Hello Europe!

Well Merry Christmas everyone! I hope yours was good, mine wasn't the same w/o my fam, it actually felt like it didn't even happen. But that's ok because tonight I will be taking a night bus to the airport so that tomorrow and can fly to EUROPE! I will go Frankfurt, Paris, Barcelona then Rome. I am going with Logan, Melanie, and Ally. It should be tons of fun, we are all very excited! Be looking forward to some sweet pics!

O Holy Night

This is my favorite Christmas Song. I cried today when my students sang it. It was beautiful! This Christmas season is rough not being home. It's a good thing I have made great friends here or else I don't know how I would be surviving.

100 Days till I move back to the States!

A week and a half till I am in Europe!!!

Can I sing with you?

I love to sing. I have loved it since I can remember. Lately, I have really been missing out on being a part of something that allows me to thoroughly enjoy this passion of mine. So because I'm bored about 75% of the time that I am in my apartment I have started to think that it is funny to tweet famous singers/bands to see if I can sing with them. Yes, this is weird and the sad part of it is is that a part of me is serious about it. My first tweet was to the David Crowder Band. I tweeted them about a week ago.... no response. Today I just tweeted Shane & Shane. We will see if I ever get a response. As of now, I will just continue to dream. Maybe some day my voice will be heard!

Who should I tweet next?

I'm thinking Justin Timberlake.... ha a girl can dream!

Pics!

Ok well naturally these pictures are really just of me. But I figured you all were missing my presence so here is a little taste of me in Japan!

Disney SEA! I had to buy Christmas Shellie May & Duffy! I also needed pocket Shellie May to hold my camera. OH and then I needed some place to put my park ticket...Thank you Marie! All 4 of these purchases were a necessity!

Ally, Melanie, and I at the end of the day. We rocked our costumes and were a huge hit in the Japanese Culture! Would we wear this to Disney in the States?? NO!!! But here, most definitely because it is totally acceptable!!!

TEST DAY! I wore my bros for good luck! If I fail, it is their fault!

I had to get the ears to match my ticket holder! You just wait, next Disney trip I will only be reppin' 1 Disney Character.... Marie!

Kaleb, Colton, and I at Tokyo Disney Land!!! We had a blast!

So yes, these were the pics I tried to post the other day but got too frustrated with! I hope you enjoyed!

Stay Tuned

Ok so I just tried to add photos of my trip to Tokyo last weekend and it kept saying that there was an error so naturally I gave up. I won't try again tonight but maybe sometime this week. I know that you all are patiently waiting to see how ridiculously cool we looked! I had a lot of fun though! I really do enjoy Disney much more now. Japan has definitely revealed Disney's true beauty to me.

Work Update:

Well this next week should be pretty normal. We have about 2 weeks till our Christmas Program at school. My kids are lookin so cute doing their dance that we taught them! They are doing a dance to Santa Claus is Comin' to Town! We are also teaching our students a few Christmas Carols for the Singing Christmas Tree that will be coming to life at the Christmas Party!

Life Update:

Well as you know, I took the GRE last week. So that is step 1 in applying to grad school, now I am on to Steps 2,3,4.....and so on. I have pretty much decided that I want to go to school in Texas somewhere. I have been looking mostly at UNT in Denton, Texas. When it comes to stuff like this I usually just get a one track mind and can't think of applying anywhere else. I did the same w/ my undergraduate and my current job. McMurry was the only school I applied for...MeySen was the only job I applied for... UNT is really the only school that I want to apply at right now but I do realize that I need to look at other options as well. I believe I would like to get my master's in Special Education. Oh Life! You can be so complicated at times... all these decisions. It's fun but I wish that I wouldn't have to put my life in someone else's hands, and by that I mean schools deciding if they want me or not. I hope that I get accepted somewhere!!!

Again, sorry for no pics this time. Stay tuned and I will make sure to add some in my next post if technology allows!

