Hope {Nozomi}

3 years ago exactly (at the time of this post) my world changed forever.  I was home alone in our house in Japan when the ground started shaking.  I assumed it would be like all the rest, causing brief pause, then I would go about my day.  I had just returned from an outing with some of my Japanese friends and was working on a blog post.  I remember like it was just yesterday.  You can read some of my posts here and here and here and here.  The days immediately following were chaotic, confusing, alarming, stressful, the list goes on. My emotions pale in comparison to those who lived near the epicenter and in the path of the tsunami.  After months spent in that area after the event with All Hands and on mission trips, I still cannot begin to grasp the fear and despair that ripped through the area.

While it is important to remember to remember the past, it is also crucial to have hope in the future.  On one of my many trips to Tohoku I had the great pleasure of working with a group of women on the Nozomi Project.  Today, while remembering the past, I'm also finding hope in the future.  Hope I see in those who sacrifice(d) their time, money and talents to help the people of Japan heal.

I miss Japan!

I cannot believe we've been back in America for over 6 months.  Most days I feel like we're just on an extended vacation and any day we'll return to my beloved land of the rising sun, then my alarm goes off and I realize it's time for another day at the office and not the day we return to Japan.  I thought I'd share with you some of the things I miss most about Japan, in no particular order

1. Our friends.  We had the best group of friends in Japan and I would kill for a day with them! (Reunion in 2015?!?)

2. Trains.  I think I took the trains for granted while we were living in Japan.  I rode them a lot and they took me to a couple of incredible destinations but I don't think I truly appreciated their convenience, reliability and affordability.  I hate having to drive everywhere.

3. Combini/Train Station food.  GOOD food that is convenient.  I miss being able to pick up healthy, delicious food on my way home or while we're out and about.

4. Culture.  We experienced so many awesome new things while we lived in Japan.  We never knew when a new opportunity would arise and it kept things interesting.

5. Food.  Oh, the food.  I try to make it here, myself, but it just isn't the same.

6. Recycle shops.  I miss searching for hidden treasures in the recycle shops.

7. Sakura, the flowers.  Being surrounded by these beauties is something I hope everyone gets to experience at least once in their life.  To have a meal and drinks with your friends under the blooming trees, Hanami, it's one of my favorite memories of Japan.

8. Sakura, the bar.  Yakitori, umeshu, friends.  Life doesn't get much better!

9.  The people I met, my students, my friends.  These incredible women.  I think about them every single day.  I'd love to share one more laugh with them.

10. Vending machines.  Almost anything your heart desires for a couple bucks and the push of a button.  Life's simple pleasures.

11. Squatty potties!  I can't help it, I prefer them to western style toilets!

Sayonara Japan

At the time of this posting, we're on a plane en route to America.  We've said all of our "see you later"s and checked everything off our Japan to do list.  All that's left to do is cherish the memories we made and embrace the adventure ahead of us.  We had a great last few days in Japan, just enjoying time with friend and visiting some of our favorite restaurants/bars one last time.

I have fallen in love with the sushi here and I know I'm going to miss it.  Some of it I can make at home myself but it just won't be the same, I'm certain.

We were exhausted from cleaning for 3 days straight but happy to be eating sushi!

 I received an award from Jason's battalion commander for my dedication to the unit.  It was the first time I've received an award like this so I was very appreciative.

We ate/drank at our favorite bar one last time.

When we told the owner (I never did learn his name) that we were leaving Japan in a couple days he ran off and came back with this bottle of sake for us.  I'm so badly going to miss that place!

We spent our last full day at the pool on post.  We've done everything we could possibly want to do here (and more) so we just wanted to relax and spend time with our friends.

For our last "non airport food meal", Jason chose ramen.  I was totally OK with that, although, it's so much better on cold winter days than it is on blazing hot summer days.

Jason is obsessed with their chahan (fried rice) and I must admit, it's pretty darn good.

They veggie gyoza and they're some of the best I've ever had!

I had to add another shirt because I cannot eat ramen without making a huge mess!

We are going to miss Japan more than I can express in words.  The past 3 years have been some of the best of my life.  I'm so happy Jason convinced me to accept this assignment.  The people I have met and the things I have experienced have made me a better person and will stay with me forever.

Just like I say with friends, it's not goodbye but see you later.  Japan, I will return.  One day, I will be back!

My husband turned 30!

First of all, I'm like 5 days late with this but between the move and my husband's birthday, I lost track of time.  I used random.org to select a winner for "The Pact" giveaway 

and that person was Kelly of Modern Camelot.  Congrats Kelly!

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This weekend my husband celebrated his dirty 30!  He's not one to want a big celebration but he'll never say no to karaoke so that's what I planned.  We spent the afternoon lounging at the pool with some friends then headed out for dinner and karaoke that evening.

We bought a waterproof camera for our vacation to Okinawa and decided to put it to good use at the pool.

After some fun in the sun we were off to an izakaya for dinner and some karaoke!

 I...I...I...I work out!

The girls doing our best Guns N Roses impression

I love these girls!  I'm so glad we had one last fun night out.

We earned hearts from the karaoke machine for our rendition of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot".

We have some great friends here!

The whole gang!

As we were leaving we ran into a large group of Japanese people who were all wearing Obama t-shirts so we stopped to get a photo with them.

Unfortunately we had to say a few farewells at the end of the night.

The 6 of us spent a lot of time together over the past year and the memories we've made will stay with us a lifetime!

We finished off the night with a stop at a darts bar.  I'll give you one guess who won!

It's So Hard....

...To Say Goodbye. Any Boys II Men fans? I've noticed I do this a lot with my posts, use song lyrics as titles...if you've ever met my husband, you'll understand where it comes from. If he hears anything that is some part of a song or similar to a song lyric he knows, he's going to sing it.  Doesn't matter the setting, he's singing.  Sometimes it's cute and other times it annoys the crap out of me, either way it's rubbed off on me!  I digress.

I've said a lot of goodbyes over the past few weeks.

Kumiko, my friend and student.

 Kyoko, my volunteer buddy.

Marissa, my favorite spin instructor.

Preston, my great friend and physics lab partner from college.

Our great friends, "the Robs" (Rob & Robert).

Misae, one of my lovely students.

Today was by far the hardest though.  Our best friends left the island today, 9 days before us.  I'm so grateful we are leaving soon because looking out our back window and seeing their empty house makes me incredibly sad.  One of our neighbors planned a surprise going away BBQ for them earlier this week and it was the perfect night.  Our closest friends all made it our for one last night together.

The guys.

The ladies + adorable baby Sawyer!

These children all adore my husband (the feeling is mutual) and we've had a great time getting to know them and watch them grow over the past few years.  (Only 2 of them belong to our friends who left today)

Kristin has been my rock, my confidant, my therapist, my role model and my best friend for the past 3 years.  I thank God everyday that he placed our families together here at the same time, in houses just across the lawn.  I know that we'll be life long friends.  Both of our families (and our husband's) are from the same general area so I know we'll see each other again over the years when we're in town visiting our families and I'm certain we'll plan trips to visit them at their new home and vice versa.

Kristin, I know you'll read this so I just want to say thank you for being my best friend.  I'll miss you every day until I see you (and your boys) again!

PS.  "Oh boy!"