Spa & Going away party

ベースが主催する「奥さん達だけのスパ＆ディナー」に行ってきました。今月始め、ジョシュに「ベース主催のスパがあるからに行ってきたら？夕飯も付くみたいだし」と言われたんだけどベース主催のスパ、何となく怪しい感じが、しかも一人で行くのもちょっとなぁって思っていたら、アヤさんも行くという事で一緒に行ってきました。やはり私が思っているスパはなく、普通にマッサージチェアがあって、でもそれでもすっごい長蛇の列でさ、やってもらうまでにかなり待たなきゃ駄目なのよね、だから諦めたよ。でね、チョコレートフォンデュ屋もきてて食べたんだけど、これ美味しいね、２回も並んじゃったよ。で、入り口で番号付きのチケットをもらったんだけど、途中抽選会があって私、見事に当たりました。でもね、景品もらったんだけど大量にカーネーションが入った花瓶。花瓶だよ、他の人は違うものもらっていたのに、何故花瓶。しかも重たいし、カメラマン、私、見て笑うし、私もアヤさんも笑うしかなく、でもフォンデュ食べれたから良かったけどね。
最近、天気が悪くて夕べは凄い雷と雨、朝起きたら裏庭の木が倒れてたっけ、凄い風だったんだね。
今日からジョシュは４連休、月曜日がアメリカの祝日だってさ。でね今日は、近所の奥さんの送別会。来月、沖縄に引っ越すと言う事で。近所のピザ屋で、奥さん達と子供達、後、ジョシュもシッターとして参加しました。沖縄に移動、羨ましいな、暖かいし、何より日本いいよね。

Last month, Josh found out about a spouse's 'Spring Spa' that the base was putting on at a local activity center. Takako didn't want to go since she would be there by herself, Josh couldn't go. However, she found out from another Japanese spouse that she was going so Takako could accompany her. We picked up a free ticket at the Airman & Family Readiness Center on base earlier this week. Takako drove with Ayako accompanying her to the spa. Japanese and American spa's must be very different. This one consisted of Outback Steakhouse catering, and many other local shops providing refreshments and various wares for spouses. There was too long of a line for the massage chairs and tables so they gave up. They did enjoy the chocolate fondue a couple of times. At the entrance they each received a raffle ticket for prizes throughout the night. Takako ended up winning a flower vase with about 25 carnations w/ water! The camerawoman was laughing during the photo opportunity since she was holding the pot the entire rest of the evening (~1 hour). I will be checking the base paper in the coming weeks for her photo.

Last night some thunderstorms rolled through the area and this morning we realized that one of our trees in the backyard was laying near the swings. The housing office came by this afternoon and cut it down to a stump. Today marks the beginning of Memorial Day weekend. We went to a local restaurant for pizza and for a going-away party for one of the Japanese wives. They will be heading for Okinawa. Josh acted as a baby sitter for some of the kids.

Curry & BBQ

いきなり暑くなりましたよ、春は一体どこへ？
さて、また食べ物のブログになっちゃうけど、奥さんのお家にカレー食べに行ってきました。実は、カレー作ってくれた奥さんが今月末から３ヶ月沖縄に里帰りするという事で、カレーパーティ開催。子供達は水着に着替えて水遊びしてたっけ、気持ち良さそうだったな。昼過ぎからお邪魔して気がついたら８時過ぎてた、また長居してしまいましたわ。楽しい時間過ごせました、ありがとうさんです。
気をつけて沖縄に行ってきてくださいな。また帰ってきたら、遊んでくださいねー。
日曜日は、メメさんの旦那さんのヘイダン君が遊びにきました。って実は昨日も、一緒にカレー食べに行ったんだけどね、メメさんは日本に里帰り中。すっごい暑い中３人で庭でバーベキュー、本当に暑かったんだよね。その後は、日本にいるメメさんとビデオチャットでお話しました。元気そうで何よりです。また帰ってきたら、遊びましょう。今週末もあっというまに終わってしまった。

My was our Spring short! It is already Summer. It is up into the 70s & 80s now. With Memorial Day weekend coming up, we may get up into the 90s! This is one more 'food' related post. Yesterday we went to Dan & Yuki's with Haydon for a 'curry party'. They had two different styles of curry and various friends brought sides. We brought strawberry & banana ice cream. The kids played in the front yard with a small turtle swimming pool and a slide into it. It looked refreshing. Time flew by and before we knew it, the clock struck 8PM. Time to head for home. Yuki will be heading for Okinawa soon. Have a fun & safe trip.

Today, Haydon came over for a BBQ in the yard and to try and chat with MeMe near Aomori, Japan. She is there, visiting her mother. After a couple of tries, we were able to chat. We had some brats, cheeseburgers & yakisoba. Before we knew it, the time had flown by and it was already after 7PM. He needed to head back home to feed Poo-tan their dog.

Okonomiyaki

昨日、近所の奥さんが、メロンパンを焼いてくれて持ってきてくれました。ごちそうさまでした。美味しかったぁ。今度、アイスクリーム持って行きますね。
さて、今日は、近所の奥さんのお家に遊びに行ってきました。実はお好み焼きを食べよう！という約２ヶ月前からの企画で、やっと今日実現しました。次から次へと焼いてくれて、食べるの追いつかなかった。副菜は、トマトとネギのサラダ、大根の漬け物？後、豆腐と鶏肉の豆板醤和え、相変わらずどれも美味しかった。毎回、料理の勉強になるんだよね。デザートはアップルパイとイチゴのアイスクリーム、これまた美味しい。次はメメさんが日本から帰ってきたらまたやりましょう。お昼からお邪魔して帰ってきたのは７時過ぎ。かなり長居してしまいました。またお邪魔させて頂きます。今日は楽しかったでごじゃる。

Yesterday, one of the Japanese wives brought melon bread for us. It was very good with raisins inside. We will be making some ice cream for her family in return.

This afternoon, Takako visited with the group of Japanese wives at Mama-san's home. They had been planning an okonomiyaki party for about two months. Like the past get-togethers, they each bring something but have one 'main' dish that is the party's theme. The dishes in addition to okonomiyaki were tomato/onion salad, pickled radish, chicken-tofu with doubanjiang sauce. For dessert they had apple/rhubarb pie with our homemade strawberry ice cream. Next time, when MeMe returns from Japan, they will have another Japanese spouse club lunchtime meeting. Takako had to leave a little early to pick Josh up from work but then returned back to the party for some more conversation. She always has a great time.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Day-bis!

実は先週の土曜日はデービスの２歳のお誕生日でした。先週、忙しくて、お祝いする事ができず、今日お祝いしました。一週間遅れてごめんよ。相変わらず誕生日ハットの位置が微妙でしたが。お誕生日プレゼントは、リンゴ。実はリンゴが大好きで、って何でも大好きなんだけどね。リンゴをあげると口のまわり泡だらけになるけど、毎回、美味しそうに食べてくれます。お誕生日おめでとうデービス。
って今日は、母の日でしたね。お母さん、毎度ながら、お疲れさまです。

Due to last week's busy schedule, we decided to celebrate Day-bis's birthday this weekend. He didn't need a toy, cake, just to play at the park and share an apple with his younger brother, Kuro. They both LOVE apples. Every time we give them apples, they end up getting over-excited and bubbles start oozing from the sides of their mouths. It is quite a site to see. Also, today is Mother's Day various places around the world. We would like to say, Happy Mother's Day from our family to yours.

English as a Second Language

実は、この夏から大学の英語クラスに行く予定で、今日はクラス分けのテストを受けに行ってきました。私、そんなに英語に自信がなくてね、特に会話。発音もいまいちだし、文法はめちゃめちゃなんだよね。綺麗な英語とはいえないのよ。ジョシュとの会話も日本語と英語のごちゃまぜ会話だし二人にしか分からない会話なんだよね。これからの事を考えたら学校に行こうと思ったのさ。で、近所の奥さんと一緒にテストを受けに行ってきました。英語の文法、読み書き、聞き取りとスピーチのテストだったんだけど、やはり予想通り、文法と読み書きは初級者レベル、初級者ですか？って思ったけど、もともと自信なかったし納得したよ。英語の文章とか読んでいると３Dに見えてきちゃうのよ、英語が飛び出てくる飛び出てくる、一種の拒否反応だわ。聞き取りと英語でのスピーチは中級者のレベルという判定でした。聞き取りは少し自信あったんだよね、毎日テレビ見てるしね。英語でのスピーチも自信なかったんだけど、中級者レベルという判定で違った意味で少し驚いたよ。で、一緒に行った奥さんはというと全て大学に入れる英語のレベル、上級者レベルって事だよね、凄いよね。学校行かなくても大丈夫じゃん！大学行っちゃえって一緒にお昼ご飯食べてる時に、思わず突っ込んじゃったよ。でも、自分のレベルを知るのって凄い大切だよね、一体自分がどの程度のレベルなのかってね。大人になってからそーゆう試験とか受けないものね。って事で今年の夏から学校に行く事にしましたわ。

Takako went and took a placement test at Bellevue University today. She was tested in grammar, reading, writing, listening & speech. She is not fluent but I believe that she knows more than Josh does about Japanese. She was surprised that her level of listening and speaking was at the intermediate level, however her grammatical level was still at beginner. She wants to study more English to become more fluent and she will be starting August. She has a busy schedule coming up. We are a lot alike. Listening to TV, we can understand what is going on (Josh & Japanese TV and Takako & English TV programs). She stated that her eyes started crossing when she would read passages from the test. It makes her tired. She will do a great job.

