Merry Christmas!

To my dear family,
MERRY CHRISTMAS! I wish I was there with you all to celebrate this Christmas and to unwrap presents and eat a delicious Christmas dinner with you. I could really use a family reunion!

We, Josh and I, woke up early today to eat a very special Christmas breakfast which really was a FEAST! The whole home came and so we all sat in the dining room fellowshiping, talking, laughing, and listening to Christmas songs and stories. Aiki and Mary got me decaf coffee, which I've been desperately wanting! ha! I was able to eat all those goodies while drinking my hot new "pregnancy coffee"! Ha!

We then went to Sam and Leika's building and opened up presents with just the Tanaka family. :) (Home presents will be opened on the 27th, when our Christmas Dinner will happen.) Josh got me a iPod nano with a touch screen. AWESOME! I'm sure this will come in handy! Sam and Leika got us matching red and blue towels with matching face towels. Just what was needed in our room-NEW towels.

Our day has just begin and I'm not sure what the next thing we'll do is...(Josh and Isamu are watching Toy Story 3) but once they finish that we may go out to eat some ice-cream and relax. Then we'll have a Tanaka family Christmas dinner together. Looking forward to Leika's cooking! :)

I miss you, my dear Family (meaning the Kovachs and the Pritchards)! Hope to see you soon!

Love, Jan

Sharing Christmas Cheer!

Yay, here are some photos of me doing good deeds at an oldfolks home. :) This year I did most of the organizing of the shows. Hurrah for me!!
Going to these oldfolks homes has always been a real pleasure for me. The people there are soo sweet and every year when I go there with the kids the oldfolks always say such sweet things about the kids and they always have such touching comments. I had several elderly people come up to me to share how much we make them happy and that even though they're sick or they sometimes feel that it's not worth living anymore, when they think of us and the kids they decide to stick it out and "last till Christmas" so they can see our faces and watch our show. Isn't that sweet??

Here's part of our group standing in line ready to say MERRY CHRISTMAS!! and start our show.

This is the little kids group singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year". They did a simple, cute performance as well.

Here's my group of three that performed to a song with much vigor, action, and excitement! So much fun! They did well concidering the amount of time we had to practice.


Theo (of Aki & Mari) and I with a elderly woman who won this little pink balloon.

Ryo (of Sam & Leika), and I with another "winning lady". She could have been a hottie in her day. Who knows! Ha!

And...Ryo and I again passing out Christmas posters, shaking hands, and wishing them a Merry Christmas.
Here's a funny story of what happened on this day. As Ryo and I passed out the Christmas posters, we got to this one old man and Ryo looked down and started snickering.
Jan: "Ryo, give him a poster and shake his hand."
Ryo: "Hee hee hee...but he looks like a monkey!"
Looking at the man I did agree that he looked a little different than the rest. Ryo shook the man's hand with a huge grin and said, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!" with much more passion and excitement than he had before. The old man smiled real large and complimented Ryo on his smile, how cute he was, and what a good little boy he was. Ha!! Thank God he didn't know what was going on in the little boy's mind.
Later when retelling the story to someone else, we had to agree that there were definitely some great benefits to having our kids speak English as their first language! haha!!

Anyway,

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I wish Christmas Joy and Cheer on all of you!

December 9th Show

December 9th was the day of the first Christmas show this year.
There was singing, dancing, magic tricks, ballooning, and more. I was involved with it all! These last few weeks I've been teaching and practicing with the kids and preteens in our Home and getting them prepared for their Christmas performance.
I'll send more photos later once I get them off of other people's cameras. Sorry, I'm not always in the photos as I'm in the background working the music or preparing for the next bit of the performance. :) I didn't bring my camera on any of these shows as I've just been too busy coordinating the shows so I leave the photo shooting to others. I'll find some though! :)

Here's a photo of Josh and I on the second show of the day. He came to play guitar and eat the free hotel food. Ha! He's normally not in any shows, but I got him to come to this one as it's very close by and a delicious dinner was involved.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas Season! I love you!!!

Happy and Pregnant!

