the house that echos...

We are coming home and it is starting to feel real!!  Last Thursday the movers came and packed up our big shipment.  They took almost everything, and the last little things will be packed on the 29th or go with us on the plane.  It really is amazing how much we can live without.  And it is much easier to clean the house now that there is nothing to dust!

We were able to borrow furniture from the housing department on base.  So right now the only furniture we have in our house is a horrendous hunter green sofa with gold leaf patterns, a semi-horrendous hunter green chair with gold and navy blue checks, a coffee table, a dresser and a bed. The only think worse than looking at the pattern on the couch is sitting on it.  It is really hard and sounds like you are sitting on plastic, but at least it is a sofa.  Even Connor doesn't like it.  The first day we got it, she jumped up on it and immediately jumped off.  Then she looked at me like "what the heck is that thing?"

The other funny thing is that every room echos.  We have hardwood in every room, so there is almost nothing to absorb the sound.  Connor sounds really ferocious when she barks!

Seriously though, we are leaving Japan and I can't really wrap my head around it.  I am excited to see y'all back home - we have missed family and friends so much!!!

18 weeks

Here is a picture of me and Sprout at 18 weeks.  While we were in Hiroshima last weekend I started to feel him or her moving.  It was so amazing, and a little strange all at the same time. Scott is jealous he can't feel the baby move , but he still talks to the little guy.  I still feel great; I have lots of energy and I don't think I am too moody...Scott may tell you a different story though.  = )

christmas 2008

Well, this year we had a fun-filled, busy Christmas.  On Christmas day, we were the local USO and 28 people plus kids and 2 additional dogs came over for Christmas lunch.  We started out inviting the single soldiers in Scott's office, but then it just kept growing.  It was really fun to spend time with friends, relax and enjoy each other's company.  Scott made his famous smoked pork butt with raspberry chipotle sauce.  This left me to make loaded mashed potatoes, garlic bread, and mini-sausage muffins.  I usually tell guests not to worry about bringing something, but this year, I took the help gladly...I just don't have enough dishes for all that food!  We ate and ate, and ended the night with a fire and s'mores.

The next morning we left early for Hiroshima and Miyajima.  We left about 5:30 to catch the Shinkansen (bullet train) and were in Hiroshima by 11:00.  The first day we saw the Shukkei-en, a beautiful garden.  

Then we went to see Hiroshima Castle.

And we ended the day at the Peace Park.  It was amazing to see the A-bomb dome and tour the museum.  It was worth the 5 hour train ride.

On the second day we went to Miyajima Island where we spent the day at the Itsukushima Shrine.  It is built totally on the water.  We went early and were able to be there at high tide and avoid the crowds.  For both of us, it was the best thing we have done in Japan.

Hetzel graduations

There are two recent honor graduates in the Hetzel family - me and Chloe.  After a year and a half of grad school, I finished this December.  I now have my Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.  Just like my undergrad, I have an emphasis in Middle School Mathematics as well. It is a relief to be done, and I was able to graduate summa cum laude.  I originally planned to finish next semester, but when we found out we were pregnant and we would be moving next year, I took 5 classes (15 hours) this semester.  It was crazy, but now that it is finished, I am glad I did it. Scott was a HUGE encouragement through it, and I am so thankful for his support.

Because we are in Japan, I wasn't able to attend the official ceremony last week.  But, Chloe, the other Hetzel graduate, made it to her graduation.  She went to obedience school and was the top graduate in her class.  Here is a picture of her with her mom and dad...

16 weeks

Sorry to post three times in one day.  I haven't been able to get pictures to load the last few days.  So, finally, here is a picture of my growing belly.  I was exactly 16 weeks in this picture.  I still feel great.  I haven't been sick and I am not really tired.  I told Scott this morning that I am so thankful to have a job that is not stressful.  I really enjoy my English students, I only teach 20-25 hours a week, and best of all I don't usually start teaching until 10:00.  This has allowed me to rest and take care of myself like my old job wouldn't have.  

