Sunday funday!

(my feet are still killing me after the parade yesterday!!)

This morning we went to the lake and rented a boat and went tubing!  

I couldn't take a picture of me, silly!  The first one was our friend.  This one is doc!!

We had fun!  And we're all a little pink now!

Then we went to the contemporary service at the chapel this evening!  

And came home to make his fantastic beef bowl (plate!!)

Obon parade!

So.. This week we met nic's new teacher, bought doc a car, I ran a mile in UNder 10 minutes, I won a Coach wallet, we took a fast trip to the mall (and saw these crazy things at the 100¥ store!)

And as I've been learning Japanese dances, I finally performed in the Obon festival today!  It was fun.... But after dancing for a mile in flip flops, my feet are so tired!!!

The Japanese love all things Disney, so there was an interesting entry in the parade.... Some... Cross-dress barbies?

Takoyaki.... Sounds like taco something!  No... They're Octopus fritter things... One day I'll be brave enough to try them!  We ate  meat pies... Dough with meat stuffed in the middle that was grilled.... They were delicious!  I can't even place what kind of meat was in it!

At the med group picnic, the different units were separated into teams and they played basketball, dodgeball, and ran a relay-obstacle course against each other!  It was fun!!

This summer has been jam-packed with everything from travels (to a new country) to festivals and silly games!  I am almost relieved that school starts Monday!  

Towada

That sounds a little goofy, like a redneck pronunciation of 'toward' or 'to water...' Anyway, we drove to a lake nearby!  But first we went to the town of Towada.  The only thing I knew was that there was a 500¥ kimono shop.  

We found it and then dug through these great piles of kimonos!  nic found a pretty purple one and I have a navy blue (or black) and white one.  The fabric is so heavy!!!  Think... Drapes from the 60's... And they had 'underwear' kimonos that you wear under the heavy robe!  I think I'll wait til January to wear mine!  (Plus, I need to look up how to clean them properly!!)

We saw silly things on the way, like this gas pump!

And this club!

But we finally made it to the lake!  It was beautiful, with sandy shores, a small little surf, and park benches lining the beach so you can sit and watch!  I found a few pieces of sea glass.

Then we walked to the statue of sisters.. Or the lady.  The statue of the maiden.  (doc's input!). Interesting, eh?

Then we went for a hike.  

Then we hiked again!  But this time. We were driving home and we saw a sign that said 'waterfalls, 70meters' so we parked on the side of the road and went to find it!  The terrain had not been cleared in a while!  And and once we got through the jungle-like leaves, there were rocks and logs to climb, plus the raging brooks (name that book!!)... And then we saw the waterfall!  

Exhausted, we went back to the car and drove home.  

But we were starving, so we stopped atThunder Ramen!!  This is my spicy miso ramen with BBQ pork!  It was delicious!!!

Whew!  Weekend's done, ready for the week to start!!

VBS

'Stand Strong'

It wore me out completely!  1 solid week of chasing kids, keeping track of kids, directing and leading kids, entertaining kids.... And teaching them about God's kingdom!  Kingdom Rock!  It was good

This was the 'leftovers' of snack... They poured it all on a bowl and served it at the potluck!

We also celebrated our 12th anniversary at the beginning of the week!  A dozen wonderful years with my BFF!  We went out to eat and this restaurant where we ordered raw meats and grilled them at our table.  Everything was delicious!  I ordered the chicken kebabs and that beautiful salad!  (It had a chow mein-type fence...

And the same chow mein was a shield over my fried rice!).  And the mango sorbet was delicious!  Not overly sweet... And the frozen mango cubes were more delicious than the sorbet!  The sauce was amazing, too!  Guess I should go have it again!!

We finally purchased from the egg vending machine.... The eggs were not cold, but not warm, either... Cool.  But we haven't 'broken into them' yet!!!

These are Japanese grapes... Aren't they tiny and cute?  They are also super sweet and delicious!  (And pretty pricey, too.  But so is all fruit here in Japan!)

'nuff said!  I haven't been running much this week, but with vbs, I haven't done much of anything else, either!  I started a new goal to complete 20 miles before September 11th... (It was 1 month when I created the 'challenge'... And I'll be really close to completing 100 miles this calendar year!!) I only have 18 to go!!  (And then 5 or 6 after that) My sister joined my challenge on the Nike+ ap.... I wish I could run with her, though!!

And school starts in 10 days!  And hopefully my HHG will be here before then!!

