Following the Holloways

Nozawa Onsen and the Fire Festival

2011-01-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

Every January 15th in the small Japanese village of Nozawa Onsen, all polite rules are thrown out for the night. This is a night where sake is flowing and people are beaten with flaming wands. The festival is called Dosojin and the official story is this:

This festival is one of the three most famous fire festivals in Japan. It is held on January 15th every year to pray for a plentiful harvest, health, and good fortune in the coming year. The festival dates back to 1863 and though the location has changed, the festivities remain the same. During this festival, the twenty-five and forty-two year old men from the village play a very important role. An old belief in Japan dictates that, for men, these years are unlucky ages. The twenty-five and the forty-two year old men in their unlucky ages construct the shaden (shrine) from beech wood that reaches a height of 18 meters. Every year it takes 100 villagers to build the shrine. The trees are cut down in October and brought down from the mountain, through the village, on January 13th. After the shaden has been constructed, the priest from Kosuge shrine performs a ceremony to endow it with a God. Along with the shaden, there are an average of five tôrô (dedicatory lantern poles) erected every year. These poles are made by a family in the village to celebrate the birth of the first son. The tôrô are offered to the Gods in a prayer for health and good fortune. The festivities begin with the lighting of the fire by the twenty-five and forty-two year old men. A small group of men carry a torch, which is lit by striking two stones together, from the Kôno residence to the festival grounds. The torch is used to start a bonfire from which the handmade torches, used to attack the shrine, are lit. The festival centers around the shaden, where the forty-two year olds sit on top and the twenty-five year olds stand guard at the base. Those who are 41 and 43 years old stand around the perimeter to protect the spectators. Torch bearing villagers of all ages attempt to break through the guards and light the shaden on fire. A dangerous and lively battle ensues. The defenders try to put out the fire by striking it with pine branches. The attack lasts for about one hour, after which the 42 year olds call an end to the ceremony and the shaden together with the tôrô are set on fire in an offering to the Gods. The entire festival can take up to four hours from the beginning to the end, but the main attraction is the battle between the guards and the torch bearing villagers.

When I started my first teaching job in Japan, my colleagues told wild stories about this crazy festival. Promises of snow, sake, and fire entice lots of Japanese and foreigners to the quaint ski village of Nozawa Onsen. This year will be my third time to witness the annual event. Our first visit here was with our good friends, the Kaspareks and Diane Hobler. It was the highlight of our first adventure here in Nippon. Since we've been back, we've been able to bring Lily, and now Hana, along for the adventure.

The festivities begin tomorrow morning when the villagers put their finishing touches on the shaden and burn their darumas (I'll save that for another post) from the year before. Back in the town center, in this wonderful old wooden shed, you'll see people of all ages sitting and painting their wooden Dosojin deities. These figurines, if you dare call them that, are Shinto-Buddhist gods of roads and borders, believed to ward off evil spirits and protect the village from harm. These guys are the VIDs (Very Important Deities) of Nozawa Onsen. When they are depicted in human form, as a man and a woman, their guardianship extends to marriage and fertility and childbirth. They also protect travelers -- a natural extension of the roads and borders thing. After these figures are painted, they must be taken to the shaden where, as Diane and I were told when we painted our own deities that first year, they receive their souls.

With all the Fire Festival has to offer, you have to turn your pilgrimage to this amazing village into a multi-day trip so you have time to see more of what the area has to offer. Nozawa is a paradise for skiing and only 30-40 minutes drive from the snow monkeys that were made famous during the Olympic Games in Nagano. I must suggest that you stay with our friends at Takagiya Minshuku. They don't speak English and we don't speak Japanese, but we seem to manage just fine!

I could go on and on about this town, but I've probably gone on long enough. Have a wonderful night and, if possible, squeeze this adventure into your itinerary as soon as possible.

New Year... New You...

2011-01-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

So, I didn't so so well on my resolution last year. I clearly didn't keep up with blogging. It's time to start fresh again with 2011, and I've got lofty goals for myself once again. This includes the normal cliche of losing weight and taking better care of myself, of course. Then there are those goals that have to do with family and work. Those I'll have to write about in future posts. Let's focus on goal #1: lose 10% of my body weight.

Several years ago -2003 to be exact- when I first returned from my stint as an au pair in Switzerland, my mom and I joined Weight Watchers to set us on a healthier path toward smaller statures. As part of the program, the first goal was to reach 10% weight loss and then set a goal to reach a weight within the healthy range for your height. I was motivated and, luckily, 10% weight loss put me right at the top of the healthy range for my 5'4.5" frame.

Fast forward to 2011. I'm now married and have two beautiful little daughters. The youngest was just born on November 23rd so I'm hanging on to a bit of baby weight. Three days ago I reached the 6-weeks-past-birth date and have started back to the gym. I also signed up for a fitness challenge through the Morale Wellness Recreation (MWR) program on the base. I'm still 10 pounds lighter than I was back in 2003, but heavier than I want to be. The goal now is to lose 15 pounds before heading home for the summer. Do-able? I think so! Especially with Andy's support, a toddler to run around after, and a baby to breastfeed.

One great service MWR provides is a health assessment. You schedule an hour appointment with the fitness office where they measure your fat percentage, assess your fitness level, help you set realistic goals, and help you make a plan to achieve those goals. Then, and possibly most importantly, they meet with you a month after setting these goals to see how you're doing and refocus you if needed. I'm planning for great things to come of this! My appointment is on the 11th. I'll let you know how it goes.

just before Hana was born

Flip!

2010-01-24T03:50:00.000-08:00

For Christmas I asked for a video camera. Well, to be more specific, I asked for a Flip video camera. I was introduced to them last year at Bertschi. I figured if the kids could use it, I would hopefully be able to keep up and not lose any of the pieces along the way. Now, with the addition of this Flip, I had to learn how to use imovie on my Mac. Luckily most things on the Mac are fairly dummy proof and this is what I have ended up with...

NEW YEARS 2010 JAPAN STYLE

A Little Entertainment

2010-01-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

My friend Judy sent this to me yesterday. I don't live anywhere near the UK or Ireland so this was totally new to me and had both Lily and me rocking away!

Putting the Past Behind Us and Looking Forward

2009-12-31T22:48:00.000-08:00

2009 was definitely a year filled with highs and lows. Highs including Lily's first birthday, an amazing trip to New England, some pretty wonderful weddings of some pretty phenomenal people, and beginning a new adventure in Japan. The lows came at the passing of two amazing grandmothers and a very scary stay in the hospital for Lily. It was a roller coaster and we're curious to see what 2010 has to offer.

Lily is starting to turn from a baby into a little girl. She's got more words and we keep talking about weaning her from the pacifier. If only that pacifier wasn't such a life saver in situations where she is a little off her normal game - late nights out with friends or airplane rides, for example. We have close friends here with daughters a year older than Lily and it's fun to look forward to what Lily will be like when she's Avi's or Isabella's age. She definitely has some personality!

Andy is currently down in Sasebo diving under the ships of war and helping to ready them for smooth transport across the waters. He's having such a different experience from the last time he worked with this crew and that's largely because of the new guys on the team and those who have moved on. And quite possibly in part because he has a different relationship with his boss. Andy would likely consider him a friend now as opposed to "the big guy who yells a lot on the barge." We're all looking forward to him being home again and getting to spend his days with Lily. Now that she made the move from 2 naps down to one, maybe they can get out a bit more for some sight seeing.

And then there's me. I'm plugging away at my new job as a kindergarten teacher for DoDDS and having a blast as I do so. Every new school is a challenge, but with a 1.25 years of DoDDS experience and 2 years of Bertschi Pre-K experience, I definitely feel like I've got the tools needed for the job. Now to add to that tool box! I think a Master's program might just be in my future. And then there's also the inevitable question of when will Lily get a little brother or sister. Andy's been gunning for another "squawker" for a while now and I'm both trying to plan to the school year, trying to allow Lily a little time as the only child, and wanting a gap big enough so Lily can be a "little helper" when the new baby comes along. We see friends with kids close in age and they just look TIRED! Happy, certainly, but definitely tired. 2 1/5 years might be enough of a gap...

Enough of my rambling. Until later!

Who needs R&R...

2009-12-31T19:30:00.000-08:00

when you can have S&S! At least that's what Lily seemed to think while we were down in Sasebo visiting Andy for Christmas. During the day, while Andy was off diving with his old team and cleaning up the Navy ships, Lily and I would wander. I had a pretty ambitious list of places to go and things to see while we were there. Some of the list was accomplished and some was deemed overrated. Overrated was the 2-4 hour trips to neighboring areas like Nagasaki. Completely do-able were the short bus rides out to the zoo and aquarium or the morning sightseeing trips with the Outdoor Rec. Some days we would head out the gate with great intentions only to spend a couple of hours at the park. Hence R&R turning into S&S - clearly referring to...

SLIDING and...

SWINGING.

Dancing Queen?

2009-10-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

We've been up to a lot of moving and shaking since our last post. So much movement pushed me off of the blogging wagon. Not to worry! This is the start of life where we are right now. The video is from the Halloween party at the Purdy Gym here in Yokosuka. Lily has always loved music and is now singing in the car whenever we go places. And, since she's getting more and more confident on her feet, she's gotten into bouncing to the beat. Updates on the past few months will come soon.

Changes blowing in from the East

2009-07-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Our web address will actually be accurate in a couple months.

June Highlights

2009-06-29T09:48:00.001-07:00

Lily figured out how to pull herself up to her feet this month and now spends more time on her feet than on her back side. We're thankful that she hasn't quite learned to walk on her own yet, because she's already got us on our toes with how quickly she crawls off and gets into things. Before we know it, she's got all her books strewn across the floor and is working to take more off the bookshelf.

Highlights from the month include a wonderful gift that arrived from our family/friends in Switzerland. Thanks Claire and Donna for the great hat and the wonderful robe. They're absolutely perfect!

We had a fun filled day with Grandma and Grandpa Reich at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Can you see the polar bear and the puffins? I had forgotten how nice that zoo is. It's much smaller than the Woodland Park Zoo and much easier to get around. No, there aren't as many animals to see, but is that really all that bad?

Our camping trip should probably have a blog entry all its own and if you want to hear more about it, I'm happy to oblige. But, for now, the highlights... We spent the first day hiking a 3.4 mile trail out to Alava camp site at the northern point of the Ozette Triangle on the Olympic Peninsula. We arrived before anyone else and had our pick of the camp sites. Once the tent was all set up and the food was hanging high out of raccoon reach, we stepped out onto the beach and did some exploring. The tide pools there gave us glimpses at a few baby crab, but that was about it. Luckily there was something much more interesting about a mile south along the beach: petroglyphs! The indians who had lived along this beach made carvings into the stones. These were the easiest to see:

The rest were hiding up in the rocks around this one. We saw carvings of fish and coyotes, too. That night we tried getting to sleep early as we had more hiking to do the next day. Lily was so excited to be in a tent between the two of us that it probably took her a solid hour and a half at least to fall asleep. She LOVED that tent! We eventually went to sleep with the sound of sea lions barking away on one of the rock islands just off shore. The next morning we hiked out, drove down to the Hoh Rainforest, and hiked in to the 5 Mile Island camp. We were better prepared with all the fixings for s'mores! Andy claims that he hadn't ever really toasted marshmallows. It's hard to believe. I'm wondering about his memory. Our original plan was to camp two nights there, but, after just one night of Lily waking at 3:30 screaming her head off and waking all of our tenting neighbors, we decided to pack out the next morning. On the hike out we came across a herd of elk that were amazing to see. Lily was transfixed. These were much more interesting than the bunny, deer, and pheasants we had seen. These crazy animals hopped through the forest! The next night we "camped" at Grandma and Grandpa Reich's house in Grayland. It was great to have an unexpected visit. Lily finally got over her fear of grass and also got a few doggie kisses as a reward.

Just this past weekend we had a house guest! Cousin Andrew flew over to spend a few days with us and kindly provided us with an excuse to do a few touristy things we had been wanting to do, but probably wouldn't have done otherwise. We started with a baseball game. It was Andrew's 1st and Lily's 5th. Ichiro started the game with a home run and the home team never gave up their lead. The next day, after Lily's swim lesson, we went downtown to the Seattle Underground Tour. Very fun, but Lily and Andy ended up leaving early. She hadn't napped much that day and was a bit cranky. Oh well! That night we had a blast with our friends Matt, Big Lily, Jonathan, Michelle, Vanessa, Chris, Emma, and Camden. Big Lily and I were celebrating our birthdays as we did together last year. It was great to have the Kaspareks there to join us! Chris and Michelle ran the Rock and Roll half marathon the next day. The next day, before Andrew was scheduled to fly home to Spokane, we squeezed in a trip to the U District farmer's market and then to the Museum of Flight. Thanks Andrew for coming over for a few days! It was great having you here!

