christmas lights

I was told to post a blog and some pics :)

Street lights from the 15th floor of the Marriott

Nagoya Station, notice the trees at the bottom
These are the trees under the castle in the pic above

Date Night :)

First of all, I must thank my darling husband for fixing my blog so that comments can be left again, and for a wonderful day - just the two of us :)

Sam and I had "date day/night!" Our friends, Tom, Hami, and their daughters, Emily and Sara entertained the girls for us today. They baked cookies with them, played games, ate popcorn and watched movies, and read stories at bedtime. The girls had a wonderful time!

Sam and I rode the subway to Sakae. We shopped at some of our favorite stores and then went to eat at The Outback. We had a beer (remember we rode the subway) and sat and talked and enjoyed some wonderful food! We went to a few more stores and then headed for Nagoya Station. Sakae had beautiful Christmas lights, but Nagoya Station was amazing. I will try and get pictures posted tomorrow. Imagine that - we actually had a chance to stop and smell the roses AND take a few pictures :) We then went back to Sakae and went to the Hardrock Cafe and split a pitcher of Kirin Ichiban- yum! We made it home about 8:30, and Sophie had already crashed :) It didn't take long for Gracie and Izzy to nod off either. We talked to Tom, Hami, Emily, and Sara until 11:00! We had a wonderful day thanks to some wonderful friends!

Happy New Year!
~Michelle

P.S. I have our Christmas picture cards, but need to get them mailed. As Sam said, they may be Merry Christmas/Happy Easter cards :)

Christmas Eve

I don't know what I've done to the "comments" button. I've tried to go in and "fix" it, but now I seem to have made it even worse. I'll work on it over the Christmas break because I love reading your comments.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and the girls are excited! Our friends, Kim and Wayne, came over today. Kim helped me cook and bake. We made pecan pie, pumpkin pie, fudge, candy strawberries, date-nut bread, spinach dip, 7-layer dip, cranberry relish, and broccoli, rice, and cheese casserole. She is going to heat the ham and bring some desserts, deviled eggs, and more things for dinner. Kim was a huge help - things went twice as fast, AND she kept the dirty dishes done for me - so sweet! I made the cookie doughs several days ago, so I just need to bake them and wah-lah! I'm going to cook a turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and macaroni and cheese tomorrow. We will have 14-20 people joining us for Christmas Eve dinner - we're so excited! I appreciate Kim's help and enjoyed "big girl" time.

Wayne went with Sam and the girls to play. They came home with some really cool things! I will post a picture of the plaques the girls made today.

I'll be thinking of you all! We miss and love our American families and friends and adore and appreciate our friends in Japan!

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday, Jesus!
~Michelle

Christmas in Japan

I'm so looking forward to Christmas! We will be having neighbors and friends join us on Christmas Eve. My friend, Kim, will be coming over tomorrow to help me cook and bake. It's nice to have "girly" time.

Sam and Kim's husband, Wayne, are going to take the girls to play, while we cook and bake.

The girls are excited (ok, totally out of control) about Santa coming. They DO know that Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

I know some of our family and friends have been worried about us. I can honestly tell you that Sam and I are loving this opportunity! We are so blessed to be given this opportunity. We are going to miss the people here so much! I can honestly tell you that I feel "at home" now. However, it is very difficult being away from family and friends as they are enduring extreme hardships. Please know we pray for you daily.

My new love- I love onigiri, which is a triangular-shaped rice cake. It is covered in dry seaweed and has a filling - I love the salmon!

We love you and will be sending Christmas cards - late as usual. I'm totally playing the triplet "card" at this point.

Merry Christmas!
~Michelle

Playgroup

We had playgroup today. There weren't a lot of moms/kids there, but we had fun. I was "in charge" of something since joining the group - woo hoo! I brought reindeer cookies (I had so much fun making them) and animal crackers, apples, and mikan. Mikan is a Japanese tangerine. They are in season right now, and I haven't seen a kid, or HUSBAND, that didn't like them. Sam actually bought Izzy and me a Mikan tree!

We had a new potential member come today. She is Japanese married to a Nigerian. How cool is that! I love being able to experience such diversity!!! Her baby is absolutely beautiful :)

After playgroup, we went to the park. It's nice because our children play, and we get to visit with other moms. There were only three moms today, but our kids played so nicely together, and I had a great time visiting! Adult conversation....who would've thought?!

Missing friends and family in America, and rejoicing at new friendships God has sent!
~Michelle

Our Christmas Party

We had our Chayagasaka Playgroup Christmas Party today. Wow! What a wonderful time we had. Our friend, Mike, helped us out a "ho! ho! ho!" lot (wink, wink)! He helped to make the kids' day so wonderful and magical. I just couldn't explain to him, but wanted him to know what a wonderful thing he did for a group of very sweet children. We truly got to witness the Christmas Spirit through the expressions on our children's and Santa's face. The girls have been talking about it all day. Not only did Santa take time to spend with OUR children, but he stopped for every other child and teenager he met coming and going to our party (there was no where to park the sleigh, so he had to park it a few blocks away and walk). If the children were Japanese, he spoke Japanese to them! Their little faces were priceless - there weren't as many smiles as there were, "I can't believe Santa is talking to me" looks. What a gift God sent when he sent our Santa! So, again, I have to say a very heartfelt thank you to Mike (and Lana for helping with the wardrobe) for getting Santa to visit today and helping to bring the Spirit of Christmas to our children and ourselves. You have given the most precious gift of all!

Sam got to meet all of the cutie-patooties I talk about every week. He sees now why I love the playgroup so much. The girls and I get to know and learn about people from all over the world. The moms and their children are all so incredibly sweet! We got to meet a lot of the dads today, too, which was so nice. Not a day goes by that we don't talk about what an amazing experience and opportunity that God has provided for our family.

Tonight, we are feeling and appreciating all the blessings God has given our family. We have health, a loving family, and wonderful friends! We are truly blessed!!!

Love and Hugs!
~Michelle

So proud of our girls!

Sophie came running into the kitchen while ago and said, "Mommy, you know what 4+4 is?!" I said, "What Sophie?" She tells me 8! I asked her how she learned that, and she said, "I studied and then I counted it." We haven't sat down and formally worked on addition. I've just introduced it in play or situations where it came up. I "tested" her a few more times, and I was amazed that she does not count on her fingers - she looks up with her eyes and visualizes it. She even did 6+7! She got 12 the first time, but when I told her to recount, she came up with 13. She is one of those blessed people, who can look at or hear something and commit it to memory. If you knew, or remember, how sick our Sophie Bear was when she was born, you would understand how wonderful these moments are for me. We were so thankful to God to simply have her, but to have this wonderful brain, too.....we are so incredibly blessed.

Gracie's talent.....well....she can cross her eyes (makes my chest swell with pride). She loves right now to cross her eyes to make you laugh. I have tried to break her of it with the old "motherism," your eyes will stick that way, but tonight she did it for her daddy, who burst out laughing. So, we are back to square one. Sam was also teaching her how to stand on her head last night. She can make it to balancing her knees on her elbows - pretty impressive! HOWEVER, Sophie was also attempting it. The girl may be smart, but coordination is not at the top of her repertoire. I suspect that in the near future you will be reading about our first trip to the Japanese emergency room.