So, here's a photo of me happy and 2 months pregnant. I thought I'd post something simple for now to let you know that I'm alive and doing well. My excuse for not blogging...well...morning sickness baby...morning sickness!!
Since this week I've realized that my morning sickness is dying out a little and I'm more tired and sleepy. I've been busy sleeping! haha!
Christmas is also a busy time so I've been working on putting together a little dance for my three little students to perform at oldfolks homes, hospitals, mental institutions, and for orphans.
Josh has been taking such good care of me. He makes sure I eat good food and that I get the rest that I need. He's so sweet! He wakes up early and works hard all day long and then come home with snacks and good food for me to eat. When he's out working all day he asks his sister to "take care of me" and she checks up on me and makes me food. So sweet! I've become related to a smart, talented, sweet, loving Tanaka family. :) I'm truly blessed!

Anyway...I'll try and blog a bit more and maybe upload photos when I start showing (aka: getting fat). Ha!

I love you my family! Each one of you are so special to me. Please keep in touch.

Love, Jan

Thought of the Day

“What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.”—George Levinger

Kyaaa!!!

A middle finger has been smashed and brused! Thankfully there are no broken bones. It's my fault really. I was watching two young babies one morning and while playing in the gym, they found a nice small but heavy metal weight lifting ball. My first reaction was to put it away, but then thought that if I was right there it would be alright. Soon after I realized that the two couldn't even lift it. So as I was thinking, "Aha! We're clear from danger!", another little baby crawled over and lifted the ball with his two hands and raised it nice and high for all to see that he WAS the son of Samson! Then, he let go! As it fell in slow motion I reached out to catch it before it could fall on his muscular yet tiny leg. I made it just in time to save his leg, but in a matter of seconds my middle finger on my left hand had been crushed by this cruel heavy weight of a ball.





An hour after taking this photo the purple got darker and seemed to spread and the finger felt sooooo fat that I thought if I poked it, blood would burst out endlessly. (Gross!)
The next day when I looked at it, 2 thirds of my finger had gone blue, however, the swelling went down.
Thankfully, nothing is really wrong with the finger and I don't feel any pain. It'll be healed in no time.

Tomorrow I'll be going to harvest rice for the second time in my life. I wouldn't say it's the most fun thing in to do, but if it means we get a bunch of rice for free and if it makes the neighbors happy, I'm going just to be a help. Hopefully, I can remember to bring my camera, and then have the guts to ask someone to take a photo of me in the fields so I can post it here. :)

Please keep me in your prayers. I super duper need them!

Love, your sis, daughter, and friend,
Jan

Gift from Meg!

Yay!!! On my birthday I told Josh that I REALLY wanted someone to send me a "surprize gift box" from the mail! There's just something special and exciting when you get a box all closed up and ready for the opening! Today, that's JUST what I got from Meg. Whoohooo!!! Thank you so much Meg! Your gift and the thought that you remembered my birthday made my day AND WEEK super special.

And...just to show Meg that it arrived safely, and also to remember this moment I took some photos!




Oh yes, and guess what I happened to have on me at that moment!??? The earrings that Meg bought me for my ....19th ?? birthday! Today was a real "MEG" day! Ha!
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU TOO!!

Fun Nature Walk

So, I haven't been too faithful with posting. But I thought I'd post some photos that I took today while I went for a nature walk with Arthur (2 yrs old) and Kimby (1 yr old).




This is a super awesome majestic tree behind our house. Whenever I walk past it it puts me in awe and I thank God for creating such beautiful trees!


Here's one of our neighbors houses. I just thought it'd be a nice looking photo. :) It turned out quite nice a green.

This last week Josh has been working (building/carpentry) in Tokyo and he'll be gone for another week. I'm left here with a lot more time on my hands...to read, get online, blog, eat snacks, study, etc. etc. I do feel, however, that a part of my joy and inspiration is gone. I can't wait for you to get back!

During vacation we went to this place called Otaki (waterfall) and we had a barbeque there with a few friends and family. I'll post photos of those later on. :)

It's My Birthday!