TOKYO & THANKSGIVING

Well I did go to the doctor! I had Strep AND Tonsillitis!! Today is my last day of meds and I am feeling pretty dang good. This is good because in about 2 hours I will be boarding a Shinkansen bound for Tokyo! Tonight I will eat at the delicious American restaurant, Hard Rock! It is officially 125 days till I move back to the States so Ally, Melanie, and I will have a little celebratory dinner tonight! The purpose of the Tokyo trip is not because of that, but that just happens to be a bonus. Tomorrow we will go to Disney SEA! We bought matching outfits to wear from the Daiso (dollar store)!!!! THEY ARE AWESOME! If the weather permits, we will be sportin them w/ style! We will be at the park from when the gates open till they basically have to kick us out! On Monday, Ally & Melanie will head to Disney Land in the AM while I am off to conquer the GRE!!! The GRE is the reason for this Tokyo trip FYI! After I finish the GRE and maintain my composure after the failure that I am sure I will feel, I will head over to Disney Land to meet up with Ally & Melanie! We will prob leave the park late afternoon because we need to catch the Shinkansen back to Tokyo that night. We will also be eating one last meal at Hard Rock!!! I'm pretty sure I have eaten at that restaurant more times in Japan than I have in the States!

This next week is also Thanksgiving! So I will be celebrating my Thanksgiving Day on Tuesday! It is some holiday here in Japan so we have the day off. I will be celebrating it w/ Harry Potter & Mexican food!!!! Can't get more American than that...right?! haha

Well I will miss my fam but I am sure they will have fun in VEGAS!!! That's right... they decide to take a kick butt trip while I'm gone!!! HAVE FUN!!!!!!

Well Happy Thanksgiving everyone and be waiting for some pretty sweet pictures!!!!!!

Strep?

This is gross:

So this past week I have had a really sore throat. Then on Wednesday I noticed that white spots were beginning to form on the back of my throat...gross. As the day went on, it gradually got worse. Friday I woke up and it was disgusting. The tip of my uvula (the little dangly thing in the back of your throat) was white. So I began to think about possibly going to the doctor to get this checked out. I googled "white spots on uvula" and 3 things came up: 1. STD 2. Strep 3. Mono. Well we can rule out STD! ha And I haven't had a fever or anything so I think we can rule out Mono too. Now, I was going to go to the doctor on Saturday but I had a hair appointment scheduled and I didn't want to miss that so I decided that I can wait and go on Monday morning. So it is now Sunday night and the white spots are not there anymore but my throat still feels a little weird. I don't know if the doctor is still necessary or not. My throat is now bright red though... I just don't know.

Eclipse! Yes, of course I loved it!

Ok so I had a really great weekend and let me tell you why! I woke up Saturday morning to the sun shining into my room. I was really excited that it was sunny outside because I am totally not ready for winter. I woke up about 7:30 and didn't roll out of bed till 11. It was wonderful. I watched The Parent Trap during that time and just relaxed. I would say that laying in bed for a bit after you wake up is probably one of the most relaxing things ever! I LOVE IT! Once I finally rolled out of bed, I decided to go for a run and it was a great run. I went 3 miles. I have been trying to keep my running up since my 10K and I have been doing pretty good at it. After my run, I showered and got ready for my day. At 4:00 I went to my friend Miki's house. She was having a bunch of our co-workers over for a great feast! JUST LOOK AT THIS PICTURE:

...and that was just the sides! Lasagna, Chicken Pot Pie, and Chicken Salad were the main dishes... yes, plural! ha It was so delicious. The reason for this meal was the celebration of Eclipse finally coming to Japan! So we dined then went to the movies to watch this movie.

I am Team Jacob! You just can't go wrong w/ those muscles!

Was it one of the cheesiest movies I have ever seen?? Well, YES! But I still loved it! I have enjoyed all the Twilight movies. I have not read the books YET! I have the first one sitting on my bookshelf just waiting for me to pick it up, and believe me I will!

So Saturday was pretty great and so was today! I went grocery shopping then a group of us got together for a Christmas Music Exchange! Tonight I have written 5 letters and 2 postcards. I'm like an old lady.... And I am an old lady since Taylor Lautner is like 18 years old....RIDICULOUS! The cute boys are just getting younger and younger....SHAME!

UPDATE

So this week I will have 2 posts because I forgot to post last week. I would have to say that it has been harder to complete my List of 24 than I thought it would be. I figured I would give you an update so that you knew how I am doing with it.

1. Read the entire Bible.

I am reading Joshua right now. The Old Testament is hard to read. I wouldn't say that it is a page turner.

2. Read the complete "Oz" series by L. Frank Baum.

I have read the 1st book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." 1 down 14 to go!

3. Hike Mt. Fugi

I will not be able to complete this because the mountain is only open for limited time, and I missed my shot. So, I have a replacement: 3. Go to Paris Disney Land.

4. Make a "Build a Bear" bear.

5. Go to a country I have never been to.

6. Go to Disney Land in Tokyo.

CHECK! I will be going again on November 21st!

