Sunday, June 26, 2011
Hawaii - Big Island, June 2011
We headed out on June 18th for the Big Island of Hawaii, for a week of fun in the sun...and some much needed relaxation. We used my friends time share (thank you Marcy!), and enjoyed swimming, sunning, visiting Hilo, taking a scenic drive up the mountains,hiking to the petroglyph fields, climbing up by the Mauna Kea observatory to watch the sun set from above the clouds (super gorgeous), and ended our trip with a day at the Hilton Waiakola Beach Resort, swimming with the Dolphins and utilizing their water park. We had a great time and a really nice vacation as a family. We left Hawaii and flew back to Detroit, and then drove on to Portage, where Scott stayed with us for about a week and a half.
Girls petting the dolphin!
Mauna Kea Observatory Sunset
At the Japanese Gardens in Hilo
Girls in front of Rainbow Falls
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Aunt Jen's wedding and our return to Tokyo
We booked tickets to return to Japan on June 5th, so that we could say goodbye to our friends- some that are returning in the fall, and others that are not coming back at all. Maya's two best friends, Kate Hansen, and Tara Grace Gagnon, are not returning this fall. My friends Wendy (Tara Grace's mom) and Mary are also not returning. We have had the opportunity to get to know both the Gagnon's and the Oliver's pretty well over the past year and it is really sad for all of us that they are leaving. I think that will always be the most difficult part of living the "expat" life- the wonderful people we meet and then have to say goodbye to. We wanted to get back to say goodbye, and to let both of our kids finish out the school year with their schools and friends here in Tokyo.
Maya and her best friend, Tara Grace Gagnon- TG moved back to Atlanta in June
My youngest sister, Jenni, also got married to her new husband, Kevin, at his families home in Au Train, Michigan on Saturday, June 4. Au Train is about 25 minutes outside of Marquette, Michigan, in the beautiful Upper Peninsula. Originally, we weren't going to be able to attend (we were supposed to be in Tokyo!), but I was able to get tickets using Frequent Flier miles to fly up and be there for it. The wedding was beautiful- intimate, gorgeous weather, right on Lake Superior- I don't think Jenni and Kevin could have had a more perfect day to start their lives together!
Mr. and Mrs, Klausner
My dad and Jenn walking down the aisle
School finished at lunchtime on June 3rd. Hanna and I picked up Maya from school, went home to eat lunch and then got in the Van and drove to Scott's dad, Jeff's home. We had the chance to spend some time with Jeff, Sara, Chance and the dogs, the girls had a chance to swim in his pool (that has a slide and a diving board!), and we had a nice BBQ before before Jeff brought us to the airport to fly up to Marquette. Our flight left at 7:40pm, and we arrived in Marquette around 9pm. That night we spent time with my family, and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins. Saturday was spent at the Klausner home, right on the shore of Lake Superior. It was a fantastic setting for a very small, intimate wedding- I can't say enough about how perfect the day was and how beautiful of a setting they choose. They choose just to have parents, siblings, aunts/uncles and a few select friends. They were married right by the water, and had a small dinner afterward. Jenni has met a great guy, who seems to come from a very nice, close family. It will be nice to have Kevin included in our families craziness- hope he can handle it! :)
Our flight from Marquette left at 6am Sunday morning, to deliver us back to Detroit. Jeff picked us up at the airport, we went for breakfast and back to his place to swim, shower and rearrange baggage before heading back to the airport for our 13 hour flight over to Japan. We had stayed up late the night before, and I knew it would come back to haunt me where Hanna was concerned. She was very good until we got on the plane...of course. We were travelling coach, and I was all alone with the two girls. I knew I should have made her go to sleep earlier the night before, but how do you do that when all the cousins, aunts, uncles and grand parents are up running around? The only time Hanna was good during the flight was when she was sleeping...which was a good chunk of time- she probably slept for 1/2 the plane ride over, thank god. The other times, while she was awake, she was screaming, swearing (yes- she didn't like the way her headphones were fitting on her ears, and she melted down screaming "I hate these DAMN things"- nice...so, to punish her, I took the DVD player away from her...which was in turn, a punishment for me), yelling and crying. She woke up half the people around us at one point, and only stopped because a Japanese man was staring at her and she didn't like it. UUGGHHH. I will not be flying alone with that one anytime soon.