I have also started to "feel" pregnant this week.  Since I have felt so great, and I just started to show, I haven't felt pregnant.  I am ready to start feeling the little one moving...

connor is learning to be a helper

Connor knows we have been busy getting ready for Christmas, a yard sale and moving back home. The other day she realized she needed to start pulling her weight more around the house. (We have been talking to her about how things will have to change when Sprout comes and she is a big sister.)  She realized we had too many Christmas packages to open and decided to help us open them...

leaves

Last weekend we finally gave in a raked our yard.  We have 7 HUGE trees in our front yard, and we could easily spend hours every weekend raking because leaves just keep falling and falling. 36 bags later, we were done.  Scott originally started building a tower with the bags, but there were so many it kept collapsing.  Here is what we finally ended up with.  The first picture is the view from the front of the pile, and the second is the back of the pile.  Scott is in them both for a point of reference... 

flashback, and not a good one!

For those of you who knew me at Baylor, do you remember the little white house I lived in the last year?  It was really cute, but literally could have been a zoo. 

Yesterday, I came home and I saw a cat crawling under my house.  At first I thought, he must be cold, poor thing.  But then I remembered the mating cats that lived under my house in Waco, and I didn't feel so sorry for the cat anymore.  Then all I could think about was waking up at 2:00 in the morning to banging coming from under my bed, yelping, screeching and other noises I would rather not describe. The housing company caught them, but then my roommate felt sorry for them and let the out of the cage.  They were also the beginning of the animal onslaught.  Once the cats were re-caught and released in a new area, a possum, followed.  

One night I heard something funny coming from the kitchen.  When I went in, a little head popped out from behind some cans and hissed at me.  I whacked it with a broom and it crawled under my stove. Possums either "play possum" or emit a smelly green substance from an unmentionable place.  Unfortunately for me, it chose the latter defense mechanism before running into a hole under our kitchen cabinet.  The next day I tried to get my friend Brett to give me his BB gun, but he convinced me that was illegal in the city limits and gave me a golf club to protect myself with instead.  The next night, I heard it in the kitchen again, and I watched it try to open a screw top container of Kool-Aide while I called 911.  A nice man from animal control came to take it away and luckily, I didn't have to use the golf club.

Following the possum, we had a raccoon.  One evening I was grading papers and I heard what can only be described as a wounded man crawling on his belly dragging his legs behind him in our attic.  I remembered the night before my roommate told me that she saw a raccoon so big that all other raccoons would be scared.  I called animal control again, but they told me they couldn't come until the next day.  With some internet research, I realized raccoons didn't like light or music so I spent the night with radios blaring and all the lights in the house on.  The next day animal control put cages in our attic and caught an entire little raccoon family.

After the possum, when we were moving out we had at least one rat. My two roommates had already left, and it was only me and the little guy.  It was then that I realized I was really glad to leave the little house.  I only hope the cat I saw yesterday was not the start of this whole process again!

observations...

Yesterday our friends were in a Christmas musical, so I volunteered to watch their three kids. Kariss is in second grade, Breck is 4 and William is 2.  They are GREAT kids, and I had a lot of fun with them.  

After the day, my observation to Scott was, "Girl's toys have a lot more little parts than boy's do. Girl's toys have shoes, clothes, and little sparkley things, but boy's toys are things like guns, swords and trucks...all one big thing."  To that Scott countered, "Well, I noticed that girls really like to talk and boys like to hit you."  While I was making dinner, Scott joined us.  Kariss immediately took a liking to him and started chatting at him.  While she was talking, William came over and started jumping on Scott and then torpedoed his entire body into Scott's face. Breck thought this looked like great fun and immediately joined in the pummel Scott game.  I didn't see all this, but it was REALLY funny to listen to!

But the best observation of the day came from Kariss.  She looked at Scott, and with complete seriousness said, "You are just a big toy."  She is wise beyond her years!

christmas tree lighting

Last night we went to our base's Christmas Tree Lighting.  It was fun...I always love an excuse to drink hot cocoa!

130 beats per minute...