Pella, IA Tulip festival

水曜日からアイオワ州のチューリップ祭りに行ってきました。昼過ぎに弟夫婦と一緒にオマハを出発、順調な滑り出しと思いきやホテルに後３０分の到着の所で弟夫婦の車のエンジンから煙が。エンジンの調子が悪くなってしまい、レッカー車を呼んでホテルまで車を運んでもらいましたわ。でも、事故にならなくて良かったよ。で、夕方にはミネソタからジョシュの両親も到着。
翌日は弟夫婦の車を修理に出した後、皆で、チューリップを見に行きました。綺麗だったよ。半日以上、歩いたんだけど、久々にあんなに歩いたわ。デービスとクロも途中でぐったりしてたっけ。実は、この時期、東京にいる時も羽村のチューリップを見に行っていたんだけど、アメリカでもまたチューリップ祭りに行けるとはね、嬉しいわ。
金曜日はチェックアウトの日。弟夫婦の車の修理に時間がかかって結局４時半にホテルをチェックアウト。弟夫婦は仕事があるからミネソタに帰って、両親は私達と一緒にオマハにきて日曜日にミネソタに帰りましたわ。
凄いあっとゆうまの一週間でしたわ。今度は私達がミネソタに遊びに行く予定。７月中旬かな。

Wednesday, the seven of us headed out for Newton, IA to meet Wes & Vicky. It was where we will be staying for a tulip festival in nearby Pella, IA. Wes & Vicky would be driving down from Minneapolis later that night. On the way, 15 miles left to our destination, Jared & Mary's vehicle underwent some engine trouble. They called their insurance company and a tow truck was on the way. They piled into our vehicle with Starbuck as the tow truck followed us the rest of the way to the Quality Inn. Checked into the hotel, called a couple of places and decided to turn it in for service early the next morning. We ended up meeting Wes & Vicky, hit the beds and awoke the next morning to turn in their vehicle and head for the tulip festival in Pella. Takako was wondering if she would ever see a tulip festival again, since we have been to three in Hamura, Japan. The entire town of Pella was decorated with older buildings, tulips lining the streets, windmills, a parade later on, etc. Great small town feel. All three dogs were zapped by the end of the day, ended up sleeping wherever they were lying. The following day, we were able to check out of the hotel by about 4:30 PM since that was when their vehicle was out of the shop. Jared & Mary headed back to Minnesota as Wes & Vicky followed us back to Bellevue. We ended up playing some Wii Sports later that night and then went to bed. The next time that Josh & Takako see everyone may be coming up in July in Minnesota. We will see.

Meeting Starbuck with Jared & Mary

火曜日にミネソタからジョシュの弟夫婦と犬が遊びに来ました。弟夫婦が飼っている犬はセントバーナードで名前はスターバック。スターバックは４ヶ月半で３０キロなんだよね。大きいよね。ちょっとびっくりしたよ。でも、おとなしい犬でしたよ。夕方はデービスとクロと一緒にドッグランに行きました。ジョシュ、ドッグランで沢山の犬、引き連れてましたわ。で、夜は先日、近所の奥さんにワイングラスを頂いたのね。で、早速、頂いたワイングラスでワイン飲みましたわ。ワイングラス素敵な形で気に入ってますわ。ありがとうです。水曜日からは弟夫婦とジョシュの両親とアイオワ州のチューリップ祭りに行ってきますわ。

Jared & Mary came yesterday to visit from Minnesota. They brought their St. Bernard named Starbuck along for the journey. He is about 4-5 month old and already about 65 lbs. We were shocked at his size compared to Day-bis & Kuro. We went to the nearby dog park with the three dogs for some much needed exercise. Josh kind of acted as the 'Dog Whisperer'. Last night we relaxed at home, ate curry, had some red wine in some stemless wine glasses that were a present from one of Takako's friends in the area. Oh, and introduced Jared & Mary to the Wii. Today, we will be heading out for Newton, IA to meet Wes & Vicky (Josh's parents) for a tulip festival in Pella, IA starting on Thursday.

Past events, home-made ice cream & 4 years together

４月も終わりですが、先週末、近所の奥さん達と韓国料理屋に行ってきました。久々にお肉とキムチ食べましたよ。やはりお肉は美味しいね。昼食後は別の場所でお茶しながらリラックス、一日がまた早かった。
日曜日は天気が良かったので午前中、ドッグランに行きました。他の犬もいなく貸し切り状態。デービスとクロは、ボールを３０分程追っかけまわして終了。
そーいえば、この間は、ジョシュとデートを開始してから４年目だったんだよね。でね、この間、近所の奥さんのお家に遊びに行った時に手作りのアイスクリームをごちそうになったの。それが本当に美味しかったの。だから、アイスクリーム機械欲しいなって思っていたら、ってか、買って！って顔していたんだろうね、私。したら、ジョシュが４年目の記念って事でプレゼントしてくれたんだよね。
で、早速、ストロベリーアイスクリームを作ったんだけど、これがまた美味しいのよねぇ。

April is almost gone. This past Friday, Takako went out with other wives to a Korean restaurant. After that, they relaxed with tea (of course). Today was another nice day so we brought Day-bis & Kuro to the dog park. We were the only ones there. They ended up getting in about 30 minutes of exercise in, chasing around a tennis ball. (Technically speaking, Kuro had the ball and Day-bis was chasing after trying to get it.) Also just this past week, the 24th to be exact, was our 4 year anniversary of being together. Takako spent some time a couple of weeks ago at a friend's house where she had 'home-made' ice cream. She told Josh all about it however she didn't realize that was the gift that Josh bought for their '4 year'. We now have an ice cream machine. We tried it out with strawberries and it turned out perfect! Very good. We can't wait to create more flavors.

Wednesday Party!!

今日は我が家でランチ。最近、近所の奥さん方とレストランなどにランチを食べに行ったりしているんですが、たまにはお家でランチもいいんじゃないかと言う事で。各自、一品料理を持参にしてもらいました。私は鳥炊き込みご飯を作りましたわ。で、奥さん方が持ってきたのは、ひじきにつくね、シソキュウリに、お漬け物、それから煮付けにお好み焼き、セロリと人参の和え物にほうれん草の和え物、そしてデザート。ロールケーキ食べたかったんだよね。どれも美味しかったです。ごちそうさまでした。子供達は、うちの目の前にある公園で遊んでました。子供達も楽しそうで、良かったですわ。一日が早かった。

Every once in a while, Takako hangs out with the other Japanese wives. Sometimes they meet at nearby restaurants for lunch but today they brought various dishes to our place, Takako made chicken & rice. The others brought various foods such as Japanese-style chicken nuggets, cucumbers with a perilla seeds, Hijiki and Okonomiyaki to name a few. Everything was delicious, thank you to all. During the get-together, the kids played out on the playground in our backyard. Everyone had a great time.

Shampoo & Pizza

昨日に引き続いて今日も天気がいいです。植木鉢に植えたチューリップが咲きましたわ。そうそう最近、鳥が、うちの裏庭の電灯の上に巣を作ろうとしたんだけど、阻止したんだよね。電灯の上は危ないしね。で、今日、隣の家の電灯の上をみたら、巣ができてました。午後からは、デービスと黒を連れて近所のお家に行ってきました。奥さんが、ペットサロンで働いていて、デービスと黒のシャンプーをお願いしました。デービスも黒も気持ちよさそうな顔してたわ。黒なんかシャンプーの途中で寝ちゃうんじゃないかと思うくらい、目がトローンとしてたっけ。肌触りもよくて毛並みも綺麗、しかもいい匂い。ありがとうでした。で、今日は、ピザを作っていきました。最近、パン作りにハマっていてこの間、遊びに行った奥さんのお家で食べたピザが美味しくてね。で、最近私も、ピザ作りにも挑戦してますわ。
ジョシュもヘイダン君と沢山、お話できて楽しそうでしたわ。ありがとうさんでした。

Today's weather felt a little like yesterday. Temperature-wise, it was warmer but breezier. One of our tulips is already in bloom, however we are still awaiting the yellow. We can really tell that Spring is here as Robin's are locating sites for their nests. One tried to start on the top of our back patio lamp but we stopped that. Instead, the Robin created a nest on top of our neighbor's lamp. They sure are diligent. We also went to MeMe & Haydon's house. Me-Me is a professional groomer and gave Day-bis & Kuro a relaxing bath. They really smell good and their fur is so soft after a shampoo. Takako had made a pizza as we had a late lunch at their home. After lunch, we headed home, washed the Highlander and relaxed for another week of work.

