A Peek into Matt's World

Tuesday Matt became a legal alien of Japan, got his re-entry permit, opened up a bank account and picked out his cell phone. I guess he is official now.

Everyone in Japan has data packages on their cell phones. Internet and texting all the time. (You aren't allowed to talk on the hone on the train, so this may be why) Some phones even get television on them. Electronics just seem so much more advance over there. So Matt picked out an iphone and seems to have had no problem figuring out how it works. I am just hoping the newness wears off before I get there as I think he may be in love with it more than me.

He sent us a few pictures of the house with the rental furniture and also sent Emily a picture of the train at 6am on his way to work. Everything seems to start late in Japan, probably since they are out until late hours working (it is not unusual to see people getting in the train at 9pm or 10 pm with briefcases and suits) so the few people on the train look like they are sleeping.

His air shipment arrived yesterday, so now he has some of the food we shipped over, a small TV for our bedroom, his bike, his clothes, a bunch of medicine, 36 rolls of toilet paper, and enough tampons to last 3 years. I am trying not to think about where he is putting these things, as I know I will redo everything once I am there.

So from Matt's view... a bit of his first week in Japan.

The train at 6 am.
The rental kitchen table. I bet Matt's knees hit when sitting there. He complains how nothing is built for a 6-ft 2-in man.

Rental furniture in the living room. Matt has been sleeping on the couch as he says the floor would be softer than the bed .

The bed in our bedroom. The kids bedroom furniture will come in January. I really like the cover in here. I wonder if we could somehow forget to return it.

Guess who else is coming to Japan?

Unless you are a mom if a 8 year old or above you probably have not heard the news. So in case you have missed the next best thing since the creation of High School Musical (which is still Sam's obsession btw) icarly is heading to Japan.

Can I even begin to tell you how excited my kids are about Nick's movie icarly ,igo to Japan? For those who have no clue what I am talking about, icarly is about Carly Shay, who creates an Internet show, called iCarly, with her best friends, Sam and Freddie. Surprisingly the characters do not annoy me and I actually find the show cute to watch.

So back to Carly and her friends coming by for a "visit". On November 8 the crew will be heading over to Japan for a visit during the first ever icarly movie. Leading up to the big movie will be "Japanese Fun Facts" both online and on television. (I encourage you to check out the list on this link.) We have heard clips of them saying some of the words that the kids and I are learning in our language class, and even looks like they are wearing UGG Boots like everyone else there does.

So if you have some time and want a sneek peak into some of the life my kids will be living for the next 3 years, make sure you catch the movie premiere on November 8. And if you don't want to admit that you are intrigued in watching this, that is fine. Just make it a family activity for the evening. My kids are always great excuses why I have to be a kid for a few hours.

Conversations Heard Around the Lunch Table

Emily: Mom, M emailed and asked me send some pictures because kids at school want to see what I look like. (Emily already has two girls from her school in Japan emailing her and they seem to have really hit it off)

Chris: The boys want to see what you look like. He he he he he

Sami: Emily is going to get a boyfriend.

Mom: Ugh... I guess you probably will have your first boyfriend while there considering you are in 7th grade now. (Mom trying to be a realist)

Emily: I don't have time for a boyfriend, but when I do I want him to be from Europe.

Mom: (no words as mouth hanging open)

Chris: he he he he he

Mom: Well I guess that would be pretty cool to say my first boyfriend was European. But what about when you or he leaves, that is a far distance. Maybe you should pick a boy from North America at least. (Again trying to be a realist)

Emily: Nope. Because my boyfriend will fall in madly love with me and follow me to the States.

Mom: (again, speechless)

Chris: My girlfriend will be from Australia. He he he he he he (As he makes some seductive eyebrow raising look)

Sami: My boyfriend will be daddy.

Mom: (leaves the table to find something to drink that will take away the sudden headache this conversation has caused)

Sunday Scramblings

So I am not blogging about big Buckeye games anymore. I think my blog is jinxed. But I have to say that the Buckeyes played a good game and I am still proud to be a Buckeye this am. Those boys have nothing to hang their heads about.

