Finding My Short-Term Goal

All along I have had the general goal of losing weight, but it wasn't until recently that I finally decided on a short-term goal. When I've thought about short-term goals in the past, I haven't considered short-term being within a calendar year. In the grand scheme of things, I suppose from March to August is a fairly short amount of time.

So, after spending some time with my son working on my collage (picture on my front page) I concluded that climbing Mt. Fuji is going to be the short-term goal I will focus on. It is prominently displayed on my collage now and I look at it every day. It's good to be focused on that goal now. Finally, I have something to look forward to - a challenge to look forward to tackling!

Standing there on top of the highest mountain in Japan, the view will be amazing! I'm visualizing the breathtaking scene, the feel of my body, mind, and spirit as I take it all in. I can actually see myself standing there triumphant! I believe I will make it. Along with my husband, we will create a memory that will last a lifetime and cause a ripple effect that will carry us to the next great and healthy adventure of our lives. How exciting? I can't wait to get there. I've much work to do, but the stage has been set. Victory is at my fingertips!

Sand Storms, Star Wars, & Shark Fin Soup

Today's experiences were varied to be sure. After yesterday's dust and sandstorm, I spent the morning vacuuming up red sand, mainly from my kitchen. Wow, if it wouldn't have been so bad for my camera, I would've taken some pictures. The sky turned reddish brown as it was rolling in. The wind was horrible! I've since learned that the DSS (Dust and Sand Storm) phenomenon is a growing problem in Japan. The dust blows in from China and elsewhere. I woke up this morning having a horrible time breathing. After cleaning up the sand, we headed out to church, and then on to lunch with friends. (I'll leave out all the details in between...although church was inspiring and had a good message.) We headed back to our favorite restaurant in Chinatown. Thanks to the nice Japanese lady next to me, I learned a little more about their menu. Most notably, shark fin soup. I'm familiar with shark fin soup and have been outraged in the past about the collection of shark fins. Though I have felt morally opposed, I wanted to see what the rage is all about. Japanese people love this soup. I'm skipping to another paragraph because shark fin soup needs to be set apart, it was just that unique of an experience. The fin itself was not overly apparent in the bowl. In fact, when I scooped up a bite, it appeared to have some sort of rice noodles. Using chopsticks, I lifted an opaque clump from the broth. I studied it a bit and noted that the shape was consistent with a shark fin. This particular one was about two inches tall. That was a small shark. I could not bring myself to put the whole fin into my mouth, so I decided to break off a piece. What I found was that the fin was easily pulled into strings, similar to string cheese. What I thought had been rice noodles were actually strings of the fin. Upon trying my first bite, I concluded that the "shark noodles" had a texture similar to a very al dente noodle. It didn't have much taste. The broth contributed most of the flavor, which was mildly fishy. I feel as though I have a better understanding now of the draw for shark fin soup...though I must say I'll never have it again. It was interesting, but I'm mostly disappointed in myself for having this culinary experience. I will say this, I'll never try turtle soup. On a slightly happier note, Koen watched Star Wars today for the first time. After investigating which order is the optimal order to view them in, we opted to start with episode IV, the original movie. Some of the plot has already been spoiled though since he just finished reading the book for episode I. That's okay though, he's still hooked. I think he understands now why his friend Micah loves Star Wars. Now they'll have more to talk about. Overall it was a good day. The coming week is sure to be full of fun and adventure. We'll be going to a couple museums this week, which should be lots of fun. We're heading to the Anpanman Museum and the Ramen Museum. I'm looking forward to seeing what fun and adventure those have in store for us.

Chinese Go-Round (Kai Ten)

Okay, so we were back in Chinatown today. We joined several friends for lunch at a very interesting Chinese restaurant. I'm not sure if I've shared with everyone about the sushi-go-round restaurants here in Japan. These restaurants have small servings of sushi dishes that run on a conveyor belt around the restaurant. The belt passes in front of each seat, where each person then reaches and grabs a plate and digs in.

The restaurant cost 1260 yen for me and 630 yen for Koen. It was all you can eat. We were able to try about 10 different dishes, including: eggplant; dumplings filled with greens and onions; wontons filled with I don't know what; chicken with cashews, peppers, onions, celery and eggplant; and a coconut milk cake. That only barely scrapes the surface of the dishes they had to offer.

My husband is going to be in love! I can't wait to take him there. It'll be our first stop after he's back from deployment.

Chinese New Year in Yokohama, Japan

Chinese New Year
Current mood: excited
Category: Travel and Places

Last Friday, Koen and I headed to Chinatown with friends for the Chinese New Year celebration. Two words describe the festivities, loud and colorful. There were probably several thousand people lining the streets to watch the parade.