Gracie and Sophie are very into Barbies and Princesses right now - very girly. The other day Gracie had a prince driving Barbie and her cat around the house. I, looking for trouble, asked Gracie why the prince was driving and not Barbie. She never looked up, but said, "Because Daddy always drives (with a tone of voice like, Duh, Mom)."

And Izzy....Izzy, Izzy, Izzy. As we're discussing Gracie's eye-crossing talent, Izzy pushes her nose up with her finger, and says, "I can see my nose!" Again, a very proud moment. Seriously, she was depressed for about a week, but is doing great now. She is such a funny girl. She loves anything related to nature or science, and the Shinkansen train. For Christmas, she asked Santa for a Shinkansen train, a dinosaur playset, a stuffed dinosaur, and a toaster and coffee pot - that's my well-rounded girl! I laugh that she plays Barbies too - she uses the Barbie car to drive her plastic beetles and dinosaurs around in.

Our dear friend, Ms. Sue, kept the girls for me so I could get some shopping done (and have lunch with my hubby). While sitting and snuggling Izzy on the couch, I told her, "We need to put up our stockings." She says, "I told Miss Sue that you sellded them." "Izzy, you told Miss Sue I SOLD them!" "No, I telled her you sellded them." Big Sigh!!! So, Miss Sue if you're reading, I did not sell my girls' stockings in Garage Sell-Palooza 2007! Again, big sigh :)

I have discovered the origins of stone-washed jeans and the source or all those "embarrassing" kid stories floating around the internet - 4 YEAR-OLDS!

We had Japanese lessons last night. I just love what we're learning, but I told Sam today that I know just enough Japanese to get myself into a heap of trouble. The phrases that you use to let them know you DON'T understand Japanese, apparently have the opposite effect. I need to ask our sensei, Keiko-san, how to say, "I'm an idiot, and you should not try to communicate with me." Sam and I are just loving this whole experience. We're looking forward to Christmas!!!

Love and Hugs!
~Michelle

Our trip to Asuke

This weekend we went to Asuke. I googled some information about it:

Asuke is a town of just over 10,000 residents in northeastern Aichi. In the Edo period (1603-1867) in particular, it thrived as a post town on the chumakaido highway, which was the route to transport the salt produced along the shores of Mikawa Bay in the 19th century. The town still has many old houses. In fact, most of the historic wooden buildings still standing are kept in good repair by the townspeople themselves, and almost all remain in use as homes, shops, or showplaces.

The Korankei Gorge, home to about 4,000 maple trees, is one of Aichi's best-known spots for viewing the brilliant colors of autumn. The gorge is illuminated at night during the foliage-viewing season when over 4000 trees beautifully change color.

We also visited Sanshu Asuke Yashiki. This is an old farmhouse from the early Meiji Era, reconstructed in 1980. Inside, aspects of farmhouse life and manual work are reenacted, including straw crafts, weaving and paper making, which were common features in every Japanese mountain village until the mid-'50s. We actually got to watch some weavers, paper umbrella makers, woodworkers, basketmakers, a lady making/using indigo dye, and a couple of ladies going through the processes of paper making. The highlight for the girls was a man with a trained monkey that wore a purple kimono. I'm pretty sure he was a snow monkey.

We will post pictures on our image event site (link above, to the left), but as Sam said, they just don't do it justice. The river is pristine with huge boulders, as well as rocks that fit the hands of 4 year-old rock-throwers. There were huge redwood-looking trees. The food, as typical for Japan, was very interesting. I had some rice stuck to a stick, which is then slathered with a BBQ sauce. I also had buckwheat soba noodles. The girls had pineapple on a stick and sausage on a stick. Sam tried a large glutenous ball covered in sesame seeds. I'll have to find out what they're called. We saw a lot of foods that looked really good, as well as some octopus and fish on a stick (head, tail, and all). It was a wonderful day!

Exceptional Customer Service!

Mr. Sakabe, the president of Tomei Homes, came by today to make sure we weren't having any problems with the house. When we moved in, he brought a gorgeous plant and a gift for each girl. Today, he showed up with an adorable Christmas basket, and three, cute Santa bags for each of the girls. He gave me his business card, which has our house on the back - how cool is it that they used our house for their business cards?!! Since we moved in, several of Tomei Homes' representatives have come by, bearing gifts, to make sure we were happy with our home. It's really nice how the Japanese value their customers :)

On another exciting note, Sam and I started Japanese lessons tonight. We take them every Thursday, from 7:00-8:30. Our teacher, Keiko-san, comes very highly recommended. Sam is teasing me because I'm just giddy, but it was so nice to sit and LEARN. The girls were really great about not interrupting. I'm looking forward to taking Keiko-san to the grocery store for a lesson, or several. We also want to go to some restaurants and have her help us with the menu and ordering. Sam reminded me that next week, we can have her tell us what our alarm "voice" is saying when we activate and deactivate it :)

We were also excited to get a quick visit from our friend, Ai! She came by to give the girls their Christmas gifts - they LOVED them! We're hoping she will be able to come for Christmas Eve dinner.

I will have to post pictures of our Christmas tree. We let the girls decorate......I'm dying to "fix" it, but I have to say there is something about it that just gives me warm fuzzies :) They were so proud!

Oyasuminasai (good night)!
~Michelle

Our first Thanksgiving in Japan

On Thursday, Sam and I drove to Osaka to go to Costco. Our friend, Kim, watched the girls. The mountains were beautiful and a few even had snow on them! We saw a couple of rainbows on the way back. We had a great time just talking and shopping, without interruptions :)

All of the LMTASIC families met at Todd and Sue's house on Saturday. The guys didn't have Thursday off, so we waited until Saturday to celebrate. We had the most scrumptious pot-luck dinner. One of our friends, Debbie, "smuggled" a turkey and ham back from the States. We were all very impressed and very appreciative.

We also had a white elephant gift exchange. It was so much fun, and the girls sat there and watched the entire time. Sue had already gotten each of the girls a present, but they were very into the unwrapping and stealing of the presents. I ended up stealing a sleigh with stuffed reindeer in it. Gracie guarded it and gave anyone showing an interest in it "the look." Of course, Mr. Wayne, who is like a grandpa to them, teased her all night that he was going to take it. She finally "bribed" him with a cookie, so he wouldn't. She was quite proud of the fact that she protected my "stuff," but she has since decided the sleigh is hers.

We had the best time, and got to meet our Japanese teacher. We start lessons on Thursday!

We got "Elfed" - Check it out!

My dear friend Cindy did this for us. I actually got to SEE and TALK to her today!!! She has a webcam, so we got to see her, her fish, and precious kitty, Gracie! We will be getting one soon - I've already got Sam on it :) We could see and hear her, but she could only read my replies. It was so wonderful (and very reasonable, Honey)!

Hope you enjoy :)

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9517746799

Crows in Japan

Hopefully, this will work. It is a BBC video showing just how smart these crows are :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGPGknpq3e0

Christmas in Sakae

Sam, being the most wonderful father and husband, took the girls to the aquarium today, so I could do some shopping. Actually, I think he wanted me to clean the house, but there is just no point on the weekends. Monday, it will be shiny and clean. I was trying to decide where I wanted to go. Sam talked about meeting in Sakae on their way back from the aquarium (they took the subway). Suddenly, the light bulb went off - I could walk to the subway, without three hooligans, and go shopping in Sakae, without three little hooligans!!!! I had so much fun, and it really lifted my spirits seeing the stores decorated for Christmas. I went to the Disney store and found ornaments (not really ornaments, but I can fix that). I actually managed to find 3 My Little Ponies! I also found an advent calendar, a few more ornaments, and some tinsel for the tree at the 100 yen store. Fortunately, Sam brought some lights, because you wouldn't believe what they charge for lights here!

