The Minear Family

Christmas Letter 2011

2011-12-27T01:25:00.000-08:00

Family and Friends,
This has been an interesting year for the Minear Family, so I guess I’ll start from the beginning. In February, we took a trip to the city of Sapporo for the Sapporo Snow Festival. We took an overnight ferry to get there because Sapporo is on a different island than Misawa, the ferry ride
was a lot of fun and we are very thankful that some friends went in on a private room with us so we could get a good amount of sleep on the way there and back. In Sapporo, we saw HUGE snow
sculptures of all kinds, buildings and people and animals. We ate dinner at the Sapporo Brewery and Annelise really enjoyed the lamb and learned to ‘Kampai’, which is ‘cheers’ in Japanese. We were also able to tour a chocolate factory and drank the best hot chocolate in the world.

Then came March. March 3rd, I had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate Girls’ Day with a
local group of Japanese women; that day was one of the best I’ve spent in Misawa. On March 10th, I filled up the car with gas because I was running on fumes. On March 11th, we experienced a 9.0 earthquake and the Japanese coastline was devastated by a tsunami. Because we lost all power, we didn’t even know how devastating the tsunami was or anything about the nuclear issues in Fukushima until the next day. We were only without power for 2 days, but I was very glad that the gas tank was full since gasoline was rationed for a week or two. John worked long hours getting maps and up-to-date images to the rescue crews while I comforted Annelise during the hundreds of aftershocks. We accepted the military’s offer to leave Japan for a little while and
went to Texas at the end of March. While Annelise and I were in the States, John went on a couple of cleanup missions in the local area. When we returned to Japan, Annelise and I helped put together backpacks full of school supplies for the children of Otsuchi.

The main reason that Annelise and I left Japan was that the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks scared her. She crawled into my lap during each one and woke up when we had them at night. Even a bumpy car ride made her cry and I knew she needed some time to get past her fears. Spending time with family really helped, and it took some of the stress off of me, as well. We were also able to see my sisters during their pregnancies, which was a wonderful bonus. We hosted a baby shower for Dianna and Melisa at the beginning of May
and then headed back to Misawa.

This year, John was finally able to go to the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival with us and we had a lot of fun. The castle grounds are so beautiful when the trees and gardens are in bloom! For
Mothers’ Day, John sent me on a day trip with friends to paint kokeshi dolls, it was so much fun! I even took Annelise back to paint her own in July! In June, Annelise welcomed her first cousin, MacKenzie Marie. Melisa and Trent’s little girl is so adorable and she loves to talk to us on Skype, she smiles every time she sees us! July brought me my first godchild, Cooper Scott. He is Dianna and Kyle’s son and has me completely charmed.

August brought Annelise and me back to the States while John went to Alaska. Cooper and MacKenzie were baptized in our church back home and we loved spending two weeks with them
and the whole family. Annelise loved holding her babies and feeding MacKenzie a bottle, she’s going to be a great big sister one day. After two weeks in Texas, we traveled up north, to Indiana. We had the best time hanging out with family, eating yummy food, and
getting some shopping done. Annelise got to play with her cousin Olivia when we were in Lafayette and renamed her cousin Claire, calling her Yaya, when we were in Indianapolis.

In September, we were almost back to normal, but then October brought the Officers’ Spouses’ Club’s annual Far East Bazaar. I was on the bazaar committee and spent three days in a hangar full of amazing items. At the end of the weekend, my feet hurt and our bank account was a
little bit lighter, but the club raised over $30,000 to be given out in the local community.

John and I went out with friends in October to celebrate my birthday with some karaoke, and Annelise dressed up as Jessie from Toy Story for Halloween while John and I were Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. November brought a family trip to Tokyo, where we visited DisneyLand and DisneySea for a couple of days. We had a blast and got to meet a number of Disney Characters, including Princess Aurora, Minnie Mouse, and Princess Ariel. We made the trip over Thanksgiving and Annelise’s third birthday, she had a blast and loves to tell people about the trip. She wore her Jessie costume one day and a Cinderella costume the next and everyone at the
parks thought she looked adorable.

Now that December is here, we’re finally relaxing after a crazy year. John had an inspection at work this month that ate up a week out of every month this year while they prepared. Thankfully, his office did well and we’re done with that for a while. We’re planning a quiet Christmas at home before ramping up for the new year. We have several friends arriving here over the next few months, which eases the pain of some of our closest friends moving
away.

When we moved to Misawa, we thought we’d be leaving in January of 2012, but we have extended our stay by six months. We will be done with our tour here this summer and should be finding out about our new assignment in the next couple of months. We have absolutely loved our time here and are so grateful for the chance to live in this amazing country. The people are so wonderful and their culture contains much to be admired. We haven’t always enjoyed living so far from ‘home’ or how long it takes items to arrive in the base stores, but we have made many wonderful memories and dear friends.