Spring BBQ with Friends

今日は公園でバーベキュー兼お誕生日会をやりました。今日は天気がよくて気持ちがいいと言いたいところだけど、それを通り越して、すっごい暑かったですわ。ジョシュはちょっと日焼けしてました。日差しも強くて帽子持って行けばよかったと後悔だわ。沢山のお肉と、カレーや、その他、色々食べ物がありましたわ。で、一人の奥さんが、メロンパンを作ってきてくれたんですよ。これがまた美味しいんだわ。ジョシュはメロンパンが大好きで、嬉しそうでした。で、後は誕生日ケーキ、これも手作り、凄いよね、お店で売っているケーキかと思いましたわ。相変わらずお菓子作りが出来る人って凄いなって思ってしまいました。今日は暑かったけど、楽しい一日を過ごせました。

Once again, a beautiful day! It was a little on the warmer side (~68°) but we aren't complaining. We went to a park on the east side of Olde Town Bellevue. There were about 40 people there (including the kids). Great weather for a BBQ and a time to celebrate six Spring birthday's. Of all the food that was there, Josh loved the sweets, especially the chocolate chip melon bread (pan). There were various foods left over at the end of the BBQ. We just couldn't eat them all (too many Brats). The two birthday cake's appeared to be professionally created, but they were crafted by the skilled hands of the 'Japanese wives club'. Tasted even better. Takako & Me-Me made the decorations for the party. All in all, a gorgeous day, great food & another fun time had by all.

Fresh food & a BBQ

さて、近所の奥さんが家の庭でとれたネギを持ってきてくれました。自宅で野菜育てたりしているのって素敵ですわ。無農薬だし、とれたての野菜って美味しいですものね。数時間程、奥さんとおしゃべりを楽しみましたわ、ありがとうでした。
夕方からはジョシュと一緒に近所のお家に遊びに行ってきました。今年初のバーベキューです。美味しかったなぁ、お肉大きいし、天気もいいし、気持ち良かった。風が強いのがちょっと残念だったけどね。デービスと黒も、広いお庭で楽しんでいる様子。そこのお家で飼っている犬とも仲良くなれてとても楽しい時間を過ごせました。ありがとうでした。で、奥さんお手製のアップルパイを頂きました。これがまた美味しいんですわ。美味しいんですよ、はい。でも、写真撮るの忘れましたわ。ごちそうさまでしたとありがとうさんでした。

This afternoon, Takako visited with Yo-san at our house for a couple of hours. Yo-san brought some homegrown green onions. Takako says that they are better than store bought since they are 'organic' & FRESH! Once Josh arrived home from work, the four of them (Day-bis & Kuro included) headed off to their first BBQ of the year at another friend's home. It was great weather for the BBQ except it could've been less windy (blowing about 20-25 mph). Day-bis & Kuro also had a great time running up & down the hill in their backyard and chewing on their Australian Shepherd's rawhide bones. The three dogs got along very well for their first meeting. After dinner, we had fresh, baked apple pie and vanilla ice cream. Delicious. Takako says sorry though, since she didn't get a picture of the apple pie to show off.

Cookies & Cheese cake

４月なのに、雪が降ってますわ。相変わらず温度差が激しいネブラスカ州ですわ。さて、この間の月曜日に近所の奥さんが、シュークリームとクッキー持ってきてくれたんですよ。シュークリームもクッキーも凄く美味しくてね。次の日、お店で売っているか探してみたら、売ってなかったのよ。実は、シュークリームもクッキーも手作りだったわ。で、今日、また作ってきてくれてたんだわ。嬉しいよね。今日はチーズケーキも一緒に。関心しちゃうわ、お菓子作りできる人って。
今日は旦那さんも一緒に来てくれて、ジョシュもお話ができて楽しかったみたいです。どうもありがとうとごちそうさまでした。
そうそう、クッキー頂いたのはいいんだけど、ジョシュに隠されました。私が、一気に食べちゃうからだってさ。

April has been here for almost two weeks and we just received a dusting of snow yesterday & today. We are ready for spring already. This past Monday, opne of Takako's friends brought some cream puffs & cookies. On Tuesday, we journeyed to the commissary to find those same cookies although we couldn't find them. Takako was shocked when she learned that 'MeMe' had made the desserts. Today, 'MeMe' & 'Haydon-kun' brought some cookies & cheesecake to chat over. Takako may try and finish the cookies off too quickly so Josh needed to hide them. One per day--max.

Japanese School & Saturday afternoon

毎週土曜日の午前中だけ、日本語学校でアシスタントとして働く事にしました。今日は、その初日。私が担当するのは小学１年生のクラスで、生徒は１１名。でも１１名でも大変、生徒全員に目を配ってなきゃいけないんだもの。普通の小学校とか１クラス３０名とかだものね、先生、大変だと思ったわ。来週からはジョシュも日本語学校でボランティアとしてお手伝いする事になりましたわ。ジョシュも一緒に働くって事は、私、学校まで運転しなくていいから楽。今日、学校まで運転したんだけど、着いた途端、足、ガクガクでしたわ。運転は疲れますわ。学校が終わった後は、近くのパン屋でランチ。ここのパン屋さん、美味しいんだよね。帰宅後は網戸と窓を綺麗にしましたわ。クロはみずびたしになりながら手伝ってくれました。夕方になっても暖かかったからまた近くのドッグランに行ってきました。
夕飯は、先日、母からうなぎが届いたので、それを食べました、ジョシュがね。私は一ヶ月ぶりの納豆を。ジョシュ、うなぎ好きなんだよね。私はうなぎ嫌いだけど。。。

Every Saturday morning (9 AM-12 noon), starting from today, Takako will be teaching Japanese at the Omaha Japanese School as an assistant. Josh will also be volunteering during that time since Takako is still a little nervous about driving by herself. Her class has 11 students, about first-grade level in JSL (Japanese as a Second Language). She has been thinking back to her days in elementary school where she had about 30 students in her class. She now feels remorse for her teachers back then, it must've been hard. After Josh picked her up from class, they ate a quick lunch at Panera Bread and headed home. Upon arriving home, they cleaned their home windows & screens with Kuro & Day-bis and washed the Toyota Highlander. It was such great weather, they then headed for the dog park for some additional exercise. We just finished eating dinner, Josh ate unagi (eel) from Hideko while Takako had nato with rice. We also had ramen salad & miso soup. Now it is time to relax.

Pizza with Friends!

今日はとても暖かくて気持ちがいいですわ。さて、数人の奥さん方と一緒に、ピザを食べに行ってきました。お店とかじゃなくて、一人の奥さんがピザを焼いてくれてそれを食べに。美味しかったですわ。クリスピーのピザとふわふわのパンのピザ。一人の奥さんと張り切って朝の１０時半からお邪魔して帰ってきたのは夕方、かなり長居してしまいましたが、楽しい時間を過ごせましたわ。ごちそうさまでした。本当はジョシュも一緒に行きたかったみたいだけど、仕事だったから行けず残念。でもちゃんとピザお持ち帰りしたので、それで勘弁です。
それにしても犬、大きかったなぁ。

Today while Josh was at work, Takako visited with some Japanese friends at Yukiko & Dan's. They live just south of Bellevue. They had a great time chatting & sharing lunch dishes. The main dish was homemade pizza, made by Yukiko & Dan. They made two types of pizza, dutch oven pan and a thin crust. All others brought smaller sides such as salads & various desserts. Takako loved everything! (She brought some leftovers back for Josh.) Takako stated that they also have a dog, a big one at that. Takako was shocked by the size since Day-bis & Kuro are VERY small when you compare them. It was an enjoyable day for all.

Fallen leaves picking up (Pre-spring cleaning)

日本は桜が開花しているみたいですね、桜見たいですわ。ここネブラスカは桜の木が植えられてないハズ。アメリカはワシントン州とニューヨーク州に桜の木が植えられているみたい。うちの周りには桜でない木が数本植えられているんだけどまだ寂しい状態。最近は落ち葉拾いをしてますわ。落ち葉拾いって秋頃にするんだけど、私達が引っ越してきたのは冬、既に雪が地面を覆いかぶさっていて雪が溶けた今、庭には落ち葉だらけですわ。で、先日、落ち葉拾いをしたわけ、これがまた大変なのよ。小さい頃、学校で落ち葉を集めて焼き芋をしたけど、こんなに落ち葉拾いって大変だったけ？って思ってしまいましたわ。でもね、落ち葉拾いが終わったら、そろそろ芝刈りをしなきゃいけない季節だわ。庭があるって大変なのね。。桜の写真は、うちの母親が東京で写したものだわ。綺麗だわよね。

We have recently been hearing from Hideko, how beautiful Tokyo is during spring-time this year. Many of the cherry blossom trees are bursting of pink. She has sent us some pictures of the sakura from her cell phone. We have learned the states of Washington & New York also have cherry blossom trees. Here in Nebraska, the weather is getting warmer, the snow has gone and we have some spring cleaning to do outside. Due to our PCS during the winter, our yard has been covered in snow, atop the leaves. We have been getting our yard ready for spring with the raking of the leaves and in no time at all, we will be mowing the lawn. First we must purchase a lawn mower. Takako has been thinking of having a small garden or some planters around the house, but she believes that basic upkeep (shoveling snow, raking leaves, mowing grass, etc.) is hard enough. Oh well, we will see.