This is our first weekend without Matt here. So far it still has the "daddy is on a business trip" feel to it. Matt travels so much, especially from January to July (which won't be even half that in Japan, woot!), that we are used to fending for ourselves. Once we hit about 10 days I am sure reality will start sinking in.

Friday night after Emily's practice the kids all stayed for a 3 hour open gym. I used that time for myself (Just like a orovo user treating herself for the night). Went to dinner (and not fast food), got my toes painted (it was the best pedicure I have ever gotten) and treated myself to Starbucks (note to self: No more lattes at 8 pm). I figure there won't be many more opportunities for myself in the next few months so I took advantage of it. Then somehow I wound up with 4 extra kids (I deserve mother of the year) for the night, bring me to a total of 7 kids. I was totally outnumbered.

Yesterday morning I went grocery shopping. Matt would die if he saw how much I bought considering I am supposed to be thinning out my never ending food supply around here. (Note to self: Look into finding food shopping addict help group) We then had Chris's football game, where they put another line in the win column, remaining undefeated for the season. Afterwards we went to dinner with our neighbors to a Japanese Steakhouse that opened here in town. The owners are actually from Tokyo so I was able to practice some of my Japanese with them. My teacher would be so proud. Then of course we had the game.

Today I am using the morning to get our house back in order. Trying to get everything ready for Matt over the past few weeks has turned my usually organized house into a land of chaos. I just need to figure out where to start. This afternoon the kids have their Japanese lesson and then mine follows that.

Over the course of the next few weeks I need to start going through drawers and closets weeding out what we will take with us and what we will put in storage. It is easy deciding furniture and such, but the small things, not so much. One of Emily's teachers had been overseas in Germany for 4 years. She told me that it was funny to get their storage back after that time and see what they had put in there.

So there you have it. Our boring weekend in a nutshell. And you will hear no complaints from me. Of course if my children do not stop slamming doors and chasing each other screaming how horrible each other are I may have to start blogging from prison (note to self: Check into Internet access availability in jail).

On a side note I have a few friends that I would love to have some extra thoughts for. First, our good friend Kate's (her DH is Matt's BFF) dad was diagnosed with lung cancer on Wednesday. Jim is an awesome man and I ache for the family. Then my extra special friend Jamie was rushed to the ER and had emergency surgery yesterday morning to remove her gall bladder. During the surgery they found some issues with her bowels and she is having another surgery this am to correct that. All of this came out of the blue and is so strange considering I was just there 2 weeks ago. Finally, my ultra-talented kick butt friend Val is having surgery on Thursday. When it rains it pours, huh? So many things going on and I hate not being there for any of them. I just hope they know that they are never far from my thoughts.

What is going on tomorrow?

Not going to jinx it, but I know you want to see what I am talking about.

Stupid Writers

Alexis' guilty pleasure #154 –– I enjoy watching soap operas. In fact I have watched Days of Our Lives (AKA: DOOL) since I was a kid.

My days are so busy (and well I would feel a wee bit guilty watching soaps all day long) that I have grown addicted to Soapnet. Let me stop here to say that Soapnet is an insomniacs answer to prayer. Hanging out in Salem or Pine Valley is so much better than watching all night marathon's of The Fresh Prince of Belair (sorry Will).

Somehow I have moved from just watching DOOL to also watching General Hospital and All My Children. I am trying really hard to not get all caught up on One Life to Live, but the whole Rex and Gigi storyline is making it hard.

Anyways, I digress. Back to the whole purpose of this post. What are some of these writers thinking? I mean come on... let Sami finally be happy. As much as I like listening to EJs sexy accent, she really belongs with Lucas so I can watch more shirtless Lucas scenes. And John, please if I have to watch him do his who tooted look one more time I may vomit. And on All My Children, are these writers insane?? Finally Babe and JR are back together. JR has lost the anger, stopped drinking, has made amends with his past and they KILL BABE OFF. Nuts I tell you. Completely. Crazy. And General Hospital, Carly & Sonny, Carly & Jax, Carly & Nicholas... $10 says within the next year Carly will have a night with Jason too. Just let that poor woman find a man and hang with him. And Laura –– crazy not crazy, crazy, not crazy. It switches so quick I am going crazy figuring it out.