The stores here are set up a little different. I went to Mitsukoshi, Matsuzakaya, Skylie, and Tokyu Hands. All of them have about 10 floors, including the basement. Each floor has different departments.

There were several bands playing in the park. I sat and ate a cheeseburger from the 100 yen menu at McDonald's, and listened to the Japanese version of Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer. Sam and I are really impressed with how awesome the bands are here. I didn't see the "Dancing Elvises" today. I've got to get video of that for you all.

Sakae has their Christmas lights throughout the park, so we are planning on going back in the evening to see them. It's supposed to be really pretty.

We met up at the Tokyu to say "hi" to our friends, and then walked to the subway. The subway stop near our house is Issha Station. Typically, we catch a cab back to the house, but it was so nice outside, we decided to make the girls walk(maybe they will be tired tonight). We stopped and played at a park on the walk home. The girls, but especially Sophie, took to tree climbing today. Sam and I looked up, and Sophie was WAY higher than we wanted her to be. Sam lit the fireplace when we got home, and we are all chillin'.

Thank God, Domino's delivers! We usually order a large, spicy deluxe, and a large pepperoni and Italian sausage. After our coupon, it's 4,692 yen. Tipping is not customary, but we always tip our pizza guy about 500 yen. They are always so excited about it, which makes us feel really good, too. To make it easier on us, we think of the 4,692 yen as $46.92, and 500 yen as $5.00. So the 99 and 100 yen stores are like America's 99 cent and 1.00 stores.

Sam and the girls got to meet "Cody" from Surf's Up at the aquarium! They were really excited about it. I'll post the picture. Surf's Up is the last picture we saw before coming to Japan, and it will be showing in theatres here on Dec. 15th. Sam said they were asking questions, which of course were in Japanese, but Sophie still kept raising her hand :) We were talking about how we would love to be a fly on the wall the first day of kindergarten!! We're also taking bets on whether the girls' teacher will come back after the first day. They really are good girls - just a little overwhelming at times.

Love you all!
~Michelle

Email

Just a quick note - I'm sending emails, but people aren't getting them most of the time. Sam changed my yahoo page, so we're hoping that will fix it. So, please don't think I'm not responding. I probably did, but it didn't go through :(

Recycling in Japan

Tuesdays are "Recycling Day." So, Monday night I have to sort, what I haven't sorted already, our trash into the proper bags. Here's how it all works:

Bag with red "lettering" is for burnables. Burnables are put out twice a week (T & F). These do not go where I put all the recyclables. They go out in front of the house. Then I cover them with a blue net so that the monsterous crows do not come pick the bags apart! Obviously, they are looking for food scraps. Why are there so many food scraps? Because there aren't garbage disposers! The sinks have little strainers that you have to clean out and put in your trash. We were actually "warned" about the crows. At the time, we laughed.....we're not laughing anymore.

Bag with blue lettering is for plastics, BUT you put plastic "pet" bottles in a separate bag from other misc. plastics. They also have to be cleaned before you put them in the bags.

Bag with blue lettering is also for cleaned food and drink cans and other misc. aluminum, but not to be mixed in with either of the plastics bags.

Bag with blue lettering is also for cleaned food cartons and other recyclable-type papers. Again, not to be mixed in with either of the plastics or aluminum bags. I rinse out milk and juice cartons before I break them down to put in the bin.

Bag with green lettering is for anything that isn't burnable and doesn't fit into one of the other recyclable bags. But, it has to be smaller than 30x30x30 cm. Anything larger than that has to be called in for pick-up.

Bag with green lettering is also for spray cans. But before putting in the bag, you are required to poke a hole in the side of the can. The 100 yen stores actually sell tools designed just for this purpose. These are not to be mixed in with the other green bag of misc.

Glass bottles and jars do not go in a bag. They get put into a large, blue, community bin located where I take all the bags to.

So, I have to take 4-6 bags (don't usually take the "green" bags) and our bottles to the community recycling area, which is pretty close. It sounds, and actually is, pretty complicated, but I'm getting the hang of it. The girls are doing great knowing whether to put their trash in the trash can under the sink or in the "plastic" bin. I'll post pictures of the bins and other stuff. It will be pretty easy to bait the crows ;)

~Michelle

Gracie the hoarder...

Twice now, when I've gone to clean the girls' room, I've found food stashed in Gracie's nightstand- fritos and cheerios, to be exact. We had the talk about what to do in the event of an earthquake, so maybe she's just covering her bases. I swear that child eats constantly! All I hear from all three of them is, "I'm hungry." What I would give for their metabolisms.... And, again, Sam and I are very afraid about what the teenage years will bring if they can already eat this much food!

~Michelle

Mommy, when are we going back to Planet Earth?

That's one of the questions we are asked most often. We have tried explaining that Japan IS on Planet Earth, just on the other side. Some how, we are failing to get this concept through to them. I know we've told most of you about the girls freaking out over being "aliens," so maybe that's why they're convinced we are no longer living on Planet Earth.

Sophie told me the other day that she really misses Sonic (not that I took her all that often - OK, I'm lying). Gracie is looking forward to eating at Pancho's. And Izzy is looking forward to Chuck E. Cheese's. Sam is ready to wakeboard, and I'm looking forward to a whole day at Target going up and down every single aisle!!! OF COURSE, we are also excited about seeing our friends and families :)

We had "Izzy Day" last Sunday. She has been dying to go to the aquarium (AGAIN). Sam was going to take her by herself for some special "daddy time." Sam asked her if she wanted just the two of them to go, or if she wanted to take her sisters, too. Precious girl wanted to take her sisters! So, we set off for the aquarium, after the usual crying over hair, socks, jeans, shoes, and the oh so difficult negotiations of how many "babies" Mom will let us take in the car. (Sam and I are really starting to become very afraid of what the teenage years will have in store for us.) As usual, the port, where the aquarium is, was swamped with cars, so we had to come up with a new plan. We ended up going to Chilis and Garlic, the Korean BBQ place we all love - of course, it was Izzy's choice! Then we went to the Expo Park and played, again as requested by Izzy. Izzy was quite full of herself by the end of the day! Of course, now Sophie and Gracie are planning their big days :)

Love and Hugs!
Miss you all!
~Michelle

A Blessed Day!

It's been a rough week...it seems Satan has really been stirring the pot lately. I hate that I'm not home to comfort my family and friends through the tough times they are facing. I miss my family and friends, and the girls have talked a lot about missing everyone and just the normal homesickness that is to be expected. Hopefully, we will get to come home to visit in the spring/summer!

No news on Malorrie yet, but I pray that she and her family get the news they've been waiting for - it's time for some good news!



Today I decided that the girls and I were just going to have some fun -darn it! We went to the zoo and had a picnic, fed the goats, held the guinea pigs, threw leaves, and just enjoyed being young :) God sent lots of little joys our way! Izzy had a little admirer. He was totally smitten with her. She was so sweet and tolerant - LOL :) I was also taking a picture of the girls with the "sky tower" in the background, and this little girl kept easing into the picture. I finally turned around to find her momma to make sure it was OK to take her picture, and her momma was there ready to snap away also. Again, there were lots of great "momma" moments today.