The parade included women dancing, people in festive costumes, and several lions doing the Chinese lion dance. All of this was followed up by a metal cage being pulled along by a Chinese man who occasionally tossed a large pack of firecrackers into the cage, which filled the air with incessant popping and smoke.

One of the costumes was of a large, tall, barrel-chested Chinese man. The character had a large plastic head with movable eyes the size of a grapefruit. Each time he would jump up and down, the eyes would blink just like a baby doll. He was quite rolly poly.

Without a doubt, the lion dance was the neatest part of the parade. The colors were vivid - red, pink, blue, silver, turquoise, yellow, gold, and black. Each lion weaved in and out of the crowd "pouncing" on innocent bystanders. Koen stood along the edge of the street as the lions appeared before us. He didn't so much as flinch, but was completely unmoved and stoic. The turquoise lion made its approach shaking its head slightly and rising menacingly into the air as if to intimidate Koen. Still, he was unshakable. Then it happened, the lion moved swiftly and enveloped Koen. It seemed to swallow him whole and just when I knew all was lost, Koen emerged victorious, having survived his "attacker." He was elated and now could claim some bragging rights (sort of). By the way, my friend Naoko says the lion's head coming down on you like this brings good luck.

Another highlight of the parade was seeing Po from Kung Fu Panda, and the two men in costumes below.  They seemed somehow celestial.  Their faces were painted and they carried swords. At times they would stop their forward movement and engage one another in mock battle. Swords flew, bodies spun, and they energetically threw themselves into the air.

All of this was so exciting that Koen and I ran ahead of the parade. We had to take it all in once more before it was over. We wound the corner and followed the widening curve of people down the street weaving in and out of throngs of Japanese people, all the while looking for a break in the bodies to get to the street's edge. No luck.

With the crowd impeding Koen's view he wound up on my shoulders - a motherly sacrifice to be sure. If you haven't seen him for a while, he's over 70 pounds. Getting him up there was fun. Japanese people around me stared as we went through the process. The bird's eye view only lasted about five minutes, after which a lady on the street's edge reached through, grabbing Koen and pulling him to the front. I was very thankful. So was Koen.

After enduring the final blasts of the firecrackers, we were ready for some dinner. 

Chinatown is one of those places where it's just as easy to eat dinner standing alongside a vendor's stand on the street as it is to sit down at a restaurant. There are plenty of both. We decided to head to a vendor known, by our friend Ashley, to have the best gyoza.

On the way, we stumbled onto the Kanteibyo temple (Buddhist). To say that the temple gate was ornate is a gross understatement. It was absolutely beautiful. Scores of people were climbing the steps, arming themselves with incense before penetrating the inner workings of the temple. I found myself drawn by curiosity. People left their incense sticks sticking upright in large bowls at various numbered stations. One lady stood the whole time we were there praying with her eyes closed at station one. On the inside was a large statue of Kuan Yu (Guan Yu). There were offerings on an altar before him. As a Christian, I've never seen such a blatant display of idolatry. It was fascinating and sad and I walked away feeling thankful to know the one true God.

In the end, we found our gyoza stand and partook of some pretty good eats. Ashley was right, it was excellent. They also made a variety of Chinese steamed buns called baozi. Koen and I tried one with pork, shrimp, veggies, and spices. Boy was that delicious! Chinese food is one of my favorites! We had fun just standing there eating our baozi. (In Japan you don't walk around eating food. It's more proper to stand in place next to the vendor stand and consume your food before walking around.)

On the way out of Chinatown, we stopped by an antique store. I found a Japanese doll in a case that was really beautiful, so I inquired about it. Long story short, I bought four Japanese dolls of various genders, sizes, and dress, for 5000 yen. That's less than $50. I was thrilled and some friend or family member may be the lucky recipient of one of my good fortunes. 

We all had a great time and look forward to going again next year. Although... we don't have to wait until next year to visit Chinatown. We're going again today to sightsee with friends. What adventure awaits us this time? Hmm...we'll see.

Snow Day

It snowed here on February 3rd - about 4-6 inches in some places I would guess. Everything was canceled for the day and the snow beckoned to us . . . you must make a snowman, it said. We couldn't resist. We spent the day in and out, building forts, building and then destroying our snowman, snowball fighting, and sliding down a huge hill behind our house. We even took on some of the neighborhood teenagers in a snowball battle. They were quite surprised that an old woman like me could hold her own! The day was great, but it only just now occurred to me that we never made snow ice cream. Bummer, although we do still have snow on our front lawn. Hmm . . . maybe not, there's always next time.

