Getting Back to Blogging

I have found it hard to blog over the past month. I can't seem to figure what words to put to the screen. The past month has been full of heartache and turmoil for the people of Japan. People have lost their houses, their loved ones, their jobs, their personal belongings, their lives.  On March 11, at 2:46 pm, people's lives changed forever.  When I sit in front of the screen, everything I want to write seems so insignificant and trite compared to what has happened around me.

There has been hundreds of aftershocks since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, with the past 24 hours having 68 alone. Almost a 1/4 of these 68 have been 5.5 magnitude and above. There seems to be a sense of nervousness every time an aftershock hits. Add to it the unstable nuclear situation and I think many people seem to be walking around waiting for the "other shoe to drop". Kobe is far away from both the Tohoku and Fukushima regions, but I still think people are anxious about the "what's next" or "what could be next." I know many of my expat friends worry about something happening here or what the future may hold. To be honest, I do too.

But life still goes on. People get up in the morning and go to work. Some meet friends for coffee, while others play with their children. If there is one thing I learned on my trip to the Tohoku region it was how much strength and grace the victims showed. They are perfect examples of no matter how grim and bleak a situation may be, life goes on. It has to. I think learning how to put one foot forward, no matter the circumstance, is part of the healing process.

This past Sunday, Matt and I walked around Kobe to see the beautiful cherry blossoms. Sakura season is famous in Japan. People come from all over just to admire the cherry blossom trees. I found it to be a very peaceful and cleaning afternoon.

We can either live in fear about what tomorrow may bring or we can live each day to the fullest because we never know what the future may hold. One of my favorite musicals, Rent, has a song that really says it all:
"Forget regret -- or life is yours to miss.
No other road,  no other way
No day but today."

On the boat and on the plane... We'e coming to America!

After almost 5 months, we are on our way back to America for 8 weeks of visiting family and friends. I am very excited and also nervous at the same time. Living from house to house out of suitcases will not be easy. Sami is already being the drama queen at why we can’t just stay in our house in North Carolina. I guess renting isn’t fully understandable to a 6 –year-old.

Our flight back to the states isn’t as easy as when we first made our journey to Japan back in January. Northwest has cancelled all flights directly into Osaka (apparently Osaka charges too much for their fees) so we now have to connect through Tokyo. Then we have a 6.5-hour layover in Minneapolis before we finally head to Raleigh. Add on top of that I am by myself with the 3 kids (Matt doesn't join us for another 2 weeks) and you have one heck of a traveling experience.

It’s hard to believe that we have been living in Japan for almost 5 months. Some days I have to pinch myself to really believe that I am living there. Time has sure flown by, but at the same time it feels like we have been living there forever. Many of the other expats have told us to enjoy everyday because time seems to fly by faster than any place else they have been.

I am just amazed when I think about all the things we have experienced in just 5 months–– going to Hong Kong and Thailand, hiking up mountains, climbing the spectacular cliffs that jet out over the Japan Sea, making friends from all over the world, going to our first auction fundraiser (handmade area rugs and floor rugs from the Middle East) learning how to speak a different language, taking trains everywhere and learning how to drive on the other side of the road are just a few. I can only imagine what all we will experience over the next few years. This truly is an experience that the kids, as well as Matt and I, will remember, and learn from, forever.

So the next 8 weeks will be full of visiting friends and family all over North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and even Missouri. We have beach trips, camping, sleepovers, shopping and camps for the kid all planned. We can’t wait.

11 days

We are in countdown mode. Only 11 days until the kids and I leave for our home leave back to the United States. It honestly seems like yesterday that we got off the plane wide-eyed and with no idea what we were getting ourselves into. And now, almost 5 months later, we are going "home" for almost 8 weeks.

The next 11 days will be swamped with end of the school year activities, packing, making lists, parties and spending time with new friends. (It will be a great time to burn fat with all we have to get done) I am sure before we know it, the kids and I will be sitting in the taxi heading to the airport for our long adventure back to North Carolina.

First Haircut in Japan

I got my hair done right before we left the states, but for some reason my hair is growing crazy over here so I was overdue for a cut & color. There has been three places in all of Kobe that have been recommended by other expats. I like my neighbor's hair so I opted to try Billy's.