Back to that swim lesson... Lily is a bit of a chicken when it comes to water. She's gotten better, but it's still not her favorite thing. So, Lisa and I decided to put our two little tots in swim lessons over at Evans Pool by Greenlake. The class is only a half hour long and consists of a few little songs and mostly time to wade around and get your little one comfortable in the water in a safe environment surrounded by other parent-child duos. I admit, she cried when we first walked down into the pool, but she got more and more comfortable as the lesson went on. By the end she was actually smiling!

This brings us to yesterday! Lily and I drove out to Remlinger Farm right after her morning nap to spend a few hours with our friends the Thompson's. Kristie and I met on the very first day of kindergarten and have been friends ever since. Now we're able to get our own little girls together for play dates and yesterday was a great one! Remlinger Farm is more than just a u-pick strawberry patch. They also have a small amusement park for young kids. Pony rides. A big slide. A little roller coaster. A train ride past the emu, angus bull, and llamas. It was great! Lily and Zoe even rode one of the rides all by themselves!

Okay! Now you're all caught up. Well, almost. I still need to catch you up on something from May. Over Memorial Day weekend Andy's cousin Sam (some of you may remember him as the man who gave the really long toast at our wedding) got married to Neala. It was a beautiful weekend in Moscow, ID. The wedding ceremony was held on the mountain where Sam grew up and the reception was held over in Pullman, WA (where Neala grew up) on the WSU campus. For pictures click here.

Flash back

2009-06-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

I just a little over a week the Bug is going to be a whole year old. It's a little hard to believe that at this time last year I had a watermelon for a belly and I was not only getting ready for Lily to arrive, but getting ready to spend the 4th of July with some of my closest friends from college: the Ta-Ta's. I had originally hoped that Lily would come and all the girls would get to meet her before they headed back to their corners of the country. As it turned out a few of the girls were still in town to see her.

This year we're heading east for the 4th and will be flying home on Lily's birthday. I've got a special birthday shirt to wear in honor of the day and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want the stewards on the plane to take notice. I'll post more from our week east when we get back.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game... Again!

2009-05-21T21:26:00.001-07:00

So, we might seem a bit obsessed. Last weekend we packed up and went to two of the three Mariners vs Red Sox games here at lovely Safeco Field. Unfortunately the games were set to begin about 10 minutes after Lily is usually in bed. Oh, well. Priorities! She held it together for most of the Friday game, but after a homerun was hit into the stands just two sections down, Lily decided for us that it really was okay to head home in the 7th inning. The next night was much better. She got to sleep in and enjoy her Saturday morning in leisure. And, we got to see friends for the game!

We met up with the Kaspareks to cheer on the Sox. Everyone was decked in in some sort of Sox gear. Well, all except Andy. I melted his favorite hat on our kerosene heater back in Japan and he is yet to find a hat he likes quite as much.
Not only did we get to enjoy the game with friends, but we took a small walkabout and visited cousins Sam and Ted and family who were all there to enjoy the game with an aunt and uncle from out of town. Yes, that is Lily trying out her very first french fry. Then, we headed down and said hello to my friend Michelle who's husband just happened to throw out the first pitch of the night. I'm still not sure how he got that gig, but am definitely envious. It was one heck of a weekend!

2009-05-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is the first attempt at using the video option on the new camera. As you can see, Lily already has her papa's fancy dancing skills. Shake that bootie!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

It has been an absolutely delightful Mama's Weekend here in apartment J. To start, Lily is continuing to sleep all the way through the night, something she started the night of her last doctor visit. The doctor mentioned sleep training and gave us his tough love speech and Lily heard and heeded his words. Andy and I both woke up at 4am and looked at each other with a big smile. We didn't have to use the tough love. She did it all on her own! Every once in a while she'll wake up, but she's learned how to put herself back to sleep without us ever needing to get out of bed. Yahoo! Back to Mother's Day antics... After Lily's morning nap yesterday, Andy stole her away for a quick errand. I picked them up downtown after their secret mission was completed and we were off to the zoo for Mom and Me day. Yes, it was crowded. Yes, it was a mad house. Yes, Lily missed her afternoon nap. But it was still a lot of fun to walk amongst all the other families with our friends Brandon, Lisa, and Evelyn beside us. Evelyn and Lily are only 3 months apart and watching them grow up together is a real treat. After checking out the brand new penguin habitat, we headed straight for the carousel. I think it was my favorite part of the day. Watching Lily's reaction as we started spinning was great. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but everything was going by so fast! She held on tight and tried to take it all in.

We all had a wonderful early dinner at Yanni's Greek Restaurant and a wonderful, warm, sunny walk through the Phinney Art Walk. Then we hopped in our cars to head home for a relaxing evening.

This morning I got up early with Lily and, after her breakfast, the three of us headed down to our local Starbucks for a hot cup of coffee and a snack before Andy had to head off to work. Lily handed me a little green box that they had gotten on their super secret mission the day before. Inside was a beautiful silver necklace with Lily's birth stone, a ruby, hanging delicately it the center. Awww.... After struggling to put it on and take off the necklace Andy had got me for our first wedding anniversary, it fit perfectly. Now Andy is off at work, Lily is napping after a fun filled walk around the freshly re-opened Broadway Farmer's Market, and I am still smiling about the call I just received from my family back in Switzerland. Hopefully Andy will make it home in time for dinner. Shall we have pork loin or fresh clams?

10 Months!

2009-05-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

And we've just updated a few photo albums. Andy shared some more photos which I have added to albums 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9. Have fun going back through the pictures!

Boosting Spirits

2009-05-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

I know I'm in for it when I hear Andy squeal from behind the computer. Every once in a while, in an effort to lift his spirits or just for fun, Andy will randomly searches the internet for camera gear, flights to far off places, paintings,... You get the idea. Well, today, during Lily's afternoon nap, he was at it again. I heard a "YAHOO!" come from the bedroom. Andy had found tickets on top of the Green Monster in Fenway for a steal! And they were for a game against the Seattle Mariners the day after a wedding we had been invited to in Maine. Now, a mere hour and a half later, we have those tickets, plane tickets, hotels and rental car reservations, and plans to see friends and party down in lovely New England. Lily will be celebrating the morning of her first birthday on a flight back from Boston. Andy is now calling everyone he knows that might have any interest in the Red Sox and spinning around the house. In his words, he's "over the moon!"

Goodbye Great Grandma

2009-05-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, at about 3pm in Spokane, Andy's grandmother passed away just a few months shy of her 100th birthday. She was blessed in her life with two wonderful children, four loving grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren. I would write more, but words are failing me now.

The Numbers Are In

2009-04-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

Lily and I just walked in the door after a fun day of shopping with our friends Lisa and Evie followed by a quick visit to the doctor's office for Lily's 9 month well baby visit. As I mentioned before, my favorite part of these visits is finding our her "stats" and promptly writing them down in her record book. This month, Lily measured 15 pounds, 10 ounces and is still riding the growth scale at the 5th percentile. She measures 27.5 inches and is back up to the 50th percentile there. Then -the one that kills me- they measured her head at 45.5 centimeters or the 90th percentile. Look back to the last post. Do you think she looks top heavy? Maybe it's all the hair? The girl does have quite a mullet! My mom laughed out loud when I told her the measurements and commented that she's growing exactly like I did as a baby. I clearly caught up with the norm.

Well, it's time for me shovel down a quick bite since Lily has already had her dinner and is now ready for a bath and bed. Goodnight all! We love ya'!

Can you believe it?

2009-04-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today Lily is officially 9 months old. We're going in to see Dr. Fukura (her pediatrician) on Friday for her check up and latest dose of shots. My favorite part of the visit is seeing the nurse's measurements of how much our babe has grown and where she measures up on the growth scale. Will she still be in the 5th percentile for weight? She sure seems heavy to me! Will she measure into the 25th percentile for length again or will she drop down a bit? Whatever the numbers tell us, she measures up to just right.

Things That Ooze

2009-04-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

Lily has been pretty lucky so far to have gone through an entire winter without any semblance of a cold. Andy was sick for about a month and I had a pretty nasty long weekend, but the Bug has been healthy... until now. The waterfall of ooze I see so often trailing down under the noses of my students I now see in my own home. She's got a great attitude about it until we try to wipe her nose. She finds that to be a terrible nuisance. And I've noticed that it makes holding on to her pacifier while she naps a bit more difficult. Poor girl sounds like a little pot bellied pig snorting away as she tries to breathe through her nose. With any luck the snot faucet will be turned off soon and her once relatively clean upper lip will be slime free yet again. Of course, we're starting to see the beginning signs of her first teeth including actually seeing those two lower front teeth through the gums. So, not all that oozes will be gone in the near future. And, hopefully the ooze will be the worst of the teething woes. Fingers crossed!

Thanks!

2009-04-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Lily has just gone through yet another growth spurt. Her sleep habits slipped and her pants turned into high waters all in one foul swoop! Luckily she is getting back to her previously programmed sleeping. On the clothes front, we are also in good shape and I must thank my friends for this. Thank you so much to all of you who have given Lily new clothes to grow into be they new or new to us. WE LOVE HAND-ME-DOWNS!! Lily has been spotted in outfits previously worn by Emma or Camden Kasparek, Meg Corsi, Zoe Thompson, and Madeline Meyers. It is so nice to have so many great outfits ready to pull out of our bins under the bed and slide right into Lily's dresser. Of course, thank you, too, Grandma and Grandmommie for the beautiful new duds. Lily is one well dressed little tot!

The Hippie Inside

2009-03-05T21:25:00.000-08:00

While I was pregnant, I daydreamed about taking Lily through the local farmers market. Yes, there is a bit of liberal hippie in me. I live in Seattle. What can I say? Well, the trips to the local market don't happen every weekend, but last weekend we managed to get over to the U District Farmers Market and picked up tasty local apples, cheese, squash, root veggies,... That afternoon, while I was cooking up some apples, Lily wasn't content on the floor and wanted to be a part of the action.

She had the greatest time gnawing away on that piece of apple.

A Bird's Eye View

2009-02-27T20:18:00.001-08:00

Well, it might not exactly be a bird's eye view, but, now that she can sit up, the world is even more interesting!

More pictures!

2009-02-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

I've just updated the links to Lily's photo albums. Check 'em out and see what fun we've been up to. Yes, Lily did meet the Cat in the Hat and went on a fun filled trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. She also took her first trip up to Crystal Mountain ski resort where my dad gave her his old snow suit which she happily slipped on for pictures in the snow. Our Bug is also sitting up on her own now and loving her fruit and oatmeal. Veggies are not quite as yummy, but they're growing on her.

Sleep, Glorious Sleep

2009-02-22T14:29:00.000-08:00

On January 8th Lily became 6 months old. She got to try solid foods, was perfecting her rolling technique, and was about to reach another growth spurt. We had one night with a blissful 8 hour stretch of sleep and then it started going down hill. We had moved her into the Pack n Play and out of the moses basket. Maybe it was just an adjustment to the new bed? Or maybe she's ready to move on from swaddling? I held on firmly to our friend, Anne's words: "Everything is a phase and they will go into another one soon enough." Part of me enjoyed the extra quiet time with the bug, but on some of those up-almost-every-hour nights I longed for just a 3 hour stretch.

This week I was on mid-winter vacation from school and figured this would be our week for serious sleep training. I would try to keep her in bed and not move her to the swing part way through the night. First step was getting a crib. We had a few offers of cribs we could either borrow or have. Andy called cousin Ted and asked if he could drop the boys' old crib off on his way home from work. He did two steps better and brought along a mattress and bedding and put it together in our living room. Thanks Tacoma Warren-Christensen Family!

That night Lily was in no way interested! I eventually put her down in the swing after a few attempts at the crib fully planning to put her in the crib after her first nightly wake. She lasted a little over an hour in the crib before I gave up and went back to the swing. The next night would be better!

The next two nights she slowly spent more time in the crib and less in the swing. Then yesterday Andy suggested maybe we take down the swing. Can you imagine the look he got?

