine cones that my boys picked up from Daddy's yard this morning. They popped and crackled and smelled so yummy in the fire tonight.

Tonight there was a full moon. It was both beautiful and a little creepy HaHa! We could see it through the leaves on the tree. I know these pictures aren't very good, but what do you expect from a point and shoot camera :-)

Kaito and I decided to sit next to the fire until the very last ember had burned out. It was kind of hard saying good-bye to that last campfire...knowing that it was our last night here...and we'd be leaving Idaho very soon.

Friday, August 12th

Today is Kousei's REAL birthday. 8 years old!!! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!!!

I woke up early this morning and went out for a walk before everyone woke up. And I cried. Well, this is it. We're leaving here today, leaving Idaho tomorrow. I can not believe how hard it was for me to leave this time. Was it just because we had so much fun this visit? Or was it because now that I'm getting older I'm feeling the draw of friends and family and the overwhelming feeling of comfort that being home brings to me. I'm a different person here, that's for sure. I'm me. Angie. The real me. Even my boys notice it. They say I'm happier, I laugh more, I talk more (Ha!). I can see that I am more confident here. Independent. Capable of doing anything I set my mind to. So knowing that I am leaving that behind...man, that was hard for me. I went into the forest, cried and said goodbye.

We had some steak and stuff left over from last night's dinner. Oh what a yummy breakfast! And everything tastes better when cooked outdoors.

Because Grampa's yogurt and blueberries wasn't enough, I told him it wouldn't be, Kousei helped him make some pancakes.

Momma and I took a little walk. I mapped out a mile for her. The course she was following was not quite a mile, so we figured out a new course for her. Now she and Daddy can make sure they're getting their daily mile walk. I ended up doing this walk several times...so I guess you can say I got my mile, or two or three, in today. LOL

As we were on our walk, we ran into a snake. Kind of a pretty snake. Wow! can you believe I just said that??? She was sunning herself on a rock. I called out to Kaito to get the video camera. But there were some other kids hanging around and they started throwing rocks and whatnot. I can't really blame her for slithering away. Unfortunately, she slithered away before Kaito could get her on film. Darn it!

Time to say good-bye and head back to Rigby.

LOVE YOU, Daddy!!!!!

I had promised the boys that we would go to Yellowstone Bear World that is just outside of Rigby. $70 per car!!! I decided we needed to fill this car up. Beside, the boys and I wanted to hang out with him one more time before we left. So, since I knew Friday is his day off, I invited Jay Paul and his daughter, Lindsay, to come play with us for a few hours. And, Oh!, we had a good time...

On the way over to Jay Paul's house I gave the boys a little lecture. Lindsay would be the only girl, and sometimes it sucks to be the only girl. Plus, she doesn't know any of you so she might be a little nervous. Make sure you're nice to her! Of course I knew they would be. These three boys are nice to everyone, sometimes to a fault. They worked it out that Lindsay would sit in the center and share a seat belt with Kousei since he is the smallest. When we got to the house Kaito and Romeo jumped out of the car - Kousei was afraid of Brian, the dog, so he wouldn't get out. And as we were standing at the front saying hello I heard a small boy-voice from behind me say, "Hey Lindsay." And then she said, "Hey Romeo." Ha! These two were in the same class!! Sometimes I forget how small Rigby is.
First we drove through and saw so many animals up close and personal. Kaito was in charge of the camera today.

Big Horn Sheep

Elk


Albino Elk!

Turkey

Deer Fawn

Albino Elk!

Deer

Buffalo

Big Buffalo

And the bears...

After driving through the park we stopped at the gift shop. I could spend hours and hours in here looking...so many fun and cute things to buy! But the kids wanted to go to the petting zoo.

I absolutely love this lady!!!

Cute bears

zOOOOOOOmed in on the Moose

I love this picture of Kousei and Lindsay

Next stop...ICE CREAM!!!

I don't even want to tell you how many times it took to get this picture. LOL! But at least in this one we are both looking in the same direction. HaHa

And then the little amusement park rides. I had no idea what I was taking pictures of here...I just held the camera up and snapped and snapped and snapped...hoping I'd get at least one of our kids in the shot LOL!

A ride I hate...spinning around and around like that, UGH! But Lindsay said, "you're going on this with me." and I said, "yes, ma'am." :-)

I think they rode this little roller coaster 50 times.

