thankful thursdays - ink and karaoke

I'm finally getting the tattoo I've been planning for more than a year (more on that later), and we went to Hirosaki to do a patch test to make sure I'm not allergic to the ink. The town is beautiful and we can't wait to go back next week for the real thing!

93. A successful prick test that means Celiac won't stop me from getting my tattoo!

94. Puppy haircuts!

95.1 Celebrating our birthdays...

95.2 ...with some awesome friends! We had so much fun that we were still singing and dancing all the way to the parking lot...

thankful thursdays - teacher appreciation and birthday fun

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week and Ben's birthday, and this week was mine! I received so many well-wishes from friends and my students! The weather was consistently nice and finally warm enough to spend the time outdoors.

89. Dramatic skies and beautiful sunsets.

90. Having such a great group of students, parents, and some amazing co-workers this year! After a great day outside filled with multi-class measurement Olympics, one of my amazing parents brought gluten-free cookies for teacher appreciation! 

91. The green of early summer.

92. Beautiful scenery above and below.

thankful thursdays - being real

This month has been one of rejuvenation and what feels like coming back to life. After having spent the past several months (and years, if we're being honest) not feeling well, I finally am starting to feel like me again.

I have energy again.

I haven't cried about something stupid in more than 48 hours (don't think that's happened in about a year.)

I haven't had a panic attack in weeks. Or a migraine. Or the other 20-30 symptoms I had been having almost daily before cutting out gluten and corn.

It's been such a relief, physically and emotionally. I feel like I'm taking all these steps in the right direction! I joined an online support group that is full of women who are going through the same thing. It's been wonderful to share our stories, swap recipes, get advice, and to know that we are not alone. I don't have a picture to share for confidentiality purposes, but this group of ladies has been at the top of my thankful list all month!

I also talked with my small group at the church - we talked about depression and faith and how hard it is to feel joy during the hard times. I shared this project with them and realized that I haven't been as consistent over the last few months as I was when I first started out.

So I have written this blog as a re-dedication to finishing my One Thousand Gifts Project.

86. The tears of joy and sadness with my small group. Talk about amazing women...

87. The color pink that surrounds us after so many months of plain white.

88. Daily strolls through the park.

thankful thursdays - spring break in sendai

Because of the furloughs and this new corn allergy thing we had to cancel our trip to Korea. It is still spring break, and we are still in Japan, though, so we knew we needed to get away and do something to celebrate the coming of spring.

We decided to take two days and travel down to Sendai, a few hours south of Misawa. It was a wonderful little mini trip and rejuvenated us a bit after the long, dark winter.

84. Lovely spring rain that will soon bring beautiful flowers to Tohoku!

85. Beautiful scenery on our drive.

thankful thursdays - when there isn't much to be thankful for

This month has brought what seems like blow after blow. I found out I am also allergic to corn, which means another HUGE shift in what I can (and can't) eat. I haven't felt well since Christmas and it's exhausting to continue to work and try to be normal despite that. We also found out that because of the sequestration, we will most likely be furloughed for several days. Because we're both teachers, it will affect us both and means that we will have to cancel our trip to Korea AGAIN. It might also affect our trip home this summer, which would be devastating.

These, mixed with what seems like a zillion little things, have made this a difficult time to be thankful.

It's times like these that I have to remind myself a hundred times a day that it could be worse. It's days like this that keeping this record of things I've been thankful for has given me a bit of perspective. It's times like this that I need to be grateful, if only for the sun shining down on me.

83. On this day, where it's a lot easier to pout, I'm thankful for the little things, like the warmth of the sun on my face.

thankful thursdays - sick in bed

It's been a while since I've taken pictures. Not that I haven't had anything to be thankful for, but all the snow has kept us from going outside and taking various pictures of things in the house got boring after a while. This week, though, we were both sick in bed and it was those very things we were thankful for!

80. For the wonderful Japanese customer service. We stayed home sick on a day with wind advisories and blizzard warnings. It was freezing outside and our heating system had shut down. Our wonderful realtor was at our house within 15 minutes to fix it for us.

81. Hot tea with honey to soothe a sore throat.

82. The restorative power of a candle-lit bath, complete with Himalayan pink bath salts and dreamy tunes.

thankful thursdays - thanksgiving wonderfulness

Thanksgiving is always that time of year when it's easy to be thankful for the little things. All the little traditions that make everyday life so fun: the movies, the fall leaves, the decorations, the time with family, even if via Skype. The cozy blankets and the autumn smells and the Black Friday shopping and the fun! Even the stress of planning my first gluten free Thanksgiving was totally worth it! It was every bit as delicious as we were hoping it would be.

