Nanae plays with the fax machine.

Nanae is trying to fax the Scooby Doo Memory Game.  If you get a mysterious fax, please disregard.  

What does Winter look like in Guam?

Not a Corona ad.  We went to Guam.  This is what our vacation looked like.  We played in the water and sand.  Patrick and I had a Corona or two.  We ate at Taco Bell.  We went shopping and snorkeling.  It was amazing and I want to go back.  It is three hours to paradise.  In Spokane, it was three hours to Republic.  That may be paradise.  But, I like this white sand beach a little bit more than our beach on the Ketttle River.  Just a little bit.

Miyo quickly learned how to snorkel.  She went out to the reef with Patrick quite a few times.  I got a little freaked out by an aggressive trigger fish.  Patrick got bit, but he did not get scared.  We saw a blue starfish.  And lots of sea cucumbers.  They do not look like cucumbers.

We played in the sand.  We had no toys with us other than what we found there.  The kids just played.  Patrick and I were actually able to relax and watch them.   The water was pretty calm and we felt safe.  I had never been to a beach like this in my whole life.  It was heaven.  I also learned a bit about sunscreen.  SPRAY ON ONLY.  We ran out on our last day there, and of course that is the day you try to squeeze the most out of.  We used rub on sunscreen, drank too much beer, drank too little water, stayed in the sun too long.  This means getting onto an airplane very dehydrated and with very red tourist sunburns.  Totally worth it.

When Patrick was growing up, his family came here often.  I hope we can come here more.  I am hoping for March.  It is also when my passport could use another stamp.  How convenient.

Nanae at some Cheetos that cost five dollars!  Then she spilled the bag, like twice.  It was so great to be around people speaking English and eat some familiar foods.  The funny thing is, I started to get homesick for Japan and not Spokane.  I do miss Spokane.  But, I really wanted to come back to our apartment and eat Japanese food.  Do not worry, we brought a suitcase full of cereal and Desitin back to Japan with us.  Merry Christmas!

Haruto eats a fish

This is Haruto.  This is Haruto eating a fish.  Any questions?

Japanezey randomness.....

..........delivered via pictures.

My mind is too mushed for words.

But everything is good.

Walking and more walking

Here is Miyo and Nanae walking home from school.  Notice that Nanae has her hair in pigtails.  And Miyo is a pretty snappy dresser.  Look at that sweater!  And ruby red shoes.  They are the cutest.

KISS ing…or Keeping it simple, stupid.

One of my favorite things to do when I was in Spokane, was to cook and bake. I would spend hours preparing and cutting and all that jazz. I could fit my Japanese kitchen into my American kitchen about two times. I have tried to reteach myself how to cook more simple things and spend less time worrying about what we are going to eat. This was dinner made with white radish and the white radish greens. I have learned a lot from what they cook at Miyo's school. Most of the vegetables I use are bought from the farmer's stands that are surrounding our apartment. I know it sounds odd, when you think of Japan you would never guess how many little plots of land are just a few rows of green onion, broccoli, cabbage, and radish. I can grab this stuff for ¥100. Pretty cool.