Just talked to Anna and Madison who have safely landed in Chicago for a brief (probably not for Anna) layover before they land at LaGuardia at 10pm tonight!! I passed the time today with a 5-mile run at Jones Beach, a little time in the water and then watching the crushing defeat of team USA...now I await someone to come pick up our large Hopen closet and take that off our hands, then it will be off to the airport to pick-up my sweethearts...CAN'T WAIT!!!
たった今シカゴに無事に着いたアンナとマディソンと話す事が出来ました。またそこからラグオルディアに向けてもう少ししたら出発で到着するのは今夜の１０時!! 今日僕は何とか時間を早く送らせようと、ジョーンズビーチで３キロ走った後少し海に入ったり、アメリカが敗れるのを観たりとそして今は、家にある巨大な洋服タンスを引き取ってくれる人を待ちながら僕の最愛の人２人を迎えに行くのを楽しみにしています...待ち切れない!!!
Family Picture
6.26.2010
日本での最後の数日間.../Last Days in Japan...
木曜日の夜、あすかがやっと家に帰って来れました!!やった〜！次に日の金曜日は家から仕事に行ってその日また家に帰って来たら、次の日は一緒に空港まで見送りに来れるとみんなで大喜び：）金曜日の日は、お母さんが最後の買い物をする為にいろんなお店に連れて行ってくれました...最後に日にやっと気に入ったサンダルを見つけて、ばあばもマディソンにもう一足音のなるサンダルを買ってあげる事が出来て嬉しそうでした。日本での最後のご飯は、マディソンのひいばあばを連れてあすかとカッパ寿司で待ち合わせ：）おいしかった〜!!そして食事の後じいじとばあばにマディソンを先に連れて帰ってもらい私はあすかとユニクロに直行して、８時に閉店だったのかな？閉店ギリギリにデイブが気に入りそうなパックマンのティーシャツを見つけました。それともう一着ワンピースのテーマのティーシャツをあすかに買って貰っちゃいました：）
Thursday night Asuka was finally able to come home!! Yay, she told us that she will have to go to work the next day but will be able to come home and was able to take a day off on Saturday to go with us to the airport... So on Friday my mom took us around for some last minute shopping... I was able to find really cute sandals finally on our last day and a magazine to read on the plane, g-ma got Madison another cute pair of squeaky sandals, etc... For our last meal together we invited my g-ma and met up with Asuka for some rolling sushi:-) After dinner Madison went home with my parents and g-ma and I got to ride with Asuka to do some shopping for Dave at Uniqlo... We got to Uniqlo around 7:30 and I guess it was closing at 8 so I quickly looked through their selection of printed tees and was able to find a cool pacman tee:-) Thank you Asuka for buying that for Dave along with a Onepiece tee...
土曜日の朝お母さん側のおじいちゃんとおばあちゃんが見送りに来てくれて９時頃に成田に向かって家を出発しました。日本に旅行に来ればすぐ分かると思うけど、日本ではサービスエリアに結構ちょくちょく停まるのが当たり前です。なぜかと言うとそこにしかない食べ物やそこの歴史など読んだり見たり出来るからです。そのせいですぐ着く場所にも結構時間がかかっちゃうんだけどね...小さい頃にちょくちょく停まっていたのが懐かしいなー。アメリカのサービスエリアもただマック置くんじゃなくてもっと日本のようになれば良いのに...今回はマディソンのお昼寝を使って空港まで行く予定だったから２回しか停まらなかったんだけど、楽しみました：）マディソンはあのカワイさと新しいキュッキュするサンダルでどこに行ってもみんなの気を止めていました...
On Saturday my mom's side of g-parents came to see us off and we left the house around 9:00am for Narita International Airport. If you are ever in Japan you are expected to stop at different service areas on highways because you will get to buy/taste/see what that specific area is famous for... We used to stop at every service area that existed growing up so trips took about twice as long than it actually is, but that's what people look forward to here... I wish American highways were a bit more like the ones in Japan, no McDonald's in every service area! Well this trip it was all about Madison's schedule so we actually only stopped twice, but it was nice:-) Madison was getting everyone's attention with her cuteness and new squeaky sandals...
間に合った！マディソン，良い笑顔だね!!!
I made it! Good smile Madison!!!
ひいお婆ちゃん達！まだまだ若いなー...:-)
空港に着くなり早速チェックインして大きい荷物を無くす作戦...私のスーツケースはやっぱり重量オーバー、でもマディソンのおかげで一つ余分に荷物を預けれると教えて貰った上に、荷物を移せるように空の箱をくれると言う本当に日本人ならではのサービス！アメリカでは絶対こんな事起こらないもん！そして、バスネットを使う為に席を替えてくれた後、私の隣の席はできるだけ空けておくからなんて言ってくれて、本当に日本人はやさしいなー：）お昼を一緒に食べた後お店を見ながらブラブラして，あっという間にお別れの時間が来てしまいました...この時間が一番大嫌いなんだよね...そして何回経験しても悲しくない方法が見つからない...今回はいつも以上に辛いんだよね、特にじいじとばあばには...マディソンがいるから...もうこの辺で止めときます、また悲しくなっちゃうから...
As soon as we got to the airport I checked in so we can get rid of our big luggage... My suit case was over weight as expected, but since I have Madison I am allowed 3 checked luggage so they gave me an empty box to lighten my suit case... What a service! What's more great is that I was able to be moved to the first row of economy seats and got a bassinet for Madison! the nice lady told me that there is an empty seat next to me so she will try to keep it open as long as possible! Wow this is a great start!! After lunch we browsed shops for a little bit and it was time to say good bye... This part NEVER gets easy and I know Madison makes it even harder for us all...:-( So I won't write too much of this part since it will make me sad again...)
親切なチェックインの人の計らいにもかかわらず，残念ながら最後に飛行機に乗って来たのは４人家族！その内の一人は私の隣に...ガーン！その家族の子供２人はアンマリ気に入らなかったけどその子達の両親は良い人だったから、お願いしたバスネットもあったしまあ結果的には大丈夫でした。
Well the lady couldn't succeed and someone ended up next to me but the family was nice except their annoying two boys and I did have a bassinet I requested so it wasn"t too bad... Actually Madison just made it under bassinet qualifications... When I first asked for a bassinet the lady asked me how old Madison was and after hearing her age she told me that the baby needs to be under 10kg... Thanks to my g-pa I weighed Madison at the hospital while waiting for a nurse to check something on him and we saw that her weight was 9.95kg with clothes and shoes on! So I was able to tell the lady that she is under 10kg for sure. The bassinet was actually too short for Madison and I know that she is a shortie for her age so probably the bassenet is good for babies under 12 months or something but I was glad to be able to use it. Both flights went well in fact the second flight went too well and we arrived at LGA an hour early after leaving Chicago on time!! Crazy right? So when we got to the baggage claim Dave wasn"t there because he was still trying to get to us thinking he still had enough time... So I didn't get to film the emotional meeting scene between Daddy and his daughter but oh well, sadly I was slightly annoyed that he wasn't already there to pick us up and Madison went all shy on him so there you go!
Thursday night Asuka was finally able to come home!! Yay, she told us that she will have to go to work the next day but will be able to come home and was able to take a day off on Saturday to go with us to the airport... So on Friday my mom took us around for some last minute shopping... I was able to find really cute sandals finally on our last day and a magazine to read on the plane, g-ma got Madison another cute pair of squeaky sandals, etc... For our last meal together we invited my g-ma and met up with Asuka for some rolling sushi:-) After dinner Madison went home with my parents and g-ma and I got to ride with Asuka to do some shopping for Dave at Uniqlo... We got to Uniqlo around 7:30 and I guess it was closing at 8 so I quickly looked through their selection of printed tees and was able to find a cool pacman tee:-) Thank you Asuka for buying that for Dave along with a Onepiece tee...