We are keeping you all in our prayers! If there is ever a specific request, let us know - I have three other (little) mighty prayer warriors helping me out :)

God bless you all!
~Michelle

Our first Halloween in Japan...

has been incredible! We had a party with our playgroup on Wednesday. The girls had a great time, and the other moms planned some great games, songs, stories, and fun! On Saturday, we went trick-or-treating. The girls are at the perfect age for it. They had the best time! It had rained all day, but about an hour before we were supposed to go, it cleared and was a beautiful night. God is so good! The girls weren't hysterical about the "scary" dressed boys, but Sophie decided it in her best interest to make friends with them - just to be on the safe side. She would wave her hand (in a rather intimidated manner) and say, "hi" (in a rather quiet manner). I guess she figured if she were nice to them then they wouldn't GET her.

We are all missing home, but adjusting well to life here. The girls are really starting to miss family, especially their grannies and pa-pas. They honestly talk about all of you. I'm amazed at what all they remember.

Sam took the girls to Baskin Robbins last weekend. Gracie was excited to have mint ice cream, but Izzy totally cracked me up. She was telling me about her ice cream and that it was rainbow colored and had Romans on top! What???? It had Romans on top. I thought for a minute and then asked her, "it had almonds on top?" She says, "Yes!"

Please pray for Malorrie. She has a big day coming up. Please pray that she is in remission, and that God continues to cure her.

We miss you all so much!
~Michelle

My new passion - it's a food of course!

CURRY! Sam took me to CoCo Curry a few weeks ago. I had been hesitant, very hesitant, about trying it. I had an Indian food encounter years ago, and I had been hesitant to ever try it again - shame on me. It is pretty, to extremely spicy, and one of the base ingredients is coriander. I love cilantro, so it makes sense to me that I would love curry. It is very popular here in Japan. I actually made some with boneless pork tonight, and Sam and I were pleasantly surprised. I need to modify a few things, but it turned out pretty good. I love Japan's rice because I have always preferred "sticky" rice. So, the pork curry with sticky rice was pretty yummy.

I've got a list of things I want to tell you all about, and I'm so behind, so I'll post a little here and there.

Well, it's bedtime, for the girls too :) Anyway, I'll write more later. Izzy literally has her leg on me wanting me to look at a "boo boo." Now, she's counting them....

Well...apparently that worked

All of my prompts are showing up in "Nihongo," which is Japanese. Nihon is Japan in Japanese. My favorite phrase is, "Wakarimasen Nihongo," or "I don't understand Japanese. I've made it this far, but it is bedtime. I will really work on adding our adventures. It's been pretty boring, yet busy. Getting a home setup with three, four year-olds, in a foreign country- priceless. Honestly, things are going great, and there is so much to tell....

Giving this a shot

This is a test to see if I'm clicking on the correct tab, which is written in Nihongo.

Still not in the house.....

Hey Everyone,

We had a great, busy weekend! We went to see Wayne and Debbie on Saturday. They are both incredibly sweet, and adored by the girls. We also went to pick out our TV and vacumn. Then we went to the Korean BBQ (Chilis and Garlic).

Sunday, we went to FuKui (foo-koo-ee). It is on the west side of the island, which all the Japanese told us is much nicer than the east side. It was really pretty! We got to drive through some beautiful mountains on the way, and the beach is actually surrounded by lush, green mountains. The majority of the mountains are covered in beautiful pine trees. It was a fun day, and the girls got to swim in the ocean. They got in too deep a couple of times because they have no fear - LOL. Sam and I had to stay right beside them, which just thrilled Gracie who is 4-going-on-14. The highlight was the girls getting to catch some beautiful minnows. They were about the size of a fishing minnow, and they would swim into the shallow water to escape the "larger" things chasing them. They would just look at the girls and kill over :) They were not very resilient, but very pretty, with a blue-green stripe on their back. Sam wanted me to add the kamikaze motorcyclists. We were on the expressway, so we, and the other cars were going about 110 km/hr. These guys would pass everyone on the shoulder or just go between us and the car beside us. We're used to them doing it in the city, but everyone is going pretty slow. There were a few that went between us and a bus - way too trusting of us crazy, American drivers.

We topped off the day at a Brazilian Churrascaria. They had a scrumptious buffet, and the meat was wonderful! They also had a live band, and the girls danced with Gi-Gi, who is an older Brazilian man. I'm not sure if he is the owner, or just the churrascaria cook :) Another girl came by and danced with them for a few minutes, as well. Sam classified it as the "Perfect Day!"

Monday, the girls and I went to the Robot Museum. The girls had been dying to go. The girls were a little young for most of the activities, but enjoyed looking around.

Monday's dining experience was not quite so "smokin'." We went to Uno's, which is a Mexican restaurant. The girls ordered Cheddar Chicken, which was like a chicken flauta, EXCEPT they put COLD nacho cheese sauce and ketchup on it. Even my tacos had mayonnaise and ketchup on them. Now, the chips and salsa were actually pretty good, but the girls ate them all :(

Tuesday, Diana came and picked up the girls and me. She showed me the Daiei (die-ay) by our house. It has an awesome 100 yen store! Sophie LOVES Marie from the Aristocats, and we have found everything you could possibly imagine, MARIE! She took us to a park, and we took a small nature hike. She also cooked fajitas, spanish rice, refried beans, and guacamole for us - Yummmmm! It was a wonderful evening spent with new friends.

Today, the girls and I walked the area. Eri-san showed us where a 100 yen store was by us(on the 7th floor), and I also went to the book store which has one floor with "foreign books." The girls got a couple of new books. They are able to really stick with a story now, and enjoy reading time. Diana also showed me some Japanese "ABC" books, which will be good for me and the girls. Diana actually can read some Japanese, so I'm looking even more forward to having the tutor teach me to speak AND read the language.

We met Sam back at the hotel at 2:00 today, so we could go get our alien registration cards. Fortunately, we have a wonderful lady who fills out all our registration stuff. The funny part is: Sophie has been obsessing about E.T. lately(we don't own the movie - she's just obsessing). The past few nights, we've had to remind Sophie that E.T. was a nice "Alien." And, E.T. is just pretend, and Jesus lives in our heart, so we don't need to be afraid. It works, Thank You, God! Anyway, today, I was telling the girls that we are going to get our alien registration cards...Doh!....

Gracie: "What you say 'bout aliens?!"

Me: "Uhhhh, we are considered aliens in Japan because we're not from here."

Can you picture what they are picturing???

Gracie: "I DON'T WANT TO BE AN ALIEN!!!" (enter tears and hysterics).

Sam and I begin back-peddling at this point, and finally tell Gracie she doesn't have to be an "alien" if she doesn't want to be one. After the not-so-painful procedure of becoming "Official Aliens," I try to explain it to the girls again. This time I explained that they didn't have to be from outer space to be an alien (I gave them the definition). They were fine with THAT. So, now, we are proud "Aliens" of Japan! The only questions they had registering us were the girls' birthdate being the same, and me being born in Japan. They totally got when we told them "Tachikawa" (where I was born).

I'll proof-read this tomorrow, and try to make corrections, but this alien is tired :)

Love, Hugs, and Prayers for all of you, our family and friends.