Everybody's working for the weekend!

I knew things would still be expensive over here, it's less than Alaska... But I still find almost $13 for a baby pineapple a little ridiculous!!

The translation for 'Aflac' sounds exactly the same in Japanese!  We went to the mall the other day (my first solo outing without a 'guide!') and the billboards are funny to read!

And now were getting ready for the candy sushi party for the birthday girl!!!  My 11 year old!!!

My dog is a bum

It's a beautiful (muggy) morning in Japan!!

I wanna be like her this morning!  This was after we went for a walk yesterday.  

It's very humid here!  My crazy hair is quite crazy.... All the time!

I was invited by the Japanese wives (and some of the wives on base) to partake in a festival dance at the end of the month.  We are doing 3 traditional dances and we will be wearing a yukata, which is like a kimono, but less formal (and lighter!).

These ladies were sponsored on base in order to teach us, so when they were ready to leave, I was going to give some of them a ride off base.... They all wanted to be taken to the BX for lunch...... They all said 'pizza' with a huge grin as their eyes lit up!!  

Bee-do?  Madame blueberry makes this backup noise when in reverse!  In the car!  Only we can hear it!  And nic and doc make that noise, too!!

And this is what I got to run by this morning!  I'm loving discovering new things all around me!!

 I began a study on the psalms of ascent... Day 1 down, about to start day 2!!  

Discovering home...

We took a drive around north base today, seeing amazing things like the elephant cage and plain ol' beauty in every direction!

And my friends back in Alaska saw this!

I miss ak!

But I love where I am now, too!  

Tink loves the dog beach!!

Nicole (and I) love the candy!

Doc loves the flights in his future!!

To Hell and back

We meant to leave at 9... We tried to get out the door at 10.  We finally made it to the BX at 11:30.  Taco Bell was not our intended destination, but lunch was first.  

We drove to Shipwreck beach!  

I found some sea glass!!

We were probably too far south, because we didn't even see the ships.  We spent a good 30 minutes beach combing and walking the shores... Once we got in the car, we drove further northwest to Osorezan... "The gates of hell"

PS there is no cell coverage in hell!

We hiked the hills (and I wore a skirt and flip flops) dodging the sulfur pits and mini hot springs that were all over the grounds!  It wreaked of sulfur!  (Doc convinced nic it was rotten eggs!). It was devilishly hot under the intense sun! When we finally made it out, they suckered us into sorbet!  Blueberry, vanilla.... Or Mugwort!

I wrinkled my nose and went for the blueberry!!

We started back along the coast... We are drawn to the ocean!  We kept craning our necks to get a glimpse of the surf crashing on the other side of the wall!  The water was beautiful!

 

Madame blueberry handles well on the squirrelly, swirly Japanese roads!   We drove to Tomari... The winding coastal mountainous, roads were at the edge of beautiful jungle like forests!  We were surrounded by breathtaking trees!

 Finally arrived back on base, made ramen for dinner (spicy ramen for doc, a beef ramen for me, and nic chose cup 'o noodles.... Very adventurous eater!!), and we ordered an air conditioner!  Wednesday can't come too so!!!

Sayonara, all!  

Retail Therapy

My friend drove me to the mall today.  A beautiful drive through the 'back country' of Japan to a for real, multi-level, plenty-of-stores mall!

 It was just what I needed!

People, lights, elevator music that was catchy, although sometimes inappropriate!  (They can't tell if they don't speak English fluently!)

And we had Pepper Lunch for lunch...

We approached a panel of buttons and options with different pictures and sizes.... It reminded me of when I sat at my grandfather's organ and played with the synthesizers, the sounds, and effects, although he didn't like that I changed his settings!   Then I selected a visually appealing dish based on ingredients I recognized.... Or started craving when I saw the pictures!  Once I inserted a certain amount of yen, I received a receipt and moved down the line.  At the counter, a hot skillet was set before me with with rice, raw pork, a delicious (Korean BBQ ) sauce, and utensils.

And my meal virtually cooked itself as I stirred it around a little!

It really was delicious!  The best stir fry I have ever made in a food court, at my seat, using only a pair of chopsticks and a spoon!  PS it was fun!!  

Pepper Lunch, I will be back to see you soon!  (That was a promise, not a threat!)

Oh, and as for the retail therapy, I spent my time (and money) in the 100 yen store again!  It's my favorite!  One day I will try the clothing or electronic stores!  Until then, I like shopping for fun!!