And no before you ask. I have never once eaten a bon bon while watching these trash shows. Matt won't let me eat in the bed. (However this could be a benefit of Matt being in Japan and me still being in the states.)

The End is Near

This is what someone was wearing at Chris's football game the other night. (excuse the camera phone pic. I didn't have my real camera with me)



Yes those are stir-up jeans. Stir-up jeans. Ugh. Not only am I flabbergasted that this style is coming back, but jeans? That is just crossing the line. And she had them on with shoes from a place like MBT shoes.

If only I had saved my clothes from 7th/8th grade. I owned quite a few sweater dresses and stir-up pants. Who would have thought I could have been in style in 2008 with those. I wonder what's next. Pegged pants and pinstriped jeans?

What style do you remember from your childhood? Do you wish it would make a comeback?

The Adventure Begins

Matt and the kids bright and early at 4 am.

This morning the kids and I woke bright and early to take Matt at 4:15 am to the airport. I am proud to report only minimal drama from Sam and a few tears from Emily. Chris just kept telling me to hurry he had to use the bathroom. Yep. The adventure is beginning. I cannot believe how fast the time flew.

I am trying not to think about us being apart for 3 months. Luckily we know he will be back for a week at the end of November. And we filed today for an exception allowing him to come back to NC to help me bring the kids over on January 19. Fingers crossed that it is approved. I told the kids this morning over breakfast at the Waffle House (our plan was IHOP, however not open 24 hours here) just think of this as daddy being on another business trip. And between phone and webcam things will be okay. Matt said this morning that it doesn't feel like he is moving. It just feels like he is staying in a bigger hotel since he is on all rental furniture and without us there.

It's going to be hard, both on me and the kids. But I know that it is just 3 months and that we can do this. We are looking at all of this as an adventure. The separation, the move, new schools, train life, a new language, a new culture, different foods... It is a scary adventure, yet at the same time a very exciting and rewarding time. The experience and memories that our children will gain will be something that they will treasure forever.

So think of Matt and wish him safe travels and luck. And for us too. My poor kids will need lots of luck after spending 3 months alone with their poor mom. Matt told them this morning that their life lays in my hands. They may wish their was some type of online trading for mothers by the time January rolls around.

Matt, his dad, and his brother and sister last month.

A bit of a story...

Last week I flew to Illinois for a quick trip to meet my new boss and to connect with the team I contract with before the move. The main purpose of the trip was to confirm and work out details that will keep me working part time while I am in Japan. Even though I didn't really have the time to go, it was well worth it.

So my quick trip to Illinois was not without drama. I mean come on. Alexis go somewhere and drama not happen? As much as I anticipate it, I did not think the drama will start right at the beginning of my trip.

My flight left at 6:30 am and connected through Atlanta. As I may have mentioned my laptop had been acting funny a few weeks prior and then stopped. The screen would fade or the computer would just shut off. So I had backed up my system (or so I thought) just in case. So while I saw sitting in Atlanta for a 3 hours layover my computer started flipping in and out of sleep mode. And then suddenly turned off. Then if I got it back on the battery would not charge and then turn off right away.

So there I was. In Atlanta, on my way to a huge meeting and my computer wasn't working. Oh and did I mention, I didn't pull any of the files I was going to need to a flash drive. And I definitely would NOT bring the external hard drive with me.

During this moment in time, my lovely husband called me to inform me that his blood work from a routine physical required by his company prior to our move came back showing that he was one Lonestar Steakhouse visit shy of a heart attack. That is right. My 33 year old husband has extremely high cholesterol. And of course right at that moment in time his chest started hurting. Yep. I was in the Atlanta airport, with a broken laptop, on the way to an important meeting and my husband was clutching his check back in NC. Needless to say I found myself having a beverage with a bite at 9:30am.