Andy has yet to experience the full brunt of one of these sleepless nights. He tries to help when he can and I appreciate everything he does when he can. However, with his job, having a bad night of sleep is actually dangerous. The less rested he is, the easier it is for him to get the bends and be sent to Virginia Mason Hospital to spend the next day in their hyperbaric chamber. He's already been sent there once this year and we don't want it to happen again. So, on nights where he'll be working the next day and needs to be well rested, he takes a sleeping pill and puts in his ear plugs while I handle the night duty. Most nights aren't really that bad. She's just had a rough few weeks.

Until last night, that is! The work toward staying the entire night in her crib paid off big! Yesterday I put her down for all her naps in the crib and even put her in there to play while I ran up and down to the basement to do laundry. Then, at 7, I started getting her ready for bed. A story or two. A nice long bath. Swaddle. Vitamins. Milk. Then down in the crib. Lights off. Mozart on. I went into the bedroom to put away laundry and get myself ready for the night. Andy got home an hour later. I fell asleep and woke on my own at 4:30am! Lily hadn't cried out once! I laid there for a few minutes and hoped she was still alive. Do I dare risk going out to check and possibly waking her up? You bet! I wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep otherwise. I crept out, put my hand on her chest, and... Hallelujah!! I snuck back to bed and was woken only by Andy's alarm. He had to get ready for work at 6:30. Lily woke as Andy was getting ready for his day, but that's when I'd be getting her up during the week anyhow. With any luck we'll have a repeat performance tonight!

Bug's First Christmas

2009-01-03T22:19:00.000-08:00

We originally wondered if we'd be able to get down to the beach to spend the holiday with my parents and brother. The snow and ice had made travel here in Seattle pretty nasty. With Andy's determination we headed west just as soon as he got off work the night before Christmas Eve. We made it down without problem and Lily was able to sleep most of the way. We had a feeling that grandma and grandpa might want to snuggle with her a bit before we put her to bed at their house.

She managed about an hour of cuddles and then we whisked her upstairs to sleep in her moses basket in my old room. Mom had to work Christmas Eve and my brother, Matt was driving over the mountains from Boise, Idaho where he is currently working on a project for work. He really can't turn down the per diem pay so he's been doing a lot of traveling for work this past year. Anyhow, with them not around the house, Lily had some grandpa time. Eventually mom was released from work early and Matt made it safely to the harbor.

Christmas Eve dinner was a feast of salmon and family. Lily got into her new holiday jammies and eventually made it to sleep. The next day was a whirlwind of food, gifts, and holiday jolliness. Lily got the royal Reichenberger treatment. She now has her very own rifle, flannel shirt, and rocking horse. She also got three great new stuffed animals: a polar bear, a reindeer, and a mammoth. Andy got wool socks and cast iron. I got rain gear so I won't get too soaked as I ride my bike to work. The day was a great success.
Grandma loved her new boots and Grandpa and Uncle Matt were looking forward to trying out their "seasonal beverages." It was a fabulous holiday, but the thing we learned was that babies' usual routine goes right out the window during the holidays. Luckily they are resilient and relearn routines in just a couple days. We wouldn't have done it any other way.

Welcome Baby George!!

2008-12-28T15:26:00.001-08:00

We've got a new cousin! George Whitney was born to Christie and Garrett on Sunday, December 21. He wasn't showing any signs of turning head down, so, Chris was booked in for a c-section. They are all doing great and George is a handsome little devil that loves to sleep the day away. As a special treat to the Cordell Christmas, George was brought over and enjoyed the meal with us at Grandma Margaret's house. He was 6 pounds 13 ounces at birth and, even though Lily is small for her age, George made her look from a giant!

Christmas a little early...

2008-12-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

Lily's Grandmommie Linda braved her way through the snowstorm in Spokane to fly to Seattle the weekend before Christmas. It was wonderful having her here to celebrate Lily's first Christmas a little early. While she was here we all tried out the new cameras that Santa had sent for Christmas. The video below is just one sample of Grandmommie's new camera.

Snow Angel

2008-12-20T21:30:00.000-08:00

This past week we've been enjoying the promise of a white Christmas. Last weekend we received a small layer which left a nice layer of ice on the roads and forced schools to open 2 hours late on both Monday and Tuesday. Then, after pretty serious warning, the skies opened with a flash and a boom and began to dump snow Thursday morning and send schools into an early winter vacation. With the time off, Andy and I bundled up and trekked out to capture the moment of our cameras.

Lily has now met snow. She has tasted it, made snow angels, kicked it around, and felt the affects of the chill after the snow has soaked her.

Gearing up to brave the cold...

Dancing on snowflakes...

Snow Angel

Papa's Got A New Toy!

2008-12-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

Andy has been eagerly awaiting the "birth" of the latest addition to our family. With about the same level of excitement as when Lily arrived, Andy stalked the UPS web page checking his tracking number about every 15 minutes and waiting for the magical word: DELIVERED. He knew that his box had arrived before the school secretary could phone me in class to let me know. The Cannon 5D Mark II is now nestled into his shoulder bag and ready for any and all Kodak moments. The morning after it arrived he took it for its first spin. What better first photo than one of the Bug?

Another Month, Another Elephant Picture

2008-12-20T21:17:00.001-08:00

Lily Grace Holloway
5 Months

Goin' On A Tree Hunt

2008-12-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

Last year we met up with Lisa, Brandon, and Lisa's dad's family for a trip to the tree farm. This year we were missing Roger's family, but we had the addition of two fabulous little girls. We got to the farm, bundled up, and got our feet ready to tromp around the trees. We've got a really cozy home that has just enough room for a table top tree. We looked around and saw a couple of potential winners, but in the end we all decided to go get burritos at Chipotle(after helping ourselves to cocoa and a candy cane). B&L ended up getting a tree at a lot right down the street from home and we went for a potted one from Trader Joe's. We're planning to take ours down to Grayland and plant it at my mom and dad's place.

Turkey Day - Part 2

2008-12-14T07:25:00.001-08:00

One of the charms of where we live is the ferry boat commuting. This Thanksgiving we joined the ferry line as we made our way out to Bruce and Caroline Klassen's home on Whidbey Island for turkey dinner. Lisa and Brandon were already there with their daughter Evelyn and pup Lucy. Getting out to Chez Klassen is always a relaxing treat of friends, food, and dominoes. If only Lisa and Brandon hadn't had to head out early for a flight the next morning...

Turkey Day - Part 1

2008-12-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

Looking back to the date on the last post, it's pretty easy to tell when my maternity leave was over and it was time for me to head back to work. Before I get into the back to work story, I better get you caught up!

Andy and Lily are waiting for the partying to begin! On Thanksgiving Day we partook of two celebrations. The first one was a gathering of friends. We headed over to our friend Justin's house in Ballard to meet up with all the friends who are too far away from family to make the trek for both Turkey Day and Christmas. The spread Justin lays out is totally worth it! We started our food extravaganza with the cold appetizers: meat, cheese, fruit, veggies, bread, yummy dips of several flavors, and (Andy's not so favorite) deviled eggs. Then came the hot appetizers: bacon wrapped shrimp and scallops, little smokies, and clams. Oh, our first tasty beverage was also making its rounds at this point and everyone had a mimosa in hand. Then the much anticipated dinner was ready... the deep fried turkey was brought in from its vat in the driveway, the oven roasted turkey was pulled from the oven and the ham was returned from the BBQ.

Justin did the carving while the rest of the feast was set out. After all, what is Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, and veggies? I have a feeling that I left a few dishes out, too. After finishing our plates we rolled out the door so we could make the ferry to our next celebration. We left a pumpkin pie and told Justin thank you one more time before hopping in the car and puzzling over how we would manage to eat more that evening.

It's okay, Grandpa!

2008-11-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Reichenberger went under the knife last Monday. In his right hip a calcification had gotten so big that it was pushing his leg out of socket. Ouch! He now has a new hip and is on the road to recovery. This past weekend we all went down to the beach to give Grandpa our love and support.

Cousin George

2008-11-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

We are expecting an extra special treat this holiday. My cousin Christie is due to give birth to baby George on Dec 27. Just the other weekend, the Cordell side of the family all gathered to shower Chris with love and baby things. Now all we need is the baby!

Chris and her nieces are cutting the cake. Rachel (the youngest of the nieces) is checking out Lily and getting excited for her new cousin.

Seattle Children's Museum

2008-11-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I loaded Lily up in her brand new stroller and took her for a nice long walk down to the Seattle Children's Museum. We met up with Kristie, one of my oldest friends, and Zoe, her daughter, who were accompanied by Denise, Kristie's mom, and Shy, Kris's niece. The high points were the Mr. Potato Head exhibit, the Whole Foods shopping center, the water table, and... Who am I kidding? It was all great. Lily watched as Zoe and Shy ran all over and experienced all the centers. Some day she, too, will be running around with her big friends.

Signs of the Season

2008-11-25T11:56:00.001-08:00

Over the past couple weeks the most wonderful thing has started to happen. As we wander down the streets, I keep noticing little signs of the season: Christmas trees for sale, twinkle lights outlining windows and filling trees of homes and and businesses in our neighborhood. We city folk aren't the only ones jumping on the holiday bandwagon a little early. I noticed a tree already decorated in a home down the street from my parents'. The "sign" that started the wave of holiday cheer for me was one that I have looked forward to every year that we've been in our little nest here on the hill. It's one that we can see from any of our west facing windows. Here's the view from the kitchen...

It isn't the clouds and all their texture. It isn't the ferry boats crisscrossing the water. It isn't even the Space Needle! It's that big yellow sign on the side of the theater pronouncing that it is officially time to get your tickets to see the Nutcracker! Can you see it in the view from our window? It's right there on the right side of the picture. Here it is a bit bigger...

I have the most wonderful memories of going to see this as a kid. Before Maurice Sendak created the current scenery, the King Rat was actually played by a dancer who did this fabulous dance just as he was dying. It involved his feet and arms repeatedly shooting up in the air and falling down as he lay on his back. Not that it isn't wonderful now, because it most certainly is! In a couple years we'll have to take Lily so she can start building her own memories of Sugar Plum Fairies and a magical Christmas.

Could we please take her picture?

2008-11-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

That is exactly what they told me today as I was hunting down a diaper pail at Babies R Us (or as my mom likes to call it...We B Babies). Who am I to deny a photographer the opportunity to catch Lily in her lens. I hadn't really dressed her for the occasion, but I couldn't say no to a free picture!

Just a touch late...

2008-11-20T21:37:00.001-08:00

For those who have been asking... here is Lily's elephant picture from her 4 month birthday.

Hail to the Chief

2008-11-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

On November 4 our little family put on our coats and stepped out into the rain to make our way to Trinity Lutheran Church, our local polling booth. Out of the doors poured smiling people all sporting I Voted stickers. This is the last time anyone in the state of Washington will have the opportunity to do their voting without dropping their ballots in the mail and people were pretty proud that they had been able to fill in their bubbles and feed their choices into the big black vote counting machine. Ah, the satisfaction of knowing your votes have been counted. Lily gave a pat to the dalmatian with the red, white, and blue bandana while Andy fed his votes into the box. We walked out the doors of the church with big satisfied smiles and stickers on our shirts. Ahhhh!

Halloween Ladybug

2008-11-08T11:37:00.001-08:00

Click the new "Lily-Halloween" link under photo albums for more Bug pictures.

Delicious!

2008-11-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Every Tuesday Lily and I head over to Bertschi School to visit the pre-k class and visit with friends at the school. Before we turn the stroller around and head toward home, I go to the front porch of the Hooper House and load up our order of fresh local produce from Full Circle Farm. It's this great service that supports local farmers and fills our home with wonderful organic fruit and veggies. The drop off location is our school and it arrives every Tuesday with a list of what should be in the box and some new recipes to try. We tried this one last week. Yum!

Pear Custard Bars
Recipe from Simply in Season

1/3 cup butter (softened)
1/3 cup sugar
Cream together with an electric mixer.

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Add and beat until combined.

2/3 cup nuts (chopped)
Stir in and press into an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350° F until lightly browned, 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

8 ounces cream cheese (softened) or 1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
In a mixing bowl cream beat cream cheese until smooth (no need to beet the yogurt). Mix in sugar, egg, and vanilla. Pour over crust.

3 cups fresh pears (peeled and sliced)
Arrange over filling.

1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine and sprinkle over pears. Bake in preheated oven at 350° F for 25 to 30 minutes. (Center will be soft and will become firmer upon cooling.) Cool for 45 minutes, then cover and refrigerate at least 45 minutes before cutting. Store in refrigerator.