Yaaaaayyy!!! It's my birthday!!! I turned 24 on September 1st, 2010. My life is good and I am happy.
Below are some of the events of the day:
I got Josh to have a picnic with me. At first Josh wasn't really interested in the idea and he wanted to go out to eat instead, but once we were out there in nature, under the shade, with the soft cool breeze hitting us we both sat there eating (with music in the background) and just had to smile! It was so perfect. We also had a nice little nap right there outside. :)

After returning from the picnic, Marie came and offered to take the kids for me so I could have some extra time to myself. That was soooo sweet!! I was able to check mail, write people, relax, and talk to Mike on the phone. Mike, it's been such a long time since we talked...it was good! Let's stay in touch!

A good quality friend of mine took Josh and I out to eat at a restaurant called "Ken". Isamu (Josh's brother) drove us there. So, the four of us had a blast. The manager found out that it was my birthday so he leaned over the counter and whispered to me explaining that although they didn't have any "Birthday Services" he said that the four of us could have free drink bar. Whoohooo...what a Godly man! haha!

After coming home from our nice dinner I was called down stairs where a bunch of friends were waiting to wish me a Happy Birthday and feed me cake and ice-cream. Soooo sweeetttt!!! Once all the deliciousness was gone I whipped out the "Mille Borne" card game that I'm borrowing from Mom and taught everyone the game. Everyone loved it and we all had a good laugh.

The only photos taken today were from Josh's keitai, and because I don't exactly know how to put them onto computer yet I won't be able to post them here for you.

My hope and prayer for this next year is that I will be strong for those who are weak; to have enough faith to strengthen another's faith; to be positive when faced with difficulty; to be able to laugh and stay young in heart even when responsibilities and to-dos keep stacking up; and to be understanding, forgiving, loving, helpful, and caring to those who need it.

Vacation

So, I had my vacation 2 weeks ago and it was great! At the end I really felt relaxed. The first days I went shopping (for mostly foods), Josh did some business, ate out. Then we went to visit the parents and the remaining sibs. We played games, talked, ate good food, played air-hockey, etc. etc. It was fun and different. You all look so sweet, happy, and full of life!



Don't we all got such good smiles!! Haha!


I then visited a good friend in Tokyo for a few hours before heading back to Tateyama where I spent my last two vacation days relaxing, sleeping, cleaning, and purging.

Now... it's back to the normal, every day life of caring for kids, keeping house, scheduling, maintaining, etc. etc.

August

Okay,
So I haven't posted anything in a while. Like I said in my last post, I've been busy busy busy.
I thought I'd just run through a few of the fun things that I've done this last month and post some photos. :)

At the beginning of the month we took Deepa (the girl in the middle) to Hamazushi so she can try out Japanese sushi for the first time. She's from India and will be staying with us for a year. It was pretty fun. We had her try Uuni (sea urchin) and although she didn't like it, she thought it was going to be way worse. Because two come on one plate we had Nao (girl in purple..from Japan) try it out because she's never tried it out either. Her reaction was MUCH more enjoyable than Deepa's. Ha! She panicked almost and grabed Steve's bowl of soap and glugged it down. Steve was like, "...ummm... okay...that's fine..." hahaha!! Nao was sooo disgusted. Anyway, that was fun.


We've gone to the beach quite a few times this month. Josh goes gigging (he's been catching some pretty good, tasty fish that we later eat). I either watch kids or take photos of things.



Some photos I took while at the beach...

I'm still trying to figure out my camera so I take strange shots of nothingness from time to time. Ha!


Josh and I took the kids out and Josh bought us all a box of ice-cream to share. Whoohooo... Delicious! Thank you Josh!

We went to our yearly famous Tateyama Firecracker Festival. Thousands and thousands come over to see it from all over Japan. Here we are sitting on a mat watching some flaminco performances while we waited for the firecrackers to start.



Then there was a beautiful sunset, so I ran over and took some photos. This was much more fun to watch than the flaminco dancers... ha! God's Light Shows!! They're the best things!
And then...the hanabi's begain. I didn't take any photos of the hanabi's (just this one).
Aside from all this fun...there's a bunch of work to be done...so I must get going. :) Love ya'll! Keep me in your prayers.