7. Run a 10K.

CHECK!

8. Watch my first class ever graduate from Kindergarten.

9. Learn to play the guitar....well!

I have probably picked up the guitar twice since I posted this... SHAME!

10. Write a song.

11. Record the song that I have written.

12. Stay off Facebook for an entire month.

CHECK!!!!! Facebook def missed me in September!

13. Read 25 books.

1. Memoirs of a Geisha

2. Never Let Me Go

3. My Sister's Keeper

4. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

working on the 5th...I need to read faster!

14. Do not change Facebook profile picture for an entire year.

see for yourself!

15. Do not eat chocolate for an entire year.

16. Be a vegan for a month.

17. Do not drink carbonated beverages for an entire year.

18. Update blog once a week.

If you are reading, then you would know!

19. Lose 10 lbs.

I have lost 10 lbs! Now, I just have to keep it off... I am at 143 and would love to lose some more.

20. Snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef.

I will not be able to complete this one because I will sadly not be making it to Australia. The replacement: 20. Get accepted into Grad School!

21. Do not eat Fast Food for an entire year.

22. Take 1 picture every day.

I am sad to say that I have failed at this! This is the hardest thing ever and I am going to put forth an effort to take more pictures, but I will not be trying to take one every day. Sorry.

23. Go to an onsen.

24. Do not dye hair for an entire year.

Bonus: Complete this list!

My Bonus is not gonna happen. But I still feel good about it and like this little challenge that I have created for myself!

I hope all is well with you!

Pounds

So I've lost 8 pounds since my birthday! One of my goals for the year is to lose 10 pounds. Only 2 more to go but then I need to maintain it till July 10, 2011!

So my blogging has seriously sucked these past few weeks and I do realize this. I also think I have mentioned how it sucks in each my posts as well. I will make an effort to be better at it this week but blogging is just one of the things that I am not gifted in. Ya, it is just typing up something that has happened in my life recently or thoughts that I have had lately so it shouldn't be that hard. But it is for me! I am working at it though! I promise!!! Next week WILL be better! You can hold me to it!

Pics from the 10K

Sorry this took me a week to post. But here they are:

Deborah and I before the race.

Can you spot my name?! This booklet was given to all the registered runners, all 7,000 of them...CRAZY!

Sprinting to the finish line!

Mallory and Logan came to cheer us on! They made the best sign ever!

Well I hope you enjoyed these pics!

Run a 10K....CHECK!

10K

I did it! I ran a 10K!!! I can now cross that off my list! I am very proud of myself! I finished in an hour and 4 minutes. I like that. I have never been a runner so this is a big accomplishment. I also have a really bad foot and every time I go to the doctor he tells me not to run, so considering that too, I did very well! There were 7,000 people that were registered for the races at Matsushima today. There were 3 races: half marathon, 10K, and 5K. That is a lot of people! It was very organized though. Deborah and I took the train and got to Matsushima around 8:30am. We just followed the mob of people from the station to the check in for the race. After checking in, the Opening Ceremonies began. All of us runners stood in front of the stage and did a group stretch that was led by the Sendai 89er Cheerleaders. I had a blast doing it! After the stretch, the 5K runners began to line up. My friend Hiroe ran that one so we cheered her on at the starting line. We didn't get to see her finish though because we had to start lining up for our race. But she finished!!! I had 3 goals going into this race. 1. Run the entire time. 2. Reach the halfway mark/turnaround in 30 min. 3. DO NOT get picked up on the slow bus. That's right, they had a bus that came around after the time cut off, which was 80 min, to pick up the people who did not finish in time. CRAZY! I didn't tell a whole lot of people that I was running it today because I did not have to explain to people that I didn't finish because I got picked up on the bus..but I DID finish so I don't have to worry about that anymore. I accomplished all 3 of my goals!

I have some pictures from the race but they are on my phone since my camera doesn't work anymore. Some of my friends also took pictures so I will compile the best ones tomorrow and add them on here. It was a very good day though! My legs are very achey right now, but I will survive. Will I ever run a 10K again....who knows? I don't feel like I need to but I may just do it randomly again. I think my new race will be something involving a bike though! That will be for my next list!!!

My Sister's Keeper

Well book #3 is finished! I just finished My Sister's Keeper this past week. The only thing I new about this story was from the trailer of the movie which doesn't say much. I really did like it though. It is a sad book. I didn't cry though! I have never cried while reading a book....quite a shocker, huh?!