Jack O' Lantern

2008-10-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween morning. I've got laundry started down in the basement, a cup of coffee next to the computer, and am watching the rain pour down. I am sure the floods are coming and am wondering how trick or treating will go tonight. Andy's sister is coming over with the family and Lily is set to spend her first Halloween dressed up and begging for candy along with all her cousins. We'll post pictures of the blessed event. Not to worry!

We've definitely gotten into the spirit of things and spent the night carving and feasting on pumpkin seeds. One of the pictures of me as a baby in my parents' albums is of my first Halloween next to my very own pumpkin. The face was painted on and the teeth spelled out my name. With that in mind, we carved...

More Punkins!

2008-10-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

We just can't get enough of pumpkin patches! Andy has always told me these great stories of his trips to the fields of orange globes and how the really good farms had goats. Well, I came across a pumpkin patch that not only has goats and other barnyard animals, but also has a pumpkin cannon that shoots pumpkins up to three football field lengths away! It sounded too good to pass up! I called my friend Lisa and sent a message to my friend Annie (two of my fabulous friends from college and two of the Ta-Ta's) and we set a date for yesterday to bring our girls out to hunt for the Great Pumpkin. Annie came with Nina. Lisa came with Evelyn and Brandon. I came with Lily and Andy. We watched pumpkins fly across the fields. We scratched behind the ears of a goat and some pigs. And we left with a perfect little pumpkin. It was the first time we'd been able to get all three of our daughters together and there are sure to be many more gatherings in the future!

A little bit of Japan here in Seattle

2008-10-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite people from our Japan adventure passed through Seattle this weekend! Diane was one of the wonderful literacy teachers that I worked with at Ikego and one of our fabulous circle of friends. This week she is spending time with family down in California, but had to fly through either Portland or Seattle on her way there. The Kasparek and Holloway families agreed that she made the right choice in picking Seattle. We got to spend all day Saturday and part of Sunday with our dear friend. Saturday, after meeting her at the airport, we brought her home for coffee and, once the Kaspareks arrived, we headed out to one of our favorite spots for lunch: Volunteer Park Cafe. Then, while Vanessa, Chris, Emma, and Camden were entertained at the Backyardigans show, Andy, Lily and I took Diane over to the Ballard Locks to see one lone fish (nicknamed Louis the Loser) swimming up through the ladder. Oddly, this was Andy's first trip to the Locks on foot. He's decided it is now one of his favorite places in Seattle! After leaving Andy to go off for a "business dinner," we met back up with the Kaspareks and headed out for a slumber party at their house in Silverdale. Lily spent the evening laughing and watching football with Chris while Vanessa, Diane, and I visited. The night ended with Emma reading and singing for Lily. The next morning we had just enough time for a quick breakfast before heading off to the airport. After a mix-up with the ferry schedule, we ended up driving around, but that just meant that all three of us got a bit more time together. Which one of our friends from Japan will come over next?

Mmmmm Ice Cream!

2008-10-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Last week Lily and I spent our days and nights in the company of two of our favorite four legged friends. Bud and Junior were our "job" for the week as my mom and dad jetted off to Yellowstone with friends. The only bump was getting down to their house. We are a one car household and Andy needed it to get back and forth to his new job. With that in mind, my dad drove up to pick us up before meeting up with mom and co. to head off to see Old Faithful and her own set of critters. Our meeting spot: Dairy Queen. And when at Dairy Queen, one really MUST have a dip cone. Lily was eyeballing our cones and dad couldn't resist giving her a taste. Then, when mom arrived, she needed to join in the experience. Lily was one happy little soft serve eating fool... until she had her first brain freeze.

HA HA HA

2008-10-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

Lily just reached yet another mile stone. She's been talking up a storm and letting us know she's going to have a lot to say very soon. And over this past week she's started giggling. It's the greatest!

Rally Time

2008-10-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

Okay all you true Red Sox fans. It's time to show the team some love.

Lily's First Field Trip

2008-10-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Lily's life is filled with firsts: first baseball game, first ferry ride,... And since my pre-k class was headed out to their first field trip of the year, we decided to tag along. Every year, the pre-k celebrates harvest by heading out to the pumpkin patch to hunt for pumpkin flowers and find the class pumpkin. Yes, we all had a blast!

Lily is 3 months old today!

2008-10-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

Before Lily was born, her Aunt Kara sent her a "growing animal" to help us record her growth. She doesn't seem that big, but looking back at the pictures... Well, take a look for yourself!

2 months

1 month
It's hard to believe she started out this small and she's now holding her head up almost all by herself!!

Welcome Baby Evelyn!!

2008-10-06T16:26:00.001-07:00

Andy and I were first introduced by our friends Lisa and Brandon Klassen. Lisa and I went to Reading, England together during our junior year of college and became fast friends. Andy and Brandon had become friends during their time together in Americorps on lovely Whidbey Island. We were a part of their wedding and they were a part of ours. The only thing that could make life even better is if we could raise our kids together. Consider it done! Lisa gave birth to Evelyn Estelle Klassen on Sunday September 28th, her due date, at 6:53 PM. Evelyn weighed 8lb 2oz and was 20.5 inches long. She looks a lot like her mom, but I'm sure bits of Brandon will show through in time. At least that's how it's worked for us. Lily has a lot of Andy's looks, but little bits of me are starting to shine through. At least that's what people keep telling us. The girls looked pretty happy to finally meet.

New Friends

2008-10-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

We had seen pictures, but hadn't had a chance to actually meet them in person. Another perk of our S.F. visit (there were so many!) was getting to finally lay our peepers on Ellis Stahley (son of Brook and Kim) and his cousin Annelyse McMickin (daughter of Bethany and Abram). Picture #1: Ellis is reading a book before bed with his mom. Picture #2: Lily and Annelyse cuddled into their pods getting a power nap before the Lee-Tong wedding reception. Picture #3: Lily is getting a cuddle from Bethany and Ann (grandma to Ellis and Annelyse).

Tong Wedding

2008-10-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the trip to San Francisco wasn't purely just a whim. Andy's friend from junior high and high school, Doug Tong, got married on Saturday. It was quite a fancy affair and Doug had it planned out in great detail. We heard that the wedding party received 14 pages of mapped out itinerary! The rehearsal dinner took place at McCormick and Kuleto's in Ghirardeli Square. It was an amazing meal with a gorgeous view out over the Aquatic Center toward Alcatraz. The following afternoon Bruce and Ann Stahley chauffeured us out to the wedding which was held at the Stanford Chapel. Talk about beautiful! The reception followed that evening at the Rincon Center back in downtown San Fran. Janet (the blushing bride) wore at least three different gowns. The meal was delicious and consisted of at least 10 different plates ranging from jellyfish salad to shark fin soup to mango custard. There were eloquent speeches and fabulous dancing. In the pictures you'll see not only our family, but also Pauline, mother of the groom, and Andy with his friends Dave Beltran (with his son Aidan) and Brook Stahley (with his son Ellis). The final picture is dark, but I hope you can make out Janet and Doug and their first dance.

Zoom Zoom Zoom

2008-10-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

It's time to brag on Lily a bit more. On Wednesday, Lily went on her very first airplane ride. With gritted teeth and crossed fingers we ducked onto the Boeing bird. Smiles guided us down the aisle, and Lily did her part to cordially counter with her own bubbly rendition. The funny thing was, as we continued toward the rear of the plane, peoples' smiles let show hints of uncertainty. A natural reaction really, one that I have been guilty of many times; babies on planes equals noise. Unbeknownst to them, however, I shared their fear. The only thing worse then a fussy baby, is being the one who created her. But all was going smoothly and I was going to play it like a calm and collected pro. My face read "don't sweat it folks, she does this all the time", but, truth be told, I think I need to put some work into that face. For my bluff was called and people rifled through their carry-ons for their ipods. Fortunately we had a whole row to ourselves. Maggie pulled out her hooter hider and made all the necessary adjustments in order for a quick and quieting feeding. We were cleared for take off and, shortly there after, we were smoothly climbing through a polished blue sky. But this tale kind of ends there. I know, the scene was set for Lily's manic mile high meltdown. Or at least a diaper blowout that would have the flight attendants scurrying for the Febreeze. Sorry for the build up, but she did great. We watched a movie on our computer and the Bug just slept. Actually to fully play this story out, she woke and grinned from the plane to the bus to the train, and then along the ten block walk to our hotel. In our rooms, Maggs and I marveled with proud parent pride as we put her and our guard down for the night. Ah, but the night did not end there. It is only fair to come clean and say that Lily slept like a 3 month old on a foreign blow up bed. Night two was better!
~posted by Papa Drew Bob

Too Cute For Words

2008-10-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

So we might be a bit biased...

Bug and the Beast

2008-10-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, Lily has somehow acquired the nickname "Bug" (and may be emailed at bugholloway@gmail.com). The Bug had been waiting the majority of her short little life to meet the one family member she hadn't had a chance to meet yet... the owner of the beastly dog (named Bud) in the picture... my brother, Matt. Lily and I took a couple days and went down to visit Grandma & Grandpa Reichenberger and Lily and Bud bonded over their anticipation of Matt's return. They didn't have too much longer to wait! The company Matt works for as a helicopter structural repairman was getting ready to bring him back from their shop in Hawaii. On September 20 both Bud and Lily were there in Seatac to meet him when he touched foot back on home soil. Matt's reaction to Lily... "Hmmm... Yup! Want to see my new tattoos?"

Sweet Caroline!

2008-10-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, Andy and I have now officially been married for three years. To celebrate this accomplishment Andy got us tickets to see the musician he's most wanted to see. Someone who has shaped his life and evokes many great memories. Yes... We saw Neil Diamond. And not only did we see Neil, but we were so close to the stage that we could almost see the sweat on his brow. Our friends Vanessa & Chris were also in the crowd as were a couple of the folks Andy used to work with at the dive school (Christy & KC). Words could not express how fabulous the night was... And we had no worries over Lily. She spent the evening with her Aunt Asha - my co-teacher at Bertschi. I'm not sure who had a better night...Asha or us.

Precious Moments

2008-10-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe we've become a bit goofier, but one of our favorite times of the day is when it's time for Lily to wake up and face the day. We look down into her moses basket to see her staring straight up at either us or the ceiling fan and grinning a gigantic grin. Then comes the best part... We take her out of her basket and lay her on the bed so we can open up her little cocoon of a swaddle and let her stretch. Could life get much better?

Quick Catch Up

2008-10-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month! We've been running around visiting with friends, going to another baseball game, seeing the always-fabulous Neil Diamond, and traveling down to San Francisco for a wedding. The next few posts will dive into some of the events a bit more in detail, but, needless to say, we've been having a lot of fun with our little girl!

We finally got to meet my friend Kathleen's nephew. Isn't Jude a handsome devil?

We also helped our friend Lisa (and her pup Lucy) pass some time while they waited for the birth of Baby Klassen.

Two of our favorite B's - bath and bed time!

And, most recently, Lily's first airplane trip and a visit to our "family" in San Francisco for a wedding.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

2008-09-07T19:20:00.001-07:00

Today Lily has experienced what will surely be one of her favorite sports of all time. That is... if Andy has anything to say about it! Not only did we take her to her very first baseball game at Safeco Field, but she was dressed and ready to "BOOOOO!!!" A-Rod and the rest of the Yankees. And on an even greater note... the Mariners won! No, we're not Mariners fans first. Notice the flag Andy is standing under in the first picture? After two years of residence in Bean Town (aka Boston), Andy is a die hard Red Sox fan. The fever is a bit infectious and I, too, now root for Big Pappi and the gang. I wonder who will be Lily's favorite player? Hopefully we'll get the chance next spring to go visit the Green Monster and see the Red Sox play on their home turf. Fingers are crossed that we'll be able to make it over for Patriots Day one of these years to see both the Boston Marathon (with any luck, Andy will be running in it) as well as a game.

Cordells Everywhere!

2008-08-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

Last week at this time, Lily and I were relaxing in an air conditioned house, eating cake, and feeling even more family love. My cousin, Kari, and her children, Madison and Brandon, hosted the perfect family gathering for the ladies of the family. Plus, the Cordells from Alaska were in town for Aunt Janet's high school reunion. Fabulous timing and a wonderful time had by all!