We arrived in Tokyo at 5:40pm on Monday, June 6th, and driving into Tokyo was very eerie. As we approached the city, the majority of the lights were off in and on all the buildings- the bridges were not lit up, Tokyo Disney was not lit up, the buildings were all dark and strangest of all, Tokyo Tower was completely dark. We drive right by it and it was so strange. Most things here seem pretty normal- minus the darkness. However, we are going to have to be very careful about food that we eat, water we drink, milk we consume....they are finding cesium and other radiation elements in many of the food and drinks coming from the area near the Nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Tea in Tokyo has been found to have Cesium in it, which has a long half life and can be a major cause of Thyroid cancer and reproduction issues. I think over the next year, more and more issues will arrive regarding fruits, veggies, fish and milk from that area, and I believe, based on what we are reading now, that the areas getting affected will be outside the "safe" range of the nuclear power plant area. We will be getting a water service in the fall, buying our milk from Hokkaido and shopping at Costco (where many fruits/veggies and meats come from the U.S. or Australia), and the international grocery stores, where we can read where products are coming from. My belief is that we should be cautious and safe, especially where the girls are concerned. That being said- most food- especially produce- is fine to eat as of now. Everything is getting tested, and most Japanese grocery stores will not even put the food from those areas on the shelves.
Maya and Hanna both proceeded to go to school the day after we arrived and for the rest of the week. They were so tired and so jet lagged, but could not wait to see their friends and teachers. It was a very rough week- no sleep was had by any of us, but the days were jam packed with friends, activities and fun. Considering the fact that we had a 13 hour flight, with a 13 hour time difference, I think they did quite tremendous. We finally had a night of sleep on Sunday night- almost a full week after getting back and things are feeling better overall.
Hanna had her Yoyogi International school year end concert. The really great part is that the teachers sent us you tube videos of the songs that her Dolphins class was singing so we could practice. The Japanese song she knew, but the other one, we worked on at home. It was a really cute concert and a great way for her to close out her school year with her friends. Maya also went to school every day, got her yearbook and had the chance to spend some time with her classmates before the end of the week. She has several in her class that are not returning next year, including her best friend Tara Grace, so it was a bit of a sad week for her- though she was so happy she had the chance to come back and see them all before they left. Tara Grace spend several days in a row at our apartment playing before she left on Saturday, so it was a good finish to the school year.
At Yoyogi International- last day of school
Dolphin's School performance
Scott and I had the chance to go out to dinner with Mary and Lyndon Oliver and Wendy and Aaron Gagnon- two sets of friends that are moving back to the U.S., as well as Travis and Jenny George at TY Harbor. It was right on the water in Shinigawa, and a great night. I have also been spending time trying to go out to lunch (poor me, right?) with all my friends this week. My friend Pam (who is leaving), Amara (leaving) and Tamie (moving to another part of Tokyo) and I went to grab coffee one night before dinner...only to have every place we tried to go be CLOSED! We ended at the Tokyo University Cafe, drinking beer!
At TY Harbor with friends
The following day, about 12 or so friends from LaTour and the surrounding area met at the West Park Cafe for a final lunch before everyone took off- we were joined by Patty (who moved to Bangkok in December), Chinami, Mary, Wendy, Pam and Amara, who are all moving within the next few weeks. There will be a good group of wonderful ladies returning, so I am very excited to get back here in the fall and get life going again.
Ladies "Goodbye" lunch
This week, we have play dates, planetarium visits, swimming at TAC and the Embassy, a birthday party and lunch with the book club ladies...then we are off to Hawaii (The Big Island) on Saturday for some much needed family time!
With the Takahashi-Kushner girls in the Mori Tower- the Tokyo Tower is in the background
My youngest sister, Jenni, also got married to her new husband, Kevin, at his families home in Au Train, Michigan on Saturday, June 4. Au Train is about 25 minutes outside of Marquette, Michigan, in the beautiful Upper Peninsula. Originally, we weren't going to be able to attend (we were supposed to be in Tokyo!), but I was able to get tickets using Frequent Flier miles to fly up and be there for it. The wedding was beautiful- intimate, gorgeous weather, right on Lake Superior- I don't think Jenni and Kevin could have had a more perfect day to start their lives together!