Book #4: THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ I read this book when I was in middle school and absolutely loved it. I am obsessed with anything OZ so I am excited to read it again!

Funny Story:

Today one of my girls gave me a present! Please Enjoy!!!

I'm sorry the picture quality isn't that great.. I am not a photographer. But yes, it says "I heart Beer"

My Next Step

First of all, I almost forgot to blog this week. I am having Monday be the start of my week and Sunday is the end of it. I am cutting it very close but I am still getting it in!

I just got done reading the 1st Chapter in my GRE Study book. I will be taking it in Tokyo. I need to look at dates to make sure I don't have to work but I am hoping to take it at the end of October or the beginning of November. I am taking it now so that I can hopefully go to Grad School in the Fall. Right now I don't know where I want to go but I have looked at a couple of schools. I think that I would like to get my Masters in either Reading Ed or Special Ed. At the moment, I am leaning more towards Special Ed. I am getting more and more excited to come home but I am still living every day to it's fullest here.

Here are some other little things about my life this past week:

1. I ran 5 miles today!

2. I was sick and had a sore throat all week long. (it is slowly going away now though!)

3. I went to Oktoberfest.

4. I received my information packet for the child I am sponsoring through Compassion International. I am sending him my first letter tomorrow!

5. I am going through withdrawals from Facebook....1 more week!

March 2011, Vacation, and MORE

I have made my decision: I am moving back to the States in March! It was a tough one to make but I do believe it is the right one. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience over here but I think America needs me, and I need her! So what's my next step? GRAD SCHOOL! Now I am on the hunt for what I will be doing when I move back!

Logan, Melanie, Ally, and I will be traveling in Europe for our Christmas Break. Our plans aren't set yet but we have our tickets to and from Germany!!! That is a start! So if you have suggestions on what was great to see in Germany, let me know. We also plan on going to Austria so that we could do the Sound of Music tour....definitely a must!

I go to the ocean tomorrow with my kids! We will wade in the water and hunt for seashells! It is going to be soo much fun! I am excited! My kids really are the cutest kids EVER! Then after tomorrow we have a 3 day weekend, class on Tuesday & Wednesday, a day off on Thursday and then class on Friday. So these next few days off will be spent w/ friends and filled with relaxation! It isn't even 9:00pm here and I am like falling asleep typing this!

So really what I am getting at is that these next few days are gonna be filled with excitement, awkwardness, and laughs! I will do my best to fill you in on what happens!

Well peace out my reader(s).

Field Day

Brief Update of The List:

My picture of the Day has been put on a hold. I will plan on jumping back into that in October!

I prob won't be snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef anytime this year because tickets for Australia are super expensive!

I am in the process of working on my trip to a different country. That will be settled tonight

Ok now for what this blog is all about: FIELD DAY!

Today was a fun day. Field Day consists of organized relays, dances, and activities for the entire family to enjoy. The kids have been practicing for this day for the past couple of weeks. They learned an exercise dance, a baton relay, a maypole, and a pom pom dance. These past couple of weeks have been filled w/ much stress and frustration but we somehow got through. TODAY WAS WONDERFUL! My class did soo good! My kids won the K5 Relay! We got 1st Place! They were so excited. My class also won the mother's relay as well. The moms of my kids stood in a line and past a hula hoop from the front to the back then back to the front again! We had fun. All the parents of my kids are very competitive so they worked hard in every event!

The teachers and parents also ran a baton relay. Us teachers won!!! It was great! Well I didn't have much time for this post but I had to get this weekly one in. I hope this one works. Next week will be better, I promise!

Oh, and lately I have become addicted to Army Wives! I cry at every episode but it is just a beautiful show!

4 Miles

I just completed week 3 of my 10K training. I ran 4 miles tonight! This is the longest/farthest that I have ever ran in my entire life. I have never been a runner so I would say that this is a good accomplishment for myself. Let's also take into consideration that my left foot is retarded... I feel very good about my run tonight!

I think one thing that kept my feet moving throughout these 4 miles were my thoughts. I have had a lot on my mind lately and tonight I was able to use those thoughts as my fuel to run. Here are my thoughts:

1. In a month and a half I tell my boss if I will be signing on for another school year at MeySen or not. This would mean that I would commit to another year & a half in Japan. So my move home date would then be in March of 2012. What should I do? Should I stay or should I go? March 2011 or March 2012?? I just don't know right now. Ginger, oh wise one, what should I do?