We’re sorry that more of you couldn’t visit us in Japan, but we understand how much money and time it takes to come here. There are a number of things left on our ‘to-do’ list that will remain undone, like a visit to Kyoto and Hiroshima, me climbing Mt Fuji, and seeing some of the southern islands, but overall we feel that we experienced some of the best that Japan has to offer. We plan on spending the rest of our time here enjoying one last Winter and Spring, building snowmen, skiing (for John), watching the trees and gardens bloom, and spending plenty of time at the beach. We can’t wait to see what life has in store for us this next year!

Merry Christmas!!
John, Angela, and Annelise

Sapporo

2011-04-08T12:40:00.001-07:00

I know this is almost 2 months late, I'm lazy and then we had an earthquake. When we moved to Misawa, all we heard about were cherry blossoms and the Sapporo Snow Festival. We got to Misawa too late that first year to get tickets to the snow festival and John was deployed last year, so this year I was ready the day tickets went on sale and I told John that I'd go without him if need be. We booked a trip through the base that included an overnight ferry trip there and back, plus one night in a hotel in Sapporo. (We live on Honshu island and Sapporo is on Hokkaido, an island to our North.) Our friends David and Yazmin ended up getting on the same trip so we were able to book a room with them on the ferries so we didn't have to sleep in the 'cattle pen' with everyone else. We left on a Sunday evening and rode on a bus to Hachinohe, where we boarded the ferry. John, David and Yazmin were kind enough to wander the boat while I got Annelise to sleep and we woke up just in time to see the ferry pulling up to the dock on Hokkaido. We were bussed to a hotel for breakfast, which was a pretty typical Japanese breakfast. So of course, I didn't eat much there, I'm not really one for fish or rice for breakfast. Thankfully, I had packed some snacks so we were prepared for a breakfast of our own on the bus. Then we took the bus to Otaru, a city on the northwestern side of the island. Otaru was a beautiful, snow-covered city and is known for music boxes and blown glass. The snow was a little crazy there, we collected over an inch on Annelise's stroller in a matter of 10 or 15 minutes. She fell asleep while we browsed around the city and I found a beautiful vase in a glass shop that matches a vase that John bought for me a while back. We were VERY tempted to buy some amazing cheesecake, but we knew that there were many other yummy treats ahead. We stopped at a small food stand with a heated tent where we could sit and ate potatoes on a stick, some sort of yummy fried potato/cheese concoction, and a curry dumpling thingy. We also had delicious hot chocolate and lavender ice cream!! I actually got a cone that had lavender, milk, and melon flavors, while David got one with 2 extra flavors. My favorite was the lavender and the melon was my least favorite. Then we got back on the bus and went to Sapporo to check into the hotel. Our hotel was in a great location, only a block or two from the ice sculptures, one more block from Mister Donut, and very close to an underground mall that we could walk through to get to the snow sculptures. That afternoon, we ate at Mister Donut (it's just so delicious there!) and looked at the ice sculptures, then we went to the Sapporo Bier Garten for a delicious dinner of lamb, seafood, and veggies with all you can drink beer or soda. We really enjoyed the food and Annelise learned how to toast in Japanese, saying 'Kampai!' and clinking her sippy cup with the tour guide's mug of beer over and over again. After we got back from the beer garden, we met up with a few people that we had made friends with on our bus and speed-walked through the underground mall to get to Odori Park to see the snow sculptures lit up at night. We only had 20 minutes or so before they turned the lights out, so we rushed through so we could see all of them. I was in awe of those sculptures, they were GIGANTIC!! Each sculpture was the size of a good-sized building, with a stage in front for various musical performances. There were also a ton of smaller sculptures, including recognizable characters (both Japanese and American), a baseball player (possibly Sammy Sosa), and a Nobel Prize winner. On Tuesday morning (Tuesday already?), we ate breakfast at our hotel; it was a much more Americanized meal and we all left with our bellies full. We then hopped on the subway to a chocolate factory that was on the other side of town. When we got out of the subway station, we had nowhere to go so I stopped a large group of people to ask (in my very limited Japanese) where the factory was. Earlier in the trip I had told John and the Arroyos to remember that just because someone is white, they may not be American/speak English because this is an internationally renowned festival. I had to eat my own words when I found out that the man I was trying to speak Japanese to was from Hong Kong and currently lives in Canada!! Thankfully, he spoke both Japanese and English and was leading a tour group from Hong Kong who was also trying to find the chocolate factory, so we followed them the few blocks to the factory. Now, this was not a Hershey's-style factory, they don't make candy. They make adorable little Japanese desserts and cookies and we got to look in on the assembly line and the history of chocolate-making. We also each received a sample of the signature cookie, Shiroi Koibito. A Shiroi Koibito is two thin cookies with a thin chocolate filling; kind of like a Milano, but better. We were all tired and hungry by that time, so we went to the cafe inside the factory for delicious desserts and THE BEST HOT CHOCOLATE EVER. EVER. We bought a tin of cookies and two little cans of hot chocolate to take home with us, we've been rationing the cookies and neither one of us is allowed to have one unless the other has one too. That's how good they are. And the hot chocolate has ruined me for all other hot chocolate. Before we went back to the subway station, we stopped at another gift shop attached to the factory and mailed post cards to ourselves and a few other people. Once we got back on the Subway, we basically collapsed and rested in anticipation of checking out the snow sculptures again. The sculptures were amazing at night, but they were even better during the day because it was easier to see some of the details. We took our time that day and had a lot of fun taking pictures and being silly, then we shopped a little for souvenirs and ate ramen before getting back on the bus for the trip home. The ramen was delicious, it was actually my first time eating actual ramen in Japan. I know, I've lived there for over 2 years, but we just don't go out to eat very often and John is gone so much, plus Annelise is just now at the age where she can eat something like ramen so I don't have to worry about bringing extra food for her. We got back to the hotel just in time to get on the bus and the ferry trip back to Hachinohe was a little more difficult than the trip over because Annelise did NOT want to go to sleep. All in all, we had a great trip. I'm glad that David and Yazmin were able to go with us. I didn't get as many family pictures as I would have liked because Annelise napped at awkward times, and I didn't find a kokeshi doll that (to me) represented Sapporo, but we made some great memories and checked and important trip off of our list. Now it's time to gear up for our second try at Fuji and a possible trip to Hawaii in the fall!