77. Beautiful Japan (Oirase)

78. Tools that save so much time as energy! This baby saved me hours of chopping today.

79. Yearly family traditions that never get old. 

thankful thursdays - blustery bliss

The time between the summer heat and the first snow are glorious here. Autumn storms brought rainbows, hailstones, and gusts that made us break out the blankets and hot chocolate! We used the indoor time to experiment with some recipes and I FINALLY made a pizza that tasted decent!

72. Rainbow on the flight line.

73. Solace in the form of waterfalls and autumn forests on my monitors.

74. Hot apple cider and warm pajamas on a cold, blustery day.

75. Finally having a good pizza recipe! Egg and turkey sausage pizza.

76. Finally finding a car in great condition that we could afford. It should do nicely when the snow comes!

thankful thursdays - autumn is near

The heat is finally starting to diminish and the summer flowers are starting to fade. Autumn is almost here and we absolutely cannot wait! Also, Marce came back to visit so we had a great time traipsing around some of our favorite spots!

65. The big fluffy clouds that brought cooler weather today!

66. The first day of fall and Japan has dressed accordingly.

67. Picking up friends from the station. Marcie is here!

68. Autumn rain

69. Knowing a bit of Japanese and not feeling so helpless not knowing the language. It took a while, but I read this diagram! (It tells the distance between Hachinohe and various other locations.)

70. The relaxation and sun that can only be found at the beach.

71. Shiriyazaki picnic spots with ocean ambiance.

thankful thursdays - summer storms

Several summer storms coming in mean that autumn is on the horizon! This time of year is perfect for bike trips and road trips! September's thanks include:

62. The last of the hydrangeas are starting to wither. Autumn is near!

63. We had rain, a rainbow, and a beautiful breeze today. It made the heat bearable for a day.

64. Finally having a Starbucks nearby! 40 minutes is way more manageable than 2.5 hours... 

thankful thursdays - sunsets galore

I feel like I should call this "the week of the sunsets." I'm not sure if we just had spectacular sunsets this week or if they just spoke to me more than they usually do. Seeing them this past few days has helped bring me back out of the stress of the first weeks of school and back into a place of calm wonder.

School is going well. There is always chaos during the first few weeks as we struggle to instill those rules and routines with students who are coming back fresh from summer break. There are always meetings and fire drills, orientations and open houses. Usually the end of the second week is when I start breathing again, so I am happy to have made it this far without too many headaches!

56. The sky was a gorgeous orange-purple after my evening grocery shopping trip!

57: A hubby who will make a yummy dinner so I don't have to cook after a long day at work 

58. Beautiful views on the way home from work.

59. Amazing timing. I spotted this gorgeous site out the window as the epic Doctor Who (11th Doctor's song) music came on.

60. Boots: A sign of autumn soon-to-come!!

61. New pens for a new year!! ♥

thankful thursdays - back to school

We are back to school! Not in the sense of having students, but in the sense of "having to be in a non-air-conditioned-90-degree-building-to-clean-out-a-gross-classroom-left-by-a-hoarder." It was a long, hot week, by my classroom is finally ready for the kiddos! I'm excited to meet them and to get this year going!

We've been having fun with some of the new teachers, showing them our favorite spots and restaurants around Misawa. This has been a good transition week between the relaxation of summer and getting back into the "daily grind" of the school year.

50. Beautiful view on a beautiful day with some new friends!

51. New recipes. Experimented with gluten free tomato basil and pesto muffins!

52. Beautiful flowers everywhere I look

53. Reminders of my best friend in random places..who knows how long this empty Altoids box has been mixed in with my school stuff!

54. Beautiful sunsets.

55. After a week of hard work and long days, I'm just about ready for school.

thankful thursdays - summer's end

We are in the midst of that bittersweet time all teachers understand: knowing that school will start again soon. I say bittersweet because of the conflicting emotions rolling around my head! I'm so excited to start a new school year, to meet my class, to broaden my horizons and learn new strategies of teaching.

BUT...

that also means the end of summer vacation. I'm never quite ready for it to end, but end it will.

We've been making the most of our last cherished moments and here are a few of the activities I'm most thankful for this week!

40. Gorgeous view at lunch. I take pictures of this lake every season, but I think it's at its most glorious during mid-summer!

41. Actually seeing someone respectable on an entertainment magazine cover. (Plus, it means Doctor Who is coming back soon!!)

42. Finding out that one of my favorite restaurants can accommodate a gluten free diet

43. Constant reminders of my mom - thinking of her every time I see a dragonfly

44. Beautiful colors and patterns. The hydrangeas are everywhere!

45. Wallflowers with smells that remind me of autumn!

46. Brewing sun tea on the porch

47. The squeals of delight from happy, playing children! We were excited to help out some friends of ours by watching their kids for the evening. We invited one of the new teachers and his family over so the kids could all play together!

48. The aftermath of four kids in a non-childproofed house. They really had a fun time! Lol

49. Lovely walk through our neighborhood