土曜日の朝お母さん側のおじいちゃんとおばあちゃんが見送りに来てくれて９時頃に成田に向かって家を出発しました。日本に旅行に来ればすぐ分かると思うけど、日本ではサービスエリアに結構ちょくちょく停まるのが当たり前です。なぜかと言うとそこにしかない食べ物やそこの歴史など読んだり見たり出来るからです。そのせいですぐ着く場所にも結構時間がかかっちゃうんだけどね...小さい頃にちょくちょく停まっていたのが懐かしいなー。アメリカのサービスエリアもただマック置くんじゃなくてもっと日本のようになれば良いのに...今回はマディソンのお昼寝を使って空港まで行く予定だったから２回しか停まらなかったんだけど、楽しみました：）マディソンはあのカワイさと新しいキュッキュするサンダルでどこに行ってもみんなの気を止めていました...
On Saturday my mom's side of g-parents came to see us off and we left the house around 9:00am for Narita International Airport. If you are ever in Japan you are expected to stop at different service areas on highways because you will get to buy/taste/see what that specific area is famous for... We used to stop at every service area that existed growing up so trips took about twice as long than it actually is, but that's what people look forward to here... I wish American highways were a bit more like the ones in Japan, no McDonald's in every service area! Well this trip it was all about Madison's schedule so we actually only stopped twice, but it was nice:-) Madison was getting everyone's attention with her cuteness and new squeaky sandals...
グループ写真撮りまーす...はは、間に合わなかった！
Trying a timer group shot... Okay, I didn't quite make this one!
Trying a timer group shot... Okay, I didn't quite make this one!
間に合った！マディソン，良い笑顔だね!!!I made it! Good smile Madison!!!
ひいお婆ちゃん達！まだまだ若いなー...:-)Great Grand Mothers! Looking very young still...:-)
As soon as we got to the airport I checked in so we can get rid of our big luggage... My suit case was over weight as expected, but since I have Madison I am allowed 3 checked luggage so they gave me an empty box to lighten my suit case... What a service! What's more great is that I was able to be moved to the first row of economy seats and got a bassinet for Madison! the nice lady told me that there is an empty seat next to me so she will try to keep it open as long as possible! Wow this is a great start!! After lunch we browsed shops for a little bit and it was time to say good bye... This part NEVER gets easy and I know Madison makes it even harder for us all...:-( So I won't write too much of this part since it will make me sad again...)
１ヶ月間，お世話になりました！とーっても楽しかった：）また帰って来るからね！
Thank you for taking good care of us for 1 month! Had a great time:-)
親切なチェックインの人の計らいにもかかわらず，残念ながら最後に飛行機に乗って来たのは４人家族！その内の一人は私の隣に...ガーン！その家族の子供２人はアンマリ気に入らなかったけどその子達の両親は良い人だったから、お願いしたバスネットもあったしまあ結果的には大丈夫でした。
Well the lady couldn't succeed and someone ended up next to me but the family was nice except their annoying two boys and I did have a bassinet I requested so it wasn"t too bad... Actually Madison just made it under bassinet qualifications... When I first asked for a bassinet the lady asked me how old Madison was and after hearing her age she told me that the baby needs to be under 10kg... Thanks to my g-pa I weighed Madison at the hospital while waiting for a nurse to check something on him and we saw that her weight was 9.95kg with clothes and shoes on! So I was able to tell the lady that she is under 10kg for sure. The bassinet was actually too short for Madison and I know that she is a shortie for her age so probably the bassenet is good for babies under 12 months or something but I was glad to be able to use it. Both flights went well in fact the second flight went too well and we arrived at LGA an hour early after leaving Chicago on time!! Crazy right? So when we got to the baggage claim Dave wasn"t there because he was still trying to get to us thinking he still had enough time... So I didn't get to film the emotional meeting scene between Daddy and his daughter but oh well, sadly I was slightly annoyed that he wasn't already there to pick us up and Madison went all shy on him so there you go!
14 Hours to Go/あと１４時間
6.25.2010
26 Hours to go/残り２６時間
26 Hours until Anna and Madison land at LaGuardia...but who is counting :-) They have actually just left the house in Japan for the four hour trip to the airport and then the 10 hour flight to Chicago and layover before landing at LaGuardia at 10pm Saturday night!! Good Luck Anna :-) Below is a picture that Asuka took of Madison right before they left...this way I will know who to look for since she has changed so much!!! Looks like she enjoyed Japanese food :-) What a cute outfit too!! Oh man, it will be tough to sleep tonight...the beach should help pass the day tomorrow and the U.S. World Cup Match but it will be a long 26 hours!!!
数えている訳じゃないけどラグオルディアにアンナとマディソンが到着するまで後２６時間：）アンナ達はたった今、空港に向けて家を出発したみたい。空港まで約４時間、そして空港からシカゴまで約１０時間、乗り換えした後ラグオルディアに着くのは土曜日の夜１０時！！がんばれアンナ：）下の写真はアスカが撮って送ってくれた家をでる直前のマディソンの写真...この写真があれば空港で見つけやすいからね、日本で美味しいものいーっぱい食べたみたい！着てる服も凄いカワイイし：）今夜ちゃんと眠れるかな...まだ２６時間もあるのかー。まちきれないよお！
数えている訳じゃないけどラグオルディアにアンナとマディソンが到着するまで後２６時間：）アンナ達はたった今、空港に向けて家を出発したみたい。空港まで約４時間、そして空港からシカゴまで約１０時間、乗り換えした後ラグオルディアに着くのは土曜日の夜１０時！！がんばれアンナ：）下の写真はアスカが撮って送ってくれた家をでる直前のマディソンの写真...この写真があれば空港で見つけやすいからね、日本で美味しいものいーっぱい食べたみたい！着てる服も凄いカワイイし：）今夜ちゃんと眠れるかな...まだ２６時間もあるのかー。まちきれないよお！
6.24.2010
ひいお爺ちゃんの入院.../Great G-pa in hospital again...
マディソンと私が日本に帰って来た日と同じ日にそれまで３週間ぐらい入院していたお爺ちゃんが病院から帰って来ました...それからほとんどベッドで寝たきりで、トイレにいく時ぐらいしか歩き回っていなかったおじいちゃんだったんだけど、日曜日の朝自分でトイレに行けなくなったから手伝ってほしいとお婆ちゃんがやって来ました...それから、お父さんとお婆ちゃんが相談した結果また病院に戻ってみる事に...火曜日お婆ちゃんがお爺ちゃんを連れて病院へ行って、右足の横が痛いって言っていたお爺ちゃんの為にレントゲンを撮った結果何と右足の付け根!?の辺が骨折しているという事を発見!!そっか、だから急に歩けなくなっっちゃったんだー。かわいそうなお爺ちゃん、痛かっただろうなー...：−(今日早速手術をして午後麻酔が覚めた頃にお爺ちゃんに会いに行って来ました。とても疲れ顔をしていたけど痛みは無いし手術はうまくいったから一安心。デイブの言った通りだ、お爺ちゃんが今大変な時で悲しいしあと２日で発たなきゃいけないけどでも、遥かアメリカから悲しんでいるよりはこっちにちょうど帰っていた生で励まして行ける事が出来て本当に良かったな。リハビリ頑張ってね、そして早くまた前のように歩けるようになってお婆ちゃんと一緒にお庭の手入れが出来ると良いね。
The day Madison and I arrived in Japan my g-pa also came home... from the hospital... after being there for 3 weeks and he has been on bed rest pretty much the whole time we've been here... Well, on Sunday morning g-ma came over to my parents' house(my parent's house and my g-parents' house are right next to each other... actually both with same exact address!) because g-pa could not get up and walk to go to the bathroom... so after my dad helped his dad they decided he needs to go back to the hospital where he can get help when he needs to go to the bathroom... I'm not too sure why the hospital so you may not want to be bothered by it also... On Tuesday g-pa was admitted into the hospital and because g-pa was feeling pain on one side of his legs they took x-rays... The x-rays showed that g-pa had a broken leg!! Ouch! No wonder why he has been in pain and all of a sudden could not walk to the bathroom...:-( Today was his surgery day and we got to go see him after he had come out of anesthesia... He looked really tired but said he is not in pain and the surgery went well so that's really good. Dave was right, it's really sad that g-pa is going through a tough time with his health and I have to leave in 2 days but at least I was able to see him and encourage him instead of feeling sad from far, far away... I hope he will make a good recovery and be able to walk again to attend his beautiful garden with g-ma.