2. Logan, Melanie, Ally, and I are planning a trip for Christmas this year. We have about 2 weeks off from work so we thought it would be fun to go somewhere together. Our first choice was Australia. We looked at tickets.....too dang expensive! Alright, 2nd choice (which now is our 1st choice) the Philippines. We got our plan figured out, found tickets at a decent price but when pushed to book the flight the dang website kept saying that it couldn't make our request....LAME! Needless to say, we all got very frustrated!!! Why is it soo complicated and sooo dang expensive to travel ANYWHERE! So we decided that because of our frustration that this week we would look at tickets and places to go because, WE ARE NOT STAYING IN JAPAN FOR CHRISTMAS! Europe is now in the cards. Next Sunday we are getting together to for sure book our flights. Wish us luck!

So that is what made my 4 mile run such a success tonight! I think for the day of my race, October 10th, I will have to make sure that I will have some built up frustration so that I will have the motivation to keep on keepin on! ha I just wanted to say that phrase... Thank you Joe Dirt!

I finished Never Let Me Go. In my last post I bashed it. It wasn't that bad when I finished it, but I wouldn't ever recommend it to anyone. The whole time I was reading it I just felt like I had to read it even though I didn't want to. They are making a movie about it and I will probably watch it. I wouldn't be shocked if I liked the movie, but I still don't really see the point of the book. I started book #3, My Sister's Keeper. I've read 1 chapter and I like it already!

"Never Let Me Go"... more like Never Let Me Read AGAIN!

13. Read 25 Books

Since my birthday I have only read 1 book, Memoirs of a Geisha. I really enjoyed the book and I strongly recommend it. I think that I might have enjoyed it more since I actually live in Japan. If I were to read it prior to living here I think I still would have enjoyed though. It was neat to compare it to present day Japan.

Right now I am reading Never Let Me Go. I don't like it at all. I'm about half way through and I really couldn't even tell you what is happening. I don't know. It doesn't intrigue me at all. I will finish it though!

I do need to jump the gun though and start reading more because I have a lot of books to read this year!!!

Also #12 on my list is stay off facebook for an entire month. This will start September 1st. So people, if you want to contact me, you need to do it in other ways besides facebook. I have a couple more days to go though!

Family, Friends, & a Sunburn!

Right now I am sitting in the Albuquerque Airport. I am Dallas bound and I am so excited to go hang out with Shelby! I talked to her the other day and she said that she was getting our little weekend planned out. These plans will include pedicures, afternoon movies, cupcakes from sprinkles, shopping, a Bridget Jones' Diary marathon so that we can relate and complain about our singleness, and a bunch of other girly/fun things! While I am in Dallas I will also be meeting up with a few other of my really good friends that I haven't seen in a year or so!

It has been so good to see everyone! Clay and Kristen's wedding was absolutely beautiful! They are such a beautiful couple! Kristen looked absolutely gorgeous. Because of this wedding I got to see people that I haven't seen in a long time. Hey Ginger! It was fun to be with all these wonderful faces again! After the wedding I went to Sedona with my family. I got really sunburned...this is the first time I have ever had it this bad I think!

Well I am about to board my plane so I can't really express all the joy that I have endured this past week because I don't have time. But I am off to Dallas to continue my vacation! I really don't want to fly back on Monday...

Update!

Well I am now back in The States!!! I am now in Flagstaff, Arizona. Today is Clay & Kristen's wedding!

But first, let me tell you about this past week.

Kyoto was awesome! Karen, Brissa, and I left for Kyoto on Friday, the 6th. We go there successfully and found our Hostel with success as well! After arriving in Kyoto Station, we had quite the little trek to our Hostel. It wasn't bad, but when you have your bags on your shoulders and when you are sweating like a PIG it makes it a little bit more complicated. Our Hostel was sweet though! We had a private room with our own kitchen and bathroom in it. Our beds were Japanese style Futons. So every night we had to unfold our beds out and every morning we had to fold them back up. These beds were so comfortable though! We did many things while in Kyoto, here are a 10 of the highlights:

1. Went to Nara to see the biggest Buddha in the world.

2. Nara-petted the deer that were everywhere

3. Nara- crawled through a hole that is equivalent to the size of Buddha's nostril. You do this for good fortune.

4. Got lost.

5. Mastered the subway system.

6. Met 3 guys who loved hanging out with us. Tasuku, Yoshitaka, and Yasu

7. Ate Indian food like every day.

8. Ate sushi... I don't really like anything from the water.

9. Wandered through the Red Light District (by accident) one night.

10. Saw a Geisha.

We had so much fun in Kyoto. There are many many stories still to be told but I can't tell all of them on here. If you want to know more, just ask!

