The past week has been a crazy, fun-filled week. In fact, we have been on-the-go so much that I haven't had time to post. You'll be getting an ear full (eye full??) when we get back, though!
Ben's parents arrived safely and we've been in Tokyo, enduring the heat and seeing the sights! I bruised my tailbone last week and it's been tough with all subway station stairs, but we are having a blast nonetheless.
So as to not bombard you will a zillion pictures when we get back, I will post some of my weekly thanks here and now (so you'll only have a few million later on!)
8. The cool summer weather we are having right now. Our stateside friends are posting pictures of the heatwaves they are experiencing - we feel so lucky to have this beautiful weather.
9. A good pedicure. I always have a spring in my step when my toes are decorated!
10. My amazing husband - I'm glad that everywhere I go, I go with him ♥
11. The beautiful scenery that never gets old.
12. Seamus, who knows when we are about to leave and pouts because he misses us.
13. The constant cuteness that is Japan.
14. The comfortability of the new Willer buses. I may actually sleep tonight! Tokyo, here we come!
15. That we made it to Tokyo safely.
More to come! Thanks again for letting me share my gifts with you <3
I mentioned in my last post that I'd try and keep track of my thousand gifts on the blog in addition to instagram...so I am now instituting "Thankful Thursdays" right here on the blog. I can't guarantee that I'll remember to post every Thursday, but I'll try for at least every other Thursday!
So here are the first seven gifts...
1. A niece who makes me fun, crafty gifts.
2. Walking through our neighborhood at sunset.
3. Bouquets of summer hydrangeas to greet me.
4. Sleeplessness is no fun, but seeing this morning's early sunrise was beautiful. I love the serene...calmness before everyone wakes up.
5. Opening my front door and hearing the sound of children laughing and playing at the nearby park.
6. Thursday night trivia fun with good friends.
7. The little details that make a house a home These little lantern lights have followed us to six houses in the last six years - they are so very Japanese in style; who would have thought they would someday decorate a Japanese house ♥
Thanks for letting me share my gifts with you! If you want to follow along on instagram, my username is kari_f and I'm using #1000gifts as my hashtag.
Did you ever read a book that changed your life? Those are the best kind. They can be fiction or non-fiction. It could be a self-help type book or something that draws you closer in relationship to others. I've known people who have read comic books or cookbooks or even wordless books and spoken about the wonder it did them.
I'm reading a book I'd put in that category now.
I was going to wait and write a blog about the book once I finished, but I'm finding that I just don't think I can wait that long! This book isn't a "sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-and-finish-in-one-sitting" type of book. It's one of those books you have to put down frequently and ponder what the author is telling you and how it applies to your life.
The book is One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. The tagline on the book reads: "A dare to live fully right where you are."
Honestly, I was hooked before even opening the book (or in my case, downloading it. Have I mentioned how much I love the Kindle app?!?!)
I downloaded and read the first few pages, but then life grabbed hold and I forgot about it pretty quickly. With school wrapping up and doctor's appointments galore, I didn't have time to breathe, much less read.
*Disclaimer: this is where this blog gets a bit sappy + talks about religion. If you aren't one for sappiness or religion, read it anyway. It'll still apply to you!*
Then, two weeks ago, we were sitting in church. Our new chaplain, in one of his first messages to his new congregation, spoke on thanksgiving. Not the holiday, but a lifestyle of giving thanks. He talked about the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus as he walked toward Jerusalem. Only one stopped to thank him for this healing. I got to thinking that I have been living in a state of discontent. I don't actively think about all the little things I'm grateful for on a daily basis, and that's exactly what the author of this book is calling herself (and her readers) to do.
The moment we got home, I pulled out the ol' iPad and began reading, knowing this book had been waiting for me.
My favorite quote from the book so far reads, I have lived pain, and my life can tell: I only deepen the wound of the world when I neglect to give thanks for early light dappled through leaves and the heavy perfume of wild roses in early July and the song of crickets on humid nights and the rivers that run and the stars that rise and the rain that falls and all the good things that a good God gives. Why would the world need more anger, more outrage? How does it save the world to reject unabashed joy when it is joy that saves us? Rejecting joy to stand in solidarity with the suffering doesn't rescue the suffering. The converse does.
The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring the fullest Light to all the world.