The day Madison and I arrived in Japan my g-pa also came home... from the hospital... after being there for 3 weeks and he has been on bed rest pretty much the whole time we've been here... Well, on Sunday morning g-ma came over to my parents' house(my parent's house and my g-parents' house are right next to each other... actually both with same exact address!) because g-pa could not get up and walk to go to the bathroom... so after my dad helped his dad they decided he needs to go back to the hospital where he can get help when he needs to go to the bathroom... I'm not too sure why the hospital so you may not want to be bothered by it also... On Tuesday g-pa was admitted into the hospital and because g-pa was feeling pain on one side of his legs they took x-rays... The x-rays showed that g-pa had a broken leg!! Ouch! No wonder why he has been in pain and all of a sudden could not walk to the bathroom...:-( Today was his surgery day and we got to go see him after he had come out of anesthesia... He looked really tired but said he is not in pain and the surgery went well so that's really good. Dave was right, it's really sad that g-pa is going through a tough time with his health and I have to leave in 2 days but at least I was able to see him and encourage him instead of feeling sad from far, far away... I hope he will make a good recovery and be able to walk again to attend his beautiful garden with g-ma.
お爺ちゃんの手術中にお母さんと３人でお母さんの弟(マディソンのひい伯父さん!?)と泉野のおじいちゃんとおばあちゃんに顔を見せに行って来ました...忙しそうに畑で働いていたおじいちゃんとおばあちゃんに、次に帰って来る時はマディソンも大きくなっているしデイブと３人で手伝いに来るからねって約束して来ました...：）蛇だけ出て来なければ完璧なんだけどね！
6.22.2010
松本へ行く…/Visiting Matsumoto...
今日はじいじが仕事を休めたので家族４人で松本まで買い物をしながら、ここ２週間とっても忙しくて会えなかったあすかおばちゃんの顔を見に行ってきました。松本に着いて最初の２時間はパルコで買い物をしながらおいしいクレープを食べたり楽しく過ごしてと～ってもおいしいお昼を食べた後じいじがあすかおばちゃんの働いている松本警察署まで行ってくれる事に…１時過ぎぐらいに駐車場に入ると、１２時半頃までには捜査に行っているって言っていたあすかがちょうど居たから２秒ぐらい顔を見ることが出来ました…そして差し入れの買出しの後あすかのアパートに到着。あすかのアパートは前のアパートよりも断然大きくていい感じ、次に家族３人で泊まりに来るのが楽しみだなー! 帰りがけにさやかの夫の家族に会って忙しい火曜日は終了です…
Today we asked G-pa to take a day off so that all four of us can go visit Matsumoto for some shopping and possibly to fit in a short visit with Asuka who has been super busy for the last two weeks or so... Well we got a fun two hours of shopping at Parco and tried a yummy crepe at a Creperie and only got to see Asuka for a second when my parents took us to where she worked and not supposed to be there Asuka happened to be there and got to say hi really quick... We had her apartment's spare key so after lunch and a quick grocery shopping to fill up Asuka's fridge we arrived at her place... It was really nice and much bigger than her last place:) We waited for a while but since Madison could not get in a mood to take a nap and since Asuka was not looking like she will be off work anytime soon we decided to get on the road and head home... Madison got a nice nap in and we had a nice calm trip back which is always nice! What we finally got to do was to meet Sayaka's husband, Katsuhisa's family... They were really nice and hopefully him and Sayaka will be nice enough to plan something for all the families to get together;-)
パルコの地下にあるクレープ屋さん...何かの雑誌に載っていたから試してみる事に...美味しかったけど、やっぱり日本のクレープは小さいなー！
In the basement of PARCO we found a creperie I saw in a magazine so we had to give it a try! They use this black batter that they are famous for and it was very tasty but it could have been a bit bigger!? Oh well we are in Japan after all...
ストローで遊ぶの好きなんです：）
She also enjoyed playing with her straws:-)
パルコの中にあるティンカーベルのお店の横の遊び場でじいじと遊んでいるマディソン...
ちょうどそこのお店で買ったティーシャツを着ていたからお店の人に写真を撮って貰っちゃいました。もうすぐお店の壁のどっかに貼って貰えるらしい...また探してね！
Inside PARCO department store while g-ma and I shopped for more of Madison's clothes, g-pa got to play with Madison in play area right next to the kid's clothing store called Tinker Bell... The sales associate took Madison's picture since she was wearing one of Tinker Bell's tee so she will be found on their picture gallery soon:-)
ちょうどそこのお店で買ったティーシャツを着ていたからお店の人に写真を撮って貰っちゃいました。もうすぐお店の壁のどっかに貼って貰えるらしい...また探してね！
Inside PARCO department store while g-ma and I shopped for more of Madison's clothes, g-pa got to play with Madison in play area right next to the kid's clothing store called Tinker Bell... The sales associate took Madison's picture since she was wearing one of Tinker Bell's tee so she will be found on their picture gallery soon:-)
In the basement of PARCO we found a creperie I saw in a magazine so we had to give it a try! They use this black batter that they are famous for and it was very tasty but it could have been a bit bigger!? Oh well we are in Japan after all...
このレストランの大ファンになっちゃいました!!名前なんだっけ!?山と大地となんとか！？もうとにかく美味しい！肉料理は２、３品ぐらいで後はほとんどが野菜とか豆腐料理なんだけど本当においしい：）今日は、３人大人がいたからみんなで交代でマディソンの面倒を見ながらゆっくり食べる事が出来ました... この小分けの９品乗せれるお皿が良いよね：）マディソンはデザートの豆腐ソフトをじいじとばあばに食べさせてもらって嬉しそうに食べてました...
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this restaurant!! It's a buffet restaurant but all the ingredients are either Organic or Natural and everything is totally fresh. There were probably 2 or 3 meat dishes but everything else is vegetables or tofu dishes so it's perfect for us:-) And everything is sooooo tasty! I love how they have plates with 9 small sections so you can try little bit of everything:-) Madison especially enjoyed her Tofu soft serve for her dessert, Yum!!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this restaurant!! It's a buffet restaurant but all the ingredients are either Organic or Natural and everything is totally fresh. There were probably 2 or 3 meat dishes but everything else is vegetables or tofu dishes so it's perfect for us:-) And everything is sooooo tasty! I love how they have plates with 9 small sections so you can try little bit of everything:-) Madison especially enjoyed her Tofu soft serve for her dessert, Yum!!
上の写真はじいじかばあばのお皿で、下のは私の...凄い欲張っていっぱい乗せてます！
Above picture is either my mom's or dad's plate... and below is mine, you can see how I'm trying to fit more than I have the space for!
Above picture is either my mom's or dad's plate... and below is mine, you can see how I'm trying to fit more than I have the space for!