She had warned me that it was a bit "edgy" but that was why she liked him. His "studio" is on the 4th floor, so when I reached the 3rd floor and saw this I almost turned around.


But I decided that I really needed a cut & color so I would press on. Then I got to the front door.


I once again thought that maybe I should turn around. But instead I walked in and was greeted to some loud country music, which happened to be a channel out of North Carolina! (Got to love Internet radio) I considered it a sign that everything would be okay.


His studio is a bit different and edgy. But then so is "Billy". (His real name is Yasu but we just call him Billy). You can see a picture of him on the staff page here. I have never had my hair cut by a man in tattoos and that looks like he just hopped off a Harley, but I loved him. He trained in London so he has experience with Gaijin hair.

He did a great job. And if you are ever in the neighborhood (AKA, come visit me!), I highly recommend "Billy".

The back

The Front

School Days, School Days

Today was the kids first day of school here in Japan. I think all three kids were holding their breath in anticipation of this day.

There are two ways the kids can get to school –– via train and via bus. Typically the older kids all ride the train and the younger kids ride the bus, unless they live on Rokko Island where the school is located. All three kids go to the same school.

Our neighbor's daughter picked Emily up and they rode the train in together. Matt and I took the other two and then we met Emily at the school. Tomorrow Chris and Sami will start riding the bus and Emily will continue going with the neighbor.

Emily and Maggie this am leaving for school. They are the same age and grade.

Sami & Chris before heading to school.

The kids are going to Canadian Academy, an international school based on the US school system. It is an amazing school, both educationally and activity wise. All three kids will take daily Japanese lessons at school. There are kids from all over the world attending this school. Our kids will have friends from Japan, China, Korea, India, Europe, Australia, and the US.

Sami has 14 kids in her class and two teachers. There are eight boys and six girls and five of them are from the US. Her main teacher is from the US and she already loves him and the assistant is from India. When I came to pick her up the teacher said she did wonderful and jumped right in with everything in the classroom.

Chris also has 14 kids in his class, however he is the only American in his class. His teacher is from Canada. He said that everyone seems nice and he likes his teacher. Since Chris isn't a boy of many words who really knows.

Emily was really worried before she left for school this morning, however tonight she was all smiles. She said everyone was real friendly, she met several kids and she thinks she will enjoy her classes. She already has homework tonight so it is like she never left school at all. Tomorrow she starts gymnastics at the new gym. That itself should be an adventure.

So another milestone down here in Japan. Shew...

Hitting the Ground Running

In only 42 days I am moving to Japan and I think I am starting to hit a slight panic mode. Okay maybe more than a slight panic mode.

There is so much I still need to do here, not just before we move next month, but before they pack our stuff for the sea shipment on December 18. I have been busy stocking up on medicines (you can't find simple items like Tylenol very easily and medicines are 1/2 the strength in Japan. And speciality items such as Leptovox) or Viagra, you might as well forget it), food (cereal, granola bars, canned goods, dressings, peanut butter, mac & cheese, oatmeal, pancake mix, etc) and household goods (laundry soap, shampoos & conditioners, soaps, dishwasher liquid, Kleenex, paper towels, etc) I have picked out new master bedding, kitchen rugs and towels, bath towels and area rugs for the kids bedrooms. Even though our dining room is already full of stuff, I still have a long list of things I need to buy this week.

1. Shelves for linens to put in the storage room
2. Shelves for toys to put in the storage room
3. Baskets and bins for the kids closests and the bathroom cabinets
4. Some type of storage/drawer unit for Chris's closet (We are not taking his dresser)
5. Spare sheets for Chris's & Emily's beds
6. Extra razor blades & Emily's face wash
7. Picture frames
   
8. New kitchen dishes (We are keeping ours here to use and then put into storage)
   
9. Blank DVD Disks
10. Extra boxes of contacts
11. Artificial Christmas tree
    
12. Some last food items
    

This weekend I managed to sort Sam's bookshelf, Barbies and all our DVDs and VHS tapes. Although Sam has outgrown many books on her shelf I just cannot part with them. Some of them were mine and Matt's when we were kids, and others have been passed through all three of my kids. So into storage will go a whole tub of board and toddler books. I figure someday my grandchildren can have them.