On Wednesday we took our trek back to Kyoto Station with all of our luggage again. This time, it was much hotter and WAY MORE humid! We boarded our train to Tokyo for the next leg of our trip. We arrived in Tokyo at Tokyo Station. I don't think I have ever seen so many people in one place at one time! It was ridiculous! The directions to our Hostel this time were much more clear and the walk to it was much shorter as well. After checking in, we decided to go find something to eat. So we are walking the streets around where we are staying and guess what type of restaurant we stumbled upon....INDIAN! Did I mention that we have pretty much had Indian food every day? I don't think I can ever get enough of it. So naturally, we didn't want to break the tradition so we ate there. After lunch we decided to go check out Shibuya and Roppongi. SO MANY PEOPLE! When we were in Shibuya, there was a street corner that was packed w/ people so we had to go check it out. As we got closer, we noticed a stage w/ a man on a mic giving some sort of directions and such. We decided to stick around to see what was going on. It was the live performance of the Korean pop group KARA. It was the debut of their new single. It was so loud and crowded, it was ridiculous! I wish that you could have experienced it with us. They were like the Korean Spice Girls basically. The next day, I had to leave Karen and Brissa. It was sad to leave them because we had so much fun!

Well right now, I am going to eat some breakfast, get my hair cut, then start preparing for one of the coolest weddings ever! It's good to be back in the States! CONGRATS Clay & Kristen!

Vacation Time!

TODAY IS MY FIRST REAL DAY OF SUMMER VACATION!

I have had a very busy past few weeks with Summer Camp and Summer School. My kids have worn me out! So this time off is much needed!

Karen and Brissa got here on Monday!!! Monday night I went to Sendai Station to pick them up. They flew into the Narita Airport in Tokyo then took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Sendai. Prior to them leaving the States, I talked to Karen on the phone trying to give her the most descriptive help possible. On the day of their arrival I had to work so when I got off, I went to Sendai Station and sat out in front of the Central Exit waiting for them to come. I was a little worried at first because I hadn't heard from them at all, but then at about 7:20 ish I saw them!

It has been very fun w/ them here! Tuesday they came to my school and saw my class. My kids absolutely loved them! They played w/ us the majority of the day but after lunch they decided to go home to take a nap for a bit since they were tired. My kids kept asking me where they went though! It was fun to have them at school!

On Tuesday I still had to work...but Karen and Brissa went to Downtown Sendai to shop around! I had showed them how to use the public transportation the night before when we went out for dinner and gave them a list of stores that they should go and see. Then, that night, we went to my friend Hiroe's house and had a BBQ with her family. It was soo much fun! Her house is absolutely beautiful! We ate outside on her terrace then we did some fireworks! Takeshi's parents came over too and his Dad asked us "Why are Americans so cute?" (in Japanese) Brissa then replied with, "Because we just are!" haha needless to say we had a fun night!

Yesterday I STILL had to work...but Karen, Brissa, and Hiroe went to Matsushima! I was really sad that I couldn't go with because they had soo much fun! When I got off work we were going to go eat at Kame House! IT WAS CLOSED!!! It was so sad when we drove up to it and saw that it was closed for some strange reason... so instead we went and at Okonomiyaki. It was very good and I'm glad that Karen and Brissa got to try it. We went Downtown later that night to take Melanie to the Station so she could catch her bus to the airport. We decided to stay there for a bit because the Tanabata Festival was going on, but right when we got there it ended. However, there were still tons of people there and funny things to observe. We also were given free gyoza so I would say the night was good!

Its 5:37 am in the morning right now and I'm about to finish packing for KYOTO! We are taking the Shinkansen to Kyoto today and will stay there till the 11th! I am so excited to go with Karen and Brissa! We are going to have soo much fun! Then on Thursday we will head down to Tokyo. I will fly to the States on the 12th and they will stay in Tokyo till the 18th! I have really enjoyed them being here! We have had fun! Well I need to finish packing!!!

Is Anyone There?

So one of my goals this year is to update my blog weekly. I have been doing very good at this one! This however, is the last day of my week but I am getting it in. But, I am beginning to believe that even though my blogging skills are increasing, I don't have anyone that is interested in them!! If you are reading this, then I do appreciate you!!! I know that I am not very good with words, but I am trying my best!