It was in that moment I knew I was hooked. I want to wake up in the morning, refreshed and thankful for all the little (and big) things that make up this life I am living. So I've decided to start my own list of things I'm grateful for, my own 1,000 gifts. I want to share this list with my small corner of the world, and so instead of using a journal to write it out, I'll be capturing one item after another with my camera.
Feel free to follow along or join in (and be sure to let me know if you do)! I'll be posting them on instagram and will try to keep up with posting them each week on this blog as well. My instagram user name is kari_f and I'll be using hashtag #1000gifts. I'd love to hear about what you are thankful for as well, so feel free to post them here (or share them with me on instagram!)
There is a strong possibility that I have Celiac's.
A few months ago, I started having pain in my lower abdomen. It gradually got to the point where it just never went away. Of course, this would happen right after we moved to a foreign country, onto a base that has little in the way of medical care.
We went through all the tests.
For months, I waited as we did more tests, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I felt like once I knew, the anxiety would go away. I was stressed, not because of the pain, but because I didn't know what was causing it.
The problem was that the tests all came back normal.
Then my doctor suggested that it might be a gluten issue.
Honestly, I hadn't thought of this. It's funny how we all know someone who has Celiac's but we really don't know much about it. I didn't realize that Celiac's can affect anyone. Yes, there are predispositions toward it, but it can start affecting you as an adult. They don't really know the cause, but there are a million things that can increase your chances of developing the disease.
Stress.
Apparently those who have a lot of stress often develop Celiac's out of the blue. Those who have lost family members or, say, those who move to foreign countries (and had to deal with Fort Bragg incompetencies???). The doctor isn't positive that it really is Celiac's, but we're both pretty darned sure and the symptoms all match up.
So I've gone gluten free. Not only that, but lactose free as well. (Did you know that a huge number of Celiac's also develop lactose-intolerence?) From the research I've done, most Celiacs have started to feel better around the two-month mark. I've got that date marked on the calendar, but I don't think I'll need to wait that long.
Not even two days into my gluten-free diet I felt a change. It's not completely better by any means, but it's amazing what a change I have felt already. We are two weeks in and I have few doubts left that it's a gluten issue.
We'll continue to march on and see, but hopefully this is the end of the search!
All this has served to warn you that there will most likely be several oncoming posts about living gluten-free and recipes I'm messing around with. :)
Most of you read my blog via facebook notes...so I don't see a lot of comments on the actual blog.
You may have noticed that I gave the blog a makeover. You'll see in the next post (coming soon) why! In doing so, I have realized that I am a bit behind in the blog-o-sphere and am in the process of catching up. What's summer vacation for, if not for a little bit of catch-up?! I would love to connect with others who are living overseas, especially elsewhere in the pacific. I have loved blogging about our adventures in Japan and want to hear about the adventures others are having as well. I signed up for a few blogging networking sites in order to find those people - and hopefully have some of them find me! If you're on bloglovin (or any other blog networking sites that you recommend) let me know! I'd love to connect with you. :)
Golden Week is one of the most celebrated holiday times in Japan. Many schools and businesses close their doors for the entire week as everyone spends time outdoors with their family and friends. The week is made up of several holidays and festivals, some of which include the Emperor's birthday, Constitution Memorial Day, and Children's Day. In every park you see the fish flags flying and families picnicking.
Our first Golden Week in Japan was pink with all the newly-blossomed sakura trees populating the city. The week was also overcast and rainy for the most part, so we took full advantage of the few times the sun came out in full force.
One of these days happened to be a Saturday, so we started the morning off by visiting Statue of Liberty Park. We had visited this park earlier, but it was covered in about 20 feet of snow and was basically inaccessible. We took pictures of the statue from the parking lot and made our merry way. This time, the park was in full bloom and full of celebrating families. We hopped out and went to join in the fun.
The park was quite a bit bigger than we had thought when we visited in the winter. (Twenty feet of snow cover will make just about anything look like a barren field!) The park had a pond and a mill, several sport fields, a playground, and of course, the Statue of Libery replica.
At the park, we watched and took part in some of the activities. Devon joined in on the group jump rope tournament and we all had fun wandering and watching the festivities.
After the park we headed toward our next destination, which was the tulip festival in Karumai. We had heard excellent things about this festival and were excited to see all the brightly colored flowers. We arrived and were immediately taken in by the fields of flowers and the Holland-replicated working windmill. The whole event reminded Ben and I of Apple Hill in the fall. It was beautifully reminiscent and we were excited to be a part of it.