HOPEFULLY, the next time I "blog" it will be to tell you we're getting in the house :)

~Michelle

Another typhoon, and a big day at the port...

http://www.imageevent.com/tri_pod

We went to the port today to experience some of the other things it has to offer. We toured the Antarctica Explorer ship, the Fuji. It was really interesting, and I kept thinking how our dads and nephews would have loved it. They had some taxidermied penguins and some mannequins to show what certain rooms and areas were for. I have to add that because the girls, Izzy especially, kept asking if the people used to be real, too. I'm trying to keep from laughing, as she still isn't buying the concept of the people being made of plastic, and asks me if the people are "stuffed." They really don't want to stay on the ship - I think mainly because of the "stuffed" people - LOL :) They loved the navigation room and "drove" that ship all over the place. They also made a few important phone calls (pics on imageevent) :)


You will notice in the pictures that their hair was all over the place. Typhoon Usagi is not going to directly impact us, but because Japan is so small, and it's a pretty powerful typhoon, we are going to get some wind and rain from it. We are planning on seeing Ratatouille tomorrow since it is supposed to be windy and stormy. Ai was helping me find out the times for it, and wanted to go with us. She dropped by the room tonight to bring the girls some MORE candy :) Everyone here is spoiling my girls rotten!! Last night I took them to the liquor store with me, and the guys working there gave them each a cute little yellow apron. It had "Smirnoff Ice" on it, but hey, they can't read yet, and they had a great time playing "store" before bedtime.


We went to the People's Park and Italio Villagio, which is a replica of Italy (also in the port). They actually have little canals and gondolas throughout. It's funny because most of the people working in "Little Italy" were Japanese :) They do have an opera, which appeared to have caucasian-type performers. Sam and I have learned to not stereotype people as "American." We now say "Western" or "Caucasian."

The girls loved the petting zoo! They had the usual goats, pigs, rabbits, more guinea pigs, and DOGS. The girls miss Bandit so much, so they loved getting to pet and love on all these different breeds of dogs. Of course, me being the animal lover, I was a little concerned about the welfare of these puppies, until I saw them chowing down on ice cubes. They seemed very fat and happy. There are some strays here, but for the most part, it is very expensive, from what I've been told, to try and buy an animal like a dog or cat. There was one shop I saw selling Venecian glass - very pretty! I may have to go back. There was also a Ferrari store, selling lots of racing stuff - again, I thought of my nephews!


We also visited the Observatory. I teased the girls about being able to see Granny and Pa Pa's house from there :) It was a spectacular view of everything, and we could even see "Ku" performing at the aquarium. Ku is Japan's Shamu :)


Sounds like a big day, huh?? Well, Gracie is actually asleep and it's ONLY 9:30! We topped off the day at The Hard Rock Cafe. Two girls (20-something) wanted their picture with the girls. The girls are so good about being "celebrities" and went over to the big stuffed bear and posed for SEVERAL pictures. They are even getting good about flashing the "peace sign," which is big in Japan. Most of the younger Japanese make the peace sign when getting their picture taken. Anyway, when the girls brought our girls back, I told them "Mitsugo," which means triplets (no, I'm not at all proud). They thanked us over and over - so sweet, but Sam and I were thankful for 2 minutes of peace :) I just laughed and asked Sam if he could imagine the "attention" that our adorable nephews and nieces would get?!?

I guess that's about it. We just have to add that we are so thankful to God for so many miraculous prayers answered: Malorrie feeling well enough to go out and live-it-up with friends, Lorrie and the "guys" doing better, Phil, Kristy, and the boys getting to be together again and free of house woes, and my parents, Chris, and the kids gaining some peace. I hope you join me in thanking God for all his blessings, guidance, and wisdom. We are truly thankful and blessed!

Shall I leave you with a laugh (I told a few of you already)?.....We were coming back from breakfast yesterday, and I told the girls they needed to go in and pick up their room before the cleaning staff showed up. I got the usual, "Why do we have to do all the hard work (their new saying)?!? I replied with my scripted, "Who goes to work and misses spending time with you EVERY DAY, so that you have food, toys, (and don't have to walk three miles in the snow without shoes)!?! Of course, I get the remorseful, "DADDY." And then I ask, "And WHO cooks for you, does the dishes, your laundry, and cleans up after you?" They pause, and reply, "THEY do." "They" being the wonderful hotel staff - LOL :) It's time to get into a house so my children appreciate me again :)

Love and Hugs to you all!
~Michelle

No tipping, full-service gasoline, And a good eating experience!

I keep forgetting to tell you all that little tidbit. It is not customary to tip in Japan, so there is never a need to tip at dinner, meals, or other places you might ordinarily. The service is still incredible, though. Also, most gas stations are full-service. They fill 'er up, clean the windows, and you never have to leave your car! There are a few self-serve places we've seen, but they were the same price or MORE than the full-service places. Of course, the problem lies in communicating what you need to the attendant, but Sam has it down, and I should be able to get the phrases pretty easily.

We ate at a wonderful place on Sunday! We call it "Chili's and Garlic," but that's just because the sign on the restaurant has two red chilis and a clove of garlic - it's got to be good, right? We looked at the outside menu, and it showed all these different cuts of RED MEAT - another good sign. We went in, and there were rows and rows of lockers. Huh? Ohhhhh, to put your shoes in! So we put our shoes in a locker and pulled out the piece of wood that serves as a lock and number reminder. They then showed us to our "table." Sam and I were concerned we were going to have to sit on the floor, but the tables were actually sunken, so we stepped on our seats, and sat down. In the middle of the table is a small grill. We ordered a plate of miscellaneous meats and grilled them ourselves. There was garlic, and several other sauces to flavor with. It was scrumptious, AND none of the girls got burned!

Yesterday, Ai, one of the girls who works at the Tokyu met us at the hotel and went to the aquarium with us. She called ahead to make arrangements for us. When we got there, two men greeted us at the entrance with some little souvenirs for the girls. They told us to meet at the penguin encounter at 1:00 to meet the penguins. When we arrived, they brought the girls another bag of souvenirs. We weren't able to see the penguins up close and personal, but they let Gracie ask the keeper a question. She was soooo cute, and I was so proud of her. As we were leaving, we met a group of men and told them thank you, and they gave us another bag of souvenirs. I'm not sure who Ai told them we were, but the girls really got the royal treatment. It was a very special day, and we really enjoyed Ai's company!

Today, we went to Higashiyama Park for a picnic. The girls had more of the peanut butter sandwiches they like, and I had one of the sandwiches I like. We fed the HUGE crows and pigeons. The girls bought fish food, but ended up feeding the pigeons instead. We also got to hold guinea pigs (they now want one as a pet)! I'm not sure what they sedated the guinea pigs with, but they were VERY calm and docile - LOL :) I will add pictures tonight or tomorrow.

The house is ready, but all the paperwork and "stuff" is still in the works, so still no immediate sign of getting into the house. We're very ready!!

Love and Hugs to you all!
~Michelle

The Beach and Shopping

Thursday, we went to Minamichita and that area. It was about an hour drive to the tip of what I guess we'd call the penninsula. It was just a string of little fishing villages, but we found a decent beach, which is what we were looking for.