TV Japan, Offutt Idol & St. Patrick's Day

ベースでオフィットアイドルという歌のコンテストがあったので見に行ってきました。アメリカのテレビで放送されているアメリカンアイドルのオフィット版っていうのかな。既に予選を勝ち残ってきた１０名なんだけど、数人は本当に歌がうまかった。数人はあれ？って思ったけどね。
それはさておき、日本語のテレビってやはり恋しくなってしまいますわ、パソコンでも日本のドラマが見れるんだけど、私達のパソコン（MAC）はそのソフトに対応してなくて、で、サテライトのアンテナを頼みましたわ。基本はNHKの番組だけなんだけど、でも、日本語でニュースを聞けたり日本の様子がみれるから嬉しいですわ。
月曜日はセントパトリックスデイですわ。アイルランドの祝祭日なんだけど、ジョシュの祖先はアイルランドなんですわ。日本でも毎年、 表参道で緑の色の服を着た人達パレードしてますわ。

Friday, during the day, we had Dish Network installed for one (1) channel. TV Japan. Takako feels like we are still in Japan since she can now watch Japanese NHK news live on TV. It also has select programs from various sources in and around Japan. Later that night, Takako & I went to the 'Offutt Idol' competition at the club on base. It was the 1st competition of its kind here in Nebraska. Loosely based on American Idol, there were a total of 10 finalists (7 women & 3 guys). Some of the contestants were very good but some, we were wondering how they got to the finals. It was entertaining nonetheless. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. There was a parade in downtown Omaha yesterday. Takako remembers an area of Tokyo, Omotesando to be more specific, having a St. Patrick's Day parade. Josh's last name, Daugherty is an Irish last name. Have a pint of Guinness! Just thinking about it, last year we were partying with Mika in Shinjuku for St. Paddy's Day.

Daylight Savings Time (サマータイム)

アメリカでは、昼間の長い春から秋までの約半年間、仕事後の余暇の促進や照明用エネルギーの節約などを目的として、サマータイムが実施され、時計の針が１時間進むのよ。でもアメリカでは通常、”サマータイム”ではなく、”デイライトセービングタイム”と呼ばれるらしい。でも日本もその昔、サマータイムを実施していたらしいわ。今から５０年も前になるらしいけど。でも日本でサマータイムを実施しても残業時間が短くなるわけではなさそうだから、意味ないわね。
今日は天気がよくて２０度でしたわ。またドックランに行ってきました。相変わらず、クロは他の犬に吠えてました。

This past Saturday night (actually Sunday morning @ 2 am) we set our clocks forward one hour to adjust for Daylight Savings Time (DST). It is the first time in 4 years that I've set my clock forward. Takako has never had to set her clock ahead. In Japan, they call it "summer-time" however they haven't observed it since 1951. It was observed between May and September every year from 1948 to 1951 under an initiative of the U.S.-led occupation army. Today was such a great day, 68°. When Josh arrived home from work, they brought Day-bis & Kuro to the park once again! Day-bis is very comfortable around other dogs but Kuro still tries to act tough and scare the other dogs by barking. It is amazing how different the two are. They even loved the slide!

Happy 1st Birthday, Kuro!

ジョシュの同僚もパグを飼っているという事なので、土曜日は近くのドックランに行ってきました。とてもいい天気で暑かった。デービスは他の犬にも慣れ始めて楽しんでいる様子、クロは相変わらず、吠えまくりでした。
日曜日は、奥様方と家族でボーリングをしに行ってきました。久々のボーリング、楽しかったですわ。ジョシュも楽しんでいる様子でした。私は、途中からビールを飲みながらボーリングを、お酒は美味しいですわ。その後は、皆でご飯を食べに。お腹一杯だわ、量が多いのよね、でも食べちゃう私。
今週はクロの１歳のお誕生日という事でパーティハットをかぶって記念撮影。このパーティハットはジョシュの作成なんだよね。上手よね。お誕生日おめでとう、クロ！

This past Saturday, Day-bis & Kuro met another Pug, Duke. He is the family friend of one of Josh's co-workers. We met at the dog-park near our home. The weather was so perfect (about 62°F), that they ending up meeting many other dogs at the park. This time, Day-bis was able to relax and have a good time mingling with the other dogs as Kuro was sporadically barking, trying to 'protect' his big brother. We just returned from bowling on base. We had a great time mixing with Takako's Nebraska Japanese friends and families. After about 2 hours of bowling, we left for Famous Dave's BBQ for dinner and more chatting. We just returned home, celebrated Kuro's 1 year birthday (a couple of days early) and took some pictures. Takako wants to make sure that everyone knows that Josh made the birthday party hats. (Kuro finished his peanut-butter bone in about 2 minutes.) Happy 1st Birthday Kuro!

Going-away Party + Dog Park

気がつけば２月も終わりですわ、早いですわ。さて、送別会に行ってきました。先日、知り合った奥様の一人が来週テキサスに旅立つと言う事で。折角知り合えたのに、残念ですわ。パーティの開始は７時過ぎだったので、今回は１０時頃には解散かなぁと思いきや、気がつけばまた２時過ぎてました。時間がたつのが早いですわ。それにしても奥様方の料理、美味しいのよね。料理は皆で、持参なんだけど、私はというと、鍋の材料、キャベツと大根、冷や飯と生卵、全く手を加えてない物を持って行きましたわ。
でもってここ最近、暖かくなってきたので、日曜日は犬を連れて近くのドックランに行ってきましたわ。
ちなみに集合写真を撮るのを忘れましたわ。壁に貼ったデコレーションは何故かヤンキー仕様になってますが。。。

Surprising how fast this year is going. It is already the end of February and Takako attended a 'going-away' party for one of the military wives. She feels a short sadness due to only knowing the individual for a short time. The party started at about 7 PM and they didn't realize until after midnight that it had gotten so late. Takako was shocked that everyone is great at cooking. She felt like she didn't put much effort into the preparation since she only brought cabbage, daikon radish & rice for Nabe. Today, with the beautiful weather (40°F), we brought Day-bis & Kuro to a dog park near our home. Just a way to get them out beyond their normal patrolling of the neighborhood. Tonight, we are planning on heading up to Omaha for a possible pick-up game of volleyball.

Birthday Party

もうすぐバレンタインですわ。さて、還暦パーティとお誕生日パーティに行ってきました。一品料理持参ということで、ミートボールを持って行きました。皆さんにお会いするのは今日が初めて、かなり緊張しましたわ。でも楽しかった。手作りケーキも美味しかったし他の料理も美味しかった。その後は奥さん達だけで二次会、といってもどこかのお店に行くとかじゃなくて、お家で二次会。久々に飲んでしまいました。気がついたら朝の３時でしたわ。でも楽しかったですわ。

Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Last night we attended a 'meeting/birthday' on base at the Community Center. Takako found out about it from a Mixi friend's invitation. It was a meeting for us since there were about 50 people there, Japanese spouses with American husbands including kids that we hadn't met yet. We were asked to bring a hot-dish so we decided on BBQ meatballs. Three of the attendees celebrated their birthday's. We ended the night with birthday cake and headed for home. Takako was invited to go to one of the organizer's homes for some Japanese wives discussion. She stayed for a couple of hours and then called Josh for the pick up. It was a good night for all.

Snow, Pugs & The Super Bowl

先日、母から荷物が届きました。お菓子とか雑誌とか段ボール３箱も。私は嬉しさのあまり一気にポテトチップス一袋を食べたら、気持ち悪くなってしまったわ。何事も急は駄目ね。沢山ありがとう、母親よ。
土曜日は天気が良かったのでデービスとクロを連れて近くのペットショップ屋へ。デービス、おもちゃ欲しそうに見てたけど、うちには沢山おもちゃがあるので、お菓子だけ購入して家路に。
そーいえば東京もまた雪が降ったみたいだけど、日曜日は久々にこっちも朝から雪。
で、今日は「スーパーボウル」の日なの。アメリカンフットボールの最高の試合らしく年に一回、優勝決定戦。チケットも一般発売されないらしい。だからニュースである人が「家を一年ただで貸すのでチケット譲ってください」って言ってた。それぐらい凄い試合らしい。

Friday and Saturday we received some packages from Kabu-chan. She sent us many Japanese items to include: potato chips/snacks, baking stuff & magazines/books in three boxes. Takako ate too many chips & snacks, too quickly and later complained of a stomachache. Yesterday, since it was a good day for this time of year, we brought Day-bis & Kuro to Pet Smart. They really enjoyed the toys, various smells and the occasional other puppy/dog perusing the aisles. It was their first time in the Highlander without their kennels. We have been told that it has snowed about 2-3" in Tokyo this past week. The snow in Omaha had been melting but today we awoke to some flurries. The big news for the day is, Super Bowl Sunday. The New England Patriots and New York Giants will square off in the league championship tonight at 5pm. My hope is for the Giants to win since they are in the same NFC Conference as the Minnesota Vikings. I would also like for the New England Patriots to not 'complete' their perfect season. My opinion is that if the Pats win, many will say they are one of the greatest teams ever... but I would disagree. They can't hold a candle to Dallas of the 90's or 49ers of the 80's, Steelers of the 70's.

UPDATE: Giants Upset the Pat's 17-14.