We got to hear Sprout's heart beat for the first time today.  It was totally amazing!  The doctor said it was 130 beats per minute and very strong.  Other than that, I am still doing great.  This baby really likes me - no sickness, no nausea, no major weight gain or tiredness either.  I just hope this lasts through the teenage years...

So far, I am the same weight, just with a little belly pooch.  I'll start posting pictures of my growing belly next week.

after thanksgiving

Oh yeah...who looks more pregnant?

thanksgiving

We have made great friends in Japan that have become family, but it was really nice to have "real" family in Japan for at least one holiday. Most days, being so far from home is OK, but holidays can be unexpectedly hard. This year, we had my dad, his partner Dick, my friend Julia, Julia's sister Mikela, and our friends Naoko and Mily over for a late lunch. It was Naoko and Mily's first traditional Thanksgiving, and they were good sports to try traditional foods.  

It was a great day. We ate WAY to much (like I am sure you all did), and then that evening we made s'mores over a fire. A fun end to the day...

kamakura and tokyo

The first day I dragged my dad and Dick around Kamakura.  It is a beautiful traditional city about an hour away by train.  It is one of my favorite places in this area, and we had a great time.  We went to the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine first.  It is a Buddhist temple... completely beautiful.

Second, we went to the Daibutsu Buddah.  It was originally an indoor temple, but in the 1500s (not 1960 like I tried to tell my dad) a tsunami destroyed the building.  The Buddha remained in tact, and it is my favorite place in Kamakura.

After that we headed home about 3:30.  We though we were getting ahead of rush hour, but unfortunately, we hit the train station the same time school was getting out.  Dad got totally surrounded by giggling school girls and he was a sight to see.  He was about a full head taller than all of them, so he was also easy to spot.  I wish I had a picture!

The next day, we headed into Tokyo.  We visited a popular shopping destination and bought lots of goodies.  We were also able to see the craziest intersection I have ever seen.  Four streets meet in front of the busiest train station in Tokyo, and there are mobs of people who cross in all directions at one time.  CRAZINESS!!! After that, we headed to Tokyo Tower to get a good view of the city.  We got there right as the sun was going down, so it was incredible to see the city lights come on as it got dark.  It was also really interesting for Dick.  He was in New York last week, and went to the top of Rockefeller Center.  He though New York was an ongoing sprawl until he saw the view of Tokyo.  

Like the day before, we hit heavy train traffic coming home.  It was at the point where the train monitors with white gloves were pushing people into the train.  Not something I want to do every day, but it was all part of the Tokyo experience...

the right to vote

There is a "West Wing" episode in which a group of kids lobbies the White House in an attempt to get the voting age abolished so that children would have the right to vote. Among several other relatively sound arguments they make the point that adults are not required to prove any sort of mental competency to vote. Essentially, all you have to do is be 18+, a citizen, and registered and you can vote for whomever you wish based on whatever criteria you decide.

The other day, a young girl at Baskin Robins brought up the election. She told me she voted for Obama. When I asked why, her response was that she thinks Obama will make it so that she can get free birth control. Seriously. Her only criteria for selecting a president was who would provide her with free contraception. If you are so promiscuous that you can't even be bothered with providing your own birth control, or at the very least a condom, and that is your sole criteria for choosing a president, then we as a country might need to re-look our priorities.

The argument could be made that Obama won because McCain didn't have enough support. I would say that Obama won because his support was too overwhelming. While I'm sure a lot of Obama supporters agree wholeheartedly with him and his ideals and would have voted for him no matter what, I believe a lot of people who voted for him might have been duped.  

I don't want to call them stupid, or even uninformed , I think they have been misinformed. Through no fault of their own, I think a large number of people were mislead by the media. I've never been a big fan of the media, but I will save my rants about them for another time. Take a look at this website and see what you think. I know that polls are flawed and this one certainly doesn't represent every single Obama voter. I think this one does raise some interesting questions, though.

holy cow!!!

This is for Scott, Hugh and Chad - the poor boys who are married to Baylor girls and have no idea how truly awesome Baylor is.  Sic Em Bears!!!