Before we knew it, it was time to go home. Saying good-bye is always hard! But saying good-bye after having such a super fun - although quite short - time together is even harder. Thanks, Jay Paul and Lindsay, for coming to hang out with us today. Having you there made the visit to Bear World even funner than we thought it could be. Jay Paul, your constant joking kept us laughing the entire time. And Lindsay, you are a pretty cool chick! And, for me, having another girl around was super fun!

Jay Paul is holding Kousei because he is scared to death of Brian, the dog.

I spent the evening...and well into the night...in my room packing. We are leaving in the morning. I went out to gas up the car and ran into some trouble with my credit card. Every time I got gas I tried to pay with my credit card. And every time it didn't work so I had to go inside and pay with cash. Every time. And tonight, just like all the other times, I tried to swipe my card first. And it didn't work. So I went inside to pay with cash and the boy - I suppose he isn't really a young boy, but he's WAY younger than I am - told me that he is supposed to take my card and cut it up. WHAT?!?!?!? I think NOT! I told him that I'm not going to pay with the card so there would be no need for that. He was quite insistent. We went round and round over this until I really felt like I was about to lose all control and get very angry. So I said, "I don't have time for this! I am not going to give you my credit card. Don't even ask me for it again. But I will pay you cash for some gasoline. Do you want to take the cash, or should I go somewhere else?" And he took the cash.
Not the best way to finish off my stay in Rigby. But don't worry Rigby folk, I won't hold it against any of you. :-)

Our stay in Idaho was nothing short of amazing. We had so much fun. Every single day was filled with adventue, laughter, friends, family and fun. We made so many great and long lasting memories these last 2 weeks. Thank you all for being a part of our vacation. We love you all. We miss you all. And we can't wait to see you all again!!! This is home. We'll be back. Promise!

2011 Summer vacation #9

2011-10-15T01:03:00.000+09:00

Wednesday, August 10th

Today the boys and I went hunting for moose.
I guess before we left Japan Kaito was talking with his teacher about our upcoming trip. His teacher asked what kind of things we will see in Yellowstone National Park. Kaito mentioned the geysers, waterfalls, hot pots and mud pots, mountains and rivers. And he named off a whole list of animals. But he said that the animal he most wants to see is a moose. She didn't know what that was so Kaito had to find a picture off the internet and take it to her the next day. So, his teacher gave him a special homework assignment. He is to make a video of all the different kinds of animals he sees while in the United States. "And don't come home until you've seen a moose.", she added.
So, this morning, Kaito, Kousei and I grabbed a bag of Hostess Donnettes - the Chocolate kind - and some bottles of Nesquik Lowfat Chocolate Milk as we filled the car with gas in Ririe and then we headed up to Jackson Hole Wyoming. We were on a mission...find and shoot (with a camera) a MOOSE.
We put the Big Time Rush Cd, that Granna gave to Kousei for his birthday last night, into the stereo and we listened (and sang) to it over and over and over and over and over again. It just makes me laugh at how much the boys like this CD. And it amazes me how quickly they've picked up the words and melodies. Even Kaito (who we thought couldn't carry a tune - remember my birthday karaoke post in July?) sings it really really well.

First we had to stop in Swan Valley (still in Idaho) for a square ice cream cone. Yep. That's right. Square. And they are world famous, too! But, DUH!!! I didn't take a picture. I guess I've just been here so many times that I didn't even think to take a picture until we were already back on the road. And, due to the fact of the size of the scoop...and it was still pretty early in the morning...and we were, after all, eating donnettes in the car...we only got one cone and split it between the three of us. Chocolate, of course.

We decided to take the route over the Teton Mountain Range that took us through Victor, Idaho and over to Wilson, Montana. Then it was just a little farther down the road before we got to the city of Jackson. Our first stop was the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center to check in with the rangers there and see if there have been any moose sightings in the area recently. This visitor center is so much fun. So many things to look at and learn. And the boys really loved talking to Ranger Dave. He was very helpful with ideas of where we could go to maybe have a chance to see a moose...but, alas, there have been no moose sightings in the last 2 weeks. Ranger Dave said that our best bets would be near the banks of the Gros Ventre River, near the Snake River at the Moran area, or near the area of Moose. But, as he said, no one has any idea where one might pop up. We need to keep our eyes peeled. Our hopes of seeing one were kind of dampened. But we are not giver-uppers! We spent so much time here at the visitor's center that it was nearly lunch time already. We decided to make our cheddar cheese and salami sandwiches right here in the picnic area they have.