Ice & Gyoza

最近ずっと寒かったけど、この間の月曜日は久々に１３度まで温度が上がり、久々に暖かかった。 そんなわけで家の周りにあった雪もだいぶ溶け、散歩に行くにも楽だった。でも翌日は吹雪、しかも一気に気温はマイナス１４度。そう、前日溶けた雪が凍りとなり、凍っているのに気がつかない私は 思いっきり、転んだ。太ももと手を強打。痛かった。そーいえば、日本で、中国産の餃子を食べて体調を崩したってニュースを見たけど、中国は怖いね。中国産のものって身の回りに多いよね。その分、安いけどさ。でも頼みますよ、中国さん。

With the recent warm weather that we had this past weekend, we knew that this is the Midwest and the temperature couldn’t stay that way. Yesterday, the temperature dropped about 50°F. Monday it was 56°F (13°C) and on Tuesday it was 6°F (-14°C). Almost all of the snow had melted this past weekend, then Tuesday the remaining water froze. Takako hadn’t realized that on Tuesday, with the blowing snow, ice was waiting for her. She slipped on a patch of ice near the mailboxes and went down. She wasn’t too badly injured although she hurt her wrist and bruised her thigh. Today she found out from a Japanese news source that Gyoza from China had unreasonably high amounts of Methamidophos (aka poisonous insecticide) in it. After some families ate the dumplings, they experienced many health problems to include blackouts. Many people now say the phrase "China-free", although it is difficult due to the cheap trade with them.

Miss America

ミス・アメリカ2008が決まりましたっても私には関係ないんだけど、でも優勝した人、私の好みの顔ではなかった。去年、ミス・日本の人も好みじゃなかったけどね。しかもミス・日本はミス・ユニバースにも輝いちゃうし、選考の基準がいまいちわからん。
週末は久々に暖かかったですわ。土曜日は買い物に行き、日曜日はドッグランにでも出かけようと思っていたんだけど、朝から私の体調がよくなくて、結局、家でゴロゴロして終了。焼き肉がとても食べたい今日この頃。牛角に行きたいわ。

Last night, Miss America 2008 was crowned. We feel that she wasn't very beautiful. Last year, Miss Japan Riyo Mori won Miss Universe. This weekend, the temperature got up into the 40's (about 5°C). Tomorrow it should get up to about 50°F (10°C). Today we were thinking of going to a dog-park so that Day-bis & Kuro could run around although Takako was feeling a little under the weather. Instead we just relaxed at home. We have been thinking a lot about yakiniku. At times like these, we wish we could just head out for Gyu-Kaku. Day-bis & Kuro, from the pictures above, continue to love breakfast & dinner times.

License & Antenna's

今日、ジョシュの仕事が早く終わったので、車の免許の試験を受けに行ってきましたわ。あまり筆記試験には自信がなかったけど、とりあえず受けてみようって事で。筆記試験と実技の試験、どっちも受かりましたわ。良かったわ。帰りに「クリスピークリーム」を食べました。東京の新宿と銀座にお店があるんだけど、いっつも長蛇の列。１、２時間待ちは当たり前なのよ。で、家の近くにお店を発見したので、食べたわ。美味しかったわ。
２週間前から、デービスの目の調子が悪くて、病院に連れて行き、目薬を処方してもらいました。どーも自分で引っかいてしまうらしく、右目が治ったと思ったら今度は左目の調子が悪くなってしまって、自分で引っかかないようにアンテナを購入。クロも顔を引っかいてしまうので、クロもアンテナ着用。早く治ってくれるといいな。

Today, Josh's 3-day weekend started a little early so we drove to the NE DMV. Takako wanted to take her drivers license test. She didn't think that she could pass it the first time due to the computerized test in English and had to drive with an instructor telling her what to do. Josh couldn't go along. Once they returned from the road test, the instructor stated that she was an excellent driver and only missed setting the parking brake (on the floor). We then ate some doughnuts at Krispy-Kreme and returned home. Another recent event has been with the little boys. They have taken turns, getting an eye infection that they need drops & atropine for. Kuro is better although Day-bis' left eye is irritated now. We believe they may further irritate it by scratching their neck/head getting close to their eyes. We ended up buying two 'antenna's' for them to wear during the daytime. Their eyes should heal in no time at all.

Zoo

動物園に行ってきました。久々に今日は寒かったぁ。外にいる動物はこの寒さだから、室内にいるらしくあまり大きな動物は見れなかったわ。残念。。。あまり見れなかったわりには、２時間も歩きましたわ、足が痛い。。。
そーいや、こっちの州の運転免許取得の為に、最近、運転の練習してますわ、筆記の勉強もだけど。まだ左ハンドルに慣れない、今日この頃。

Today we visited the Omaha Zoo. The temperature was about 20°F (-6°C) today. It has been a while since it has been this cold. Many of the animal exhibits were closed since there are many outdoors. We tried to visit the indoor animals as much as we could. After we returned home, Takako wanted to go out for a little driving practice. She still is a little nervous because everything is opposite of Japan, although she is getting better.

Omaha Pug Club

昨年、静岡で行われたパグの集会にも参加しましたが、オマハでもパグの集いを発見。って事で、集会に行ってきました。デービスはというといつものごとく他の犬恐怖症。人は大丈夫なのに、他の犬が近寄ってくるとビクとも動かず。クロはというと、他の犬をいかくしながら吠えまくり。自分が強いと思っているのかデービスを守っているのかよく分からないけど、デービスとクロは本当に真逆だわ。
ってか私の顔、また丸くなりつつある今日、この頃。。。

Last May we went to the All Japan Pug Meeting near Mt. Fuji. Today we went to our first Omaha Pug Club Meet-Up. Not nearly as many Pugs but fun nonetheless. There were about 20-25 Pugs at Luxe Pet Boutique in west Omaha. Day-bis was shy and would become stiff and his eyes would seem nervous if another Pug were to get near him. Kuro would bark at all of the other Pugs and give chase. We don't really know if he wants to stir up trouble or if he is just protecting his big brother. They are totally opposite personalities. That is why we love them.

Happy New Year 2008!

明けましておめでとうございます。全く実感がないまま2008年が始まりましたが。ってか正月って気がしませんわ。おせちも食べてないしお雑煮も、年越しそば、それに紅白も見てないからかしら、日本にいる時は当たり前の伝統をあまり大切にしてなかったけど、こうしていざ日本を離れて正月を迎えてみるとやはり日本の伝統が恋しい。まっいっか。さて去年の元旦に続いて今年も初日の出をみようって事で、見に行きました。でもね、すっごく寒くて風が痛い。デービスとクロは寒さで震えているし、太陽を見ないうちに、そそくさ家に帰りましたわ。一応、太陽の光は見えたのでそれでよしとしますわ。テテテ。今年も家族共々宜しくお願い致しますわ。今年一年が皆さんにとって元気で良い年でありますように。

Hello from 2008! Yesterday, New Year's Eve we missed the fireworks in Omaha since they went off at 7 pm. We thought they would at least wait until midnight. Our friends in Japan had already experienced the turn of the new year at 9 am our time in Omaha. They are 15 hours ahead. Josh made some potato chowder for dinner. Day-bis & Kuro also ate some potatoes last night for dinner. This morning was a very cold one (11°F or -12°C). The sun rose at about 7:50 am. When we went outside to shoot the family photo, Day-bis & Kuro got too cold, very quickly. To all of friends and family around the world, have a great New Year and we will be keeping in touch!

Christmas Day & Beyond

クリスマスはお姉ちゃん夫婦の家に遊びに行きましたわ。お姉ちゃん夫婦に今年４番目の女の子が産まれました。とにかく可愛い。３番目の子は２年前に会った時は、赤ちゃんだったのに、既に歩き、片言の英語をいい、子供の成長って早いものだわ。しかも、上２人の女の子は、当たり前だけど英語がペラペラ。んーーまたもや頑張らねばと思う日だったわ。デービスはというとジョシュのお父さんから離れない。いっつも膝の上に座っているのよ。かなりお父さんの事が気に入ったらしい。
クリスマスの翌日はミネソタにある全米第３位のモールでお買い物。毎回思うが、モールの中に歩く歩道を備えつけてほしいわ。歩くのが苦手な私にはかなり辛いわ。でもお買い物は楽しいわ。またお買い物に行きたいわ。

[continued] Christmas Day was spent at the Swenson's. Christmas 2005 was Soren's first Christmas while he was still a baby in a Santa Claus outfit. Now he is constantly running around, getting into 'trouble'. This year was Annika's first Christmas. The Swenson's are: Dean, Jen, Elizabeth, Heidi, Soren & Annika and of course the peaceful Maggie (golden retriever). Takako was surprised at the English-speaking level of Elizabeth & Heidi. She wants to become more fluent. Day-bis & Kuro accompanied us although Kuro tried to stand up to Maggie (barking), Day-bis was comfortable on Grandpa Wes's lap. The last couple of days we spent in Minnesota was primarily for shopping. We went to the Mall of America (the world's 20th largest mall), IKEA & Southdale (nation's oldest climate-controlled mall). We had a great time, wish we could've stayed longer, but we are close. It is only about 5-6 hours away!