Take it to the Lord in Prayer

Koen is in the middle of his piano lesson. Normally, I retreat to my office to take care of e-mail and other business while his fingers move deftly over the keys. All the while I hear the reassuring voice of his sensei (teacher), Hiroko Saito. She is a lovely lady, full of energy and always ready to flash you a smile. Hiroko san speaks to Koen in English punctuated by the occasional Japanese "ne." I wish I could help you understand what that sounds like. It is warm and loving - something I've been told only women in Japan say. Koen adores her. She adores Koen, too, I think.

During their lessons, sounds of laughter, marking time, high-fives, and partnered tunes fill the air. It has become so commonplace that I often tune it out and carry on with my own business. However, today something catches my attention - the beautiful sound of "Take it to the Lord in Prayer." The notes waft up the stairs bringing a smile across my face. Suddenly, I am filled with the hope that Koen will learn the true meaning of taking it to the Lord in prayer. This is a perfect opportunity for me to do the same.

U.S.S. John S. McCain Family Day Cruise

Koen finally had a chance to see what Daddy does for a living. Well sort of . . . none of us will ever really know. We spent the entire day of January 24, 2008, on the USS John S. McCain - out at sea!

We left the house before the sun came up and headed out on the one-hour trip from Yokohama to Yokosuka. Our feet hit the deck of the ship just after 7:30 a.m. The McCain was moored to the pier and the USS Stethem was moored to us. It took a while to get underway, but once we were, boy were we in for a treat.

The CO (commanding officer) came over the 1MC (shipwide intercom) and told the families to muster (meet) on the mess decks (dining room). (Sorry about all the navy lingo for you non-navy types.) He met us there and informed us that we would be breaking into small groups of 6 to be led around to the various ship departments by ESWS-qualified personnel. We were also going to have the opportunity to receive an honorary ESWS qualification. ESWS (Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) sailors are qualified to stand watches all over the ship. Theoretically, they should be able to do the basic job of any other sailor on the ship. We were given a sign-off sheet to carry to each department. After asking all of our questions (some of which stumped even the experts) we got our signatures.

Two hours into our tour, the boatswain came over the 1MC and blew the whistle for lunch. Boy is the whistle long and loud. We headed back to the mess decks and were greeted with an amazing lunch of steak and king crab! The crab was particularly delicious! We definitely had good timing on that meal. They only have a meal like that once a month. All the other days leave a little to be desired.

After lunch, we spent time learning about the launching system, radar, sonar, damage control (fire fighting and shoring), medical services, and command and control to name a few. The most time was spent on the bridge where Koen met the CO, sat in his chair, and even had an opportunity to steer the ship! He loved it. After our tour, we headed to the award ceremony where about 20 family members received an official honorary ESWS certificate. Jokes were made that some wives even got their ESWS before their husbands. It normally takes about 6 months to complete.

In the end, we headed back to the bridge while the ship sailed into port doing 30 knots! The spray flew all the way to the bridge, soaking the guys manning the guns. Koen was amazed. So was I. We had a great time learning. We got great exercise using the ladders. We met lots of the crew who seemed to have great morale. It was a day well spent - all 12 hours of it! (And that doesn't include drive time.) We look forward to going again in the future!

Moments of Epiphany

I'm sitting here tonight listening to Arie and Koen carrying on their nightly ritual. A variety of sounds can be heard emanating from Koen's room on any given night. On this particular night there is laughter and lots of it, although not accompanied by the usual sound effects. Anyone who knows Koen knows what I mean. It's refreshing to hear, with or without the sound effects.

My dear friend, Ashley, gave us a movie to watch tonight. We popped it in and watched over our bowls of tortellini and garlic bread. The movie was "A Midnight Clear." This movie probably won't be winning any awards. It doesn't have a super happy ending. In fact, the ending was a little ambiguous, but it reminded me about life...it's just a little ambiguous sometimes. What is our purpose? Each person has one.

Chaplain Chaney's service today touched on the same subject - purpose in the Christian sense, each person's purpose in the kingdom of God. We get so excited to share our ski trip stories, our accomplishments or our "you won't guess what happened today" stories. What about the amazing stories of what God has done in our lives? I was reminded that I'm not responsible for how people will respond, if at all, to my story. I'm just responsible for telling it. Let God work out the details.