Baylor - 41

#12 A&M - 21

provision

I am having a moment where I really appreciate how well the military takes care of us.  

Since we are getting ready to move back home, I called about some apartments in Georgia close to where Scott will be in school.  They gave me price quotes on furnished apartments that included phone, internet, cable and utilities.   When I looked at the price they were quoting compared to a basic apartment, it seemed high.  But then I realized I have no idea what the average person pays for these things.  We have been so taken care of, I don't even know what is a reasonable rent price anymore.

For the past 5 years, we have shown up at a military base, asked for a house, and moved in a few days later.  We never had to pay deposits, rental application fees, pet fees or, best of all rent and utilities.  It is all part of our benefits.  

And it gets better.  We don't pay for health care either.  Again, for the past 5 years, when I get sick, I go to the doctor.  If I need medicine, it's free.  When I cracked my head open on the sidewalk our first week in Japan and needed 5 stitches...free.  Having this baby...free.  My prenatal vitamins and any other medicine you can think of...free!

Granted, military life is not all cake.  There are not many jobs you volunteer for knowing you will most likely get shot at by people aiming to kill you.  Also, there are not many jobs you volunteer for knowing it will take you away from your family for long periods of time.  But, in the hard times, it is nice to know you are taken care of.  It is one worry, in a pile of other worries, you don't have to deal with.

While only 1-2% of our population actually serves in the military, I am proud to say I am married to one who does.  And I am proud of how the military takes care of us.  

yikes!

We have both started Invisilign - the invisible braces.  The first set really hurt, but now they are OK.  Our orthodontist is so cute.  We love Naoko.  It is always fun when she comes over for dinner or to adjust our aligners.  Scott was being silly last time we saw her, and she sent me this picture...

becoming andy

I've heard that every man, at some point in his life, has the incredibly distinct moment when he realizes that he has become, or is at least well on his way to becoming, his father.  

For me, that moment might be today.  The truck that Sal and I were assigned has a water cooler on the back. The stow rack for the cooler was mounted in such a way that when you pressed the tap for water, it poured right onto the truck. It was impossible to get your cup underneath it. So this morning, while I was standing around with nothing to do for hours, I decided to fix it. A quick examination revealed that it had simply been mounted incorrectly. I needed to unscrew all four bolts, turn the entire mount 90 degrees, and then reattach the bolts. Easy enough. And since I had some time, it didn't matter that the bolts were a little rusty and it was going to take a minute to break them free.

Right as I was getting started, Sal came up with a brilliantly simple solution... we could simply put something underneath the cooler inside the mount that would lift the cooler high enough to get a cup under the tap while still keeping it secure in the mount. An easy solution that would have taken only a couple of seconds.  

It was the next thought that popped into my head that made me realize I am becoming my father. After Sal posed his quick and simple solution, my first thought was "Well, we could do it that way.  But that's not the RIGHT way to get it done. We'll do it the RIGHT way."  

We did it the RIGHT way. And now, all those who come behind us will have a cooler mount that allows them to pour water directly into their cups without coming up with some redneck engineered solution to quench their thirst. Suffice it to say that I am proud of myself and if I have to become more like anyone as I get older, I can't think of a better man than my father.

only in japan

Yesterday my friend Julia and I were driving, and we both realized we were thirsty.  In America, we would have gone through one of many drive throughs.  But since there is only one drive through in a 2o mile radius, we solved our problem Japan-style.  On almost any street corner you can find a vending machine.  When we pulled up at a stoplight, Julz hopped out of the car, darted across the road and bought us both a bottled water.  Nothing unusal in Japan, but really funny to see this blond white girl running across the road dodging cars and bicycles.

This also spurred a conversation about things that would be unusual in America, but are perfectly fine in Japan.  For instance, bulldozers are pink and purple; you only get scared you almost hit someone when their bike is inches, not feet, from you; milk comes with chunks in it and costs $4.29 a half gallon; it takes 7 hours to get a haircut because you have to take a train an hour and a half one direction; or it is OK for adults to have anything you can imagine with Disney characters all over it.  Just a few things I thought you would think are funny...