Also on the grounds was a huge, red suspension bridge. It looked quite a bit like a walking-bridge version of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, and we were excited to cross it and see the gorge below.
As we were on our way back across the bridge, Devon and I noticed that the sky was quickly turning black. This does not mean dark. The sky was literally turning black before our eyes, and we quickly ran to get off the bridge. I'm glad we did, because the lightning and thunder started within seconds of hitting solid ground. We decided to make our way back up toward the car in case it started to rain. Well, we didn't quite make it. The bridge was a good five to six minutes away from the car, and three minutes after leaving the bridge, the sky exploded.
We got rain, hail, fog, and crazy wind simultaneously. We ran for it and found shelter on the wraparound porch outside the restroom facilities with about 25 other people. Another minute later and the entire parking lot was flooding because of the huge downpour and typhoon-strength winds. This was definitely the fastest-forming storms I've ever encountered, and definitely one of the coolest!
We waited under the overhang for another fifteen minutes, until there seemed to be a break in the weather. All 25 people ran toward their cars, hoping to make it before the hail and rain started up again. We made it most of the way there before it started again, and were soaked and full of adrenaline by the time we piled into the car.
After that, we decided to call it a day so we drove back to the house, changed into warm pj's, and watched movies while drinking hot tea.
The wait is finally over! After months of waiting, spring has sprung, the snow is GONE, and the sakura have arrived! The Tohoku region of Japan has been waiting with bated breath as reports have been coming in, documenting the sakura's journey north. We were able to see the first blossoms in Tokyo while we were there last month and have been waiting ever since then for Misawa to get these amazing little flowers.
I love so many things about Japan, and one of my favorites is how organized they are. They actually have websites and publications dedicated to the sakura's arrival in each region. Everywhere we checked, the sakura were due to arrive in Misawa April 30, just in time for Golden Week. At first, I laughed, because I found it amusing that the people of Japan were telling the blossoms when they could arrive.
Little did I know they'd be right on the money. The morning of April 30, the sun rose and the blossoms started blooming. One by one, the trees started turning pink and white. By May 3, the entire base and all the parks around town seemed to have turned pink. All the sakura-themed festivals planned for that weekend would have the sakura decorate the areas. Once again, the Japanese efficiency paid off in a glorious way!
Last weekend, I shot my first Japanese wedding. I feel incredibly lucky to have had this experience. Though it was incredibly stressful, it was a beautiful event that I will remember forever. The bride and groom, Aiko and Steven, were amazing. They were married at Kihi Shrine, which is about ten minutes from our house. This shrine has been featured in television shows aimed at showing what life is like around Misawa.
The ceremony was small and intimate, with 20 or so family members and close friends. There were many ceremonial events that happened at the ceremony, including the drinking of sake and the reading of scrolls. I wish I knew more Japanese so I could have understood what was being said!
After the ceremony, we took photos. The sakura started to bloom the day of the wedding and we were able to spot a few buds on the trees at the shrine.
After pictures, we headed to Kizan Misawa, which is basically a building with meeting rooms and ballrooms for events such as these. The ceremony was bigger, with nearly 60 guests in attendance. The party went late into the night and the bride and groom (and photographer) were exhausted once it was over!
While I enjoyed every part of this wedding, the part that amazed me the most was the amount of intricate detail that went into the bridal outfits. During the ceremony, Steve and Aiko wore traditional kimonos. Aiko's was made up of about 10 unique layers and it took several people to get it on her! She also wore a traditional Japanese head piece that weighed about 15 pounds. She looked absolutely stunning after the artists completed their work.
After the ceremony, Aiko returned to the Kizan dressing room, where her assistants helped her to change out her headdress. The bright, colorful hair ornaments were swapped out for sparkling silver ones. The effect was stunning.
Halfway through the reception, both bride and groom returned once more to the dressing rooms to change into their last outfit of the evening. Steve wore his Navy uniform while Aiko wore a beautiful red, ruffled wedding reception dress. I was amazed at how quickly the artists took of the 10 kimono layers and headdress, completely redid her hair and makeup, and got her dressed in the gown. She was in and out of there in 20 minutes flat, which was an amazing feat in itself.
As I've gone through photos of the event, I have had trouble pinning down my favorites. There are so many beautiful photos of this beautiful event, and I am so glad I was able to take part in this very special day!