ストローで遊ぶの好きなんです：）
She also enjoyed playing with her straws:-)
あすかのアパートで少し休憩...お茶が美味しいなーってマディソン：）
Taking a break at Asuka's apartment... Madison says yummy tea:-)
Taking a break at Asuka's apartment... Madison says yummy tea:-)
6.21.2010
日本の保育園/Japanese Kindergarten
今日はマディソンと２人っきりだったからオギノまでお土産を買いに行って来る事にしました。子供の時に歩いた通学路を通ってまず永明小学校、永明中学校、そして茅野保育園にあっという間に到着。ちょうど校庭で子供たちが遊んでいたから道路の横にバガブーを停めてマディソンと見学していたら、保育園の方から私の名前を呼ぶ声が聞こえてビックリして見回したらそこに居たのは１０年以上も会ってない私の幼なじみの妹のエリちゃん！中で遊んでいっても良いよｰって言ってくれたのでお邪魔することに：) 保育園の先生の誰かに言えばいつでも入って子供をあそばせて良いらしい…いい事を聞いたー、でももう少し早く知っていたらなー…そこに居た年長の子供たちにカワイイカワイイって気に入れられて本人はご機嫌で歩き回って探索してました。ここにいつの日か保育園生の一人として通えれば良いなｰって密かに思っているんだけど、その願いは叶うかなー？
Today it was just Madison and I at home so I decided to go visit Ogino and do some souvenir shopping... We left house and used the same path I used to walk to school, went by my elementary school and Jr. High School and arrived at my kindergarten... I saw kids playing outside so I pulled over the bugaboo to the side and let Madison watch them play a little... All of a sudden I hear someone call my name and turned to realize one of my friends' sister was standing with the kids! I grew up with her brother and my sister Asuka grew up with her... Their mother teaches Japanese traditional dance and went to her home when my sisters and I were little to learn... Anyways, she invited us in! So I took it! She told me that as long as I let one of the teachers know moms with little ones can use the playground inside kindergarten! Great! It was a very hot day and I was worried about Madison since she refused to wear a hat and I didn't put sun screen on so we didn't stay long but I could tell Madison was having such a great time walking around and exploring... I must say I was dreaming that someday she will be able to grow and learn at this place... Let's see if that will come true:-)
6.20.2010
The Beans/ザ．ビーンズ
So I was thinking...some of you must be wondering what is up with the Beans...well let me tell you...they are enjoying outdoor living at Gma and Gpa Klein's in Connecticut. My Mom and Dad were kind enough to take the Beans in during our transition period so they have been in Connecticut for a month now and are doing wonderfully...apparently they love the outdoors and are pretty good at coming when they are called (although Ellie is a little adventurous) which is impressive since we don't get to practice it too often in the city...they are in a nice routine being let out by my Dad when he wakes up and going for walks with my Mom and Rhonda, a house guest my parents have right now who has really taken to the Beans...they have even gotten to go over to Bob and Holly's where Carter and Grant have fun with them...Robert told me today that Ellie likes to stalk their pet bunny...when they are outside she runs around her cage and stares at the bunny...inside Robert said it seemed like Ellie was talking to the bunny (whose name escapes me) one night as she was making noises, but it wasn't barking and it wasn't crying...I can only guess Ellie thinks the bunny is family because she hasn't seen anything as fuzzy as her since leaving her litter...well it was fun to see them today as I ran up to Connecticut for a short visit for Father's Day...I can't wait to see their reactions when they are reunited with Anna and Madison!
最近エリーとココはどうしているだろうと思っている人もいると思うので２匹の様子を報告しましょう。この２匹は今コネチカットのおじいちゃんとおばあちゃんの家で走り回れる庭のある幸せな生活を送っています...今まであんまり練習する事が出来なかった“呼んだら来る”も結構成功しているみたい...エリーはココより探検好きで来るのに少し時間がかかるらしいけどね：）１日１日の週間にもリズムが付いて来たらしい、朝おじいちゃんが起きた時に外に出してもらって夕方にはおばちゃんといま居候しているロンダさんとお散歩に行っているらしい...ボブとホーリーの家におじゃましてはカーターとグラントと遊んだり、２人のペットうさぎを追いかけたりと楽しい忙しい日々が続いているようです。ボブによるとたまにエリーがうさぎに話しかけているという噂...やっぱりフサフサ感が似ているから同じ仲間だと思っているのかも...今日久しぶりに父の日の為にコネチカットに帰って来てビーンズの顔が見れてうれしかったです。アンナとマディソンが帰って来た時の２匹のリアクションを見るのが楽しみだなー！
6.15.2010
ショッピングづくしの週末/Big Shopping Weekend!
ショッピングづくしの週末は金曜日のオギノの感謝祭セールから始まりました...って言っても最大で２割引とかアメリカのブラックフライデーのような安さではないけど同じ混雑具合...特別に何か安い物を見つけようと行った訳ではなかったけど、マディソンに１０００円のオムツを買う事が出来ました...そして、私は２、３着カワイイ服を見つける事が出来ました...でも、この混み具合は半端じゃなくまた来る事は無いと思うけど...恐ーいオバタリアンがいっぱい!!
Our big shopping weekend started on Friday when a big shopping center, Ogino had its' semi-annual sale... Well, it's not as good as America's Black Friday since all the stores have 20% off at max but just as crazy... I knew I won't find that good of a deal at this sale but we were there for $10 diapers for Madison... We ended up finding a few more things so that was good but the people who go crazy over 20%off, I think they are the most scary people and I never need to be a part of them... Imagine if they made it to one of the Black Friday sales!? Yikes!!
月曜日は、土曜日参観の振替休日でお母さんはお休み、そしてそれに会わせてお父さんとあすかが休みを取れたのであすかがよく行くアウトレットへ行って来ました。くねくねした道を通って山を越えて２時間後にやっと到着です。残念ながらこの日は雨が降っていたのでお母さんが楽しみにしていた“杏奈とあすかが買い物している間に芝生の上でマディソンと遊ぶ”計画は実行出来なかったけど、本当に綺麗な所で歩き回って十分楽しめました。マディソンもばあばとじいじとあすかおばちゃんに沢山高い服を買って貰っちゃって着せるのが楽しみ：）アメリカのアウトレットにあるお店の他にやっぱり日本でしかないお店も沢山あって面白かったので次ぎにデイブを連れて来るのが楽しみです：）
Our big shopping weekend started on Friday when a big shopping center, Ogino had its' semi-annual sale... Well, it's not as good as America's Black Friday since all the stores have 20% off at max but just as crazy... I knew I won't find that good of a deal at this sale but we were there for $10 diapers for Madison... We ended up finding a few more things so that was good but the people who go crazy over 20%off, I think they are the most scary people and I never need to be a part of them... Imagine if they made it to one of the Black Friday sales!? Yikes!!
月曜日は、土曜日参観の振替休日でお母さんはお休み、そしてそれに会わせてお父さんとあすかが休みを取れたのであすかがよく行くアウトレットへ行って来ました。くねくねした道を通って山を越えて２時間後にやっと到着です。残念ながらこの日は雨が降っていたのでお母さんが楽しみにしていた“杏奈とあすかが買い物している間に芝生の上でマディソンと遊ぶ”計画は実行出来なかったけど、本当に綺麗な所で歩き回って十分楽しめました。マディソンもばあばとじいじとあすかおばちゃんに沢山高い服を買って貰っちゃって着せるのが楽しみ：）アメリカのアウトレットにあるお店の他にやっぱり日本でしかないお店も沢山あって面白かったので次ぎにデイブを連れて来るのが楽しみです：）
On Monday Mom had a made up holiday from the Saturday that she had to go to work and Asuka and Dad took a day off of work so we got to go to this really popular outlet stores two hours away... After driving through snake like roads to get to the other side of the mountain we made it safely... Unfortunately it was raining so g-ma didn't get to play with Madison on a huge grassy area like she dreamed and talked about, but we had a great time and I know that the view is just amazing when sunny and the buildings are really cool... Madison got tons of not so inexpensive clothes from her g-parents and aunt Asuka:-) Besides the regular outlet stores that we see in the States they also had tons of Japanese clothing stores so I had fun going through them... I look forward to coming back with Dave next time:-)
子供服があるフロアの真ん中にあったトーマス機関車にばあばとじいじがマディソンを連れて一週旅行...
In the middle of children clothing floor they had Thomas train going around in circles so g-pa and g-ma bought Madison a coin and rode it with her...