School finished at lunchtime on June 3rd. Hanna and I picked up Maya from school, went home to eat lunch and then got in the Van and drove to Scott's dad, Jeff's home. We had the chance to spend some time with Jeff, Sara, Chance and the dogs, the girls had a chance to swim in his pool (that has a slide and a diving board!), and we had a nice BBQ before before Jeff brought us to the airport to fly up to Marquette. Our flight left at 7:40pm, and we arrived in Marquette around 9pm. That night we spent time with my family, and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins. Saturday was spent at the Klausner home, right on the shore of Lake Superior. It was a fantastic setting for a very small, intimate wedding- I can't say enough about how perfect the day was and how beautiful of a setting they choose. They choose just to have parents, siblings, aunts/uncles and a few select friends. They were married right by the water, and had a small dinner afterward. Jenni has met a great guy, who seems to come from a very nice, close family. It will be nice to have Kevin included in our families craziness- hope he can handle it! :)
Our flight from Marquette left at 6am Sunday morning, to deliver us back to Detroit. Jeff picked us up at the airport, we went for breakfast and back to his place to swim, shower and rearrange baggage before heading back to the airport for our 13 hour flight over to Japan. We had stayed up late the night before, and I knew it would come back to haunt me where Hanna was concerned. She was very good until we got on the plane...of course. We were travelling coach, and I was all alone with the two girls. I knew I should have made her go to sleep earlier the night before, but how do you do that when all the cousins, aunts, uncles and grand parents are up running around? The only time Hanna was good during the flight was when she was sleeping...which was a good chunk of time- she probably slept for 1/2 the plane ride over, thank god. The other times, while she was awake, she was screaming, swearing (yes- she didn't like the way her headphones were fitting on her ears, and she melted down screaming "I hate these DAMN things"- nice...so, to punish her, I took the DVD player away from her...which was in turn, a punishment for me), yelling and crying. She woke up half the people around us at one point, and only stopped because a Japanese man was staring at her and she didn't like it. UUGGHHH. I will not be flying alone with that one anytime soon.
We arrived in Tokyo at 5:40pm on Monday, June 6th, and driving into Tokyo was very eerie. As we approached the city, the majority of the lights were off in and on all the buildings- the bridges were not lit up, Tokyo Disney was not lit up, the buildings were all dark and strangest of all, Tokyo Tower was completely dark. We drive right by it and it was so strange. Most things here seem pretty normal- minus the darkness. However, we are going to have to be very careful about food that we eat, water we drink, milk we consume....they are finding cesium and other radiation elements in many of the food and drinks coming from the area near the Nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Tea in Tokyo has been found to have Cesium in it, which has a long half life and can be a major cause of Thyroid cancer and reproduction issues. I think over the next year, more and more issues will arrive regarding fruits, veggies, fish and milk from that area, and I believe, based on what we are reading now, that the areas getting affected will be outside the "safe" range of the nuclear power plant area. We will be getting a water service in the fall, buying our milk from Hokkaido and shopping at Costco (where many fruits/veggies and meats come from the U.S. or Australia), and the international grocery stores, where we can read where products are coming from. My belief is that we should be cautious and safe, especially where the girls are concerned. That being said- most food- especially produce- is fine to eat as of now. Everything is getting tested, and most Japanese grocery stores will not even put the food from those areas on the shelves.
Maya and Hanna both proceeded to go to school the day after we arrived and for the rest of the week. They were so tired and so jet lagged, but could not wait to see their friends and teachers. It was a very rough week- no sleep was had by any of us, but the days were jam packed with friends, activities and fun. Considering the fact that we had a 13 hour flight, with a 13 hour time difference, I think they did quite tremendous. We finally had a night of sleep on Sunday night- almost a full week after getting back and things are feeling better overall.
Hanna had her Yoyogi International school year end concert. The really great part is that the teachers sent us you tube videos of the songs that her Dolphins class was singing so we could practice. The Japanese song she knew, but the other one, we worked on at home. It was a really cute concert and a great way for her to close out her school year with her friends. Maya also went to school every day, got her yearbook and had the chance to spend some time with her classmates before the end of the week. She has several in her class that are not returning next year, including her best friend Tara Grace, so it was a bit of a sad week for her- though she was so happy she had the chance to come back and see them all before they left. Tara Grace spend several days in a row at our apartment playing before she left on Saturday, so it was a good finish to the school year.
Scott and I had the chance to go out to dinner with Mary and Lyndon Oliver and Wendy and Aaron Gagnon- two sets of friends that are moving back to the U.S., as well as Travis and Jenny George at TY Harbor. It was right on the water in Shinigawa, and a great night. I have also been spending time trying to go out to lunch (poor me, right?) with all my friends this week. My friend Pam (who is leaving), Amara (leaving) and Tamie (moving to another part of Tokyo) and I went to grab coffee one night before dinner...only to have every place we tried to go be CLOSED! We ended at the Tokyo University Cafe, drinking beer!
The following day, about 12 or so friends from LaTour and the surrounding area met at the West Park Cafe for a final lunch before everyone took off- we were joined by Patty (who moved to Bangkok in December), Chinami, Mary, Wendy, Pam and Amara, who are all moving within the next few weeks. There will be a good group of wonderful ladies returning, so I am very excited to get back here in the fall and get life going again.