Smell the Fresh Air

2008-08-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Lily has now experienced her very first hiking experience! Our friend Christy called me this morning to see if I had any interest in going out for a hike. I don't know if she was able to finish her sentence before I said YES!! I packed a few snacks, filled my water bottle, packed my Ergo with a couple diapers, and we were ready to go! Christy came to pick us up and we headed off to Cougar Mountain. It was easy hiking, but we both worked up a sweat as we climbed up the trail. Lily snoozed most of the way, but, once she opened her eyes, she couldn't stop staring up at the light and shadows in the tree tops. Now we're home and she's sleeping off the fresh air. I can hardly wait for her first camping trip!

Date Night

2008-08-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Last night we ventured where many new parents dread: the first night away from the baby. Our very very good good friends, Brandon and Lisa Klassen, were our babysitters for the night. You may have heard their names mentioned if you ever asked how Andy and I met. Yes, it was while helping them get ready for their wedding that we met and got to know each other. But back to this story... they are also expecting their first daughter. Lisa is due at the end of September. This was a great way for them to get a taste of having a baby in the house and see how their sweet pup, Lucy, would handle it, too. Back to the date... Andy had turned the destination into a surprise. It's just one of the things I love about him... He plans these fabulous, meaningful "events" for us to share. This was no let down, either! Do you remember the music group Men At Work? You've certainly heard the song Land Down Under. Well, after the group broke up, the lead singer went out and started a solo career. Colin Hay is his name and, if you ever get a chance, you should definitely go see him! He's an absolute riot and a fabulous musician. I had no idea we were seeing him until we walked into the event center in Edmonds and saw his face on a poster. I think my jaw dropped. Andy's face was priceless! We had Lily on our minds, but had an awesome time full of laughs and toe tapping. Lisa and Brandon looked a little tired by the time we got back to their house to pick our girl up, but it seemed like they had a pretty good time with her. Just a four hour taste before they get one of their own!

In Relation to the Garden

2008-08-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

While I was pregnant, I religiously followed Lily's weekly development on Babycenter.com. Every week they would compare the size of your growing baby to some sort of fruit, nut, or veggie. For example, in the early weeks she was compared to a poppy seed, eventually grew from a blueberry into a mango, and eventually was compared to a cabbage or zucchini. When we stopped by my school today (I was out checking into daycare for this winter and wanted to see how long it would take to walk from the daycare to school.), Pam had all sorts of goodies fresh from her garden that she just had to share. We brought home a zucchini and had to see how Lily measured up.

Thanks Pam!

Home Hunting and Ferry Rides

2008-08-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Our home on Capitol Hill boasts hardwood floors, great neighbors, and an amazing view. Sadly, it has only one bedroom and seems to have shrunk since we got a baby swing, a dresser for all of Lily's clothes, a basket of toys, a basket of board books, and all the other things a baby "needs" in life. So, in another year or two we'll have to move out of our nest on the hill and look for room to expand. Perhaps a place with a yard that a dog could run around in? Or maybe a place big enough to keep a horse and/or pony out back? Definitely a place that will accommodate a sibling for Lily a few years from now. The prices in Seattle might be starting to slow in their race upward, but they will most likely still be too high for us to find what we want in our price range. We've looked at Ballard and over in West Seattle. They're both fantastic areas, and we might end up in one of them, but we want to explore all our options. Hence the ferry ride!
A few weeks ago, Lily went on not just her first public bus ride, but also her first ferry ride. Bainbridge Island was the destination of the day. First stop: coffee! There is this fantastic little cafe right in the middle of the main street of downtown that has the greatest coffee and wonderful pastries and soup. After filling up, we headed out to check out the area and look at the signs in the real estate office windows. Pluses: great community feel, easy access to Seattle, plenty of green forested areas for exploring, good schools, plenty of work possibilities for Andy & Justin's new business,... Negatives: still a little pricey for a house + a few acres, but maybe if we found a place that butted up against some state owned green belt acreage... At any rate, it was a very fun day out of the house. We probably walked a little more than my post pregnancy body was ready for at that time, but I recovered and had such a good time that it was definitely worth it. Maybe we'll end up there in the future. Until then, we'll simply enjoy our perch above downtown.

BATH TIME!!

2008-08-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

With all this traveling, a girl just likes to unwind in a bath!

We Are Family

2008-08-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Lily has been a traveling lady! Right at the end of July it all began with a trip out to Lake Roesiger to meet the Reichenberger Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. My cousin Tinell also welcomed a baby into their family this May, cousin Ben graduated from high school and will be attending UW in the fall, and cousin Adam just got engaged to his girlfriend Christina!
The day after we celebrated with the Reichenbergers, we were off to Moscow, ID and then Spokane to see Andy's family. Uncle Jon and Aunt Kathy hosted us the first night on their mountain in Moscow. Then the next morning we were off to Spokane so Lily could meet her cousins and other great grandmother.

Phew!

2008-08-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

As you can see, it's been a few days since we last posted... Life's just been one adventure after another since May 2007! The whole story, in short form, starts when I was hired in late May by Bertschi School as one of their two Pre-K teachers. I couldn't have asked for a better fit! The school is wonderful, only 1 mile from home, and fits me like a glove. Once we knew I had a job, Andy started planning our summer adventure. On Father's Day we moved out of the Diver Dive in Japan and hopped on a plane bound for Seattle. Just two days later, we hopped on another plane bound for Lima, Peru! We spent an amazing 5 weeks traveling in Peru & Bolivia. We climbed across high mountain passes, braved our way through a rock flinging mob, explored the Amazon, met capybara and got them to bark, and so much more. Once we were back in the states we moved back into our condo overlooking Downtown Seattle and the mountains and water in the background. Andy began working at Divers Institute in Ballard. And then we began our greatest adventure yet. In October, we found out I was pregnant and almost one month ago we welcomed Lily Grace into the family. She'll be one month old tomorrow and it feels like she was just born last week. But at the same time, being pregnant seems like forever ago. Does that make sense? Anyhow, since we don't have the greatest track record for keeping this up to date, I expect to be bugged when I'm falling behind again. And now for a few pictures...

Sick Day

2007-05-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

I hate taking sick days. For some reason I always feel guilty staying home from work no matter how nasty I feel. Neve the less, I'm home on the couch drinking liquids and correcting papers while a substitute is right now letting the kids work independently in their work stations and will soon have them get ready to go to the library.

Since I am home, I am taking advantage of the time by sending off more emails to potential employers, downloading photos, and catching up on my blogging! I just attached two new photo galleries to our collection. Click on 2007 Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo or Hiking in Chiba to see a couple of our latest adventures. Just before Spring Break, Andy and I went up to Tokyo for a very filling brunch and then walked around Ueno Park and the East Garden at the Emperor's Palace to view the peak of cherry blossom season. It was a day filled with huge masses of people and wild sights. My biggest laugh came when I saw the people actually dressed up in tree costumes! The Chiba pictures are from this past Saturday. Our friend Mary Ann had told me about this park over on the neighboring peninsula where you could find the largest stone budda in Japan surrounded by hiking paths filled with all sorts of smaller statues. We had to take the ferry boat and a gondola to get there, but it was certainly well worth it. The park was beautiful and we took lots of fun photos. Andy is still sorting through his favorites, but we'll most likely post those soon.

Please keep sending those good vibes our direction. I'm still waiting to hear back from four of the six schools I've applied to for next year and I could use all the warm wishes that you can send!

Gearing up for the trip homeward

2007-04-22T01:53:00.000-07:00

Again we must appologize for being so fickle with the frequency of our postings. I've been spending all sorts of time either preparing for my current group of students or exploring the possibilities next year may bring. Yes, we are heading back to Seattle this summer. Andy is ready for the next step in his diving career and, sadly, the war is causing budget challenges for the DODEA schools and my lovely little school is downsizing. Because I am a local hire, I am low on the totem pole of seniority and when cuts must happen we are the first to be considered. All is for the best, though, and we are both very excited to be going home. We both recently took trips back to the states for a bit of job hunting and friend/family visiting. Andy was told to wait until about a month before he wants to start work to actually contact Seattle dive companies and that, when he's ready, his friends at the Divers Institute of Technology will do a bit of calling on his behalf, too. While he was back in the states, I was working on my application packets and sending them off to a few choice Seattle schools. When Andy arrived home we discussed the possible need for me to go back to Seattle for interviews during my spring break. Needless to say, my jaunt back across the pond was both productive and exciting. I had a total of 7 interviews and saw some pretty exciting schools. Now my fingers are crossed as I wait to hear back from the hiring teams. Wish me luck!

Festival of Fire

2007-01-20T22:04:00.000-08:00

I am not sure exactly where to begin, so how about right here. I know that there have been instances while we have been here when I have mentioned the conservative nature of our Japanese hosts. With their six day a week work load and a lifetime on the train getting to it. Umbrellas materialize at even the mention of rain and regardless of circumstance. Japanese men and women can be riding their bike while text messaging on their phone when that first drop drips and, like Zorro with his trusty sword, their umbrella is there to protect. But, on this day, and for this tale, I'm asking you forget all of this talk of conservatism . For what i used to consider amazing is now mundane....the unbelievable of old is now shrugged off with a shoulder raise and my best whatever face. Yes my friends, I now have seen it all, and oh my gosh do I respect them in the morning. So have a seat, rock if you're able, and try to envision the madness I'm dishing.

This past weekend Maggie and I, along with a group of our cronies and colleagues, headed to a town where houses are built on boiling baths. Where you can end a great day on the slopes by skiing all the way home. Or, just pop off those confining boots, sit on the curb and dangle your dogs into any visible water that flows; for it is locally known that it will be hot and soothing. Though don't be alarmed if in your post skiing haze you plunk down for a dunk in the wrong steaming stream, and your are run off by the cutest of Japanese Grandmas chattering something about hot veggies or eggs. You see, in this town, if potatoes, dycons or hard boiled eggs are on the menu, not a soul will bat an eye if you are dunking them in your backyard boiler. But as fun as it sounds, and rest assured we definitely had fun, this is not what has me ratcheting my jaw off the ground so many days later. What lured us out of our military town was a festival of fire: an odd coming of age for local boys born in this and past years of the boar. I had no idea what I was walking into. I was told by past pilgrims that we were in for a treat. That this fiery spectacle was one not to be missed. However, no amount of preparation could have us prepared...and my imagination that I tout as tremendous, on this day, was one dimensional, and I was left humbled. I thought fireworks and got mayhem.

It begins:

Day of:

I went out to scan the scene as the sun was giving up on the day. I knew that at the edge of this smoking village there was a structure three days in the making. That here, on this tower of timber, boys were to become men. The tower was not tough to find. I simply followed the line of rubber-neckers each out for the same pre-festival peek. I found it on a well leveled field of snow, standing two stories tall with a ladder at the ready in the rear. At the top of the ladder there was a sitting area that was mostly covered by a large stack of bound dowels. I thought it was an odd thing to spend all that time and energy building a place to hold sticks, but I shrugged it off as nonsensically Japanese. At the base of this impressively built platform there were hand made ropes secured soundly from the base, and dangling down about three feet from the ground. Each rope with a knot on the end and all of this sitting atop a gradually sloping standing area of packed snow. The marvel of all of this was the entire tower was built with organic material. There wasn't a single steel reinforcement. There were no nails. Just a lot of perfectly placed ropes binding all of the wood together. Panning out away from this main attraction, I saw a large gym sized area lined with tripods and TV cameras. Everyone around me seemed to be excited as the time ticked under two hours to the event. Off I went.

Night of:

With full bellies and the sum of our warm clothing weighing us down, we headed out into the night. Our breath remained visible much longer then on my earlier stroll letting me know that it was somewhere around cold. Not a moment was spent dwelling on that, we were surrounded by excitement and on our way. Halfway to the festival we were met by a procession of very drunk men holding lanterns and chanting in slurs. At the front of it all was a man wielding a large bundle of flaming dowels, not dissimilar to those positioned atop of the tower. To and fro the fire was swung. No mind was paid to people in his way. Children, parents, and grandparents, all scattered with equal agility. Phones were out and pictures were being taken. This procession was met by another. More dowels were lit, each with the same drunken abandon. Prefunking was not a prerequisite to this party, sake flowed through these streets like the boiling water. Everyone seemed to be carrying a bottle with a wooden cup attached for any daring passer-bye to nurse. Smiles were contagious. No one looked cold.