So off the plane I stepped and went right to a Best Buy who luckily was back in the Apple computer business. I needed to get a new laptop prior to going to Japan, so I just got it a few months early. Merry freaking Christmas Alexis.

Now let me stop and say that I love getting a new computer. I love running my hands across the keyboard and looking into the shiny screen. I can't wait to see the set up assistant dance across my screen. However this situation denied me any of that joy. Luckily the people I met with at work were understanding and managed to find all but one of the files I needed for the meeting.

But alas! This wasn't the only drama of the trip. Even though I could have carried all my belongings on the plane in a Trader Joes sack (not that I would have done that) I packed one of my super huge new suitcases in anticipation of my hand me downs for Sami from Jamie and of course any shopping goodies I may have found. The suitcase was empty on my way there.

We really didn't have much time to hit the stores, but we managed to find a few good deals and some resale shops. My main goal for myself was to find some "dressier" type shirts and some killer shoes. My flips just won't cut it in Japan. I managed to find 3 pairs, two with ankle breaking heels. Somehow my empty suitcase became packed with clothes, shoes and books that I had lent to Jamie.

We were running late to the airport so I was rushed to check in and make sure my bag made it back to NC. Now let me remind you that at this point I am now carrying my laptop backpack, the box to my new laptop with my old broken down laptop in it and my huge suitcase (I had shoved my purse in the suitcase so I would have one less thing to carry). I rush to check in, throw up my bag and reach for my ID.

Just then the ever so pleasant lady informs me that my bag was 10 pounds overweight and she doubts would make the dimensions limit either. I could either pay $50 or take some stuff out. So I ripped open the suitcase, pull out the purse stick the books Jamie returned inside, switch off my shoes and grab one of the killer ankle heel shoes and stick the suitcase back on the scale. Nope. Still 1 pound and 1 inch over. One. Freaking. Pound. Regardless that the flight was barely 1/2 full, if they make an exception for my 1 pound than they need to make an exception to all the luggage (or so the pleasant check-in lady told me with a smile). I ripped back open the bag, pull out a few more items, stick them in my backpack and cross my fingers. Still half inch over. By this time I am ready to wring the lady's neck with her tape measure. You would think I was begging her to stick exercise equipment on the plane or something. I take the bag, smash it up against the scale and tell her to measure it. Finally it passes.

I run down the airport with no shoes on, carrying the killer ankle heels, backpack on and laptop box in hand. The security guys were laughing so hard at me as I ran up to them. I get through security, just as they were getting ready to board. Needless to say I got one of the non-free plane beverages for my choice.

But hey. On a good note. My laptop was fixable, for only $104, and all my information was intact. Miracles do happen.

Days... Days... Days...

Days until Matt leaves .......... 7
Days until David Cook's Album comes out.............. 33
Days until Matt comes back for Thanksgiving (Just confirmed this morning)................... 35
Days until Ohio State Plays Michigan......... 37
Days until they pack our sea carton ............. 63
Days until Christmas.................... 70
Days until New Years .................. 77
Days until Emily's first meet................... 87
Days until Emily's 13th birthday..................... 89
Days until we leave for Japan....................... 96

Until We Meet Again

"No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever."

- Francois Mocuriac

We had such a nice week with Val and her family. We spent the week boating, shopping, eating yummy foods, hanging out, site seeing, drinking wine, taking pictures and just spending time together. Hard to believe we only see each other a few times a year. You never would have known.

Our visits may be even less over the next few years, however I know that no matter the distance, we will be friends forever. And while I enjoyed showing the Camp family all my fave sites and eating holes in North Carolina, I am really hoping to get to show them around Japan.

Here are a few highlights from the week. I can't wait to see all the pics Val took.

Added Bonus

Do you know how awesome it is to have a friend that is a professional photographer?

