Saturday, December 30, 2006

christmas with the fam

I'm beyond blessed to have extended family in Japan, Texas, Huntsville, California, Italy...pretty much everywhere except Budapest. But it's good to be home with my first family, who all came over for Christmas at our house! My mom's parents, their kids, and their kids' kids.

My obaasan and close family friend Kimi


I had a hecka fun time hangin with the cousins












Paw-paw


It's good to see all the familiar faces again.

Aunt Robin, Bachan, and my mom on Thanksgiving


Old shot of me and my ma


My awesome neighbors


And last but definitely not least, my one and only sugaboo

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Tuesday, December 19, 2006

airport



We'd been planning since Halloween to dress up like Pastor Tom for the last day of school. So we did. And the results were amazing! Some were accurate and others ridiculous...yet still amazing. He posted the pics. They're pretty funny.

At the airport I had this incredible entourage, and Natsuki was running around taking these pics like paparazzi. And as tempted as you are to comment on how stunning I look with that hyaku-yen beanie and two hours of sleep...please resist the urge.


Kayo!


I am so good with babies, you have no idea. (That's the Velarde's cute lil guy, who also left that morning.)


And, for fun, here's Natsuki and I before the Iie Island trip.


I can't begin to describe all the things that God taught me in Okinawa, and what a huge blessing our Okinawan family was (and still is!) It's my prayer that nothing, not the flesh or the principalities of darkness, would make any of us forget what we've learned! May we stand strong in Jesus Christ always!

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Monday, December 18, 2006

sayonara okinawa...or maybe matta ne!



I am at a lack for pictures, because I was too busy soaking up every last moment with the Oki crew. Our last night all together a few of us stayed up until Joanna had to come down and put us to bed, just hangin out and procrastinating with the goodbyes. Then the next day I was the first to head out, 7:00 in the morning.

JAL told me I didn't have a ticket, which was a slight problem. But Kayo and Natsuki were there, and they pretty much saved my life even though I did miss my original flight. でも、I got to hang out longer with them and take purikura から いい でした! And I still got to Tokyo on time! I was trying to wait up for Shannon and Michelle in Tokyo so we could ride the bus from Haneda to Narita together, but I looked up the wrong flight (doh). So I went ahead and bought my ticket, pretty bummed out. Then as the bus pulled up I hear a distinctly American voice go "Yo what the!" and to my utter jubliation it was none other than Shannon and Michelle, who had boarded the bus at the previous terminal.

God was totally with me, guiding my steps, so I didn't end up in Africa.

I've since stuffed my face with food, including ocha and homemade unagi sushi from ba-chan. We had fun speaking in Japanese, or more like she had fun laughing at mine and my mom's ridiculous Japanese skills.

More pics later, as I eventually get them from other peeps.

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Friday, December 15, 2006

taiko

This taiko game...



...is flippin sweet.

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Wednesday, December 13, 2006

dinner faces

Monday night we went to dinner with Brent Long. The katsu curry was amazing...but not as amazing as these guys' faces. They put the eous in hideous.







Group shot, wooo!

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aquarium

Still on Monday here...we also went to Expo Park, which has this sweet aquarium dealio.













Joel, go be a size reference.


Brad, go be a size reference for the gnarliest biggest lobster ever.








Whale sharks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




And big rays!!!!!!!








New girlfriend.


There were also these incredible nets...dude...we could've played on these things forever. This group knows how to have fun any time anywhere, and I love them.

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Tuesday, December 12, 2006

kimono palace

And after the pineapple park we went to this place on a hill where they sell used kimonos. It was like this bizarre fairy tale land or something.







Japanese won't wear a kimono more than three times because it's considered unlucky. They also rarely buy a kimono without knowing the history behind it, "just in case aunt Myrtle died in it or something". So even these wedding kimonos were relatively cheap.






Nicky found her twin.







Cool place, but the main attraction was...the animals.