December 31st, 2018

It has been more than three months since my last entry.

I began these blogs to share about both Japan and the U.S., as we continue to travel between the two countries. 

It used to be for work too, but now it's all about family. 

I want to make a promise to you as well as to us, that I make an entry at least at the change of every season. 

Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter

Although today is the change of the year ;) 

I'd like you to know, this is not easy doing this. I aim to print out photos for our family photo albums at home too, yet here, for this blog, I wish to share photos not in our albums.

I will publish this blog as a blog-to-book 

(which is what I've made two of already from our first blog.) 

Keeping track of which photos go where has been a challenge.

Not to mention. For these years, I've been working on my memoir. If I had a publisher lined up, I don't know what I'd do, cause as it is, I'm lax about getting the memoir written. And, I spend time babysitting our granddaughter Kieahla sometimes. And though I don't mean to make our garden a priority, it is a place where plants thrive with attention, but where weeds will overtake seedlings I wish to see flourish, if I let them. Also, I do my best to make good meals for dear hubby Taka. I'm ever grateful that he has been happy to have me at home these years, doing as I am. 

Oh, and a little time to exercise (play tennis). A little more I hope for 2019, since Taka's getting lots more now as a club member! 

Sheon and David went visiting Montana. I so love my Mom and Frank got to hang out with those dear two!

This was taken by Sayoko. Ischin and Halle were ready to drive Taka and me to the airport to leave  Japan. It was back in September. 

September, Taka and I took a sudden trip to Japan. Zen had to go in for surgery on his knee. He had an ACL tear that would end up keeping him from playing the whole 2018-2019 season.

Fans shared:

The girls enjoying a Christmas season drink together. 

Halle got the slippers Kieahla used to have at our house in California. 

 
It's so great to get to do video chats with all the kids. This is the closest Kieahla, Halle and Toi-chan have gotten to meet each other.

For Kieahla's 4th birthday, she got dancing at a birthday picnic party.

 

Into the summer of 2018 (a six months project to get to Toi's birth July 30th, 2018)

Toi-chan wasn't that much larger than Halle when Halle was born. And Toi-chan was easier I have heard. Toi is our thrid granddaughter and...we love thinking of seeing how she gets to grow up with her big sister Halle! 

As Toi's bed info says 3334 grams.
Btw Toi's name means... 十 as in "ten" (Ischin's name has "one" at the start) then "I" is...about like cloth enwrapping her...

In Japan March 2018 Part II

In Aichi with Ischin's family (and baby #2 growing in there!) We went for "cherry blossom veiwing) first a stop at Toyokawa Inari...

On the way... me with Halle sitting to my right ; )

It has been special getting to ride with Halle, and quite entertaining!

Another day back home:

THEN my very dear friend Clarissa, was in Japan from India! She used to live in Japan and ran an English school too. She left Japan the same time I did. : (    She was telling me about how in India, with her partner in the photo below, since he's younger than she, that she can't sit in public as we were doing. She'd get arrested? Or spat on? as she was when smoking a cigarrete because supposedly only prostitutes smoke. Catching up together- amazing. 

Across the river, a Cherry Blossom Fest event was being set up for a couple days later.

With THESE guys!! Taka got us there! An old Izakaya we used to meet in, in the past. We drank our asses off, Taka barely had enough yen to pay ; )   SPECIAL times again with Chi-chan and Sven-kun!  They poured me SAKE as I'd never had it poured, overflowing into the square cup beneath. I knew of chinese tea being poured like that, but not sake.

OKONOMIYAKI, made Ischin's style along with kagome saue, but shoyu and mayo for me ; )

Watching dancing on TV.

   Us in the kitchen, Halle still kept out safe and sound.

Our last meal with Ischin-tachi. 

Steaks (thin ones, from Costco) and mashed potatoes, with veggie saute. 

Ischin and Masumi had seen we made this dish with Zen in Hokkaido, and wanted it too. We got the same kind of meat from the Costco there too. 

Toyokawa Inari.

We thought Halle would feel freaked out with all these foxes! But she was into them!

Ahhh, this lovely fencing!

Ischin's day off. Choice was to visit an aquarium or this vinegar museum. Aquarium was closed, and this Mizukan museum, opened a few years earlier, was impressive! I couldn't have imagined~~

 
Mizukan is the company that also produces Ragu tomato sauce, and Bertolli pasta sauce, also the Four Monks vinegar, and more!

The way... water? was carried. Ischin's testing how heavy it was.

 
The last area we visited was for-pretend- sushi making ; )

I still don't understand what we were trying to do with that hiragana!

A park at another time.

 
And like with some other people (and dogs) we know, it's so easy to get Taka to play.

One of our last days to get out under the cherry blossoms.

Halle liked drinking from the bottle cap : )

And no, that's not a real beer Masumi was drinking cause she's pregnant with baby girl number two. Due the beginning of August, 2018