Christmas 2007 in Minnesota

片道６時間かけてジョシュの実家のミネソタまで行ってきました。実家に行くのはこれで４回目ですわ。ってか片道６時間、休憩しながらだったけど車、乗っているの、辛かった。クリスマスイブはジョシュの両親と妹夫婦と過ごしました。最後は皆でボードゲームをしたんだけど楽しかったですわ。実は２年前のクリスマスイブもミネソタにいました。その時に、ジョシュにプロポーズをされたんだけど、全く予知してなかったから、かなりの勢いで驚いたわ。しかもおばあちゃんに、両親、お姉ちゃん夫婦に子供達、弟夫婦、妹夫婦がいる前で、まぁ、ロマンティックだったけど、、、次のロマンティックはいつかしらねぇ。。。。

Just last Saturday, we left Bellevue bound for Minnesota to celebrate Christmas 2007 with the family! It was a 6-hour drive that took us into Iowa and up to Minnesota. Not much to see so I will spare you the details. Upon arrival at my parents house, we introduced Day-bis & Kuro and unloaded our Highlander. The following morning we attended Hosanna and saw niece's Elizabeth & Heidi in their Christmas concert. Wonderful performance! This was the second Christmas in Minnesota that Takako & I have celebrated. The first was back in 2005, the perfect setting for the 'proposal'. The only difference was that Grandma Mabel was not here to enjoy the time together. Also, this year Jared & Mary travelled down to Florida to celebrate with Mary's family, so we only saw them the first two days then dropped them off at the airport in on Christmas Eve morning. Jen, Dean & E, H, S, A were going to celebrate Christmas Eve with the Swenson's. It was a nice quiet evening at home for eating Potato Chowder with Mom, Dad, Chris, Jill, Takako & of course the two little boys. After opening presents, we played the board game. Then it was on to Christmas Day... [to be continued]

Real-life drama + couple of nights before Christmas

アメリカにきて、あるドラマにハマりました。でもね、すぐファイナルをむかえちゃったんだけど。かなりリアリティのあるドラマでさ、どこまでが本当でどこまでが、、、ってかなり気になるドラマ「The Hills」ですが、次シーズンも見なくては。昔からアメリカのドラマが好きで、高校生の頃はフルハウスをみてましたわ。その後、「Charmed」に「Malcolm in the Middle」「Friends」と。今もこっちで放送されているので見てますが、私の英語力では、全部の理解には苦しむわ。頑張らねば、英語。
寒い日が続いているので、デービスとクロをお風呂に入れました。初めてのお風呂。今まではシャワーだけだったんだけど、毎日、雪の上を歩くので肉球もガサガサ。暖めないとね。クロはゴクゴク、お湯を飲んでましたわ。デービスは相変わらず、慎重でビクとも動かず。
今週末からジョシュの実家のミネソタに帰りますわ。

Since we have been here in Nebraska, Takako has been slowly getting immersed in 'American' TV shows. Actually more real-life dramas on MTV such as The Hills. She couldn't tell if it was scripted or real-life. When she was in high school, she watched Full House. She then went onto other shows such as Charmed, Malcolm in the Middle and Friends. She couldn't understand a lot of the English but those shows were easy to understand at her level of comprehension.
The past couple of days have been cold weather in Bellevue. Day-bis and Kuro's paws are quite dry. Tonight they received their first bath in the states! Kuro wasn't scared of drinking the bath water but Day-bis just stood still, probably thinking to himself, "what should I do?" This coming weekend the four of us will pile into the Highlander, trek up to Minnesota to celebrate Christmas with the family!

Fun in Nebraska

変圧器が臭いですわって事で先日購入した変圧器をつないで掃除をしていたら、ヘンテコな臭いがしてきたと思ったら掃除機が動かなくなってしまったわ。ガビーン。で、色々調べたら、電化製品を使用する際は２、３倍のワット数の変圧器が必要って事らしいの。聞いてないわ。私。って事は、３０００ワットの変圧器が必要なのよ。そんなの売ってるのか？って感じだけど、現在、問い合わせ中。だから炊飯器もポットも掃除機も使えず。冷蔵庫だけは省エネだから全くワット数を使ってないの。だから今つないでいる変圧器で大丈夫。炊飯器はなくても普通に鍋でご飯を炊けるから大丈夫。問題は掃除機なのよね。で、悩んだあげく掃除機は今必要って事で買う事に決めたわ。今まで使っていたのはダイソンなんだけど、かなりいい具合の掃除機。で、今回もダイソンを購入。言葉もそうだけど、電圧とかも世界共通にして欲しいものだわ。

Moving from Japan to the US comes with some small problems. We have many appliances that require 100V input. We didn't want to just plug them into the American outlets (120V) because the appliances would overheat in a while. Once we became connected to the net, we surfed for step-down transformers (120V->100V) so that we can go on with our appliances as we have been. We purchased two transformers although while Takako was vacuuming, she popped the fuse and possibly a lot more on our 200 Watt transformer. We need a LOT more wattage for our Japanese Dyson vacuum. Right now, we are awaiting a price quote for a 3000 Watt step-down transformer so that we can swap it out with some smaller appliances. Other than fun with power, we did end up purchasing a new Dyson vacuum. So far we love it.

We have also been having fun with Day-bis & Kuro while getting them used to the snow. Kuro loves the taste.

Our home in NE

気がつけば１２月も半ばですが、私達は元気ハツラツでーす、ブヒ。さて、オマハにきてすぐ家が見つかりました。ベースが管理している家なんだけど丁度、空いていてね。ラッキー。入居作業も無事完了しましたわ。こっちにきてから、欲しかったフカフカのソファとダイニングテーブル、洗濯機と乾燥機を買いました。冷蔵庫だけは備え付けがあったんだけどさ。せっかく日本から冷蔵庫を持ってきたから、台所へ設置したわ。が！寸法が合わない。まぁ、気にせず、無理矢理台所に入れたけどさ。でもね、変圧器を持参するのを忘れたの。そう電圧が違うじゃぁん、アメリカと日本じゃ。おかげで、入居したのはいいけど、日本から持ってきた電化製品使えず、ガビーン。結局、インターネットで購入。一安心だわ。
車も購入しました。日本にいるうちからジョシュがこっちのディラーさんと話していて、オマハに着いた時には既に車もあり。新車で、ハイブリットだわ。私は車の事は、よく分からないから全てジョシュにお任せコースだったけど、乗り心地はとてもいいわ。果たして私、この大きな車を運転できるのかが不明だけど。
家の写真何枚かのせておきますわ。３ベットルームがあるんだけど、まだ荷物が散らばっているので、ベットルームの写真は次回という事で。

Here we are, in the middle of December. We (Day-bis & Kuro included) are doing great in Omaha. We found a house very quickly through the 'on-base' housing office. We moved in last Friday, have unpacked the larger items, although we are still unpacking smaller boxes. This past weekend we purchased a sofa, chair & ottoman, washer & dryer and a dining room table + 4 chairs. There was a refrigerator already in the remodeled home but since we brought ours from Japan, we swapped it out. It doesn't quite fit in the space allowed but we prefer ours. Also, since some of our kitchen appliances are Japanese, they need 100V input but since we have 120V here, we needed to purchase a couple of step-down transformers online. Prior to moving into the home, we purchased our 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Josh had already reserved the vehicle via email with the Toyota dealership (it's a little dirty in the pic). We both feel the vehicle is very comfortable and large enough for our needs. Takako feels that it might be too large for her to learn to drive. We have snapped some pics of our home but more pics to follow due to the organization of the the three bedrooms.

December 1st -- Our longest day of this year

実感のないまま出発の日がきてしまいました。 お昼には横田ベース着き、皆でご飯を食べたりお話したり。時間は過ぎ、涙涙の別れをしていざ、チェックイン。がっ、なんと私、出国手続きをしてなかった。実は横田はアメリカ領土 だから日本の出国手続きをしなきゃいけなくて、急いでオフベースに行って出国手付きをしてまたチェックイン。感動の別れから一転、「どんだけー」の 別れになってしまいました。
まずは横田からシアトルまで 。なんと飛行時間８時間。早かった。で、シアトルでは６時間位時間があったからジョシュの友人 に会い、その後、シアトルからデンバーに向かいました。でもシアトル出発頃から天候が悪くて、デンバーに着く頃には、更に悪化。 デンバーに着いた時には次の飛行機が３時間の遅延。まぁ、無事にデンバーからオマハまで飛行機が飛んだけど、結局夜中にオマハに到着。
殆ど寝てないまま送りにきてくれた、サチ、タク、カナコママ、カーリ、サム、 ありがとうね。また、朝から車を出してくれたシューキちゃん夫妻ありがとう。お母さんもありがとう、赤飯、美味しかったわ。

What a trip. Our day started out by Josh picking up Day-bis & Kuro at [Purely] pet hotel. We picked up Kabu-chan at the Fussa train station to head on base. Takako was awaiting her friends that wanted to wish us the last ‘see-you-later’. Everyone met at the Yokota Passenger Terminal at about 2 pm. We checked in, chatted a little more with friends just prior to heading to the gate. Some tears started. Once we approached the gate and Takako showed her passport, we stated about finalizing her Immigration Visa (IV), the Passenger Service agents told us we needed a ‘Japan departure’ stamp. We needed to head about 5 minutes off base, received the stamp and then another ‘see-you-later’. At about 4:45 pm we left from Yokota bound for Seattle. The flight was about eight hours to Seattle where we finalized the IV, received our baggage including the little boys to take out for a walk and to relieve themselves. The time was about 9-10 am. We then met Andy at Sea-Tac. We wish it could’ve been longer but before we knew it, the layover was complete and we needed to head for the gate en-route to Denver. Once arrived in Denver, we noticed that our flight had been delayed for about three hours. We didn’t leave Denver until about 10 pm, still on the 1st of December. Finally arrived in Omaha at a little after midnight. That was a long day. We thank everyone that helped us get here. Shuki/Nick - thanks for driving. Thank you very much also to: Kabu-chan, Sachi, Taku, Kanako-mama, Sam, Karisuma. We hope to see you again, in the near future!