Now that we were learned and satiated, we jumped back in the car ready to take some pictures. We took the main road out of town towards Grand Teton National Park. We veered off Hwy 191 to go towards Antelope Flats on Gros Ventre Rd. Here, by the Gros Ventre River was our first stop. We got the binoculars out (Grampa always has binoculars in his car!! Thanks, Grampa!) and we each took a turn slowly looking across the river in the trees. Nothing.
It was here that Kaito decided to say a prayer. How ~~funny~~ cute is that?! His prayer went something like this...
Thank you for this beautiful land that you made for us to enjoy and play in. Thank you for all the animals that you made so that we can have fun looking for them. Please bless us that we will stay safe as we drive today. Please help us to find a moose today. I promise I won't hurt or bother it, I just want to take its picture. If we can't see one right away, then will you please have one waiting for us at our last-chance spot, at Moose on the way home? Thank you. We love you. Amen.
So we headed across Antelope Flats on Mormon Row and made a loop back to meet Hwy 191. Along the way we saw some buffalo and we stopped to take some pictures of the beautiful view...but no moose.

I just love listening to this video that Kousei took. I'm not sure where he got the idea that we are in South America, but I love his explanation of how the Teton Mountain Range was named...not sure where he got that, either. LOL!

I have been to this area, oh I don't know, 30 times maybe. And I have yet to find another place, in all my travels, that compares to this view right here. It is truly breathtaking. And both Kaito and Kousei seemed to be very impressed, too. They wanted to stop and take videos and pictures.

We drove on Hwy 191 up to the Moran Junction and entered the Grand Teton National Park here and headed toward Jackson Lake. We turned on to the Teton Park Rd and drove it all the way along Jackson Lake and then along Jenny Lake, stopping every once in while to stretch our legs and take some pictures.

Here is Kousei talking about how deep the lake is and that is why there is no one swimming. HaHa!

It was nearly 5pm when we finally arrived at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in the area called Moose. It was here, on the bank of the Snake River, just downstream from Dornans that we saw a crowd gathering. We decided to go check it out and guess what we saw.....

A MOOSE!!!!!

We were all very excited to see this moose. Seriously, how lucky were we? But Kaito, especially, was thrilled that Heavenly Father had heard and answered his prayer.

On the way home, we stopped once more at the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center to check in with Ranger Dave. He was such a nice grandfatherly man! He was so thrilled to see the pictures that Kaito had taken. And he patiently listened to the boys recount each little thing we did on our search. And then he spoke to them about the moose, showed them some pictures and books and even told them a couple stories of his own moose sightings. By the time we left there I was completely pooped out. It had already been a pretty long day of driving and we still had to get home. Kousei fell asleep almost as soon as we got out of town. We decided to take the route that would take us through Alpine, Wyoming and past the Palisades Dam . Both boys were asleep as we drove past the Dam so I didn't stop to take any pictures. I was tired - and I've seen it a hundred times - just didn't feel like stopping. It was nearly 8pm by the time we got home. Wow! What a day! And the boys were SO excited to tell Granna and Grampa all about it.

I went out tonight with some friends who have asked to be kept anonymous. They have also asked that the details of our evening out be kept private. I am glad to grant their requests. I just want them to know, because I know that they will be reading this, that I had a fantastic time with them. Even though I was way super tired, I am so glad that I took the time to meet with them. I will never forget our time together. And I thank them for being my friends and staying out late with me. Love you!!!

Angie thinks...how am I doing?

2011-10-14T13:34:00.000+09:00

I don't believe in new year's resolutions...but this is the "theme" I chose for 2011...With the year nearly over, I'm wondering how I'm doing.

When I think about where I was on January 1st...constant back pain, at least 3 headaches a week, shoulder and neck pain, could barely walk up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing...I had no idea what was happening outside my front door, couldn't find time to read the front page headlines, I was dissatisfied with the progress of my students and as the teacher took that to be my failure, ... well, that's all I can think of right now. BUT each and every one of those "problems" stated above has been either fixed or improved upon. I hate to jinx it, but I haven't had any back, shoulder or neck pain in at least 8 months. And I had a headache this past weekend, but it was the first in several months. I have friends that I keep in contact with on a daily basis...and truly they are my lifeline...and I make sure that I read "at least" the world news headlines every single day - so I just don't feel so dumb about the world I'm living in. As for my students...well, I stepped up my game a little bit. Switched things up in the classroom with the way I teach - and the change has been good for them (and great for me!). I still huff and puff when going up stairs...but I'm going up 863 stairs at a time! WooHoo!
Continuous Improvement doesn't mean becoming perfect. It just means to keep moving forward. I am. So I guess I'm doing OK.

Always Angie