そして、お会計が１万５０００円!?越えた時にまたトーマス機関車のコインを貰ったので今度はあすかおばちゃんとママで一週旅行...別に特別に面白い訳じゃないけど時間があったらビデオ見てね！
Then later on we got another coin for exceeding $150 purchase total so Aunt Asuka and I rode on the train with her... It's nothing special but if you have another 1 minute to spend hit play!
In the middle of children clothing floor they had Thomas train going around in circles so g-pa and g-ma bought Madison a coin and rode it with her...
そして、お会計が１万５０００円!?越えた時にまたトーマス機関車のコインを貰ったので今度はあすかおばちゃんとママで一週旅行...別に特別に面白い訳じゃないけど時間があったらビデオ見てね！
Then later on we got another coin for exceeding $150 purchase total so Aunt Asuka and I rode on the train with her... It's nothing special but if you have another 1 minute to spend hit play!
さてここからが悪夢の始まり...午後買い物をしている間に長〜いお昼寝をしてくれたマディソンでも、家に帰るまでの２時間眠れずにじっとカーシートに座っているなんてとっても無理。泣き叫んだり、シートベルトから抜け出そうとしたりと大変な騒ぎ...しょうがなく途中でサービスエリアに停まって一時夕ご飯休憩を取って何とか家に着いたけど、困ったな、後２週間後の成田空港までの４時間はどうやって埋めれば良いんだろう...しっかり準備をしなくちゃ...
Well the nightmare happened on the way back home... Since Madison took a really good nap in her bugaboo in the afternoon while we shopped she was wide awake when we got in the car to head home and just wanted to get out and move... She cried, squirmed and tried to get out of her car seat with all her might and was a struggle... We decided to take a dinner break in at a service area so that she can move around a bit but this has made us nervous for our trip to Narita in less than two weeks... It's a 4 hour trip so let's say she will be sleeping the first two hours and what would she be doing the second half of the trip!? It will require some serious planning... Sigh...
Well the nightmare happened on the way back home... Since Madison took a really good nap in her bugaboo in the afternoon while we shopped she was wide awake when we got in the car to head home and just wanted to get out and move... She cried, squirmed and tried to get out of her car seat with all her might and was a struggle... We decided to take a dinner break in at a service area so that she can move around a bit but this has made us nervous for our trip to Narita in less than two weeks... It's a 4 hour trip so let's say she will be sleeping the first two hours and what would she be doing the second half of the trip!? It will require some serious planning... Sigh...
そして、可哀想な妹は眠り始めて１時間後の朝０時に緊急事態で呼び出されて出動...殺人事件だったみたいなんだけど本当に大変だなー。あすかは本当に凄い事してるなー、私では絶対出来ない！私達がアメリカに帰ったらしっかりと休める日があればいいんだけど...
And let me tell everyone reading that my poor sister got an emergency call in at midnight after only an hour of sleep and we didn't even get to say good bye in the morning... It ended up being a homicide of some sort... I'm so proud of her for doing what she does and really hope she can get some serious resting time once we go back to the States!
And let me tell everyone reading that my poor sister got an emergency call in at midnight after only an hour of sleep and we didn't even get to say good bye in the morning... It ended up being a homicide of some sort... I'm so proud of her for doing what she does and really hope she can get some serious resting time once we go back to the States!
6.13.2010
泉野のおじいちゃんとおばあちゃんに会いに行くの巻き/Visiting the other grandparents...
今日は、車で３０分の所に住んでいるお母さん側のおじいちゃんとおばあちゃんに会いに行って来ました...来る時に寝てしまったマディソンをあすかと車に置いておじいちゃんとおばあちゃんとお茶を飲んで、マディソンが起きた時はちょうどお昼の時間。お母さんが雑誌で読んだのかな！？美味しいと評判のあるお店が近くにあるからとそこに行ってみる事にしました。テーブルが３っつある相部屋だったから、マディソンが歩き回ったり騒々しくしたり出来て良かったです！後から来たお客さん達も良い人達でウロウロしていたマディソンを見てニコニコしていました。
Today we got to go visit my mom's side of grandparents who live about a half hour drive from us... After Madison got a nice snooze in our car in their driveway, we headed to a restaurant my mom read about in a magazine to be quite tasty:-) We were lead into a nice semi private room where Madison can move around and make as much noise as she wants... well until someone else came in for the other table but the new people were nice enough to let Madison explore and make noises and messes...
４世代揃った：）
私のランチ定食は見た目も味もサイコー：）
食事が終わってお店から出て来たら目の前にお母さんの大好きなコーギーが...ちょうど一緒にでて来た飼い主の人が触っても良いよって言ってくれたので仲良くなっちゃいました：）お母さんとお父さんの家の玄関にちょこんといるコーギーの像とそっくりだった！
Today we got to go visit my mom's side of grandparents who live about a half hour drive from us... After Madison got a nice snooze in our car in their driveway, we headed to a restaurant my mom read about in a magazine to be quite tasty:-) We were lead into a nice semi private room where Madison can move around and make as much noise as she wants... well until someone else came in for the other table but the new people were nice enough to let Madison explore and make noises and messes...
４世代揃った：）
4 generation shot:-)
私のランチ定食は見た目も味もサイコー：）
My lunch was absolutely delicious!! and very fun to look at:-)
食事が終わってお店から出て来たら目の前にお母さんの大好きなコーギーが...ちょうど一緒にでて来た飼い主の人が触っても良いよって言ってくれたので仲良くなっちゃいました：）お母さんとお父さんの家の玄関にちょこんといるコーギーの像とそっくりだった！
When we came out of the restaurant this cute doggie was in front of it waiting for the owner to finish eating lunch and come out... Actually the owner came out with us so he said Madison can pet her if she would like... So we did... This dog, Corgie!? is my mom's favorite and she has a cute statue of the dog at her house...
Adventurous Daddy
Sunday's are probably my least favorite day without Anna and Madison as going to worship is something I just love doing as a couple...I had originally planned to go up to Connecticut this weekend, but everyone was going to be busy and my parents took most of the stuff I was going to bring up, so late last night I decided I needed a road trip...so I had wanted to visit the Jersey Shore for the first time, but the weather was going to be overcast and rainy so I figured that wasn't worth it, so I put my sights on hiking I researched some State Parks, but the idea of paying to walk around didn't appeal to me...I also read about a trail that said to watch out for rattlesnakes that liked to sun bathe on the rocks and since it wasn't going to be sunny I wondered where else they would go, so I knew that trail wasn't for me...I finally found a nice 4-mile trail just over the border in Greenwich, CT called the Mianus River Gorge Trails which was free to hike. So after finding my destination I went to work looking for a church on the way and ended up worshiping with a wonderful group of 30 or so brothers and sisters who meet at the Third Street Church of Christ of Mount Vernon, New York. A few of them knew Bill and Faye Johnson who preach at my home congregation of Springfield Gardens so that was nice. So after worship I headed another 45 minutes north and passed some of the most incredible homes I had ever seen as I wound through the back country of Greenwich (where Regis and David Letterman supposedly reside). Finally I reached my destination and while I had planned to just walk it, I found myself suddenly jogging the parts that were flat enough...I ended up working up a good sweat which was nice. The rain held off as well and I enjoyed a nice, (albeit at times a little frightening thanks to the seclusion and noise of the squirrels and chipmunks), trip through the woods. I spent most of the time thinking about how much Anna would have hated this...first, I had forgotten that there were bugs in the woods and while I think I escaped relatively unharmed, Anna would have been eaten alive...second, the main reason I picked this trail (besides the fact that it was cost and rattlesnake free) was the advertised waterfall (I love waterfalls) but this one was incredibly disappointing. The water hardly fell...oh well I still enjoyed myself, but it won't be a place I need to take Anna and Madison anytime soon.