It cost us about $40 in toll fares, roundtrip. I took some pictures of the mountains on the side of the road. They use different "structures" to keep rocks from falling. It was very beautiful and lush! The beach and water we finally settled on were OK. There was a drainage pipe, with a little "creek" draining into the ocean, so we didn't swim in it. There were also what I would call Sand Fleas. They live right at the edge of the water and the sand. There were also some jellyfish. We've been told that the west side of the penninsula is much nicer - away from the port. I did see a HUGE, sea turtle washed up on the shore (I'm guessing it wasn't alive). We also found 3 small sand dollars and some pretty shells.

We ate lunch in the car at Circle K. Circle K, 7-Eleven, and Lawsons are the "big" convenience stores here :) I found the girls some peanut butter sandwiches, a can of Pringles, a ham and cucumber sandwich (cucumbers are big here, too), corndogs, some yogurt drinks, Kit-Kats, Snickers, yogurt drinks, and a Fanta Orange and Coke. I figured the sandwiches and corn dogs would be trial-and-error, but you can't lose with Pringles and chocolate -LOL :)

It's hard to find bread here that is not filled with something. I bought some fish/pigeon bread one day, and it was filled with a creme filling, SO the girls licked all the filling off and then fed it to the critters :)

Last night, we went to Todd and Sue's house for ribs, potato salad, beans, cucumbers and onions, home-grown tomotoes, cantelope, and pumpkin bread for desert. Todd smoked the ribs, and Sue fixed all the yummy other stuff - it was heavenly!!!! They also fixed hot dogs for the girls, and the girls LOVED the pumpkin bread!

Today, Sam and the girls spent the day at Todd and Sue's swimming and playing, while Sue took me to a resale shop, Nitori, and uuugghhh, I can't remember the name, but it's a clothing, grocery store-type place.

The resale store was awesome! They had a ton of misc. dishes, etc. I bought a tea set, with a cute little cast-iron tea pot. The sets are sold with 5 cups, not 6, not 4, but 5 :) I also bought a little, yellow bowl. Once we get into the house, and get furniture set up, I'll know more what I want/need to buy. I also found Izzy a cute little Stitch bag - she loves to keep all her little animals in something. She likes Stitch because he's blue :)

Then we went to Nitori. It's kind of like Ikea and Container Store combined. I bought some penguin ice trays for the girls and a cute stained-glass picture. It's three bathhouses on the beach - of course, I love anything with "3." I have to say the Japanese think of so many things that we should have thought of. They are the tops when it comes to organizational gadgets, and just gadgets in general (those who know me well, know I'm in Heaven with all the cool organizational stuff :).

Finally, we went to the grocery store, where I found 1.5 liter diet cokes - woo hoo!!! For the most part, I can find most of what I would want.

And last, but not least (in the girls' minds), the 2 Belugas at the aquarium had their babies!! We got to see them, and they are adorable. We've been watching them swim as two pregnant mommas, since we got here, and when we went yesterday, they had them each separated with their babies.

I miss you all so much!
~Michelle

Thanks, Mom for the Care Package!

We got it today! The girls loved all the treats! I don't think they're going to eat much dinner now, but as Aunt Ruth said, "Sometimes it's fun to be naughty." :)

Thanks again!!!

Sam is off this week, so we have been playing hard - having lots of fun!

I've been driving some, and we got our van today (a Toyota Wish). I think Sam is going to end up with a Rav-4, which I love ;) After about 3 weeks, we finally had to fill up the rental van. It cost $65.00. I think we are going to save a ton just in our gas budget :) I spent more than that in a week on the 'Burb, which I still do miss.

The girls and I got to see the house yesterday, and it was beautiful! We should be in soon - woohoo! We met the owners, and they fell in love with the girls, offering to babysit, and wanting me to teach their daughter English when she gets back from France - very nice people.

I have to thank my husband again for working so hard to give us this wonderful opportunity - we are having the time of our lives, but truly miss you all!

Finally, we took Gracie to the clinic yesterday. Pretty sure she has impetigo, but the doctor wasn't so sure. It went much better than we thought it would. It cost about $45 for the doctor, and $26 for some ointment and antibiotic. Those were both WITHOUT insurance!!! That amazed me :) He was a dermatologist, so I'm hoping he can get her cleared up.

Almost time for dinner! Love you all!
~Michelle

Nagoya Castle

We went back to the zoo yesterday. I will post some pics. Sam took the girls for a ride in this huge pink swan paddleboat. The girls got to feed the sea lions, and didn't blink twice about getting to hold huge, dead fish. Of course, after they fed them, they turned around and wiped their hands off on their shirts.

Today, we went to Nagoya Castle. Sam was telling me that they rebuilt it in 1945. It took me a minute to figure out why. They had pictures of the fire bombings - war is very sad. The walls of the castle are amazing. I now understand why the Japanese are so skinny - they have an obsession with stairs. I am loving it though, I'm getting quite the workout. There was also a Sumo tournament going on at the theatre next to the castle, so we got to see a lot of the wrestlers leaving. We wanted to get one of them to take a picture with the girls, but neither of us was brave enough to ask - LOL :)

Write more later!
~Michelle

We ate eel tonight!

Don't think we're brave - we didn't know it was eel until the end of the meal when they gave us their little flyer. I'm all smiles, and open it up to this pile of snake-looking creatures. I shrieked, and the man next to me laughed and said, "You eat!" I have to say that it was pretty good, and Gracie ate quite a bit, until she fell out of the chair. Poor thing busted her mouth and nose, but ate more eel. Miss Ito was so proud of us! And, we used chopsticks! I had wanted to go to this restaurant because it smelled like barbecue - such a wonderful smell. Oh well, when in Japan, eat eel :) I'll scan in the picture when I get my other computer and scanner hooked up.
~Michelle

Our first encounter with the Japanese police....

was wonderful! Long story short - OK, you all know I'm not capable of that :) Anyway we went to the zoo today, and as we were leaving, decided to ride the monorail. We paid our money, leaving just enough to get back on the subway. Weeellllll, I don't read Japanese yet, so I didn't know that the monorail only took you to the other end of the park. So, instead of walking back to the entrance, AGAIN, I thought we would exit at this end and "find" a subway. We walked and walked, and yes, the girls were griping at me the whole time. They didn't appreciate the work-out. Oh, did I mention the guy gave me directions when we left the park, but they were in Japanese (apparently I don't understand pointing as well as I thought I did). So, we came to a work place with a guard. He was even so nice as to give me a map (in Japanese), and marked on it, again, some pointing, and AGAIN, we were lost. BUT, as we are making our way back to where I think the subway is (and I think it would have taken me there), we meet the nicest policeman. He turns us around, and is personally going to escort us. Weeellll, he gets us lost, too. He keeps apologizing, and I'm telling him it is OK. The girls....are still griping, except Izzy, who seems to really like him. After at least 30 minutes of walking, he does get us back to the subway, and was the sweetest thing. I asked him if he had children, and he said no - he wasn't married yet. He told me he wanted children, looked at the girls, and said, "but just one." And they were actually being good. He spoke very little English, but did really well, and I finally had to tell him that I see the subway and that we would be OK. Such a nice guy!!!!

The zoo was fun. I was prepared for the worst, but overall, it was pretty nice. They have a lot of animals that I've never seen in the states. I felt sorry for the elephant, because she is all alone. No other elephants. Some of the cages were small and lacked decor, but some of them were really nice. I took some pictures of the animals and the food - not at all what we're used to, but the girls had ice cream cones :) We played with lots of Japanese children, and I was very proud of my girls. They had such a good time. Again, I'll post videos and pictures.