The beauty of walking in with the procession was that we were able to follow it right through the crowd and up to the tower which was now transformed. On top were the 42 year old men of the boar (or so we were told in broken drunk-speak). At the base, swinging like rubber pendulums, were the twenty-something boar men, each one clinging to the knots on the ropes; all of their weight hanging on these little ropes. They were each holding, in their free hand, a branch of a pine tree. Anyone who got near them would get whacked. They were the protectors of the tower and all that was sitting upon it. Oh yeah, they were well numbed by sake too.

The object of the festival was this... At the edge of the snow field was a bonfire lit by the people we followed in. The 42 year olds sitting on top of the tower would toss down the bundled dowels onto the crowd below. A group of pre-selected men would then gather the dowels (which I now could see were hollow for rapid lighting) and take them back to the bonfire, light them, and then try to get past the drunken pine tree switch wielding, rope dangling protectors to light the tower on fire. All the while, we were in a sea of pushing people all trying to get to the front of the line and as close as they could to the action. We were the front of the line and were about as close to the action as we could get. Therefore, we were the most heavily pushed. If you got thirsty there were now not only people walking around with sake, but there were also giant buckets filled with the stuff. Just fill, chug, and go. Yelling was a must.

It played out in a scene that outweighs my writing abilities. In the front of this mosh-pit, I took about 500 pictures. I had no flash. 32 shots tell the story. I will however, tell you this: I don't think this year saw any fatalities, but that might not be fact. Kids no older than five carried the first flaming dowels to the tower sitting on the shoulders of dads. Some were draped with wet towels so that the showering sparks would not burn their tiny ears.The protectors waked them with a gentler hand. After that, anything went. I witnessed people in the crowd on fire. I watched as the protectors of the tower got hit in the face with full flaming swings, knocking them to the ground and down off the snow platform. Then they were trampled by the next round of fire swinging attackers. At one point, benevolent hands from behind were swishing away embers from my clothes after I was hit in the head with a flaming bundle. I lost a little arm hair, but I gained a whole new level of respect for festivals.

The Festival of Fire ended how it always does. The protectors stumbled off into the night with less eyebrow hair, bumps on the heads from many flaming blows, and with faces black from soot. The 42 year old boar men climbed down the ladder when it was clear that the dangling protectors couldn't hold back the fire any longer. Finally, the tower collapsed with a whoosh.

Please go to the right of the page and click on the fire festival photos. They bring to life what I was unable.

The Gift

2006-07-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I received the gift of a lifetime. It arrived as all our mail does, weary from the long journey and looking a bit like the underdog after a schoolyard scuffle. Though I knew as soon as I lifted it off the shelf that there was nothing normal about what I was holding. Confirmation to that theory came as soon as I walked back outside. Maggie let loose a grin that defines love and a twinkling of eyes that revealed what I now understand to be layers upon layers of excited planning.
History is no stranger to the “one look” story line. You know the ones. Relationships are built upon them: “oh I just knew the moment I laid eyes on him”, or “one look man, and I knew”, ect ect ect, right on down the line. If you don’t believe me, go rent “When Harry Met Sally”. But for the sake of this story’s fluidity I am going to ask you set aside your skepticism and just believe. Let’s see, where was I?…Oh right, the grin.
For you to truly grasp that grin I must take you back a few months. You see, the idea for this present came on one of those one of a kind days. Our wake up call that morning was the rumble of engines eager to put motion to a day only consistent to any other on this Sound - a place where the Tasman Sea enters Fjordland National Park New Zealand, and is met with a landscape so unique and dramatic that Caption Cook named it Doubtful. As if our excitement was not enough to roust us from our bunks, the deal was sweetened when our caption’s voice came over the PA promising penguins. Night people became morning people, and all filed up on to the main deck clutching their cameras and hoping for flightless birds. Coffee was ready but ignored as people’s eyes adjusted to this maritime marvel. It was shortly thereafter that we met Chris. For me Chris stood out on this deck of point and shooters solely because he wasn’t. His hands were steady and his eyes were fixed down through the viewfinder resting motionless against his belly. He was calm amongst the flutter, shifting slightly with what seemed to be habitual motions. Then click, the shutter closed with a loud sound unmistakably exclusive to a Hasselblad. Quite simply put, I lit up and Maggie took notice. The three of us talked for the better part of the ride out to the sea, stopping periodically to ogle over the world’s largest and smallest dolphins, to take pictures, to enjoy our surroundings, but mostly we just enjoyed swapping stories with our eccentric new friend. In my memory, that day stands out as one of the highlights from our honeymoon, and Chris and I are still exchanging emails. It is clear to me now as my inspired fingers type away, that Maggie’s attention briefly strayed from Fjordland’s splendor that day in order plant a seed. A seed that was clearly in bloom two days ago as our car twisted its way back toward our borrowed coastal home. Maggs held the box on her squirmy lap, but could not hold her excitement much past the threshold of the house before she flung open the blinds, handed me my knife, and gave me permission to start my birthday a week early. With a combination of really wanting to see what was inside, and not at all wanting to see what would happen if Maggie had to wait another week, I obliged. I traced my knife around the seams of the box and opened it to find a Hasselblad medium format camera. I think I felt my heart skip a beat. I know Maggie’s skipped a couple. As I mentioned before, this was the gift of a lifetime. It is exciting to know this camera will be a part of years of documented memories. But for me the gift was that grin and everything behind it.

White Flag and Bed Bugs

2006-07-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

With fish-like flopping and flipping, I have come to a decision. This place is not that bad. Somewhere along the way, amidst the moldy shoes, and the multi-legged bed fellow (I will get into that later) I have found my stride. It is not that swimming against the tide has tired me out; it has just simply become boring. Japan, with all of its quirks is not going to change because I see it as bass akwards. I am not really sure why up until now I thought that it should. People are going to be parking their shrunken cars on blind curves long after I am gone, so I think it’s time for me to chill-out, and slow down. Better yet, I say join them. It is kind of liberating to be able to, at any given moment, on any sized road, simply flip on your hazards and stop. “Wow that was really cool shrine, I think I need a picture”, (Flip the red triangle and all is absolved). “Shoot Andy, I have to use the bathroom, would you mind stopping?” ”Not at all (flashers on), be my guest. I will wait right here.” It never seems to matter that the mini-mart in which she is bathroom poaching has an empty parking lot. People just are not to be bothered with proper car stowage. In Japan, hazards are the diplomats of the road. One just flips them on and they have full immunity; you park where you want. I guess no matter what size rock you throw in the river, the water will find its way around….Or something. Funny thing is, even as you completely block one side of the road for your own self-serving needs, you still receive a smile and nod as they drive by. So, in my over-worded way, I’ve reached this conclusion: With a little tolerance, a couple more local phrases in my arsenal, and the right pair of borrowed prescription specs, Japan is looking alright.

As for the bed fellow, well, my tolerance only goes so far. A few mornings past, at 1:30 to be exact, Maggie leapt out of bed with the fury of Christmas morning. The light came on, the covers stripped to the floor, and I was left squinting in blurred confusion. “I think I was just bit by something.” She said “See that, those three little red marks (pointing toward the second piggy from the left), I wonder what it was?” Unfortunately, not for lack of trying, no three toothed critter was uncovered. Lights were turned back out, freshly shaken covers were righted, and we found our way back to lala land.

Act two:

At 6:30 that same Sunday morning it was now Maggie’s turn to wake to the whoosh of flying bed sheets. This time we hit the floor simultaneously and turned back to the bed.

Centipede! Three and a half inches of leggie unpleasantness was in the center of our bed, and still chewing its mouth full of my thigh. Mad as hell and not really sure what to do next, I broke the cardinal rule: I turned my back. Just for a moment mind you, and only to get a smacking implement. But when I turned back in my best well-braced battle pose, the ‘pede was gone. We are talking seconds. But that fact was of no comfort to either of us at that moment. Long story short, we destroyed our bedroom. Thanks goodness for late rising neighbors, because on this morning, Victoria did not have any Secrets. In a blink, our entire room was staged out on the patio and we were back through the sliding doors to hunt down our feisty interrupter. This task proved not to be easy. For the little monster blended pretty well into the baseboard. Thankfully, find it we did and needless to say that bug did not see 7:00am. The damage had most-certainly been done though. I think it took us three hours of steady coffee intake and Scrabble playing to remove the shakes.

I now look back on the day with nervous chuckles. But mostly what sticks in my mind is the response of our teacher friend Tom, when I told him about our irksome wake-up call. He just looked at me with brows a furrowing and said in his best science teacher tone: “Hmm, centipedes are not hunters, you must have provoked it.”

Cobblestone Mumbles

2006-07-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

Fuji, the pride of Japan, the signature jewel in this far away crown beat me up today. My already roughed-up frame (weary from 3 days of the stomach flu) switched back and forth up the side of this fragile moonscape. Sadly I only made it an hour of the necessary four needed to summit before I planted a germy kiss on Maggie and watched as she rejoined the line twisting up into the mist. It is now an hour later and I am sitting in a window side corner of the Mt. Fuji coffee shop. My agenda is fixed. By my calculation I have five hours before Maggie walks onto the cobblestone street that I am overlooking, and during this time I plan on as little movement as possible. If it weren’t for my unfortunate inability to grow moss on my back, I very well might be mistaken for a sloth. Prior to my planting I equipped myself with the following: a book, pen, and a pile of blank postcards. No doubt each will be started as all postcards are, with good intentions of a grand excursion depicted, but destined to end with a blurry, choose your adventure of an event; letters franticly getting smaller in size, crowding the stamp, obscuring the name and address, and finally coming to close with my name crammed in the very corner that the postman covers with his barcode sticker. Heaven forbid the recipient have more then one friend traveling my region of the world.

If the fore mentioned fails to keep me engrossed for the duration of this experiment I will certainly not be bored. The beauty of Japan for me comes in the watching of people. Out the window is an ever-changing flow of color. There is no real harmony to their movement. Consistency is only found in their hand held technology. Photos are being snapped, but with no real specific direction. Each family, in hushed agreement decide that the moment is photo-worthy, but seem to be grappling with that conclusive something in the background which will mark this event as unique to the one adjacent to it in the family album. Just the smiling faces of mom, dad and the Japan allotted two kids. Each poised with a tilted head and the mandatory flash of the peace sign. And it is pretty fair to say that someone in the shot will be holding the family’s long haired dachshund. On any other day, where the clouds and ground weren’t so friendly, I would think that these weekend point and shooters would be directionally unified. But today is not that day. There is no discernable backdrop and honestly this makes my on-looking so much more rewarding.

My out the window gaze is broken by a cute little Japanese grandma asking me with earnest words that I don’t understand, but gestures that I do, if she and her equally cute better half can take my picture. You see, the clouds have opened a window to Fuji’s summit and for reasons that are baffling to me, this duo wants me and my blindingly orange coat as an enhancer to their photo. Of course I oblige, flash a bewildered grin, and with the click of a locally made shutter I become part of this couple’s trip to Fuji. As is customary, what follows next are a back-breaking exchange of bows and the warmth of gratitude which is unique to Japan.

When I sat down at my penthouse table I was alone. The floors had the shine of a new day and I had interrupted the first brew of coffee for a cup. Now, my spot is a symphony of slurps. Lunchtime has snuck up on me and happy chins are poised perfectly in their well practiced intake position. In the States this tableside infraction would certainly be met with a scolding from mom, and a rap on the knuckles from pop. Though here, the slurping of noodles is a salute to the cook, and by the sounds in this room, the cook’s got skills.
Ahhh, from that happy sound, to the best view of the day: For out the mist with legs a shakin’ emerges the birthday girl. My work here is done. I offer up a hearty thanks to all of you reading for helping me pass my day and distracting me from my gurgling gut.

New Addition

2006-07-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Congrats are in order for Andy's sister and her family. A couple days ago we recieved the call from a proud sounding pappa that Kara had given birth to a baby boy on the 3rd. He weighed in at a healthy 9lb 2oz. There was talk about the name Benjamin Samuel or Benjamin Stuart, but nothing had been set in stone quite yet. As for the rest of the family, they sounded pretty pleased. This little guy is welcomed by two older brothers (Andrew and Nathan) and two older sisters (Maddie and Bethany). Yes, they now have five!

Report on the Birthday Weekend - part 2

2006-07-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday we pulled our sore bodies out of bed and headed off to Tokyo to meet up with my Aunt Janet and Cousin Paige Cordell. They were in Japan with their Alaskan Taiko Drumming group.