So now I am trying to pass the time before I cheer the Celtics on in game 5...just a half-hour to go!! And we have now officially passed the halfway point to Anna and Madison's return...hooray!! In the meantime, enjoy these two pictures Aunt Asuka was kind enough to take. The second one is Madison on the phone with ME just minutes ago!!! She is a very good listener and man is Mommy getting good use out of those whale pajamas :-)
So now I am trying to pass the time before I cheer the Celtics on in game 5...just a half-hour to go!! And we have now officially passed the halfway point to Anna and Madison's return...hooray!! In the meantime, enjoy these two pictures Aunt Asuka was kind enough to take. The second one is Madison on the phone with ME just minutes ago!!! She is a very good listener and man is Mommy getting good use out of those whale pajamas :-)
Cousins getting along.../いとこ同士で仲良く...
So I'm so excited to report that Madison and her cousin Kouki are getting along so well!! They didn't make a great first impression but that must not be very important and now they play with each other like they are BFF:-) They even share the same drinks.... Well that just means that Kouki sneaks a drink from Madison's water bottle though...;-) They like to chase each other around the house and Madison thinks it's just so hilarious and giggles up a storm! Madison can now go up the stairs all by herself so of course Madison and Kouki do that together and g-ma and g-pa are getting a really good exercise following them... I will be sure to get it on film soon.
マディソンといとこのコウキはとても仲良くなっていると言う報告をしましょう。最初の印象はお互いよくなかったような気がするけど、そんな事気にしないかの様に今は本当に仲が良いです。飲み物も同じの飲んだり...と言うのはコウキがマディソンの飲み物をコッソリ飲んだりする事、でもそれがカワイイんだよね：）家中を２人で走り回るのがお気に入り、マディソンはコウキに追いかけられるのが凄い楽しいらしくケラケラ笑ってばかり!最近階段を上れる様になったマディソンはコウキと一緒に階段を上ったり下りたりの繰り返しで、おじいちゃんとおばあちゃんは良い運動ができているみたい。
On Saturday g-ma had to work because of parent-teacher conferences and Asuka got called in to work in the morning so when Madison and I woke up and came downstairs we found only g-pa reading a newspaper... It was just the three of us so we decided to go pick up lunch somewhere and go up, I mean drive up to the playground on top of a mountain to picnic... Well it has changed a lot since I last visited and we could not keep driving to the play area and tons of stairs to get to places thus not friendly for the bugaboo so we decided to settle with a park by the parking lot and had lunch there... They have a really long and fun rollie slide so Madison will be old enough to enjoy that the next time we are here with Daddy!
土曜日は土曜参観の為にお婆ちゃんが仕事に行く事になっていて、あすかおばちゃんは朝早く仕事に呼ばれちゃったのでマディソンと私が起きて下に降りて来た時居たのは新聞を読んでいたおじいちゃんだけ...なのでお弁当を買って英明寺山まで行ってピクニックする事にしました。小さい頃によく遊んだアスレチックジムの所まで行きたかったんだけど、いつの間にかそこまで車では行けない様になっていて沢山の階段のせいでバガブーではなかなか動きにくく、結局駐車場の横にあるべンチでお昼を食べて帰る事にしました。そこにはとても長い滑り台があったから、次に来た時にはパパと一緒に滑れる様になればいいなー。
Sorry to go back a few days but on Thursday Madison and I took a bullet train to Matsumoto for some shopping with my friend, Mizue... We took a bullet train because it would only take us half an hour instead of an hour... Well, we paid $30 for the round trip and didn't get to sit down much because our European sized stroller was too big for the aisle or the seat! Boo!! So we only got to sit in a seat on the way to since the train ended at Matsumoto nice train officer told me that I could park the stroller on the side of a door that will not be needed for the last 3 stops but not on the way back... I hope that makes sense... Anyways, we got to Matsumoto and got lost at the beginning since they re-did the train station and totally looked great-different but were able to meet up with Mizue:-) I found Madison a cute backpack for her to use in a few months when she wants to put her toys and snacks to go to a park and a few super cute clothes from Olive des Olive, one of my favoritest clothing brands here... We had a great time catching up and we even got to see Mizue's new house that they just built and got to see her wedding video and her daughter, Kirari's album... Good times:-)
２、３日戻るけど、水曜日の日にマディソンと２人で新幹線に乗って松本まで行って来ました...新幹線は普通列車の２倍はするけど、半分の時間で松本に着けるからって決めたんだけどヨーロッパサイズのベビーカーは大きすぎて車両に入れませんでした。そこで働いていた切符の人が下諏訪の後はこっちのドア開かないからそこにベビーカーを停めてマディソンと座席に座れる事が出来て良かった。でも帰りはそうはいかなかったんだけどね...松本駅は改装したらしく覚えていたのと全然違ってはっきり言って迷っちゃいました。パルコで泉江と待ち合わせをした後マディソン用のカワイイ服探し！ティンカーベルと言うお店でマディソン用のリュックを買ったり、私の大好きなブランドの一つ、Olive des Oliveでとっても可愛い服を見つけて買い物終了。お昼を食べた後泉江の新築の家におじゃまして結婚式のビデオを見たりキラリちゃんのアルバムを見たり、時間があっという間に過ぎてもう茅野に帰る時間になっちゃいました。
On Wednesday Madison and I went back to O123 play area I mentioned before... I noticed in their calendar that they are offering hand/foot stamps that day so I asked about it and even though they told me it is only offered for the June birthday babies we got a special permission to get them... I didn't want Madison to put her paint-dirty fingers in her mouth before we got home so I decided to get her footprints... They turned out great!
水曜日にマディソンとベルビアの０１２３行って来ました...前にそこで貰ったカレンダーに今日は手形／足形の日と書いてあったのでそこに着いた時に聞いてみたらそれは、６月の誕生日の子用らしい...でもマディソンの誕生日は過ぎたばかりだから特別に作ってもらう事に：）絵の具の着いた手を家に帰るまでに口に入れてほしくなかったので今回は足形をお願いして、カワイイのが出来ました!
マディソンといとこのコウキはとても仲良くなっていると言う報告をしましょう。最初の印象はお互いよくなかったような気がするけど、そんな事気にしないかの様に今は本当に仲が良いです。飲み物も同じの飲んだり...と言うのはコウキがマディソンの飲み物をコッソリ飲んだりする事、でもそれがカワイイんだよね：）家中を２人で走り回るのがお気に入り、マディソンはコウキに追いかけられるのが凄い楽しいらしくケラケラ笑ってばかり!最近階段を上れる様になったマディソンはコウキと一緒に階段を上ったり下りたりの繰り返しで、おじいちゃんとおばあちゃんは良い運動ができているみたい。
On Saturday g-ma had to work because of parent-teacher conferences and Asuka got called in to work in the morning so when Madison and I woke up and came downstairs we found only g-pa reading a newspaper... It was just the three of us so we decided to go pick up lunch somewhere and go up, I mean drive up to the playground on top of a mountain to picnic... Well it has changed a lot since I last visited and we could not keep driving to the play area and tons of stairs to get to places thus not friendly for the bugaboo so we decided to settle with a park by the parking lot and had lunch there... They have a really long and fun rollie slide so Madison will be old enough to enjoy that the next time we are here with Daddy!