Besides shopping for the above items, I have a whole list of things that needs to be done before next week. Just a few of the most important things include:

1. Mail Visa paperwork **MUST DO BY TUESDAY**
   
2. Starting to pull out clothes and items that we will be taking with us on the plane and put into suitcases.
3. Finish Christmas shopping & wrap gifts.
   
4. Sort through toy closet, dress up clothes and doll basket to take stuff that kids no longer play with or have outgrown to Guardian Angel store.
   
5. Organize office, purge magazines, file paperwork, sort through supplies.
   
6. Backup laptop and burn photo CDs.
   
7. Pick pictures to print and place in frames.
   
8. Clean junk drawer in kitchen.
9. Clean out dining room hutch and sort recipe books.
   
10. Call boat storage place and find a storage place for van.
    
11. Call painters for quotes to get bonus room and master bedroom painted.
12. Call rental agent regarding paperwork for January to get our house rented out.
    
13. Sort through game closet to decide what goes and what will be stored.
14. Organize coat closet.
15. Make hotel reservations for Dec. 19 - Dec. 22 and then Jan. 16 - Jan. 19.
    

All of the above needs to be done while I have to get the kids to school, homework done, get groceries for this week, gymnastics practices (everyday this week), laundry, cleaning the house, 2 Japanese classes, finish work for one client and set up meetings for another client. I am way behind in my blog reading and I apologize. I promise I will get to them soon. I am also going to get a small real tree for the kids to decorate so we have something "Christmasy" here. Plus it will be a nice surprise for Matt (who will be here in 9 days!!).

Things are crazy around here right now trying to get things done, but it is probably a good thing. It keeps me from worrying about moving 7,200 miles away, the transition, the kids, missing our friends and family, and just being scared/nervous about this whole adventure we are about to embark upon.

Oyasuminasi! (Means goodnight in Japanese)

What is going on tomorrow?

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

Is the suspense killing you?

I could be really mean and let all my impatient readers wait a few more days. After all I do have suitcases to unpack and laundry to do from an impromptu trip to the beach for a long weekend. But I guess I have left you waiting long enough.

Sorry to all those who guessed I am pregnant. Considering that would have to be an act of God, you are incorrect. With the busy life I have with the three we already have I think another would push me over the edge to the funny farm.

So what is it then? Are you ready? You holding onto your chair in suspense? Are you jumping up and down from the wait? Well here we go...

Matt has been offered and accepted a promotion at work. And while that is exciting, it is not the BIG news. The BIG news is that the job is in...


... Kobe, Japan.

(I will pause while you pick yourself up off the floor)

Yes, you read that right. We are moving to Japan – as in the country Japan. We have always wanted to do an international assignment, and while we were thinking maybe next summer would be a good time, this fell into our laps. And after lots of talk and prayer we have decided to take on the adventure.

We will be starting to work with our relocation counselor this week to iron out the details and book a house hunting trip for Matt and I. Matt has to be in Japan for an already booked business trip the week of September 14, so I will fly out and meet him at the end of the trip and we will stay a week to pick a house, get the kids schools all organized, learn the area, meet fellow expats (people working in a foreign country) and much more. The job is a 3 year assignment and after that we will be back stateside.

As of right now, Matt will be going around the 3rd week of October and the kids and I will follow at the end of February. While the kids and I could go by the end of the year, Matt and I have decided that allowing the kids to finish up some commitments here for school, football and gymnastics will help them transition easier. Our hopes is to rent our house out here, allowing us to keep a US residence and hopefully some back here when our assignment is over.

I am excited, scared, nervous... so many different emotions. This is huge for our family. But I know that during the next 3 years our family will have an experience of a lifetime. And don't worry all my bloggy friends... I will be here to blog it all. I know. Finally something to blog about besides David Cook.

So I will leave you with these few facts about Kobe, Japan. And be prepared for lots of posts leading up to our departure. The next few months will be filled with visits, packing, passports, redtape, jumping hoops, tears, smiles, airport travel, recommendations for the best acne treatment due to stress levels and much more.