Finally, we took the subway from Higashiyama Koen to Sakae, where we "live." I got lost, again, trying to find the #12 exit. I've never missed it before - done it several times. The girls and I were exhausted by the time we made it back to the hotel, but today was another amazing adventure.

Love and Hugs to all!
~Michelle

Went to the aquarium, saw one of the PRINCESSES of Japan...

OK, I think I was way more excited about this than the staff at the hotel, and EVEN the girls. When we were leaving the aquarium, I could see that everyone had been stopped. We walked on a little closer, and this huge motorcade came through right in front of us. I was wondering if it wasn't the prime minister. Anyway, after asking someone who jokingly said, "I don't speak much English at all!" I found out it was Princess Kiko!! I did take time to tease the guy about how great his English was for someone who doesn't speak it. He and his co-worker just laughed. There were TONS of security people!

I have pictures, but Sam will have to help me upload them from the camera. Fortunately, I had a little bit of battery left to snap a picture of the Princess.

Today was very interesting...we were watching Ku (Shamu) and his dolphin buddies swimming underwater. I was taking pictures, enjoying the view......I notice this guy to the left of us, lying down (first sign something is wrong), with his hand down his pants - and he wasn't just scratching. What is WRONG with these people!!! Here I have my three, very innocent girls, who THANK GOD, are watching Ku and the dolphins within feet of some pervert!!! We quickly left, and I wished I would have said something to the many security guards, but I wasn't sure how to mime (with my luck they would have misinterpreted it as a proposition) that there was a pervert down there doing perverted things. OK, I'm over it now - PERVERT!!!

Other than the pervert (no, really I'm over it), today was a good day. We are getting so good at the subway. We also saw a huge, beautiful ship sailing in the port. Again, I have lots of pictures to post.

Two of the girls used the Japanese-style potties, and we didn't get it everywhere - woohoo! They still freak me out though -LOL :)

I guess that's it for now. We are going to the Outback again tonight. Gracie and Izzy need some red meat -LOL :) I'm kind of looking forward to a Bloomin' Onion. We love per diem!

One more thing...if you're reading this, please take a moment to pray for Malorrie - may God continue to heal her, give her strength and hope, and provide strength and hope for Lorrie, Robert, Josh, and Jordan.

Also, please pray for my baby brother, Chris. May God do what's best for Dylan, Marah, and Livvy, and help Chris and Cari keep the children's best interest at heart.

God can work miracles! I have three angels to prove it!

Love and Hugs!
~Michelle

We're not "shaken" up

Thank you all for your thoughts of concern and prayers! The earthquakes were both in Niigita, which is on the west coast, north of Tokyo. Some in Nagoya said they felt it, but I didn't feel a thing. We aren't too worried about them. It can get a little creepy thinking about them when you're on the subway, but usually I am way too busy to think about much, except keeping up with the girls.

We met another couple, Wayne and Debbie, on Sunday. They live in an apartment. It is much more traditional Japanese decor - very beautiful. So we now know Todd and Sue and Wayne and Debbie. Both couples have been so sweet and taken us under their wings. It's nice to have fellow Fort Worthians to visit with and show us the ropes.

We went to Meijo Koen (koen means park) yesterday. It was very hot, so the girls were all red-faced. That concerned everyone but me :) They got to play ball and run around a bit, which they needed badly. They had been pretty confined from the rain off the typhoon. We met a man walking a little foofy dog. It was black and white, so it reminded them of Bandit. He was so nice and gave each of them a treat to give it. The people, for the most part, are so kind. I have had some wonderful conversations, even though we don't speak much of each other's language. Corny as it is, smiles are universal. We occasionally have run-ins with some cranky elderly people, but it's actually quite amusing.

Often for lunch, we get ramen noodles and fruit from the 99 yen store. I have found diet coke a few places, and it's pretty easy to identify fruit juice and yogurt for the girls. We eat our ramen with our Hello Kitty chopsticks. The only problem is we don't always know what flavor we're getting. The girls have been great about trying new things. Sophie was eating little fish slices (looked like tiny pieces of pink bubble gum) and shrimps from the ramen. She was doing great picking them up with her chopsticks.

Mom is sending us our first care package. Bless her heart, she said it cost Daddy about $80 to ship things. We are looking forward to getting the Aquaphor for Gracie! Sam found some Japanese antibiotic ointment, and it seems to be working pretty well. I tried to ask for some and got home with some menthol smelling stuff - I still need to ask the front desk what it is - LOL :) I found some Neutrogena Hand Cream, which has an Aquaphor-type base. It's quite pricey, but is keeping the moisture in her hands and feet somewhat. I thought we were going to have to go to the doctor on Monday, but her flare-up seems to be calming down. So, thanks Mom and Dad for the goodies!!!!

Sam brought us some gorgeous lilies last night. The staff brought up two vases for me to choose from - as I said, the customer service is tops! The girls loved them, and they smell heavenly. Then he took us to a Brazilian Churrascaria. It wasn't as good as Texas De Brazil, but we all got our meat fix. The owner is Brazilian/Italian. I asked if he was married (thinking lucky woman eats good), and he said his wife lives in Milan. He was very intrigued with the girls, and we later found out that he too has a 4 year-old little girl. He showed us a picture - she was gorgeous. The waitress was Brazilian. Her parents moved here several years ago and work in the factories. She is going to school to be a pastry chef. Sam is so good about striking up conversations with everyone he meets :) All that to show you how amazing the cultural diversity is here. It just makes us feel so blessed to get to experience it, and be able to offer it to our girls. On the way out of the restaurant, a man from a group eating there, gave one of the girls a rose - so sweet.

On the way home yesterday, a group of young women stopped us on the street - I mean they weren't going to let us by :) They had their hands all over the girls wanting to know all about them. They said they didn't speak English, but they did pretty well. Japanese women, in my opinion, are some of the most stunning, beautiful women! Of course, they think Americans are :) I swear some of them could wear the girls clothes, but our friend Sue said there is a huge problem with anorexia here. They really are a tiny society though.

Hopefully, we will be in our house in 2-3 weeks. We were hoping next week, because Sam is off for the week (MHI holiday) (MHI=Mitsubishi Heavy Industries- I think). Anyway, we'll see. Our shipment should get here by mid August, but again, I'm hoping it will be sooner.

I guess that's about it. I will work posting some more pics on here or imageevent.com. I guess I need to post a link to it on here.

Love and Hugs to you all!
~Michelle

Typhoon = Toys 'R Us

It was a very rainy day, so we took the girls to TRU today. It was really nice - lots of cute toys - some you would find in America, but some I've never seen. All of the baby dolls were American looking. I didn't see any Asian dolls. That totally surprised me, but I've been told by several people here that the Japanese think blonde, blue-eyed people are the most beautiful :) Ai, one of the girls working at the Tokyu, wants to babysit the girls. She told me she loves children, especially American children. I laughed and told her that would get her in trouble :)

Toys 'R Us had these HUGE beetles, like we would have Hermit Crabs, in these little cages for sale - did I mention they were H-U-G-E!!! Of course, they also sold food, etc. for them. Of course, Izzy wants one.