Summer Festival Preparations

We host a Summer Festival every year (this is the 9th time). This festival is what I'll be preping for these next few days/weeks. I'm working with two other teachers to teach 9 children (ages 10~2) to dance a simple dance to "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands" song that I'm sure you all remember. :) My group, the three older ones are mainly helping to keep the kids in line and be a sample for the them. The younger kids are learning slowly and haven't caught on to the idea that we'll be performing for a huge crowd of people, so we're practicing every day and reminding them every day. They all like dancing, however, we never know which kids will actually perform on stage on that day till the day comes. Ha! Very very exciting future. Let's see how it goes. I've never done this before. Please keep me and the bunch of little kids in your prayers. :) Thanks so much!
If you'd like, come and see it for yourself!

Love, Jan

Healthy Now!

Just like the title to this post says, I am "Healthy Now!" Whoowhooo!!! I've got a few TINY little splinter like blisters on a few of my fingers but they're more annoying than hurt or anything else.

Here's some photos from last rest day.

Update on Sickness

Okay, so...since my last post, my health started worsening, so I finally got myself a thermometer to check my temperature. It was 39.4! Goodness! I haven't had a fever in a while. So...after telling the kids to behave and not do anything crazy, I went to my room and fell asleep.
Yesterday I slept most of the morning and watched "Friends" and another movie with Josh (after all, it was our day off, heh heh).
After being in pain most of yesterday, I'm feeling much better today with no fever and only a nasty sore throat that makes me question if my neck is swollen to the max, as if I had the mumps or something, but...after physically touching it or looking in the mirror I feel much better! ha!
So, now I'm on the road to recovery. IF I get spots, it'll be in another two days before it happens...so we'll see. I REEEEAAAALLLYYY hope nothing shows up.
I'm the first adult in this home to get it so...I don't know what to expect....
Please keep me in your prayers!

Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease!

Oh noooooo!!!
Last week a few little kids came down with a one day fever. Soon after they started getting some spots on their body. The mothers assumed that it was the Hand-Foot-Mouth dieases, but they weren't quite sure.
Later, the older kids (my students) started coming down with fevers, and now, they're starting to break out in small blister type of things on their feet and cold sores in their mouth! So, this confirms that we've got the Hand-Foot-Mouth disease! Yahhhhh..... Adults are supposed to have a certain immune system going to where it's not likely that they'll get this disease, but they can be carriers and they can get this sickness if they aren't careful. Yikes....
Me...well, I'm with these kids all the time, so I'm definitely a carrier of the disease, but...I'm also not feeling so good today, plus I woke up with a slight sore throat (which is another symptom). Oooohh...... noooo......
Please pray for me and all the kids that have it here. Although it's a pretty mild disease...I still don't want it, nor do I want it to spread to others in the home.
I think it takes 1 or 2 weeks to be cured, but living with such a great number of people...I can see this lasting a little longer.

Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease (HFMD) Fast Facts Description Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness of infants and children. The disease causes fever and blister-like eruptions in the mouth and/or a skin rash. HFMD is often confused with foot-and-mouth (also called hoof-and-mouth) disease, a disease of cattle, sheep, and swine; however, the two diseases are not related—they are caused by different viruses. Humans do not get the animal disease, and animals do not get the human disease. Illness The disease usually begins with a fever, poor appetite, malaise (feeling vaguely unwell), and often with a sore throat. One or 2 days after fever onset, painful sores usually develop in the mouth. They begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers. The sores are usually located on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks. A non-itchy skin rash develops over 1–2 days. The rash has flat or raised red spots, sometimes with blisters. The rash is usually located on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet; it may also appear on the buttocks and/or genitalia. A person with HFMD may have only the rash or only the mouth sores.

Omikoshi

Yesterday our kids joined in on the local Omikoshi. They did the whole "Washoi washoi!" The locals usually don't carry the golden temple thingy around our area, but this time the parents here asked if they could, so the locals decided to do so. Course, being the "wonderful" hosts that we are, we cut fresh provisioned watermelons and brought out our kakigori maker and had a semi 40~60 minute festival, all for free of course. Pretty crazy. I tried getting photos of my little students carrying the temple thingy, but I couldn't really get a good shot because someone taller or fatter was always in the way! ha!




Here's my cute little student, Yuki, eating a chicken leg.
And...here's some love given to Taiki (Leika's youngest) from Kina beans. :)