• Kobe is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture and one of Japan's ten largest cities.
  
• Kobe's has a population of approximately 1.5 million.
  
• Located between the sea and the Rokko mountain range, Kobe is considered one of Japan's most attractive cities.
• Kobe was one of the first cities to open for trade with the West following the end of the policy of seclusion and has since been known as a cosmopolitan port city. It is Japan's fourth busiest container port.
• In January 1995, Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which killed over 5000 people and destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. A decade later, the city is completely rebuilt, and few signs of the terrible event are left. (Don't worry the city was rebuilt to withstand such an earthquake)
• The city is the point of origin and namesake of Kobe Beef, as well as the site of one of Japan's most famous hot springs resorts, Arima Onsen.
• Companies headquartered in Kobe include ASICS, Kawasaki, and Kobe Steel , as well as over 100 international corporations with Asia or Japan headquarters in the city such as Procter & Gamble and Nestle. (While we will live in Kobe, Matt will actually be working in Akashi, Japan, where Caterpillar is located)
  

In the final stretch

Only 12 days until we leave –– that's it. I am starting to get very a wee bit nervous.

I have never been this far from my kids and that worries me out. What if something happens? It is a 19 hour flight back to the states, plus time getting back to North Carolina. Alot can happen in that time. What if they need to talk to us? With an 11 hour time difference, no cell phone and them having to dial internationally to the hotel who knows if they will be able to reach us.

My kids schedules are pretty busy. School, gymnastics, baseball, AWANAS, youth group, homework... I am worried that we will come home and find my mom babbling "ba ba ba ba" like Goldie Hawn in Overboard. However with my bound instruction manual for mom she should be okay (can we say anal?).

Let's reevaluate those hours on an airplane. We have a 2 hour flight to Chicago and then a 19 hour flight to Singapore. From there we have another hour flight to Phuket. Don't worry we do stop for fuel in Hong Kong, we just don't deplane (yes I am that pathetic and called to ask). Nineteen hours inside the same airplane. In my seat. With Matt. I have a horrible time sleeping on a plane and am a wee bit claustrophobic so who knows how this will go. I have thought about getting the Dr to give me something for my nerves, but I have this fear of having a bad reaction and dying somewhere over the ocean. Maybe there will be some cool commercial real estate magazines left behind for me to look through. You always find the most interesting items in airplane seat pockets.

Asia is a totally different place than anything I have ever been to before. Don't get me wrong, it will be amazing. But there are also alot of unknowns. Luckily Matt has been to Thailand before so he knows what to expect. He just told me to make sure I brush my teeth with bottled water and do not have any ice or vegetables or fruit off a street stand without washing it myself in bottled water and I should be okay. I'll just keep in the back of my mind the travel clinic nurse's warning to stay away from the rabid monkeys and wild dogs. And I will try not to think about what lives in the water over there. And I definitely won't Google anything.

Speaking of food, I do not eat anything that lives in water. Plus I am allergic to coconut. I may not eat for 10 days.

I know I am silly. I am getting an amazing life experience and I am excited. But the older I get the more type A and less adventurous I get. Plus add on the vast amounts of things I need to get done before my mom gets here in 8 days and it is a cause for guzzling Pepcid AC by the bottle.

Back It Up

It's here! It's here! I am excited to announce that my camera and lens arrived safe and sound on Friday. I have to say I am a wee bit intimidated. Okay, alot intimidated. Just ask Val about my 900 frantic emails.

So trying to prepare myself for the learning curve of this camera I started burning old pictures off my computer. Let me stop for a moment and explain the system I have. I take lots of digital pictures. After all, they are free. So why not take hundreds, or in my case thousands. I then upload them to my computer (almost always my laptop) and then erase the photo card. I sometimes then upload the pictures to my online photo album. Do I ever print any of the pictures? Rarely. But hey my goal this year is to print more and actually hang them at the house and send to relatives.