This last week was CRAZY! We are in the season of Summer Camps right now at my school. I helped with the 1st and 2nd grade camp on Monday. Deborah and I were in charge of the Slime Box. It was fun but we all got soo dirty and sticky! The slime did not come off as easily as you would think! It was very fun though! Tuesday I had the day off, then Wednesday and Thursday were spent preparing for my Summer Camp. It started on Friday and our kids stayed the night then they went home on Saturday. I was so happy to see my kids again! It had been about a week and a half and I was beginning to miss them. We had tons of fun! We set up tents in the in the play hall to sleep in. We had 8 tents for our 4 classes. There were about 8 kids in each tent. I slept outside of my two tents, girls were in one and boys were in the other. I only had to get up once in the middle of the night to comfort one of my little boys that woke up crying (remember, these kids are 5 &6 yrs old). Melanie's kids on the other hand were crying left and right! haha She had a fun night! I would have to say that Summer Camp was a success!

Now we have summer school for 3 days and then VACATION!

Karen and Brissa are coming here tomorrow so I am so excited! On Friday, we will then go to Kyoto. I am so glad that they are coming to visit me! We are going to have a fun time! I hope we don't get lost...! Then on the 12th I am flying back to the states for about a week and a half for Clay's wedding and to hang w/ family and friends! I won't be making it back to Carlsbad but I will still be in the States so that is just as good! I miss that country!

The Challenge

Well it's been a week since I have started my list and it has been a lot harder than I thought! Let me tell you why! I will just start at the beginning:

1. Read the entire Bible- The plan I am following has me reading once a day. I didn't even make it 3 days before I had missed a day. I am back on track now, but let's just face it, the Old Testament is not a page turner. Just to let you know, I am not reading it from Genesis to Revelation, I will be bouncing around.

9. Learn to play the guitar....well!- I picked up the guitar last night, I have a long way to go! I am borrowing a guitar from my school since mine did not make the big flight over here. The guitar I am using is older and it has 9 strings! I couldn't even play the 6 strings, this will be a challenge!

22. Take 1 picture every day.- I only have 10 pictures and it has been 11 days! So I have already failed at this one but I plan on continuing regardless. I accidentally forgot to take a picture yesterday. Yesterday was Marine Day in Japan, one of their many National Holidays. I made the best out of my holiday and relaxed the majority of the day, so there was nothing exciting really to photograph. When my alarm went off at 5:00 this morning I remembered and became very frustrated w/ myself. Hopefully I can keep it at 364 pictures now! Here are a few that I have taken:

July 16- One of my students w/ 2 LARGE beetles we caught outside of our building.

July 17- At the mouth of the Temple Area at Matsushima--This is as far as I got, I didn't pay to go in and I didn't have the time either. Melanie and I were in search of one thing on this trip, Kokeshi Dolls. We found them, and in doing so we also found the Temple Entrance.

July 20- I forgot to buy toilet paper and laundry detergent at the grocery store today. Melanie was nice enough to give me a roll of toilet paper and sell me some detergent. I bought the detergent for a good 350 yen!

1 Down, 23 to Go

24 Things Before 24 has officially started! On July 9th, I drank my last Coca-Cola and ate my last chocolate! I can honestly say that they never tasted better. I really don't drink carbonated beverages too much so I don't think it will be that hard to sustain for a year, but chocolate, that is a different story! I bought the Coke when Ally, Melanie, and I were waiting for our Shinkansen to take us to Tokyo. Ally then gave Melanie and I a gift: chocolate Mickey and Minnie! This moment marked the beginning of our trip to Tokyo Disney!

Good-bye!

My last few bites of chocolate!

At the gates of Disney Sea on my BIRTHDAY! We left our hostel at 7:00am! We arrived at this magical land around 8:00am. The park opened at 9:00am. We stayed till it closed... 10:00pm! That is a total of 14 hours at Disney! This is the second year in a row I have spent my birthday at a Disney resort! This might be a tradition I will have to carry on!

Ally & I with some of the essential Disney Gear: Duffy, Minnie Bows, Donald Duck hair clip, and Goofy hair clip. Let me introduce you to Duffy. Duffy is a Disney Sea SENSATION! Everyone at this park had a Duffy, so we had to get one of course. Duffy was given to Mickey by Minnie. She gave him this little stuffed bear before he went out to sea. Duffy also has a girlfriend, Shellie May. I have a mini Shellie May as well! Please google Duffy, your life will be changed forever!