The word taiko (太鼓) means simply "great drum" in Japanese. Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums (和太鼓, 'wa-daiko', "Japanese drum", in Japanese) and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming (sometimes called more specifically, "kumi-daiko" (組太鼓). -from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiko

Paige and her crew did an awesome job. It was also amazing to see her talking and joking with all her new Japanese friends in Japanese. In her Elementary school they start teaching the kids Japanese in kindergarten and have several native Japanese speakers on staff. The AK Cordells have even hosted a few of the Japanese interns that have come through their school. Happily one of those interns met up with us at the festival. Janet introduced us to Huck (he loved the book Huck Finn) with a tear in her eye. He was a much missed friend and became our tour guide for the afternoon. He led us to the Meiji Shrine and paraded us through the oddly dressed Japanese Hipsters that hang out near its entrance. Janet took oodles of pictures.

After dinner we parted ways for the night. We had gotten a night at the military hotel, The New Sanno. We had heard so many great things about the hotel. It was kind of a mixture of Motel 6 prices with much higher quality and comfort. We are really looking forward to going back there for Andy's birthday in a few weeks.

After our night of luxury we went down for some breakfast and a healthy portion of coffee before heading out to the train to find Tokyo Disney. We were to meet up with Janet and Paige at Splash Mountain around noon. The day was a blast. There was some rain in the morning, but nothing too terrible. We saw marching bands, screamed through Space Mountain, wondered what they were saying in the Haunted Mansion (it was all in Japanese), and snacked on flavored popcorn. It was amazingly like the Disneyland in California with a Japanese twist. You'll have to look through our pictures (Cordells in Japan) for the visual. Also, there will be some better pictures of the Taiko festival once we sort through Andy's photos.

After dinner we had to head back toward home. Andy had a full day of work staring him in the face and needed a full night of sleep. It was fantastic to see family and we look forward to more visitors this coming year.

Report on the Birthday Weekend - part 1

2006-06-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning started promptly at 1am. We had to grab our packs, put a little something in our bellies, and get over to the base to catch the bus up to Fuji. We arrived to see a dozen bleary eyed outdoorsy types lounging on the couches and waiting for directions from our fearless leader, Tetsuya. After we had filled out the necessary forms and the bus had arrived, we all loaded into our seats and tried to get a few more blinks of sleep on our 3 hour ride. As the bus approached the base of the mountain, I opened my eyes to see an amazing view of trees and mountains resting under a light blanket of fog. The sky had that just-after-sunrise glow and the air smelled fresh and cool. At the base we were equiped with walking sticks and shown how to direct the future customers toward the beginning of the trail. After all, this was the training trip for the Fuji hike leaders. When the true hiking season is open, everyone will pay their 1000-1500 yen for an official Fuji hiking stick which is basically a tall stick that may or may not have a bell and flag attached to the top. The point of the stick, other than helping you navigate up the side of the mountain, is to record how high you get up Fuji-san. There are small huts all the way along the trail where you can pay another couple hundred yen to get a brand stamped onto your walking stick. It has to be an amazing money maker for them since most everyone I know that has gone up Fuji owns one of these sticks and is proud to show off their many stamps. So, off we went. There are 10 stations to go through to get to the top, but most people -including us- start at station 5. Sadly, Andy had been fighting a nasty stomache flu for a few days and didn't have the energy to make it past station 7. He really wanted to go with me to the top since it was my birthday, but in the end had to go down and cheer me on from the coffee shop. I hooked up with a couple other people in our group and continued up to the top. Now, whoever said Fuji was an easy or fun hike must have been delusional. Fuji is a moonscape covered in loose volcanic rock that doesn't necessarily provide the surest of footing. Of course there are the spots where you are scrambling like a mountain goat over the larger rocks... It took me about four hours to get to the top, 15 minutes to look around and start shivering at the top, and another two and a half hours to get back down to Andy. My legs were shakey and exhausted, but I felt pretty proud of the accomplishment.

A Birthday Hike

2006-06-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, as I was looking through the Yokosuka Focus magazine, I saw an opportunity I couldn't pass up. The Outdoor Rec Dept was looking for people to help them lead trips up Mount Fuji this summer. I told Andy what I had in mind and he decided to join me at the orientation meeting. The hike up is pretty easy - just a bunch of switchbacks you follow to the top. The difficult part is the hike down - there's a lot of loose volcanic rock that can be tough on the knees and there's supposed to be one tricky spot where you cane asily take the wrong trail down (there are oodles of trails that go up and down Fuji). Clearly it sounded like a great challenge and we both signed up for the training hike. Our two options for hiking dates were June 17th or 24th. Well, the 24th just so happens to be my birthday and what better way to celebrate a birthday in Japan than to hike Mt Fuji? We've already been to the store to get our snacks and water for the trip. Now all we have to do is get a few hours of sleep before we are due to show up at the bus. It'll be an early morning - we've got to be there at 1.30 for our 3 hour ride to Fuji Station 5. The hike starts there. I'm figuring we'll be at the top sometime between 9am and noon and my fingers are crossed for clear skies. I'd love to get a few photos to share with everyone. However, if it isn't clear, one of the many trips this summer is bound to allow us a great view. I'm hoping in particular that the overnight trip up Fuji in July is clear. Can you imagine how amazing the sunrise will be?

There's a saying in Japan, "A wise person hikes Fuji once, but the person who hikes Fuji more than once is a fool." Call us fools. There are about 10 hikes on our calendar. We probably won't help with every hike, but I'm certain we'll make the trek more than once!

School's Out For Summer!

2006-06-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

It's June 23rd and I'm sitting here in our little apartment lounging on the couch at about 8 am. A week ago at this time I was emptying my classroom and wondering what I'd be doing when the next school year began. I had asked my principal if there was any way I could be kept on at the school as a full-time teacher. Working part-time as the art teacher next year just wasn't going to pay the bills. If I couldn't get full-time work we were planning to head back to Seattle earlier than originally planned. My principal was understanding, but didn't want to lose me. He crunched numbers for projected enrollment and tried to find something for me. Meanwhile, the school over on the main base was also looking for a spot for me. When they came up with a 1st grade spot they called my principal and asked if they could have me he really started rallying to find me a spot at Ikego. Last Wednesday he surprised everyone (including myself) at our end of the year BBQ by announcing that I was leaving my part-time art position to find full-time work. He then took back my going away gift and welcomed me on board as one of the new classroom teachers for the fall. I blushed while everyone clapped and asked what I'd be teaching. My response..."You know as much about it as me." It was a great feeling to see everyone so excited about my return and to hear their hopes that I would be joining their grade level team. I even had a 2nd grade teacher lead me into the principal's office to tell him that the 2nd grade really needed me. On Friday morning Walt (my principal) walked into my nearly empty room to announce that I'd be teaching 1st grade next year and that the room assignments would be in my mailbox by later that same morning. As soon as the other teachers saw the room assignments the came over the wish me congrats. I even had a parent come up to me in the grocery store a few days ago to tell me she hoped her son would be in my class. It has been amazing to see how much support these people that I've just recently gotten to know are sending my way. I'm really excited about the team I'll be joining and they seem to be just as excited. A few were already gathering supplies and classroom materials for me as they cleaned up their rooms last Friday. Vanessa, a former 1st grade teacher who will be teaching 1st/2nd split, is planning to give me a call later this summer to go over to the school and help me get all set up. With all of their help on top of the help that Linda, Andy's mom, has offered (she was a 1st grade teacher for years), I am bound to have a successful year.

Sunday BBQ

2006-04-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

Today we opened the typhoon shutters to see a beautiful sunny day. We did our morning thing and got the BBQ going just after noon. The funny thing is that every time we get it going our Japanese neighbor kids come outside and zoom their bike and scooter back and forth past us until their mother steps out and tells them to calm down and stop pestering. Then she will step outside onto the patio and we'll try to communicate with the help of our pocket translators which, for her, happens to be her phone. Today the conversation started with: "Are you married?" -yes. Then she makes the pregnant belly motion with her hands. -I shake my head no and we both laugh. She says something in Japanese and we move on to basketball. Who knew there were basketball fans over here? She mentions Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and a bunch of teams that only Andy knew anything about. Her husband plays center on a basketball club here. He's probably 5'6". I don't remember where the conversation went from there. Adam, the new diver on Andy's team, came over and tried to put his poptart on our grill. Last week he did grill his frozen fish sticks. In short, cooking isn't exactly his greatest skill. Pretty soon our chicken and peppers ala Ted Warren were ready. We put the lid on the BBQ and went inside.

Baby Blankie

2006-04-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

There's a new baby on the way. Andy's sister is pregnant and due to give birth to a baby boy in early July. When we heard the news we thought it would be nice to test my new knitting skills and make the newest addition a welcome to the world gift.

Workin' Girl

2006-04-22T03:42:00.000-07:00

During the month of March all people who submitted applications to the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), but have not yet filled a position, receive an email asking them to update and resubmit their application by early April. If you fail to meet this deadline your application would be thrown out. Clearly I resubmitted. (Thank you Donna, Lisa, Jake, and Peggy for being my references!) The biggest difference made to the application was a switch listing myself as a local hire as opposed to an over-seas hire. Local hires don’t receive near as many benefits as their counterparts, but they are more likely to be employed. Two days after I made that switch I received a phone call from the principal at Ikego (one of the Navy housing areas attached to Yokosuka). He was looking for an art teacher and I was a perfect fit. Another two days later was the interview and then the paperwork process began.

Yesterday I reported for my first day. It was a teacher conference day so I had a chance to touch base with the teacher I was taking over for and meet some of the other teachers. I looked through the materials closet and over the plans for the week to come. I start with the kids on Monday.

Visit the school web page at http://www.ikego-es.pac.dodea.edu/ You can even see the classroom where I’ll be working with the kids.

playing hooky

2006-04-04T03:39:00.000-07:00

Well friends, Japan has given up its winter grip. Locals say that it has been the coldest winter in the past ten years. Having no idea whether or not this fact is accurate, I always agree. Working under the assumption that the locals are right, Maggie and I are trying to make the most of our newfound spring weather. We have cleaned, the doors to our shanty have been open, and the bats are slowly leaving the cave.
To celebrate finally having the house to ourselves, Maggs and I took to our make- shift outdoor patio (parking space too small for even a Japanese sized car) and had ourselves a BBQ. It was great. We had burgers, grilled spicy peppers (ala Ted Warren), and couple of bottles of cold Mexicana suds. If I could have clicked together my steel-toes and imported all of you over, the day would have been complete. Next time. With bellies full of lean ground goodness, we capped our day off with a game of scrabble and a nap. All and all a pretty great April Fools Day.
Sunday was a wash (literally). We went to the gym, watched some sports on the tube, and generally just had the feeling like we had been cheated out of one of our weekend days. We both agreed that we needed to rectify this fact so we vowed to make the most of Monday if the weather was a bit less sassy. It was and we did. Exhausted from my fifteen-minute workday, I met up with Maggie and we headed up to Kamakura to check out the blooming cherry trees. Kamakura has been our escape from the blandness of Yokosuka. It is a little coastal town with a whole bunch of Japanese charm. Following a reliable tip we rode the train an extra stop and took a leisurely sun soaked stroll back to Kamakura central. This stretch of road is beautiful: Skinny streets lined with cherry trees, brooks alive from Sunday’s grumbles, arching bridges, and the usual clean that we have quickly learned to appreciate about Japan. The morning and early afternoon was spent with us exploring the temples and shrines that were built back in the time when Kamakura was the capital of Japan. Mind you, I have no earthly idea how long ago that was. One of the highlights came after hiking up a Washington Monument amount of stairs. Winded and with burning legs, we located the top and were immediately treated to not only an unhindered view of Mt. Fuji, but the drumming and chants of a monk who very well might have been around during Kamakura’s capital days. It was quite a sight to see. Enshrouded in a cloud of incense this bald little man sat on the floor of this hillside house of prayer, belting out notes that were seismically low. For about fifteen minutes he did his thing. Maggie and I sat captivated, eating fishy crackers, and looking down at the puffy cotton candyesque trees that surround this sacred spot.
We reached the bottom of the hill with silent steps. Each of us so lost in our own thoughts that it took us a while to notice the wind had picked up and was showering us with pick and white cherry blossoms. Fearing a downpour we kicked it into gear. We needed coffee and a bit of French charm (for those of you who fell that is an oxymoron please keep it to yourselves). Each time we escape to Kamakura we eat at a fantastic French restaurant run by a Japanese man fresh out of a French culinary academy (and a job on staff at one of Gérard Depardieu’s restaurants). He is not much older then we and speaks a perfect Japanese and French. Being that I can’t speak either, Maggs does all of the ordering for us. Watching them try to communicate using fragments of three languages makes it more like dinner and a show. We drank the rest of our coffees and scraped the remaining nibbles of homemade apple pureed thingy (menu words not mine) off of our plates, said our good byes, and happily headed home. Playing hooky has never been so fun!