土曜日は土曜参観の為にお婆ちゃんが仕事に行く事になっていて、あすかおばちゃんは朝早く仕事に呼ばれちゃったのでマディソンと私が起きて下に降りて来た時居たのは新聞を読んでいたおじいちゃんだけ...なのでお弁当を買って英明寺山まで行ってピクニックする事にしました。小さい頃によく遊んだアスレチックジムの所まで行きたかったんだけど、いつの間にかそこまで車では行けない様になっていて沢山の階段のせいでバガブーではなかなか動きにくく、結局駐車場の横にあるべンチでお昼を食べて帰る事にしました。そこにはとても長い滑り台があったから、次に来た時にはパパと一緒に滑れる様になればいいなー。
Sorry to go back a few days but on Thursday Madison and I took a bullet train to Matsumoto for some shopping with my friend, Mizue... We took a bullet train because it would only take us half an hour instead of an hour... Well, we paid $30 for the round trip and didn't get to sit down much because our European sized stroller was too big for the aisle or the seat! Boo!! So we only got to sit in a seat on the way to since the train ended at Matsumoto nice train officer told me that I could park the stroller on the side of a door that will not be needed for the last 3 stops but not on the way back... I hope that makes sense... Anyways, we got to Matsumoto and got lost at the beginning since they re-did the train station and totally looked great-different but were able to meet up with Mizue:-) I found Madison a cute backpack for her to use in a few months when she wants to put her toys and snacks to go to a park and a few super cute clothes from Olive des Olive, one of my favoritest clothing brands here... We had a great time catching up and we even got to see Mizue's new house that they just built and got to see her wedding video and her daughter, Kirari's album... Good times:-)
２、３日戻るけど、水曜日の日にマディソンと２人で新幹線に乗って松本まで行って来ました...新幹線は普通列車の２倍はするけど、半分の時間で松本に着けるからって決めたんだけどヨーロッパサイズのベビーカーは大きすぎて車両に入れませんでした。そこで働いていた切符の人が下諏訪の後はこっちのドア開かないからそこにベビーカーを停めてマディソンと座席に座れる事が出来て良かった。でも帰りはそうはいかなかったんだけどね...松本駅は改装したらしく覚えていたのと全然違ってはっきり言って迷っちゃいました。パルコで泉江と待ち合わせをした後マディソン用のカワイイ服探し！ティンカーベルと言うお店でマディソン用のリュックを買ったり、私の大好きなブランドの一つ、Olive des Oliveでとっても可愛い服を見つけて買い物終了。お昼を食べた後泉江の新築の家におじゃまして結婚式のビデオを見たりキラリちゃんのアルバムを見たり、時間があっという間に過ぎてもう茅野に帰る時間になっちゃいました。
On Wednesday Madison and I went back to O123 play area I mentioned before... I noticed in their calendar that they are offering hand/foot stamps that day so I asked about it and even though they told me it is only offered for the June birthday babies we got a special permission to get them... I didn't want Madison to put her paint-dirty fingers in her mouth before we got home so I decided to get her footprints... They turned out great!
水曜日にマディソンとベルビアの０１２３行って来ました...前にそこで貰ったカレンダーに今日は手形／足形の日と書いてあったのでそこに着いた時に聞いてみたらそれは、６月の誕生日の子用らしい...でもマディソンの誕生日は過ぎたばかりだから特別に作ってもらう事に：）絵の具の着いた手を家に帰るまでに口に入れてほしくなかったので今回は足形をお願いして、カワイイのが出来ました!
6.12.2010
What Daddy's been up to Part 2
So Anna is preparing an update of what they have been up to in Japan, so I thought I would beat her to the punch...this past week my parents were in town for my Dad's annual show at the Jacob Javits Center so Monday night I biked over to Herald Square after work and had dinner with my Mom at the Dallas BBQ as my Dad had meetings, then Wednesday my Mom was able to get discounted tickets to Promises, Promises, a new Broadway musical starring Kristen Chenowith, Sean Hayes (Jack from Will and Grace) and the mean guy who kills Patrick Swayze and tries to get Demi Moore in Ghost. After Dad took us out to a delicious steak dinner Mom and I headed to the theater through the pouring rain and really enjoyed the show. Then Thursday Mom and Dad stopped by my place on the way out of town and after we ate some Thai they surprised me by offering to help put the fourth (and final!!!) coat of paint on the walls. What a great help they were!! Mom cleaned the kitchen and put all the electrical face plates on the wall while Dad and I painted...the place now sparkles!! After cheering on the Celtics together Mom and Dad stayed the night, sleeping on my mattress in the basement while I made a makeshift bed upstairs. Now that all the housework is basically done, I don't know what to do with myself at night. Today, Saturday, I took another 30+ mile bike ride to a yet explored part of NYC...this time it was the Rockaways...a teacher friend of mine owned a place right around the corner from the beach out there and when I told her I had never been, she invited me out. She is about 65 years old (I'm guessing) and has lived in the Rockaways and Queens most of her life so she was very familiar with Sunnyside and gave me great directions on how to get to her place with my bike...it was another beautiful journey as you cross two bridges with the bay on one side and the open ocean on the other. The only thing that didn't cooperate was the sun...it was cloudy and windy as I arrived at 11:30am after an hour and a half on the bike and went for a run on the boardwalk (practicing for Anna and my upcoming triathlon days sometime in our future), then after lunch with my teacher friend I had wanted to get in my swim portion, but that sun just wouldn't come out...so after laying on the beach for a little while and nearly shivering, I headed back around the corner to her place and what should begin to appear, but that rascal the sun!! After checking on the score of the US/England World Cup match I decided to hit the road and wouldn't you know that the sun was blasting my whole ride home...GRRRRR!!! But now I can say I have been to the Rockaways, which is great and I look forward to taking Anna and Madison out there someday if we find our self back in the city next year. So that gets you caught up on what I have been up to...the rest of my night will be spent downloading pictures to prepare for my Sports Banquet on the 23rd...woohoo I live an exciting life!!
6.06.2010
A reunion and A playgroup...
Surprise!! Asuka was able to come home last night after her investigation/autopsy... We were really glad to see her and Madison even stayed up until Asuka came through the front door at 9:15pm:-) then Madison and I of course passed out...
Well, today I got to see my friends from Elementary/Middle School/High School that I haven't seen in a while... Since most them have been married and have small kids it turned out to be a great playgroup for Madison:-) Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in the car so I didn't get to take many pictures, but we had a great time and the time went by so fast I couldn't believe it was time for us to leave and go spend some time with Aunt Asuka...
What I realized though is that those low level tables that we see a lot in Japan are absolutely a nightmare for moms like me because Madison just could not leave things that were on it alone so after so many attempts to clear everything off the table she finally succeeded right at the end to spill my coffee all over it!! Grrrrrrr!!!
Well I really appreciate Manami's(Host) hospitality today and am really glad that our kids got to meet one another:-)
6.05.2010
What Daddy is up to...
So it dawned on me as I post all these wonderful things Anna and Madison are doing, that you may be wondering what I have been up to...well let me tell you...for the week since my girls have been away I have been going to work and painting...then going to work and painting...then going to work and painting...I think you get the idea...today I took a break to bike around the entire island of Manhattan...I looked on-line for the best bike routes in NYC and came across the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/mwg/mwghome.shtml) a 32-mile loop around Manhattan via the East and Hudson river. I started out from our place in Sunnyside at 12:30pm and crossed over the Queensboro Bridge, headed up 1st Ave to 83rd street where I crossed into the East River Bikeway which took me to 120th street where you then go through a part of Harlem and head up to 181st street where you circle around to the Hudson river and look across at NJ as you come back down crossing under the George Washington Bridge, going through wooded parks that would easily make you forget where you are and headed toward Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty where you circle back up the East River crossing through South Street Seaport and head onto 1st Ave which takes you by the United Nations and back to the 59th Street/Queensboro Bridge where I finished strong...it was a really nice ride and getting home at 4:30pm it also was a good way to pass the Saturday.
So tomorrow I have worship and then I have to see what the weather decides to do, because I think I would like to run in Central Park, but I think it is supposed to be stormy...I guess we will see...being away from the girls is really difficult...it seems like there are people with babies Madison's age everywhere I look just to rub it in...not cool. Well only two Saturdays to go...that is awesome!!
So tomorrow I have worship and then I have to see what the weather decides to do, because I think I would like to run in Central Park, but I think it is supposed to be stormy...I guess we will see...being away from the girls is really difficult...it seems like there are people with babies Madison's age everywhere I look just to rub it in...not cool. Well only two Saturdays to go...that is awesome!!
Walking around Suwa Lake...