Melanie and me! I wish you all could truly experience the greatness that a Duffy brings. Hopefully this bear will make it's debut in The States at some point! Until then, just come visit me and I will take you to Disney Sea so that you can purchase your very own Duffy!!!

Well #6 on my list is now complete! Only 23 more to go!!

24 Things Before 24!

So, tomorrow marks my 23rd Birthday! I have made a list of 24 things to do before my 24th birthday. My journey begins tomorrow and here is my list:

1. Read the entire Bible.

2. Read the complete "Oz" series by L. Frank Baum.

3. Hike Mt. Fugi

4. Make a "Build a Bear" bear.

5. Go to a country I have never been to.

6. Go to Disney Land in Tokyo.

7. Run a 10K.

8. Watch my first class ever graduate from Kindergarten.

9. Learn to play the guitar....well!

10. Write a song.

11. Record the song that I have written.

12. Stay off Facebook for an entire month.

13. Read 25 books.

14. Do not change Facebook profile picture for an entire year.

15. Do not eat chocolate for an entire year.

16. Be a vegan for a month.

17. Do not drink carbonated beverages for an entire year.

18. Update blog once a week.

19. Lose 10 lbs.

20. Snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef.

21. Do not eat Fast Food for an entire year.

22. Take 1 picture every day.

23. Go to an onsen.

24. Do not dye hair for an entire year.

Bonus: Complete this list!

This year might just change my life!

Japanese Weddings, Haircuts, and Pregnant Cartwheels

So I think one of the reasons why I don't blog very much is because I never really know what to write about. I am doing so many new things daily that it is really hard to decide what needs to be told and what is really of little or no importance. So within the last few weeks I have done things such as:

1. I ran sound for the Kindergarten Graduation
2. I attended my first Farewell Party for the teachers who were moving back to America.

• At this party, I did a cartwheel on stage while wearing a wig and a kick ball under my shirt in honor of Kari! (She just had a baby, but I played pregnant Kari). Immersion stole the show!

3. I went to a Sendai 89ers Game!

But I have also done other things that are worth talking more about such as:

1. I went to my friend Hiroe's Wedding Party!

• In Japan, weddings are done quite differently than in the states. It is basically just a more formal reception. And, the bride and groom actually give you gifts! If you want more details you will just have to ask me specifically to explain because it would be to hard for me to explain on this I think (I really need to work on my writing skills). My friend Hiroe looked absolutely GORGEOUS though! She looked like a princess (she wore 2 different dresses) and she looked so happy. The love between her and Takeshi was so evident!

2. I got my first haircut in Japan!

• I went with my friend Aki to get our hair done! I got it short again. I was a little nervous because of the language barrier and everything, but Aki was able to help me communicate with my hairdresser. The guy that cut my hair was very nice. He tried to talk to me a couple of times and I did my best to talk back. I am gettin used to awkward conversations!

Ok so I will do my best to keep you all posted on my life in Japan! I am still compiling my list of 24 things to do before I turn 24, so please let me know if you have any ideas! In my next post I will let you know some of the things that have made it on my list! Well good-bye for now!

List It Up!

Hello again. I am so sure that all of you have missed me deeply! It has been forever again since my last post and I have so much to say. So much that I don't really know where to start or what to emphasize the most so I am going to make a list again. I like to make lists so here ya go:

1. Have had 2 very successful meetings for my book club! (my friend Katie Wendland and I started it)

• 1st meeting: Persuasion by Jane Austen
• 2nd meeting: Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

2. New teachers came which means I have new friends!

• 2 of which I am hanging out w/ right now... shout out to Melanie & Ally

3. Endured 2 weeks of formal training for the MeySen Curriculum.

• consisted of long talks, study guides, reviews, final exams, and many many sweets

4. Successfully celebrated by 22nd Valentine's Day of singleness!

• to celebrate, I wore a kimono... they def aren't made for American girls, if ya know what I mean...

5. Decided I am going to make a list of 24 things to do before turning 24.

• I turn 23 on July 10th. I have time to make a list, any suggestions?

6.. I survived a tsunami, it was only 10cm!

7. I ate raw whale, and it was good!

• The boy who was selling it looked good too!

8. I'm sick of snow.

9. I got bored one day so I cut me some straight bangs.

10. My friends and I have found a great burger joint called Kame House.

• The manager is also very good looking and I will refer to him as mohawk boy.

11. My future students found out that I will be their teacher and only 1 kid said, "No!"

So here are the top 11 things that have happened since my last post. Like I said before, I suck at blogging. Don't expect much, but do expect a little.