Happy Anniversary to my husband.  We are celebrating our 24th year of being married today!  It has been an adventure of living first in a studio apartment in Anaheim, to coming to Japan and having Rachel and Alex, to moving back to Corona and buying our first home.  We both got jobs in Corona and raised our kids, first at Highland and then at McKinley and another move for Alex in fourth grade to Wilson.  We lived in a nice house in a cul de sac.
Januck has been patient and loving to me for all the years we have been together.  He has been a great father, as well.  The kids were fortunate to have their Dad as their Math teacher at Raney Intermediate School for 6th-8th grades.  He has always known my love for Japan and has supported us returning to Japan.  It hasn't always been easy being here with the language barrier and cultural differences, but we have had to depend on God and each other to help us through the years.
Living in Japan has brought us closer together as a couple.  We can always experience new foods and places, through geocaching and traveling as a family.  I really think the adventures we have been on these last 24 years have been exciting and someday our kids will value them as much as we do today.
I remember Rachel saying she is happy she has parents that have been married so long,   I hope she knows how much I love her Dad.  Alex, in first grade wrote about how he knew Dad loved me because of the way he looks at me.  Sweet!
I am looking forward to more years with my honey wherever we might be in the future!

YAY! 10,000 YAY!

Thank you so much to everyone who has visited our blog! We just passed the 10,000 view mark! We hope you continue to visit our blog as we try to keep you informed of our many adventures!

Da Da Da DAAA!! Finally finished my Technology.

Technology. I was assigned a project a loooong time ago where we had to design and create an outfit for the end of the world. We had to investigate and research a lot of information before we started to design it. The outfit for the end of the  world had to complete 7 points.

1) Slash-Proof
2) Can't Degrade in Hard Conditions
3) High Capacity for Storage
4) Camouflage
5) Intimidation
6) Protect Against Heat
7) Insulate Against Cold

 We had to find the right material for all of these points. This was my drawing after my investigation.

The whole process took a while but I eventually finished it and it actually looks close to the original.

















-Alex :)

Decorating the Christmas Tree!!!

Our very, very small Christmas tree.

Trying to pick up Alex so he can put the star on the tree.

Christmas card photo?

I guess Santa came early this year.

I am going to miss Alex so much when I go to college. He can always make me laugh!

Alex's Basketball Games

Alex had a basketball tournament last weekend and he played four games. The first game his team played a bit flat but regrouped for the second game and won 100-59. The next day proved to be quite exciting as his team won the first game while the other team kept fighting back making it a close game. Alex scored 35 points that game. The last game was so close and exciting and the lead kept going back and forth. The other team had a great 3-point shooter while Alex's team had...Alex! It was Alex's best game he's ever played and I wish I had kept stats on it because he excelled in all areas including scoring, rebounds, blocked shots, and even being a presence making shooters miss. Way to go Alex!

The Beast getting ready for the weekend games.

Gyoshu!

We found this egg vending machine on the way to his game.

Yay! We found the border between America and Japan! Spent some time in America eating and shopping!

We ate at a really nice coffee shop but their logos were quite racist!

A typical play. Great job Alex!

IB Exams

     My senior year of high school in Japan started this past March. These past couple of months has been very difficult for me academically. The IB Exams in November are the final exams that I take for high school. At Gyoshu, we have a year and a half to learn all the information for the exams, while the rest of the world has two years. Since I came late to my junior year I only had a year and one month to learn everything. I am testing in advanced math, physics and english along with standard level chemistry, world history and Japanese. These past months has been very stressful for me since in September all our IB written assignments, individual oral presentations and lab reports were due. In October, I completed all my classes and had to basically study for these exams the entire month.

     It is very different being a part of a Japanese School and also very difficult. Unlike the States, school and studying comes before anything else. The amount of time we are required to spend studying is mind blowing. At our school all seniors are to give up participating in any sports or clubs and other activities so that they can put all their effort into their studies. I have had to give up a lot throughout these past couple of months, including family events, parties, school events and spending time with friends. I go to school Monday through Friday (and every other  Saturday) from 8am to 6pm, attending eight periods everyday. The pressure for me to pass the exams has been so much. However, I am just so grateful that I have parents to support me no matter what. Now that exams start tomorrow for the next two weeks I am very worried but, I know that if I try my absolute best I will be okay with whatever the outcome is.

     Adjusting to the Japanese School System has been very hard since I am not only taking very difficult classes but am also trying to make friends and try to adjust to living in Japan. I love Japan so much and all the friends I have made while living here. Even though school was a huge challenge for me and has been a part of my live 24-7 these past months, I am very grateful because I believe I am more than ready for college. My experience living in Japan overall, has been so wonderful and I am excited for the new adventures I will have after the IB Exams.

