Tuesday, May 28, 2013

A (late) Mother's Day Post


I'm not exaggerating when I say that my mom is the nicest person I've ever met.  She can make friends with anyone, and I've never heard her speak ill of a person.  It makes complete sense to me that her career would be taking care of children, and that so many parents in Canyon, Texas have entrusted the early years of their children's care to her.

Growing up, I was always in awe of her.  How positive she was; how strong in her Christian faith; how she kept everything together.

Now that I have a family of my own, I strive to be like her, and to instill what she taught me to Ethan.  I hope I can be half the mom that she is.

Kathy Stone is so many things to so many people.  Now we can add cancer survivor to that list.

Love you lots, Mom!!!



Saturday, May 25, 2013

Flowers, flowers, everywhere




This has not been the nicest of spring this year, but having flowers around me helps a bit.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Spring Awakening






And on the day of our Lord, May 17, 2013, the clouds parted, and the sun once again shone on the land of Sapporo....

Yes, after 6 long months of snow, then cloudiness and rain, we finally saw the beautiful sun on Friday. It was the most beautifully warm day, and you could feel everyone's happiness all over the school.  It was as if all of Sapporo was giving a huge sigh of relief.

Saturday was cloudy but still warm, and we decided to ride our bikes over to Maruyama Koen to check out the sakura there.  We should have known that all of Sapporo would have the same idea, since it was the first beautiful weekend we've had, and the sakura was finally blooming.  Tons of people with their blue tarps and their BBQs were all over the place, drinking and laughing and having a great time.  We found some friends and ate our KFC under the trees.  It was a great afternoon, to say the least.

Welcome spring.  I've been waiting for you.

Monday, May 13, 2013

The Big 3-3








My birthday came and went this weekend, and even though the weather was terrible (why Sapporo must you be cloudy and rainy every day this Spring?) we managed to get out and have a good time.

We ate at our favorite little burger shop and we ate with some friends who bestowed upon me the sweetest of gifts.  Then Nathan made me a bloody Mary and we caught up on our TV shows.

Sunday I spent the afternoon with my boys.  I wanted to buy some plants for the balcony, but the weather is still pretty crappy, so I decided to wait another week.  Later in the evening, I met up with some friends and we went out for some karaoke.  A great way to end the weekend, if I do say so.

I've received so many lovely flowers/ cards/ gifts/ FB messages this weekend, and it's made me so happy.  All my family and friends at home and around the world, I learned so much from you all.  I'm so, so lucky to have come in contact with so many amazing people.  You all have made my 33 years on this Earth so very special!  I can't wait to see what's next!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Beautiful Distractions



Time is passing quickly these days.  Another birthday is rolling around this month, and I'm not too excited about it.  I'm turning 33 this Saturday, and well, it sounds old.

My friends would argue that I'm not old, and that I don't even look like I'm in my 30's (what lovely, lovely friends I have), but I can see the gray hair mixing in with my light brown hair, and the slight wrinkles that are beginning to form around my eyes.  Oh yeah, and having a 14 year old son kinda puts my age into perspective as well.

But aging is more than just physical changes.  I guess when I was in my 20's, I thought I'd have my life all figured out by the time I was in my 30's.  Nathan and I would have some kind of steady work, a mortgage, and be living in some suburbs.  You know, typical life stuff.  Instead, we're living in Japan and have jobs that can only last so long.  Then we have to return to America and figure out what we want to do all over again.

The fact is, I have no idea what I really want to do with the rest of my life.  Shouldn't I already know these things?  All I know if that the things I thought would make me happy in my 20's are not really the things I want now.  If I could, I'd travel around the world for the rest of my days, meeting new people and having new experiences.  But bills back home need to be paid.  And I want to see my family more.  And oh yeah, I wanna have another baby some time.

Worrying about this stuff comes in waves, so in between those times I like to distract myself - going out with friends, practicing and singing with Takuya, playing my ukulele, date nights with Nathan.  These little things keep me sane when I could easily freak out about the future.

But I can say this: a few years ago, I used to worry about every little thing all the time.  Change was really hard for me to accept.  Now, I'm no longer so scared of change.  I guess that's what a move around the world will do for you.  And these last three years in Japan (we came here when I was 30) have been some of the best life-changing experiences I've had.

Maybe my 30's won't be so bad after all...