Now at this point I am supposed to burn the pictures from my computer each month to a CD and then file them in the fireproof safe. However somehow I have not done this since December 2006. Yeah, big oops. So last night I started burning and got through June. This morning Matt asked me when the last time I backed up my whole system was. My response? Never. Sure I have pulled files to a CD or a jump drive. And I do have all the pictures on CD through December 2006. But as far as a whole system backup. Never. I really have meant to do it. I even had Val email me what she bought as far as an external hard drive. So what if the email was dated July 20, 2006. I fully intended to do it. And the bad part? I have two computers I have never backed up. I am really really really lucky I have never had a problem.

So as I type, I am finishing burning the rest of 2007 pictures and then I am going to plug in my new 320 GB external hard drive and backup my whole system –– pictures, mp3 files, work and personal documents. Truth be told, I'd rather be searching for Branson rentals. An external hard drive stresses me out just as much as my new camera does. I have this fear of plugging it in and frying my whole computer. Or corrupting all my files. It makes me really nervous. And since I am a Mac girl it isn't like I can get much help in the stores about what is and isn't good.

Now all I need to do is figure how to sync my desktop and laptop computer together and I will really be on the ball. Maybe someday.

Georgia On My Mind

Tomorrow I leave for my press conference in Atlanta. Yikes. I will be leaving here around 7:30am and driving to one of the client's offices in Greensboro and then riding with them and all the trade show and press materials to Atlanta. All in all it should be a 6.5 hour drive.

We will be driving back to Greensboro late Wednesday night where I will stay overnight and then drive to the local airport to pick up my good friend Kate and her daughter Matty for a weekend visit.

I am really, really nervous. I am the liaison between the media and the client and need to do whatever possible to get positive coverage on the unveiling of the new division. I will be the person "working the press conference." Over the weekend I had to write up a strategic proposal on what all the press conference will entail and what the main goals of the trip were. They must have liked it because it was forwarded to the VP. I am not used to people looking to me for advice and direction.

After this trip my project with this client comes to an end. If I am lucky there will be more work that develops out of this trip and future projects. But it is hard to say. So I guess it will be back to the "new business drawing board" next week.

I'll be taking my laptop and since I cannot sleep in a hotel (even with a big King bed all to myself) I am sure I will be checking in. Until then, have a great week!

Thanksgiving Freak Out

There has been only one Thanksgiving holiday that I have not spent with my parents. This year will be the second. Matt and I decided that 20 hours in a car (10 hours each way) with our three kids through the mountains is just something we are not up for, especially since we will be doing it next month for Christmas. I have to admit, it was more my decision than Matt's. With how busy we have been and how busy we will be the next few months, I just want to stay home and relax for a few days. No running around, no pressure. I hope it was the right decision.

I have offered to host Thanksgiving dinner with two of my neighbor's and their families. None of us have family nearby so we have decided to be each others family for the holiday. Thursday I will be cooking for 14 people. And now that it is just two days away, I am starting to freak.

I have my menu all set and today I went shopping for all the ingredients.

Appetizers:
Sausage Cheese Balls
Stuffed mushrooms

Dinner:
Turkey (duh!)
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Stuffing
Green bean casserole
Corn casserole
Sweet potato casserole
Homemade cranberry sauce
Salad
Rolls

Dessert:
Pumpkin pie
Caramel pecan cheesecake
Chocolate Crack
Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

I have never cooked a meal like this all by myself. Sure I have done parties, but that is much easier than a formal type meal. Plus in Illinois we had a double oven. Here we have one. And that is reserved for my 22 pound turkey. So now I am premaking all the dishes and running them to the neighbors to cook. Plus I have no decorations.

I am not a holiday decorator so if anyone is expecting a stuffed turkey or cornucopias with pretty leaves they will be disappointed. And how about tableware. I have our regular everyday plates (8 place settings) and then plastic plates for the kids. It is either our everyday stuff (We only own 2 place settings of china so that option is out) or we eat off of the Dora and Diego paper plates Sami suckered me into buying. And I don't have a gravy boat. In fact I hate gravy. So what do I serve gravy in?

I love to cook and bake. Love love love. But I am not a formal party host. I am better at a beer and burger type of function than a formal dinner. So I am a bit nervous.

Any tips or easy decoration ideas? Send them my way! And don't worry, my digital camera battery is all charged and ready to take lots of pictures.