You get pictures like these (hope you don't mind me sharing Val!). I may have to pay to have her come visit me more often.

Weekend Wrap Up

It's been a productive, yet very fun, weekend.

Friday night I finished cleaning the house (yes another thing off my to-do list!) while Matt cleaned up the boat. Afterwards, Emily had a friend spend the night and we just hung out around here.I think Matt enjoyed spending some extra time with Emily and her friend.

Yesterday we dropped Emily off at practice and then spent the morning getting some stock up items for Matt's air shipment (they are packing his stuff on Oct. 15), as well as picking out a small TV for our bedroom in Japan. The old tube TV in our bedroom here will become victim of the "digital converter" in February, so it just made better sense to get a new one for Matt to take with him. While a pop up tv would be pretty cool so we won't have to see it all the time, we just settled on one to mount on the bedroom wall.

Last night Matt and I caught up with some of our closest friends, Matt and Kate, as they were in town from Ohio for the night before they headed to the beach for the week. We managed to catch dinner and the big Buckeye game (what a win!). We will be meeting up with them and their kids at the beach next weekend. I am looking forward to spending some time with them. It's hard to believe and Matt and Matt (imagine calling their place during college) have been best friends for over 15 years.

This morning the kids had their second language class (they are loving their teacher) and then we met Val and her family. Yes they are here! We spend the afternoon tubing, skiing, wake boarding and swimming out on the boat and then went to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants for supper. It was funny watching the kids. There was no awkwardness and it was like we have never been apart. Val and the kids are here all week and Neil is here until Tuesday night. I can't wait to show them some of the cool places in the Raleigh area. I am sure I will have lots of pictures from the week to share.

So what did you do this weekend? Leave me a comment and give me a wrap up.

Trying to Unbury Myself

I know I have been a horrible blogger lately. And I feel really bad that I am so far behind on reading my favorite blogging buddies. I am trying to play catch up from being gone in Japan for a week and all the stuff that suddenly has been thrown my way.

Add on top of my stack of to-do items, Matt booked his ticket today and if his Visa comes back as we have been told, he leaves in **gulp** 21 days. He is booked on a 6 am flight on October 22. I am trying really hard to not think about that right now. The whole reason we are choosing to go at separate times is to help make the transition easier on the kids, and to be honest, me as well. Right now the anticipated departure date for the kids and myself is either January 20 or 27, giving us basically 3 months apart. I actually feel sorry for Matt. At least I will be back here surrounded by friends and family, especially during the holidays, and he will be alone in Japan.

So what do I need to get done before I am back in full-time action in bloggy land?

• Fill out and turn in expense reports to our relocation coordinator. This consists of scanning every receipt, documenting it on the proper expense sheet and then emailing it off. Right now I am anticipating this to take me about 2 - 3 hours.
• Revise a 50+ page document for my Caterpillar client. Oh did I mention by end of day Friday?
• Write at minimum six web site copy blurbs for a local client. Another 10-15 are due by the end of next week.
• Email and call a contact list of 12 people for another Caterpillar document that I just started Monday.
  
• Taking the whole family to get a dozen each passport photos made. No joke about the number we need either.
• Make an appointment for the kids passport authorization session. We have to do this through the post office, which means we are limited to times and days. This HAS to be done in the next week.
• Fill out the kids school application for Japan.
• Send out emails about Matt's going away party.
  
• Clean and organize my house for the Camp Family's visit! They will be here in FOUR days. I am ecstatic. Val has never been here and I cannot wait to show her everything. (Well and do some shopping)
• Go to Sam's Club and purchase all the stock up items before Matt leaves and before our membership expires in 18 days.
• Back up my laptop. I am having an issue with it and terrified that something is going to happen.
  
• Locate and call a rental company to help with our house here in NC.
• Get Matt's international drivers license.
• Figure out what keylogger is. It seems to be the buzz word of the week to learn.
  

I think this is it for this week. I have a whole new list for next one. (No joke.)

I promise I will be back soon. Thanks for being so understanding!