So I'm ending the day full of questions, for myself, and for anyone else who wants to partake of my questions - not for sharing the answers, but for having the hope that comes with the fruitful search. I'm reminded of a treasure hunt and the Japanese word that Koen taught me - Ata!, which means, "I found it!" Life is also like that - alternating questions and moments of epiphany, after which we all hope to be able to utter those words - ata!

Skiing at Mt. Naeba in Niigata, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

It has been 20 years since the last time I went skiing. Arie has not skied for more than 10 years and has been talking about going for a long time. We finally decided to take a trip and visit Niigata, Japan, for a couple days to ski on Mt. Naeba. Unbeknownst to us at the time, Mt. Naeba is the most popular ski resort in Japan and widely considered to have some of the best conditions.

We rented our ski gear from Outdoor Recreation on base, reserved our hotel through ITT (Information, Tickets, and Tours) on base, and then headed off to buy our Shinkansen tickets (the bullet train). We were excited about our newest adventure and it didn't disappoint.

Our first train left Yokohama at 5 a.m., which got us up early. After almost an hour on that train, we got off in Tokyo and reboarded the Shinkansen headed to Yuzawa, Japan. When we arrived it was snowing with some flakes the size of quarters. Koen marveled at the site and was bouncing off the walls. We waited around the station for a bit for our bus to come and take us to the hotel. While we waited, Koen found a candy he wanted to try - a chewy, fruity, grapefruit-flavored do-dad that turned out to be quite good. It's a new favorite of his.

The bus took about 50 minutes, during which we played and goofed around with Koen. We had a ball and hadn't even put our skis on yet. Our bus pulled up in front of the hotel and we piled out ready for lunch and ski lessons. The hotel had many restaurants and we decided on curry, which has become our family standard favorite. A few tables away, people were soaking their feet in the hot spring foot bath. What a combo! Lunch and a foot hot spring with a view of the ski slopes. Pretty neat.

Once Koen was settled in with his ski instructor, Arie and I set off to get in as much as we could while we had the chance. The slopes were perfect powder - the best I've seen in my limited experience. I think I've only skied maybe 5 times, this one included. I was quite surprised that I never fell while I was skiing, though I did fall once while I was standing still watching Koen's lesson. Then Koen made it number two when he skied into me, knocking us both over.

The first day we skied until about 8:00 pm, nearly missing every dinner the hotel had to offer (restaurants close at 9 pm there). We did manage to hurry into a yakiniku place and have a great meal before collapsing in our twin beds.

The second day my legs from the knee down were so sore from the boots (ill-fitting, but the only option I had) and from using muscles I forgot I had. I tried my best, but I couldn't make my mind overcome the pain, so I didn't ski that day. Arie spent the late morning and afternoon skiing while Koen and I explored on our own. We went snowmobiling first together, and then Koen rode his own kid-sized machine. Later, he was pulled on a raft behind a snowmobile. He loved it! We wound our way through a maze of igloos and stopped for a bit inside an especially large one to enjoy some hot mochi with azuki bean sauce. It tastes a little like a hot, but chewy marshmallow topped with a sauce that tastes like sweetened, liquidy, mashed pinto beans. It doesn't sound appetizing, but it was lovely and we felt like we were taking part in a special moment. Mochi is a special Japanese dish that is eaten year-round, but especially for New Year's.

We broke for a quick lunch, and then Arie and Koen were off to do some more skiing together. Koen had a blast and Arie did a great job skiing backward and helping him practice. I never knew how well Arie could ski. After nine years of marriage (as of January 1) I'm still learning new things about my husband. It's refreshing.

So, now Koen has decided that skiing is his favorite sport after soccer. Arie has decided that after retirement we need to live within an hour of a ski resort. As for me...I'm thrilled no one broke any bones and I'm ready to commit to a life of skiing. I never thought I'd say that, but I really loved it. Isn't it interesting how you change as an adult? I don't recall enjoying skiing as much when I was a kid. It's nice to know that some things do change.

The trip back home was nice, quick, and uneventful except for the old Japanese man who kept falling asleep and leaning over on Koen on the train. The look on Koen's face was priceless and after a time it became quite funny.

Back home, I realized yet again, that there is no better way to appreciate your blessings until you no longer have them. In other words, I'll never complain about my mattress again! We had a blast and we're happy to be home.

The Lure of Old Glory

It comes into view, presented to the crew
Accompanied by a brief moment of silence.
The folds roll and sway inviting the melody
To dance among the Stars and Stripes.
From somewhere aloft a note rings out,
With all hands at attention.
The mood you know is solemn and proud
Almost too much to mention.
Through time and trial, with bloodshed and tears
She remains our symbol of faith and hope of freedom
To last throughout the years.