Last party, party

１２月１日に出発ですが、前日の３０日は、私の送別会でした。渋谷のお店で飲んだ後、更に、渋谷で二次会。その後は、六本木に向かい、クラブへ。でも飲み会の前あたりから左足がズキズキ痛くて、全く踊れず、足をのばしたいからカラオケに行きましたわ。最後はやはりラーメンを食べて、解散。平日の昼間にランチしたり、夕方飲みに行ったり、週末も遊びに行ったり、皆さん、お時間、割いてくれて本当にありがとうございました。ゴッツ楽しかったですわ。あっ、写真にタクエモンの額には「肉」、ヒネリの額には「魚」、私はアメリカに行くから「米」っていう文字をミカチンに書いてもらいましたわ。

November 30th, Takako's final going away party with the 'crew' since she will leave with Josh, Day-bis & Kuro on 1 December for the states. The party started off with drinking in Shibuya and then a second party also in Shibuya. Once those two parties concluded, the headed for Roppongi. Takako's feet hurt so she didn't care to dance so the crew went to karaoke so that Takako can kick her feet up to rest. As with many of the other parties, this one also ended up at a ramen shop and then get ready to head for Yokota. Takako wishes to thank everyone that made her last couple of weeks so enjoyable. By the way, the symbols on the foreheads are Takako = America, Taku = Meat and Hineri = Fish. Mika's wonderful artwork.

牛角 (Gyu-Kaku with friends)

ジョシュとトムとエリックは牛角に焼き肉を食べに行きました。２６００円で食べ放題。ジョシュは牛角が大好きなんだよね。お肉もおいしいしね。特にミソカルビが大好きで、いつも頼みます。今日も、ミソカルビ、ハラミ、豚、後は、ご飯と、野菜などなど。私は、ジョシュ達と一緒には行けなかったんだけど、無事にオーダできたみたいです。実は私も品川の牛角に行ってました。食べ過ぎて苦しいですわ。
当分、牛角ともおさらばですわ。寂しいねぇ。。

Tonight, Josh, Tom & Eric ate at Gyu-Kaku. They had the ¥2600 course with the 'good meat'. They had miso-kalbi, harami, pork and a couple more various types of meat. They balanced all of it with rice, cabbage with sesame oil, hashed-browns and garlic bulbs. Very delicious. It seemed a little bit difficult at first since it was the first time ordering without the help of Takako. They finished with vanilla ice cream & hot tea.

Mexican restaurant

メキシコ料理を食べに行ってきました。とにかくお腹空いていて沢山食べましたわ。その後は、また六本木に。で、朝はラーメンを食べて、解散。さて、出発までカウントダウンに入りました、が、全く実感がありませんわ。

Takako was joined by Sachi, Taku, Kanako-mama and Sam as they ate at a Mexican restaurant here in Tokyo. Josh was still feeling a little under the weather so he didn't join in the fun. They had a LOT of food and continued once again to Roppongi to dance the night away. They had Ramen in the morning, also once again. We will be leaving Japan very soon. We have begun the countdown! (Takako still doesn't feel that we will really leave.)

The partying continues... Banana (バナナ)-style

ここ最近、飲み会が続いてますが、今日はミユキ、リョウ、ケイコ夫妻に会いました。
最後に会ったのは、ケイコの結婚式以来だったので、半年ぶりかな。アジア料理屋さんだったけど量が多かったわ。最後にデザートが出たんだけど、一瞬「鳥にチョコレートソース？アジアのデザートなん？」って思ってしまいました。でも食べたら、凍らしたバナナにチョコレートソースがかかっていておいしかったですわ。プレゼントを頂きました。万歩計とお花。最近の万歩計は凄いですわ、ブザー付き。安心して歩けますわ、ありがとう。そーいえば、リョウは「フグの調理師免許」を持っていると今日、初めて聞きましたわ。
次はヤスがいるサンディエゴで会いましょう。

Takako met Miyuki & Ryo, Keiko & her husband. The last time she saw them was at the 'Four Season's wedding' back in April. They went to an Asian restaurant. The last meal that the restaurant brought was a dessert but Takako thought it looked like chocolate-covered chicken but in actuality it was frozen bananas with chocolate. (I wish I could have been there.) She said that it was delicious. They gave her some presents. A flower and a pedometer. Recent addition to the pedometer is a personal. She also just found out that Ryo has a blowfish fishing license. Since it is a poisonous fish, you need a license to catch it. She would love to meet up with them again and meet with Yasu in San Diego. Overall, she had great time. She says, "Thank you!"

清澄庭園 (Kiyosumi-Teien)

今日も天気がいいですわ。清澄庭園に行ってきました。庭は綺麗だし、癒されますわ。そーえば東京には「9庭園」があるみたいです。できれば全部回りたいけど。。。。んーー。その後はまた「もんじゃ」を食べに行ってきました。

Today was another great weather day. We visited, Kiyosumi-Teien. It is one of 9 of Tokyo's 'Historical' parks. The other one that we have visited was, Kyu furu kawa tei. It was very scenic for being in the middle of the city. After that, Takako felt like eating Monja again so we went to Tsukishima once again. Delicious.

新宿 going away

今日は、ジョシュの送別会でした。お店は焼き鳥屋さんで、コース料理だったんだけど、値段の割には料理が多かったですわ。穴場の店でした。皆さんから色々プレゼントを頂きました。本当にありがとうございました。プレゼントを頂いた時点で、涙腺がやばくて、泣きそうになりましたわ。最後はジョシュの挨拶で締めくくりだったんだけど、それを聞いていたら、一気に涙が。。。やはり泣いてしまいました。やや男泣きでしたが。。。
ジョシュが「バーベキューしたり、飲み会したり、色々ありがとうございました。皆さんは家族みたいな存在です、もしアメリカにくる事があれば、僕の家族も紹介する」って言ってました。
楽しい時間を本当にありがとうございました。

Tonight, we just got done with Josh's going away party in Shinjuku. We went to a place that had yakitori (chicken skewers) and nabe (Japanese stew). It was a very low price for the amount of food that we had. Everyone was shocked. Thank you everyone for the thoughtful gifts, and the wonderful time spent together. You are like family. We will keep in touch and we will see you again in the near future. If you happen to visit us in the states, we will enjoy a BBQ together and I will introduce you to my family. Just think, ONE BIG EXTENDED FAMILY. Love from Takako & I and we had a great time. Thank you very much. See you soon!

月島 Monja

月島に「もんじゃ」を食べに行ってきました。いつもは私が焼く係りなんだけど、今回はタクエモンがいたから、全部タクエモンが焼いてくれましたわ。楽チンだわ。もんじゃにお好み焼き、焼きそば、で、しめくくりは「あんこイチゴ巻き」実はこの一品は凄くおいしいのよ。
もんじゃを食べた後は、サチと二人で六本木に。昨日も沢山の人だったわ。

Last night we went to Tsukishima and ate monja. We always go to the same shop named Oshio. This time we double dated with Sachi & Takuemon. Taku prepared the meals this time. He did a great job, Takako said. Normally Takako prepares the food but she took a break this time. We also shared okonomiyaki and finally anko-ichigomaki. It is a dessert made with anko, strawberries and vanilla ice cream wrapped up in a crepe. After that, Takako & Sachi went to Roppongi to hang out as Josh & Taku returned home.

品川 Lunch

久々に品川にランチに行ってきました。ジョシュにとって品川でランチするのは今日が最後かな。楽しい時間を過ごせました、ありがとうです。
品川でランチした後、「ボーン・アルティメイタム」を見に行ってきました。続編の映画とかってさ、前回のどんな感じで終わったのかとか忘れちゃうわ。それが１年前とかになるとさ。でもね見ていくうちになんとなく話を思い出してきたけど、今回はカメラ割が凄かった、早すぎて途中分からなかったわ。
そーいや今回、見にきていた人、おじいちゃんが多かったわ。マット・ディモンのファン層は幅が広いわ。

Monday, we went to Shinagawa for lunch with some of Takako ex-coworkers. It was the last lunch that Josh will eat in Shinagawa. We had a great time. After lunch, we went to see the movie 'The Bourne Ultimatum'. Takako forgot the story because she had watched both the previous in the series a couple of years ago. The third was very good and it kept you on the edge of your seat. She stated that it was the first time she had seen so many older men (60+) to watch a movie. They must've been fans of Matt Damon. One more thing, Takako thinks that our friend Dan Davis looks like Matt Damon. You be the judge of the pic comparisons.

新宿 Lunch

剣士労夫妻とランチしました。剣士労とはかれこれ１０年以上の付き合いになりますわ。前は一緒にスノボードに行ったりバーベキューをしたりしましたわ。
実は私より年上なんだけど、何故か弟みたいな存在。剣士労っていう名前もあだ名で、私がつけたんだけど何でこのあだ名をつけたのか、またもや不明。
剣士労とジョシュはゲーム話や車の話で盛り上がってました。実は剣士労も黄色が好きで、ステップワゴンを黄色に、ここにもいたわ、ヒヨコカーが。沢山、お話して楽しかったわ。
最後に、日本のお土産という事で、名前入りのお箸を頂きました。ありがとう。またご飯食べに行きましょう。
剣士労夫妻と別れた後、新宿御苑に散策に行きました。

On Sunday, we met 'Ken-shiro' and his wife Na-chan for lunch in Shinjuku. Takako met him about 10 years ago and they used to go snowboarding and to BBQ's together. He is older than Takako however, she feels that he is just another younger brother. She doesn't know why she gave him that nickname. The guys were busy talking about cars and video games. They both like the color yellow. Josh's Skyline was and Ken-shiro's Stepwgn has been repainted yellow. Takako says that they must love baby chickens. We had a GREAT time chatting, thank you very much for the personalized chopsticks. See you soon!

