Event Prep for the Fourth

So, let me think, what have I been up to? Well, if you looked at the pictures in the previous post I'm sure you have an idea. So, I suppose I should talk about what's not in the pictures.

We had to cancel the Kids' Party that was to be held this past Sunday. We only had 2 kids RSVP, so we thought it would be best to reschedule when we could have a better turn out.

Well, with that on hold, we've been finalizing details for the Fourth of July party. We have decorations, plates, and napkins. We have a list of the food we need and tomorrow I'm going to try my hand at baking a cake from scratch -- erm, later today, I guess. Haha. On a serious note, though, please be praying that this event will work out. We've heard there might be a festival this weekend at the park we're holding it at (next Monday is some sort of "Wish Upon a Star" holiday) so we may not be able to find available tables. Also, we're in the rainy season here. So, basically, that means rain at any moment. You're welcome to pray for good weather (I am).

My dear friend Rachel is getting married in 11 days (or 12, maybe, the International Dateline confuses me). I'm a bit sad I'll be missing it, but I'm so happy for her and I know that her wedding will be everything she hopes it will be.

Oh, and I've tried writing again. Not getting very far, but I know that, someday, I will figure out the right words to weave the right tale.

Well, my small band of readers, thank you for your faithfulness in remembering me and praying for me. Please feel free to leave questions in your comments (that'll help me think of more to say).

XOXO

The Things a Person Does When Jet Lagged

(1st left: Yukari, Atsuka, Aya) - On Sunday evening, the International meeting was cancelled, so some of Cindy's friends came over and I got to meet them. (2nd Left: Yuka & Haruka & 3rd Left: Nana & Takuma) - On Monday we had two classes with these girls. They are two sets of sisters that are best friends with each other. They were very fun, and seemed a bit shy, but I've been told that once they get used to me they will be a handful.

(below: Kids from Sora) - Tuesday morning we taught a Sora class. It's like a preschool center and the kids were precious.

After the Sora class, Cindy took me around to an old part of Kurashiki. It was beautiful! I loved the old building and there was someone going up a canal in a small boat. There was a store filled with cat and dog things and they had fun music with dogs and cats "singing" that was playing in the store. There were two cats that were rather large in a pin in the center of the store. They were SO cute!

I wondered if the cats only spoke Japanese and if they ever met my family's cats back home, would there be a language barrier?

Tuesday afternoon, I started taking inventory of the kitchen and did some cleaning. Tuesday evening we had four classes, two were children and two were adults.

Wednesday, Cindy did laundry and I went grocery shopping. That afternoon, she went off to borrow another bicycle so we could ride together some (which I think I need to get a helmet before doing too much of that, despite the fact that no one else does here). I went for an hour walk. I headed towards some mountain slopes and went up. I based lots of large homes, and a farm or two, and a grave yard. I made a full circle and picked some flowers that were growing by the road. I'm going to try to root them, but that may not work since I've never done that before.

Cindy went out with a friend for supper, so I made chocolate pudding, ate ramen, study Japanese, and then watched TV. Benny and Joon came on. I was really surprised to see an English movie on TV.

***

I'd intended to post all the above this morning before today really happened, but the internet tragically crashed. So here's today's scoop:

1) Basically, my parents see this weird name come up when I call the home phone on SKYPE (even though cell phones register UNKNOWN). This is the reason why they NEVER would pick up when I called. Apparently they didn't put two and two together, to realize that a voice message from me was left everytime that strange person's number came up.

2) Baking soda is a miracle cleanser. On Tuesday I attempted to clean the stickiness and grease from the ventilation screens above the stove and discovered I couldn't do it. Today, thanks to a tip from Virginia (my Sunday School teacher in Anderson), I tried baking soda, and Cindy found an old tooth brush. Voila! After some intense scrubbing, I managed to get the gunk off and some paint in the process. I'm NOT going to try to spray paint the screens, though! Actually, you can't REALLY see them, so I don't think it's anything to worry about.

3) I have a sweet girl who prefers to answer questions in Japanese, though she knows the English answers very well. Also, I have a couple of great adult classes! I think I'll really enjoy my Thursday classes, though, so far, I enjoy all of them.

4) My PR minor is going to come in handy, about...now! Cindy and I have brainstormed some ideas to help get the school going and it's up to us to make it happen! Hey, if you have any ideas, please share them. As we get going with this, I'll include them in my blog. Basically, for June, we will be coming up with flyers and other ad ideas for events in July and August.

5) Agape has too much unused school material! Okay, a lot of it will be good, if it is organized right! Oh, I can't wait to get started!!!

6) Thunder and lightening = immediate rain.

7) Pretty much ALL Japanese food has some sort of surprise in the middle of it.

8) Tall Japanese men are NOT a myth and come in real handy for fixing complicated lightbulbs (I'll post a pic later).

That's it for now! Good night! (Oyasaminasai!)