This weekend is shaping up to be a bit more quiet weekend than we expected... Well we knew Dad will be away this weekend on a trip and we were hoping Asuka will able to come home for the weekend but since her job requires her to be flexible and because of unfortunate house fire and two dead bodies she could not come hang out with us... So g-ma is getting some quality time alone with her g-daughter which I'm sure she is happy to have and I'm getting some quality time in front of the computer writing in our blog...
We were done within an hour and we decided to go and walk along Suwa Lake for a change... After lunch we parked by the lake and got to take some group pictures by a bunch of statues that have been there like forever... I still remember seeing and playing with them when I was so little! As we strolled along we saw so many families with their little kids...it made me miss Dave and remember the times we have strolled along in Central Park.
**Bonus Pic added by Dave of Anna and Madison talking to me on the phone:
Only few people know this but about five years ago my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer... Then she quickly had to have a surgery which was to remove the entire right side breast. Since then she has been going through treatments and regularly scheduled check ups. I am so excited that the treatment is almost over and hopefully she will be able to say good bye to her breast cancer forever:-) Today she went in for her check up(CT scan) so we tagged along which I was so glad to do since this was my first time to be able to go with her for her fighting cancer visit...
6.03.2010
Same Birthday...
On Thursday we met up with Sayaka and Kouki for lunch at a near by park... It's about a 15 minute walk from my parents' house and it was just such nice weather to be out in. When we got there Sayaka and Kouki were not there yet and I didn't have the time so I asked a mom that was there, well she had a baby boy with her and how he was walking looked similar to Madison so I asked her for his age and she said 13 month... so I said my daughter is 13 month also, she was born May 1st... You know where I'm going right? She then told me his birthday is also May 1st!! How crazy!! Madison's first same exact birthday baby!! Well maybe half exact birthday when you have to think about the time differences but no biggie, it was just cool!
That's when Sayaka and Kouki showed up with lunch so we went our separate way but I do believe I got a picture of him for the record... just right before Madison took a bad bouncy fall on her face in front of me!
After lunch Kouki played in the fake stream while Madison watched and headed out to Uniqlo for Madison and me! I got to find some cute leggings and a simple cute hoddie of which I'm gonna decorate later for Madison so all in all it was a pretty nice day...
That's when Sayaka and Kouki showed up with lunch so we went our separate way but I do believe I got a picture of him for the record... just right before Madison took a bad bouncy fall on her face in front of me!
After lunch Kouki played in the fake stream while Madison watched and headed out to Uniqlo for Madison and me! I got to find some cute leggings and a simple cute hoddie of which I'm gonna decorate later for Madison so all in all it was a pretty nice day...
6.02.2010
Best Play Area Ever!!
Today(Tuesday) was a nice day so I decided to go for a walk and head toward a little shopping center we have attached to a train station... Yes we live really close to the train station so it was really convenient to get to high school growing up:-) Anyways, I decided to ask my g-ma if she wanted to walk with us so we took a long three steps to her door and asked if she wants to come...
She said sure so off we went taking a newly renovated nice path to the station, really lovely! I was really excited to find a clothing store for Madison... And a lot of things they had are super cute! G-ma offered to pay so I took her up on her offer when I realized I was not going to win this argument! Thank you great-grand ma!
After shopping we went up to the 3rd floor because my parents told me that they have a play area for kids so I thought I would check it out since we may want to use it while we are here... Wow, I didn't know what to say! From now on they shouldn't just say play area but something like Best Play Area Ever! I didn't get any pictures this time but will be sure to take some next time we come back, but this place was all the moms' dreams in one except that it doesn't have a pool... They have certified teachers that are managing the place and offer different activities for the kids and moms that come there... And the best thing about this place is that it's FREE! I just had to pay $1 to get a member card which I gladly paid. When we got there they were just finishing up a group exercise dance which they do at 11:00am and 3:00pm everyday then one of the teachers started to read a book to kids who were interested in their main play area. We got a tour of the place once we signed up and I was blown away to find out so many play areas they have there... They have one main large area that they use for different activities, book reading area, eating area with a fridge and microwave, dress up area, napping area, baby area(only age 0~2), and last but not least gymnastics area! They have lockers for moms to put their bags in and of course the shoe shelves:-) One of the great things being back here is that I never have to worry about dirty floors, why can't all the houses in the states be like that!?
Anyhow, we didn't stay there too long since we really didn't come prepared and g-ma was there but the short time that we were there Madison had a blast and even made some new friends:-) I'm guessing we will be back next Tuesday for some hand painting experience!
She said sure so off we went taking a newly renovated nice path to the station, really lovely! I was really excited to find a clothing store for Madison... And a lot of things they had are super cute! G-ma offered to pay so I took her up on her offer when I realized I was not going to win this argument! Thank you great-grand ma!
After shopping we went up to the 3rd floor because my parents told me that they have a play area for kids so I thought I would check it out since we may want to use it while we are here... Wow, I didn't know what to say! From now on they shouldn't just say play area but something like Best Play Area Ever! I didn't get any pictures this time but will be sure to take some next time we come back, but this place was all the moms' dreams in one except that it doesn't have a pool... They have certified teachers that are managing the place and offer different activities for the kids and moms that come there... And the best thing about this place is that it's FREE! I just had to pay $1 to get a member card which I gladly paid. When we got there they were just finishing up a group exercise dance which they do at 11:00am and 3:00pm everyday then one of the teachers started to read a book to kids who were interested in their main play area. We got a tour of the place once we signed up and I was blown away to find out so many play areas they have there... They have one main large area that they use for different activities, book reading area, eating area with a fridge and microwave, dress up area, napping area, baby area(only age 0~2), and last but not least gymnastics area! They have lockers for moms to put their bags in and of course the shoe shelves:-) One of the great things being back here is that I never have to worry about dirty floors, why can't all the houses in the states be like that!?
Anyhow, we didn't stay there too long since we really didn't come prepared and g-ma was there but the short time that we were there Madison had a blast and even made some new friends:-) I'm guessing we will be back next Tuesday for some hand painting experience!
6.01.2010
Lunch with sisters...
On Monday Asuka was able to take a day off which is very rare doing what she does so we met up with Sayaka and Kouki for lunch at a restaurant that carries only egg dishes and desserts... It was perfect because Dave thinks he can't eat eggs so he would have freaked out and be just drinking water:-) They have a huge chicken farm and their eggs are so good! What they are famous for is "Omlette Rice" which is an Omlette that is over Pilaf of some sort with heavy beef stock stew sauce, seasonal vegetable tomato sauce, etc... Don't worry, I took pictures!
I ordered the Omlette Rice with half beef stew sauce and half seasonal veggie tomato sauce... It was lunch time so of course my favorite, lunch menu option! It came with a yummy salad and soup then a custard pudding dessert in a cute egg shell.
Oh I forgot to mention that while waiting for food Madison was playing with one of those small cute chick porcelin figurines and at one point decided that she wants to work on her throwing skills she's been getting really good lately so she did and unfortunately one of the chick will never be able to entertain another customer again...
By the end of the meal we were all egg-ttacked and didn't feel like trying other egg desserts that they had like cream puffs, soft serve, cheese cake, rolled cake, etc... but I'm sure I will be back again probably with my mom so no worries!
I ordered the Omlette Rice with half beef stew sauce and half seasonal veggie tomato sauce... It was lunch time so of course my favorite, lunch menu option! It came with a yummy salad and soup then a custard pudding dessert in a cute egg shell.
Oh I forgot to mention that while waiting for food Madison was playing with one of those small cute chick porcelin figurines and at one point decided that she wants to work on her throwing skills she's been getting really good lately so she did and unfortunately one of the chick will never be able to entertain another customer again...
By the end of the meal we were all egg-ttacked and didn't feel like trying other egg desserts that they had like cream puffs, soft serve, cheese cake, rolled cake, etc... but I'm sure I will be back again probably with my mom so no worries!
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