Christmas and such...

2011-01-17T19:08:00.001-08:00

We had an amazing Christmas here in Misawa. We went to Mass on Christmas Eve and then skipped out on a party that some friends were throwing because we were tired and had to set up Annelise's toy from her aunts and uncles. She got a climb n slide from them that she LOVES, it's in the house right now because of all of the snow outside, but we're looking forward to moving it outdoors in a few months. Annelise also received a kitchen from Santa, it's nice to have something to occupy her while I cook dinner or check my e-mail. My parents gave her some play food and a play cookie set, she loves them and is always offering us cookies. I have to check her pants pockets for wooden cookies before I put them in the wash, but I'm so excited that she's at an age where she actually plays with her toys. Annelise got lots of other cool stuff, including a Magna Doodle that she brings to us asking us to write the ABCBs. She knows all of her letters now by sight, although she still has trouble singing the alphabet. We've started working on colors and lower case letters and we're still working on counting.

John and I got some really cool gifts, as well. He got some very nice Japanese whiskey, a new hiking backpack, and The Pacific on Blu Ray, and I got a Wii Fit, some attachments for my Kitchenaid mixer, and some great movies. Then came the gift cards... it's difficult for our families to get all of our gifts purchased and mailed to us in time so some of them send us Amazon gift cards or money. We used the money to help pay for our trip to Sapporo next month (it's also our anniversary gift to each other) and the gift cards to buy Wii accessories!

On Christmas Day we had some friends over for lunch, I made roast and rolls while our friends brought mashed potatoes and dessert. Then we went over to see some other friends and spent the evening relaxing. John took leave during the week between Christmas and New Year's, it was really nice to spend some time as a family and get things done around the house. Then on New Year's we went over to a friend's house and watched a Japanese countdown. We toasted with champagne and sparkling cider while Annelise slept upstairs and we had a great time chatting with everyone. We're very lucky to have so many good friends.

We were planning on buying a video game system this Spring after we pay off John's truck, but God had something else in mind when I won a Wii at the squadron Christmas party! John was in Alabama and had to miss the super-fun party, but he was pretty excited to come home to a Wii. We've bought a number of games and accessories for it and are pretty set except for Rock Band/Band Hero, which we'll buy in a few months. We really enjoy playing each other in bowling, wakeboarding and other games, I'm a sore winner and am always very excited when I beat John's scores. He has much better hand-eye coordination than I do, so it feels pretty good to kick his butt at something every now and then. We also use the Wii Fit to get in some exercise, it's way too cold and snowy for my liking and I don't go to the gym anymore so the Fit is really helpful. John also has a great time playing Call of Duty as a way to zone out after a long day at work.

We've been having fun with cooking lately, the attachments for my stand mixer allow me to grind my own beef and it's amazing how good freshly ground beef tastes! We don't even buy ground beef anymore, we just buy inexpensive cuts of beef and grind a few pounds a week to use in dinners. Last night I also made pizza from scratch for the first time. I used whole wheat flour and made my own dough, then topped it with pesto, chicken leftover from the night before, and some mozzarella cheese that I grated in the food processor. It takes a little longer to do all of this yourself, but the resulting pizza is soooo worth it! We're slowly moving the more processed foods out of our house in favor of things that we make ourselves, although I draw the line at milling my own flour or growing my own veggies. I am just not good at growing things so I'll keep buying locally grown produce and maybe join a co-op when we get back to the States.

