sprout's first photos

Here they are for all the world to see.  Sprout's first pictures.  I tell you, it was pretty amazing to watch that little monitor and see this little alien-looking thing with a gigantic head and tiny appendages that had a heart that beat like a hummingbird's wings.  We also saw Sprout dance.  I'm not exactly sure what Sprout was dancing to, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was "Rock with You."  Oh, and when I say gigantic head, I mean it.  Sprout is about a 2.5 cm long and probably 2 cm of that is head.

Because the images are a little grainy, I've included this artist's rendition of what Sprout actually looks like.  Here's hoping that it all evens out...

leaving

Again, not leaving Japan for good, just a little bit.  Nothing big; I'm just going back to the States for some training.  Actually, I'll be helping others with training.  It should be an interesting experience.  I'll let everyone know when I get home.  In the meantime, I'll make sure that I teach Allison how to update the new site while I'm gone.  Until I return...

moving

Ok, so we are not actually moving yet.  That won't happen until February.  We are just moving our site.  It's gonna take awhile, but it will all eventually get here.  All the old posts.  All the pictures.  It will all be accessible from here.  I am just gonna have to figure out how to do it...

growing

It is really cool that I am growing a baby inside me.  This is what Sprout looks like now.  Granted, he/she looks a little lik an alien with that giant cranium, but it will all even out in time.  What I think is amazing is that the little guy already has hands and feet!  Last week, Sprout's hands looked like this...

And just three days later, they looked like this...

Pretty amazing, huh?  I think the feet are even cuter.  On the same day Sprout's hands started getting real fingers, his feet were still a little webbed and duck-like...

But now, they look like this...

Look at those little piggies; I can't wait to play "This Little Piggie Went to Market!"

tired

About two or three times a month, Scott has 24 hour staff duty at work.  He is required to stay awake the entire time.  I took this picture when he came home after his last duty shift. Aren't they cute?

scott's newer toy

Have you notices a trend in this post and the last post?

There is a bazaar every few months on our military base, and this weekend, there was a new vendor...a knife salesman.  Now, if you know my husband, you know he loves knives, watches, sunglasses, pens and all things electronic.  He has wanted new kitchen knives for a long time, and he finally found "the ones."

These knives are made like a katana sword.  Every piece of the knife is made by hand and takes months to make.  The steel if forged in layers of hard steel and soft steel.  There are 30 layers in the set of knives we bought.  And while I do not share my husband's love for knives, even I must admit they are pretty cool, and they cut tomatoes like butter.

I think the even greater part of these knives is the company who makes them.  Many of the traditional Japanese handicrafts are dying out because they are so labor intensive.  Young people are pursuing other careers, and this company is trying to keep the traditional arts alive. Their website is www.uniquejapan.com

scott's new toy

When we first got to Japan, all our friends raved about the 100 yen store.  (100 yen is roughly equivalent to one dollar.)  I thought it would be cheap like an American dollar store, but boy was I wrong.  Dollar stores are usually full of trinkets and stuff that breaks as soon as you get home.  However, the 100 yen store is GREAT!  My favorite 100 yen store is in Machida which is two train stops from our house.  We went last weekend to look for Scott a new magic wallet (more about that later), mini ice-cube trays, and just to see what new treasures we could find.  Scott found a magic claw.  He likes to chase Connor around and grab her tail with it.  The other night, he was playing with it and I challenged him to tie a bow on my pajama pants with it.  I thought he wouldn't be able to do it, but I was wrong...

5 years

I can't believe we were getting married 5 years ago today!  This time 5 years ago, I was getting ready with Jenny, Lauren, Chris and my mom.  = )  And the guys hid Scott down the street and almost forgot to tell him it was time to start the wedding!  Good thing he was wearing a watch.

Last year we took an amazing vacation to Thailand, but this year we went a little more low-key. There is a new Cirque du Soleil theater at the Disney Resort in Tokyo that opened on October 1st.  We were really lucky to get tickets to the opening weekend.  It was an amazing performance.  There were clowns, jugglers, trapeze artists, tight rope walkers, and women who did crazy things from ropes, bungie cords and fabric hanging from the ceiling.  Japanese aren't usually vocal when they watch a performance.  When Scott and I go to the movies, we are literally the only one's laughing.  But at Cirque, everyone was laughing, gasping and clapping.  It was very fun.

My favorite present is this picture one of my students drew for us.  Very cute...

Here are a few pictures of us outside the theater.  Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures inside.  

interpretation

Can anyone help us figure out what this means?  Technology can be so confusing sometimes. Plus, it's gross.  Do you happen to notice the pee on that thing?  Nasty...

mt. vesuvius

Sometimes I really get tired of people. I know that I am supposed to love people, and do unto others and all that jazz, but sometimes I just don't want to. People just get on my nerves. I think it may have something to do with my ineptitude at dealing with my own emotions. Rather than being able to effectively express how I feel, I tend to bottle things up. Then when the time is right, usually after some insignificant thing, I explode. More often than not, those eruptions are directed at people who don't deserve it (especially Allison... sorry baby). If only I could learn how to release things as they affect me, or maybe better, just let things slide, I would probably be a lot better off. Then again, it is quite possible that there is nothing wrong with me, and it's other people who are stupid. I'm sure that's what it is...

definition

Sometimes I think it would just be easier if things in life (read: job) were more defined. Don't get me wrong. I like the abstract, but somedays I think it would be nice to have someone say "fix this car" or "flip that burger" or even "clean that urinal". The types of jobs that are accompanied by those directives are important, but at the end of the day, they're done. You don't have to go home thinking, "I didn't flip that one last burger, so how is that going to affect the mission tomorrow." Nor do you have to worry about coming up with your own plan or schedule. It's all defined for you. The boss said that the bathroom's dirty, so you go clean it. Easy enough. I'm not saying that I'm gonna quit my day job and go find work someplace where I take direct orders and accomplish simple, or at the very least to-the-point, tasks. But sometimes I do think it would be nice...

in the beginning

My first entry into the world of blogging. This is just a test at this point. I'm not in the most optimal of places to begin trying this, but I find myself with a little bit of time on my hands... so why not. Let's see where this thing goes...