Have a look at a few of our pictures located on the right of the page. The woman in the kimono was just a fun gift from the photo gods.

Knitting is not just for old ladies!

2006-03-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

When I first arrived and Andy was working the long hours of actual dive time over Christmas, I had to find something to occupy my time while I waited for work to drift my way. I first spent my time running and then looked to the list of classes offered at the community center. Tea box covering...ballet...Japanese...bonzai...knitting... I clearly picked knitting.

When I mentioned going to the class in front of one of the divers, he promptly asked, "What are you...85 years old?!" And then, when I took my knitting into the Starbucks on base, the gang of teacher's husbands that hang out there in the mornings made comments that they felt they were hanging out at a nursing home when I pulled my project out of my bag. I just smiled and started on a new row.

My first two projects after the intitial scarf project were the dish rags you see in these two photos. My current project is a bit bigger and I will definitely be sure to show it off when it is done. In fact I might need opinions about finishing touches. Get your opinions ready!

White Day vs Valentine's Day

2006-03-14T02:14:00.000-08:00

I got home this afternoon after a day of substitute teaching with bags of groceries holding all the goodies sure to make a fabulous dinner. Andy had been craving hamburgers and, with him suffering from a nasty strained muscle, it seemed like hamburgers would be a perfect dinner. When I pulled into our parking spot Andy was there to greet me and help me lug the grocery bags into the apartment. When we stepped into the house I was delighted to see that Andy had cleaned and bought flowers for the table. Today is White Day.

St. Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14, and White Day one month later on March 14. It is said that St. Valentine's Day was imported to Japan in 1958 by a Japanese confectionery company. In Japan, it is only the women giving presents - mainly chocolate - to men, but not the other way around. Men are supposed to return the favors received on Valentine's Day one month later on White Day, a Japanese creation. White Day is believed to have been introduced by a marshmallow manufacturing company in the 1960s. The white marshmallows gave the day its name but other kinds of presents such as candy, flowers, etc. have become more popular over the years.

The real stinker about this tradition is that women are very good about giving valentine chocolates to all the men in their lives...a boss, a friend, a teacher, a co-worker, significant other, etc. and in return women generally get just the one gift from their significant other. Of course, the men generally spend a lot more on that one gift...

photo albums

2006-02-25T04:15:00.000-08:00

We recently learned how to add photo albums to our blog and wanted to point them out. Right here, on the side of the page under the photo albums title, are a few pictures from the two of us added just so you all can get a better mental picture of what we're up to in Japan. We've still got to take more pictures of our everyday lives, but these are a few of our adventures. Enjoy!

Workin' 9 to 5

2006-02-16T18:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it is more like 7 to 2:30, but you get the idea.

Since I arrived I've been hunting for work of my own. Something to keep me busy when Andy is working, to provide a pay check, and to provide a fabulous letter of recommendation for a future job back in the states. I joined the English Teachers' Networking Group and have been hoping to pick up a couple students in the afternoons. I submitted my paperwork to substitute teach here on the base. Heck, I even signed up with a modeling firm in Tokyo. (Even Andy came along and signed up for that one!)

Lately I'd been getting frustrated with unemployment. All the connections I'd been making weren't leading anywhere and I was worried that I'd be stuck not contributing to our savings. Then, all of a sudden, I recieved two calls from the modeling agency asking if I was available for a couple possible jobs coming up. Then, two days later, I got a call from the middle school here on base saying that my subbing paperwork had gone through and that they'd be calling me soon for help. Then, I got an interview with an English school in Yokohama. Woo hoo!! Things were looking up.

Finally today I have my first day of work! Yeah!! I'm subbing at the high school on what might just be the easiest day to sub ever! Yokosuka is hosting the Far West Wrestling tournament and has schools from Japan, Korea, and Guam in attendance. And, since it is such a big event, the teachers were all encouraged to take their classes over to cheer on their team. Basically, my day has consisted of taking attendance and then walking the group over to the gym. I'm sure that I'll be working much tougher days here, but this has been a fabulous first day back at work and I hope to be scheduled for more sub work next week.

Now that work has started coming my way I have my fingers crossed that it will continue with force.

Wake and Waddle

2006-02-16T02:45:00.000-08:00

Blog thoughts for this here Thursday in a Japan: Which by the way, happens to be one of two scheduled trash days for our neighborhood. That’s right, we, like all of our pint sized new friends, each Monday and Thursday take part in a ritual that I have coined “the wake and waddle.” For on these days, regardless of your waking hour, you can blearily head to the street and watch people carrying many grocery sacks (of the plastic variety) to the trash drop. Which, mind you, looks much more like an oversized raccoon trap than a refuse receptacle. Until this sighting we were simply just filling Glad bags and hoping that someone would impart their waste knowledge upon us prior to our guestroom becoming over run. I would have thought one of the divers might grunt the garbage instructions in passing. However, clarity clubbed me and my fleeting grumbles on this topic as soon as I entered their guestrooms. So I promptly filled them in on what I had just discovered.
Now knowing not only when we could dump our adult sized monster accumulation of a trash, but also where and how, Maggie and I rushed into action. With a glance and a grin we were in action, transferring all of the trash from big to small bags. One became many. Then out the door we went, waddling with the best of them down our narrow lane toward the capybara trap turned trash cage. Unfortunately, getting it open required both of our brains and a secret knock.

CAPYBARA

The word capybara means “rat as big as pig”

Origin: Central & South America
Height: Up to 2 feet tall
Length: Up to 4 1/2 feet
Weighting up to 145 lbs the capy eats only veggies and, if offered, has a weakness for melon.

Capybaras are quite swift on their feet and will also have no problem swimming if they happen to fall into your pool. To take that image a bit further, if once in your pool, the capybara needs to take a capynap, it is able. For they have the ability to sleep in the water by keeping their nose above the waterline. Thus answering the “do capybaras float” question. The capybara’s lifespan is about 10 years in the wild and, like me, if they are threatened they would much rather dive in the water and hide rather then scuffle. Unfortunately for them (not me) one of their many natural predators is the anaconda.

If you have always had the desire to buy your kids an illustrated book on capybaras please don’t fret. “Capyboppy” by Bill Peet just happened to be my favorite childhood book and can be purchased by clicking on the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0613100263/sr=82/qid
=1140085456/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-0398662-3858240?%5Fencoding=UTF8

The shakes

2006-02-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

Just a couple nights ago, as we were sitting in bed watching back to back episodes of 24, we lived through our first Japanese earthquake. We heard today that it ranked 4.7 on the American scale. Basically it wasn't enough to scare us into running for the door frame, but we did look at eachother with big grins on our faces. It was kind of exciting!

Oscar

2006-01-22T22:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning we woke up to the sound of children squeeling. It's a sound we're pretty used to by now seeing as the kids next door are very enthusiastic, to say the least. Andy got up, went to the window, and came back to report that it was snowing! Our first snow in Japan... We immediately bundled up and went for a drive over to the base. Our agenda was to make some calls and take a picture of our little car. There were a couple requests for a visual record of our little green monster, Oscar. The snow didn't last very long but even today as we drove across base there were a few snowmen hanging out in front yards fighting against the sun.

Shout out

2006-01-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

Problem solved......Thanks Grahams!

Rainy day update

2006-01-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

Hello hello,

It is a day full of clouds and periodic drips. Ah, Japan is a grab bag of quirks, and as it is with any new adventure, knees get skinned. We are doing pretty well. I have been here a little over a month, Maggs a bit under, and taking strides to make our icebox of a house homey. It is funny; we can get a cell phone that will double as a shaver, but still wake up in a fog of our own making. It seems that this island full of little people fail to value the need for insulation. Yesterday morning I checked our indoor thermometer and was taunted with a 38-degree greeting. Not the end of the world, but it does make it that much more difficult to get out of bed in the morning. We are taking Japanese classes once a week, and are also learning how to cook without an oven. We have a wok and a stovetop….we are yet to go hungry. For all of you who have lived on a base, or grew up in a military household, you know the perks of base life. The creature comforts of stateside life are all available at the commissary and usually at a fraction of the cost. We have a gym to work out in with an Olympic sized pool (oddly enough on the second floor), and a full weight room/machine room where you can sweat under watchful eyes coming out of your own flat screen. If woodworking is your thing we can use the base's tool room full of the newest line of Home Depot's finest. Maggie has already gone in with plans of furnishing our place with shelves and bookcases of her making. So when all of you come over for a visit, you will surely be wowed by her creations.
As for work, my diving career began in fifth gear. I pretty much climbed right off of the tarmac and onto our dive barge. We worked right through Christmas, diving mostly on battle ships. I have been in the water twice. Distilled down, I am an underwater janitor. You can check the PLU records, but I would say with an archer’s accuracy, that I am the first one to use my History degree in this way. The Navy contracts us to clean the props, routers and running gear. Occasionally we run what I call an underwater Zamboni over the hull to get rid of hard-shelled sea critters. But the Zamboni is not put in the water all that frequently due to the fact that it is a pain to move it around. The ships go into dry dock for all of their big maintenances. Because of this, it is important that the running gear is sparkly clean when these giants come out for all eyes to see. Our cleaning has practical purposes too. Clean running gear makes the ships that much more stealth-like for when they are out at sea. Truth be told, it is pretty awesome being under an 1100 foot boat. The Kitty Hawk has four 27-foot props with edges that you would not want to cuddle up to. Yes, the water is chilly, and no, the visibility is not so good. But I like the challenge, and it allows us to live abroad for a year or two.
Unfortunately though, our diving has gone from fifth to first. And yes, that’s been as jarring as it sounds. We were given 10 days off for working on Christmas. I would have been happy with the steak lunch that we barbequed in-between our morning and afternoon Christmas dive, but the vacation was nice too. Now we are working half days and waiting for the next ship to come into port. I am sure that a year from now I will welcome the short days. But now I am itching to keep busy.
All right, my fingers getting as tired as your eyes, so I will leave the rest for another blog blurb. I hope all of you are doing well…know you are missed. Do us a favor and turn up the heat in your homes a degree or two for us. Right now we are opening the fridge in order to warm our hands.

A hard day's work

2006-01-14T04:40:00.000-08:00

Andy's dive barge moored along side the C-ville. If you look closely you will see him on the gunnel (above the #7).

2006-01-14T04:35:00.000-08:00

The U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. Home to Andy's Christmas day first dive. If you look closely you can see his bubbles.

Gardening Imperial Style

2006-01-14T03:43:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? The palace has its own team of bonsai tree trimmers.

Home sweet home

2006-01-14T03:25:00.000-08:00

Photo of our modest new digs. It is a large one bedroom.

2 weeks and 6 days

2006-01-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

It's been a pretty amazing start for our new adventure. We enjoyed a fantastic Japanese dinner on Christmas Eve at a restaurant where everything on the menu was written in characters instead of letters or pictures. Luckily we had gone with friends who know the language. Then on Christmas we invited one of the divers over to our apartment for holiday paninis and a game of scrabble. Andy had even got his first dive in as part of this team. AND it was on the Kitty Hawk which is one of the largest ships in the world. We got to enjoy a Japanese New Year and see the 20 year olds all dressed up for Come of Age day. For the New Year everyone has three days to go to temple, toss their lucky goyen (5 yen coin) into a box, ring the bell, and make a wish. Your three days begin at midnight on New Year's Eve and often there is a long line at the temple to make wishes at soon as the clock hits the new year. For Come of Age day anyone turning 20 years old in 2006 dresses up in traditional kimono and goes to the temple for a blessing and celebration. They tended to continue wearing their kimono for the rest of the day so you saw people all dressed up wherever you went. We've gone for sushi and have enjoyed sumo on tv. We've been off to visit Tokyo and see the amazing way people cross the street at intersections. The people watching is fabulous over here. So many of the young men look like they are straight out of an animae cartoon with their stylish clothes and funky hair. The other day we saw a guy that could have been David Bowie's Japanese twin! Another funny thing we've noticed is that the houses here aren't insulated. Everyone heats their home with a kerosene heater and/or has one of these great little tables with a built in heater underneath. They also make these table covers that help hold the heat in and keep the people sitting at the table warm. I'm sure we'll find a few other funny little things soon...