-Rachel

Alex's Birthday

Alex had his birthday last month and our director happened to have a party at his house the same day.  One of the teachers at the kindergarten made cupcakes and this is Rachel lighting the candles.

Halloween in Japan

Last night we went to a brewery and restaurant with our good friends for dinner and we had a wonderful time. One thing we've noticed is that the Japanese are starting to recognize Halloween more and more, certainly more than when we were here before. We've started to see decorations wherever we go and last night the brewery was decorated nicely.

Sumo!

We hadn't been to Sumo since we've been back to Japan and decided to get a group from school to go. We had such a good time and it is really hard to explain what sumo is like. Most people think that it is just two fat people hitting each other but it is much more than that. They are extremely strong and skilled.  It was such a fun day! I took some pictures but a new teacher and friend from our school, Gina, took some great photos so I will use hers because mine weren't so good...except one!

 

 Before they start fighting, the wrestlers come out and do a ring ceremony.

The top wrestler, Hakuho,  who is a Yokozuna or top wrestler gets his own special ceremony.

Great sumo action!

They throw salt to purify the ring. Each wrestler has his own salt throwing technique.

Kaio, who was a great wrestler and recently retired, was taking pictures with fans. There was a HUGE line to get a picture with him.

This was our group except for Gina who took the picture. Her husband and son are on the left.

Alex's Basketball Game

Last weekend Alex's high school basketball team played in a tournament and did really well winning their first three games but losing their last.  They played again on Saturday against a really good team with two tall players.  His team jumped out to an early lead and kept it through the first half leading by nine. Then came the third quarter when their team imploded. Their lead vanished especially when a member from the other team hit four three pointers in a row. Suddenly they were down by twelve and things were looking grim. They battled back and were sparked by Alex's drive to the basket and scoring while being fouled and completing a three point play. They made some great adjustments and outscored the other team 26-4 in the fourth quarter winning the game. Alex was told that he scored 26 points in that game and I would like to find out how many rebounds and blocked shots he had.

This is a view of Mt. Fuji from the gym from last weekend.

Alex was a beast!

Kagura and the Centipede

After we had dinner, our friends took us to watch Kagura which is a famous play with music. We used to watch it when we lived in Gotsu and it is very cool. 

After we got back to our friend's house, we chatted a bit and then went to bed. Alex and Rachel were having a hard time settling down but we finally started to fall asleep. Suddenly, Alex jumped up from his futon and yelled, "Something just bit me!" We thought, yeah yeah go back to sleep. He kept complaining and we turned the light on and sure enough, under his arm was starting to swell up with a big welt. We looked on his futon and we saw a small centipede. Alex said if felt like his arm was on fire but he thought it was cool because now he could tell everyone that he's been bit by a centipede!

Sorry for the blurry picture.

After the Mine

After we went to the silver mine, our friends took us on a beautiful sunset boat ride. I guess they are only offering the ride this year only so we felt lucky to go on it.

They're ready!

The beautiful Japan Sea.

So pretty.

The Shimane coastline.

Having fun on the cruise with our friend's daughter.

I'm having fun!

Heading to Oda

After our wonderful stay in Gotsu, we traveled to Oda to visit a friend of Joanna's. They were so nice and had a whole day planned for us. Our first stop was a very famous silver mine.

Wow! Who would have thought that there would be a foreigner discount!

Okay, can we or can't we take pictures?

On our way to the silver mine.

Our trail to the mine.

So green!

Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of the mine. Why? I'm not sure.

Going to Shimane

We had such a great time with my sisters and nieces, but then we headed for Gotsu which is where we first stayed when we came to Japan.

Sunset on the Gonogawa river in Gotsu. So beautiful!

This was the street where the Gonogawa festival is held. So much good food! Alex kept getting checked out by all of the ...GUYS! They kept walking by and staring at him because they couldn't believe how tall he was!

Alex riding the mechanical exercise horse at our friend's house where we stayed.

Oh my goodness...the Green Mall! This was our main shopping place.  It hasn't changed much.

Rachel and Alex playing a drumming game at the Green Mall.

We went to the Aquarium while we were there.  Who's that in the bubble ring?

Very cool sand sculptures!

Cool!

Beluga whale.

Eating lunch at the Waco Hotel with our friends!

Anpan man and Totoro!

Genius! If you look closely, there is a urinal in the women's bathroom. Why? Because in case you have a child that needs to go in with you, they have a urinal for him (I'm assuming it is for a boy.)