After TRU, Sam drove us to Halo 2, which is an international food/misc. store. There wasn't a lot of American brands, but here is what I really noticed:

Small jar Old El Paso Picante Sauce=5.00
Small jar Ragu=5.00
Small jar of Smucker's Strawberry Jam=5.00
Square, yes SQUARE, watermelon=210.00 (I'll take a picture the next time I go).
1. Who would buy it?
2. What if you buy it, and it's not any good?
3. What will they do with it in a week? 50% off???
4. It had better be seedless for that price.

Most watermelons are going for around $9.00 right now for a small one - they are in season.

And the "Ewwww!" for the night - a packaged fish that was still breathing - very sad :(

We ate at the Hard Rock, Nagoya last night and Da Carlo's tonight. Da Carlo's honestly has the best pizza I've ever had. It is run by an Italian who speaks Japanese and Italian, but very little English. Sam also took us to a Mexican "place," which HE likes. The food was pretty good, but it made "hole-in-the-wall" look big.

I'm still amazed by the potty situation each day. Seems that there is always something new. I've been in several now that have a silver button on the floor - you just step on it to flush. Ok, why haven't all us American germ-phobes thought of this?!?

Izzy has been excited about all the cabs we've been taking. She told me a few weeks ago that she wanted to drive a cab when she grew up. So where do kids get these crazy ideas?? Anyway, you would be horrified, but they don't wear seat belts. I feel like a horrible mother, BUT it takes about 30 minutes to go 3 miles :)- honestly. When we're in the rental car, we wear them, but the cabs have these pretty, white lace seat covers, which cover the seat belts in back. The four Glenn girls can fit in the back, but there are only two seatbelts. So, of course I have my arm across the three of them the whole time.

And finally, they drive in the left side of the car, on the left side of the road. You probably knew this, BUT, did you know that their magazines open from the left side?? Just noticed this tonight :)

Of all the places to be, I'm so glad this is where God decided to put us. The Japanese are a very kind, helpful, and technologically advanced society - gadgets everywhere for everything. I'm proud to be American, but feel blessed to experience this culture. I have seen lots of Japanese wearing clothing with American flags - one guy was wearing jeans that were American flag. The Bon Jovi "look" is alive and well in Nagoya ;)

Loving it here, but missing you all.
~Michelle

Expecting our first typhoon

Typhoon (same thing as a hurricane) Man-yi should be to us sometime Sunday morning. Hopefully, by then, it will be just a catogory 1.

We've never been through a hurricane, so this should be interesting. It's kind of intimidating when you see how small Japan is on the map :)

No one here seems too worked up about it, so I'm not stressing about it.

Keep you posted....

Here's a tracking system I found, if you're interested:
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/wp200704.html

Love and Hugs!
~Michelle

Thanks Cindy!

Thanks so much Cindy for finding and setting up this blog for us! It will be nice to have a record of our adventures :) I know it was a lot of work, and we really appreciate all the time you put into it.

Love,
The Glenns

Sam's Traffic Report

No wrecks on my part, the guy that went with me to
lunch said he thought I lost a mirror at one point.
There are roads here that should NOT be 2 way!

Today's Adventure

Hi all!

We went to the movies today to see Shrek 3. I had to ask the staff at the Tokyu, and they helped me find an English showing. We took the subway (and got it right!!!) to Midway Station, which is a shopping mall. I tried to ask a Japanese couple where the theatre was, but they could not get what I was asking - charades at its best, I promise - LOL :)

I finally asked a security officer, and he walked us to the elevator and told me floor 5. It cost the girls and me about $60.00 (concessions are much cheaper here, so I guess it evens out), but it was so worth it :) (sorry, Sam)

The movie featured the original voices and sounds with Japanese subtitles. The theatre is a lot like the ones here, but the seats are a little larger and a leather-type material. When buying tickets, you have to choose a seat section and numbers like a concert-type show. We were seated in F15-18, which fortunately is on the end. Four girls+soda=lots of bathroom breaks :)

OK, here's the big kicker - caramel popcorn!!! Yes, you have the choice of salty popcorn or caramel corn, and yes, it was scrumptious!

It's the rainy season, and Okinawa was expecting a Typhoon, which means we will be getting a lot more rain. We were fortunate to be out of the subway during breaks, but got quite soaked going to the 99 yen store this morning. The bell hop just looked at me and shook his head - crazy Americans :)

Missing you all!~Michelle

Sam's Response to Girl Power! Report

Michelle is not telling the truth, she is VERY afraid
of the subway toilet :)
and I managed to make it to work and back, missed the
tollway on-ramp on the way home so it took a bit
longer.
37 minutes to go about 4 miles, it makes hulen at
christmas time look fast!

Girl Power!

....That's what the girls and I say when we've done something WE FEEL is brave.

We took the subway, without Sam, to Nagoya Port where the aquarium is. This was our second time going, first time without Sam. I can honestly say we didn't get lost once or get on the wrong train - woohoo!!! We had a wonderful time! We ate at McDonald's afterwards :) The girls are so good for me - I want to set the example for them that the world is meant to be enjoyed and experienced. If it wasn't for them, I would probably sit here in fear - LOL :) As long as I have them, our motto is, "No Fear!" (unless it's slithering or appears to be germ-infested).

The girls have gotten some attention, but today on the subway back to Sakae (our "area"), a lady wanted to take their picture, and several other people were oohing and ahhing over them. I wasn't proud at all :) They have learned some basic greetings, so that helps them enchant the crowd even more - LOL :)

The Tokyu staff is so wonderful to us, but adore the girls. A few have offered to babysit ;)

The girls are adjusting to the time change. The sun rises at 4:30ish here (no daylight savings). The last three days they have slept until 5:30. This morning Gracie was up at 5:45.

Sam drove to work for the first time today. I'm sure he will do fine.

Thanks for letting me share my experiences. Right now, this is serving as my journal. I'm working on getting a blog going (Cindy :).

BTW, we went to Outback last night for dinner. It was pretty good, not AS good, but pretty good.

Love and Hugs!~Michelle

Sam's First Report

Well they did better than I did.
I showed up to pick up the rental car without my
international drivers license, so walk to the hotel
drop off my work stuff and get my license. Go back to
car rental place and don`t have my passport. Third
time was a charm and we have a minivan. Then driving
back every time I went to turn I put on the wipers,
turn signal is on the right and the wipers are on the
left of the wheel. I clipped the basket of a parked
bicycle with my left mirror and ran over a curb.
Driving on the left is not hard at all but its very
hard for me to get used to being on the right side of
the car. I keep getting WAY too close to stuff on the
left of the car and of course all the parked cars
on the street are on the left!

Konichiwa!

Just letting you all know that triplet_ggg_mommy@yahoo.com will be my new email address. My old one works, but I don't know if that will continue.

It took us 24 hours to get from Fort Worth to our hotel, and yet, the girls were up at 5:30 this morning! We got to bed around midnight, Nagoya time. They should sleep good tonight :)

Sam had to work, so the Glenn girls went exploring. I found Diet Coke, which thrilled me :) Nagoya reminds me of New York City - very busy and bustling. I've found lots of American products already. I'm doing fine making sense of the currency here. I have to say, it was really fun just to go out exploring. The Japanese are so friendly, and LOVE the mitsugo (triplets). We've just got to get busy learning the language. I did order a "coke" at a fast-food place here. The clerk asked me if I wanted it cold or hot, and of course, I said, "COLD." Well, we ended up with cold chocolate milk, so I'll have to work on the difference :)

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers! We miss you all!!!
~Michelle