Once finished with lunch, Takako & I continued to Shinjuku-Gyoen and snapped a few more pics.

Party, Party!

久々に地元の友達に会いました。久々だったのと話が盛り上がり沢山飲んでしまいました。いい気分のまま六本木に向かい、サチとかと合流して朝まで、何故か膝が痛くて、あまり踊れなかったわ。
ジョシュは、英語の生徒さん達が送別会を開いてくれてそれに行ってました。ジョシュはこの３年半、週一回のペースで、英語を教えてました。皆、年配の方なんだけど、英語ペラペラ、羨ましいわ。

This past Saturday night Josh had his farewell party given by the English class he taught for about 3 1/2 years in Fussa. They ate at an Izakaya and later went to Karaoke. He was given many great going-away gifts from the class. He has about a week left of work and then ROD. Takako partied in Roppongi with some of her 'small' friends until the early morning hours. It was a great time to party, party (as Takako says).

Kyoto (part 3)

２日目はトロッコ電車に乗りました。帰りは保津川下り。１６キロの渓流を船に乗って２時間かけて嵐山まで下ったわ。嵐山では天龍寺を散策。庭が綺麗だね。「ザ・日本」って感じだわ。夕方には京都駅に着いて２３時までには自宅に帰ったわ。そう、この期間、デービスと黒はペットホテルに泊まりました。前回、１泊練習したペットホテルという事でだいぶ慣れたみたいだわ。デービスは前回お泊まりした時は血尿がでたんだけど、今回は大丈夫だったわ。

The second day of our Kyoto trip was spent taking the Sagano Tram (romantic train) to Kameoka. We boarded a small boat for about 16 km (2 hours) on Kyoto's scenic Hozugawa river near Arashiyama. We then walked to Tenryuji, a beautiful landscape garden and temple in Arashiyama. After the garden tour, we took some pictures near the Togetsukyo Bridge and then it was time to return to Kyoto station to hop the Shinkansen on our journey back to Tokyo. One more thing I forgot to mention about the Shinkansen. If you haven't ridden on one, the closest sensation is being on an airplane, zipping down the runway but never taking off. It was a wonderful trip. We arrived home about 10:30pm and went to bed. We needed to pick up Day-bis & Kuro the next morning at the pet hotel. We were told that they did a great job as their second time!

Kyoto (part 2)

一日目の夜は洋介に会いました。洋介とはオーストラリアで知り合ったんだけど、一緒にスキューバしたり、飲んだり、とても楽しい時間を過ごしましたわ。私は数ヶ月で日本に帰国したけど、洋介はオーストラリアを一周してその後、タイからインド、イラン、トルコまで行ったんだって（その他にも色々、国を経由しているんだろうけど）。そうそう、洋介は日本に帰国してから、京都から東京まで自転車できたんだよ、片道４５０キロだって。また挑戦して欲しいものだわ。
洋介とジョシュの映画の好みが似ているみたいで二人して「スターウォーズ」のテーマ曲、居酒屋で歌ってたわ。
話が盛り上がって、気がついたら４時間経過してたわ。本当はもっとお話したかったけど、平日と言う事で渋々帰りました、残念。
また飲みに行きましょう。

Once completed with the first day, a mini tour of Kyoto, we met Yousuke. Takako met him in Australia, where they went scuba diving and general hanging out. After Takako returned to Japan, Yousuke toured portions of the world. He travelled around the entire continent of Australia, Thailand, India, Iran and Turkey then returned to Kyoto. He then rode his bicycle from Kyoto to Tokyo, just because he could. (About 280 miles.) He now lives in Osaka but he came to Kyoto to meet us. We went to an Izakaya, just north of Kyoto station. We ended up chatting about movies and realized that he & Josh share the same interest in movies. (Humming the theme from Star Wars.) We wish we could've enjoyed each others company for a while longer, but since it was a weekday, he needed to get ready for work the next day. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit. See you soon!

Kyoto (part 1)

母とジョシュと京都に一泊二日で行ってきました。ジョシュは初めての新幹線で嬉しそうでしたわ。一日目は、金閣寺に行きました。久々に金閣寺をみたけどやはり綺麗だね。で、その後は清水寺、そして伏見稲荷大社。おっと「任天堂」にも行きました。でもね、この任天堂ビルってのが初期のビルなのよ。今は閉鎖されていて任天堂のホームページにも住所がのってない、インターネットで事前に調べたから住所は分かったけど、任天堂のファンじゃなかったら初期のビルがあるなんて分からないよね。当たり前だけどだーれも観光客なんかいなかったわ。何より、ジョシュがとても嬉しそうでよかったわ、だってジョシュは「京都＝金閣寺、京都＝任天堂」って思っているみたいだしね。そうそう、京都市内を走っている車って怖いよね。京都の街って「碁盤の目」でしょう、直線だから皆スピード出す出す、考えてみたら東京とかって狭い道やカーブがあるからスピードを抑えたりするけど京都、直線系だものね。
雨女も発揮できずにかなり暑かったわ。

Just yesterday, 7 November, Hideko, Takako & I boarded a Shinkansen (N700 series), bound for Kyoto. Japan's newest 'bullet-train' has a maximum speed of about 186 mph (300 kph). A little over two hours later, we checked into the hotel and hopped on a tour bus headed for Kinkaku-ji, 'The Golden Pavilion'. This temple is Kyoto's most famous & possibly the most famous in Japan. From there we hailed a cab, to travel towards Kiyomizu-dera. Perched above eastern Kyoto on a mountainside, it is one of Kyoto's most known sites. A little while later, we began walking downhill to try and find Nintendo's first HQ. We found it with some help of a cab driver. Started in 1889, they produced playing cards known as hanafuda cards (flower cards). Josh's wish was fulfilled and then it was off to Fushimi Inari-taisha. The many donated torii gates added to the scenery for the temples. We then headed back to the hotel to catch a quick rest before grabbing a bite to eat later that night.

Showa Kinen Koen

足が痛い、、、この前、昭和記念公園に行った時に「二人乗り自転車」を見かけ気になっていたので、乗ってきました。タイヤが他の自転車に比べて小さいからかなりこがないといけないんだけどね。今日も天気がよくて自転車に乗っていて凄い気持ちよかったわ。

Takako's feet hurt. Earlier today, we visited the park once again but without Day-bis & Kuro. Takako noticed last time they had tandem bicycles to rent and had wanted to try it. The wheels were very small on the bicycles built for two and therefore requiring, EXTRA pedaling. Other than that, it was another great day for getting out, enjoying the terrific autumn weather.

Near Yokosuka

専門学校の時の友人に会いに横須賀に行ってきました。フカチと久美に会うのは１年ぶりだわ。しかもフカチの旦那に会うのはフカチの結婚式以来だからかなり久々。フカチも久美も既に２児の母だわ。今日は４人も子供がいてとてもにぎやかだったわ。結婚して子供ができると昔みたいに会う機会が少なくなってきちゃうけど、また時間を作って会いましょう。横須賀海軍カレーとうなぎパイ、ありがとうね。
で、夜はアツシがやっているお店に坂谷さんと愛ちゃんと行ってきました。３人に会うのもかなり久しぶりなんだなぁ。でも変わってなかったわ。坂谷さんには手作りのスコーンを頂いたわ、ごちそうさまだわ。ありがとうね。
今日一日、楽しい時間を過ごせたわ、ありがとうだわ。また会いましょう。

We just arrived home from meeting some of Takako's Dental Tech School friends that live near Yokosuka. Two of them, Fukachi & Kumi, attended our wedding last December in Tokyo. Takako last met Fukachi's husband about five years ago at their wedding. Both of her friends already have two kids each. We were able to meet all four kids. It was very lively, to say the least. All of our lives are busy with family beginnings, although we will meet each other in the near future. Thanks for the gifts.
After that, we met Sakatani-san & Ai-chan at Atsushi's bar. It has been a long time since Takako has seen them also. Takako said that they hadn't changed much in about 13 years. Thanks to Sakatani-san for the scones. We had a very good time chatting with old friends. We look forward to seeing you again!

Gyu-Kaku

YO-YO-YOとジュンコさんと牛角に行ってきました。牛角はお店によって食べ放題コースがあるのです。だからってわけじゃないけど沢山食べたわ。満腹太郎だわ。そうそうなんでYO-YO-YOっていうのかと言うと、YO-YO-YOは前にクラブでMCをやっていたのです。でもって去年の東京の私達の結婚披露パーティの時には、司会をお願いしました。打ち合わせなど時間をさいてくれてありがとうでしたわ。よいパーティをあげられる事ができましたわ。感謝感謝。

We just arrived home from Gyu-kaku's all-you-can-eat course. We went out to eat with Shuki & Junko. We also say Shuki's name is Yo-Yo-Yo due to the fact that he was an MC at a hip-hop club for a while and he was also the MC at our Tokyo wedding. Junko works now with Josh in Customer Service. We had a great time and are stuffed. Thanks!