This week, we have play dates, planetarium visits, swimming at TAC and the Embassy, a birthday party and lunch with the book club ladies...then we are off to Hawaii (The Big Island) on Saturday for some much needed family time!
Another night in MIchigan....
The past few months have been super busy, and I have gotten away from blogging. The girls and I were able to settle back into life in Michigan and finish out the school year at Haverhill. It has been hard being back "home" but not "home". We call ourselves the invisible family- we are back in Portage, but not in our house near where all of our friends and neighbors are. The kids do not have a backyard, and we are not staying anywhere near our school, our neighborhood, our friends, our gym. Two months without Scott have been difficult on all of us- we missed him terribly- the girls missed Daddy, and I missed having my husband around to talk and laugh with. Skype is wonderful, but it does not replace having him here with us. I have had many a "poor me" moment, and so have both of the girls. Maya had weekly breakdowns about wanting to be back home in Japan, and Hanna had what I would call one of her worst "phases" yet- screaming, yelling, calling Maya and I names and just down right not listening and misbehaving. It has been a challenge to have to work with her by myself and have no backup or sanity check. :)
During the past two months, the girls have had the chance to do a lot of things. Maya participated in a YMCA Healthy Kids Fun run. It was 1 mile, and, because she had never run a mile straight before, she sprinted the entire time! She ran it in 9:47, which I thought was really good. She was completely dying when it ended- face beet red, breathing hard, but felt so great when it was done. She has taken up running and enjoys it (plus, it tires here out!)
Maya starting the 1 Mile Fun Run
Maya Finishing up!
Maya's class had a music performance, Maya and Hanna's classes had field trips to the Nature center, both girls had end of the year school picnics, and both took twice weekly private swim lessons at the YMCA. They have both come a long way (Maya is actually doing all four strokes, turns, etc., and Hanna is now jumping in, with goggles and going all the way under- huge strides for both kiddos!).
Maya's music performance at Haverhill
Hanna's Haverhill Kindergarten Class picnic
We participated in our neighborhood's Memorial Day Bike Parade (in which after, there was a tornado warning, touch down about 30 miles away), and our friends the Sobell's invited us over for a Pool party on Memorial Day, where we hung out and swam (it was in the 90's) all day long.
After the Ice Cream Fight
Pool Party at the Sobell's
Kids jumping in together!
In many ways it has been great to be back- it is hard to like being in two places, but a great feeling to know that there can be more than one place in the world that we can live and be happy as a family. This situation has taught us all to be more flexible, more understanding and more helpful to each other. It has really been the most difficult two months of my married and family life (I have pretty much told everyone I know that it has been the "suckiest" two months ever!), and many times I think that 2011 so far has been one of the most challenging years ever. That being said, again, we are all safe and healthy, not lacking any basic necessities and are unbelievably lucky and fortunate compared to the 25,000 people who died in the earthquake/tsunami, and the additional hundreds of thousands that are still, 3 months later, living on gym floors with no place to call home. Be grateful- we need to make sure we always stay grateful for what we have and who we have.
During the past two months, the girls have had the chance to do a lot of things. Maya participated in a YMCA Healthy Kids Fun run. It was 1 mile, and, because she had never run a mile straight before, she sprinted the entire time! She ran it in 9:47, which I thought was really good. She was completely dying when it ended- face beet red, breathing hard, but felt so great when it was done. She has taken up running and enjoys it (plus, it tires here out!)
Maya's class had a music performance, Maya and Hanna's classes had field trips to the Nature center, both girls had end of the year school picnics, and both took twice weekly private swim lessons at the YMCA. They have both come a long way (Maya is actually doing all four strokes, turns, etc., and Hanna is now jumping in, with goggles and going all the way under- huge strides for both kiddos!).
We participated in our neighborhood's Memorial Day Bike Parade (in which after, there was a tornado warning, touch down about 30 miles away), and our friends the Sobell's invited us over for a Pool party on Memorial Day, where we hung out and swam (it was in the 90's) all day long.
In many ways it has been great to be back- it is hard to like being in two places, but a great feeling to know that there can be more than one place in the world that we can live and be happy as a family. This situation has taught us all to be more flexible, more understanding and more helpful to each other. It has really been the most difficult two months of my married and family life (I have pretty much told everyone I know that it has been the "suckiest" two months ever!), and many times I think that 2011 so far has been one of the most challenging years ever. That being said, again, we are all safe and healthy, not lacking any basic necessities and are unbelievably lucky and fortunate compared to the 25,000 people who died in the earthquake/tsunami, and the additional hundreds of thousands that are still, 3 months later, living on gym floors with no place to call home. Be grateful- we need to make sure we always stay grateful for what we have and who we have.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)