Now we're dealing with lots of snow and gearing up for our trip to Sapporo for the ice festival. Sapporo is on the island to the North of us and is famous for the ice festival, so we'll take an overnight ferry there and back and spend a couple of days exploring the city. We booked our trip through the base, so there's some structure to it and we'll have a tour guide along. Also, two of our friends are coming with us so we're really excited. :)

And I guess that's that. I've finally got us updated. Even though I still haven't posted anything about Annelise turning 2. I think I'm in denial that she's actually 2 and I can't bring myself to talk about it much. I just can't believe how much my little girl has grown up!

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-22T02:36:00.000-08:00

Hello to our wonderful family and friends!
We’re finishing up our second year here in Misawa and are having a blast! We started 2010 by sending John off to a 5-month deployment in Qatar. Angela and Annelise went back to the States for February and March to see family, they spent time in both Texas and Indiana, and they were even able to meet up with John in San Angelo for a week! The Air Force sent him there for a little while to help rewrite an Intelligence course, so Angela and Annelise picked him up from the DFW airport and extended their trip to spend some time with him. It was a nice break for all of us in the middle of the deployment.
Not long after John got home, we all left Japan on another trip. John went to Las Vegas for work and then met Angela and Annelise in Ennis for a wedding. Angela’s baby sister got married and all three of us were in the wedding, Annelise was an adorable flower girl! We took a quick trip up to Oklahoma City for an air show on Father’s Day and got to see some of our friends fly with the Thunderbirds. While we were in Texas, we also made a day trip down to College Station so we could show Annelise around and buy her some new Aggie clothes. We had a lot of fun in Indiana this summer, too, we took Annelise to see the wolves and she learned to howl and then we took her to two different zoos! She also went to her first water park and we introduced her to the wonderful world of Barbie at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.
The best part of our trips was seeing Annelise interact with her cousins. Annelise had a great time with Angela’s little cousins in Texas, she followed Carleigh and Carsyn around like a puppy, and she loved having older cousins in Indiana to play with. John’s cousin Claire even pulled Annelise in a wagon in a Fourth of July parade! We are so blessed to be able to spend time with our families and to see them on Skype.
In July, John and Angela tried to climb Mount Fuji while Annelise stayed in Misawa with her Auntie Kim and Uncle Ron. Due to bad weather, we didn’t end up climbing the mountain, but we enjoyed the time together and are going to try again next year. John spent August in Alaska and Guam on work trips and then got home just in time for the Air Force Ball and a great air show. Annelise loves airplanes and John was so proud the first time she said ‘airplane’ back in July.
In October, we made a short trip to South Korea for some shopping while John was there for work, and we also helped out with the annual Far East Bazaar that the Officers’ Spouses’ Club puts on. John missed Halloween because he was on his way to Alabama, but Annelise and Angela braved the wind and rain to Trick or Treat on base. Annelise was an adorable cat, and had fun as long as we were inside. She was not a fan of the scary costumes, especially a little boy dressed as a wolf.
John spent November and part of December in Alabama for Squadron Officer School and will have just gotten home as we mail this out. He had to miss Annelise’s birthday, but was able to visit his family in Indiana for Thanksgiving and Angela’s family in Texas for a weekend. Angela and Annelise went back to swim lessons at the base pool in October and November and spent Thanksgiving with friends. Annelise had a wonderful second birthday on the day after Thanksgiving and is growing more every day.
Annelise has grown and changed so much over the last year. She’s still very friendly, but has become a little more shy lately. Her vocabulary grows every day and we have to watch what we say around her. She loves to watch Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go and Handy Manny. Cookie Monster is still her favorite toy, but I think she’d give it all up to be able to play on the playground every day.
Our plans for the next year are to explore Japan as much as possible (and hopefully South Korea) and then make a trip back to the States at the end of the summer to meet our new nieces/nephews. Both of Angela’s sisters are pregnant and we are really looking forward to having new babies to spoil. We hope this letter finds you all in happiness and good health and we miss you very much!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
John, Angela and Annelise

Playing Catch-Up

2010-10-31T00:04:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted, we 've been staying busy! John went to Alaska and Guam in August, he got to see some of our friends from Clovis while he was in Guam and was able to see Mt Denali while he was in Alaska.

While John was travelling, Annelise and I went to the Nebuta Festival in Aomori, the capital of our prefecture. We were able to see a really cool parade with amazing floats, lots of taiko drumming (GIANT drums!!), and dancers wearing the traditional haneto costume. Annelise loved the parade and we had a great time, even though it was REALLY hot that day.

Misawa actually got pretty hot this summer, it was hotter in Misawa than it was on Okinawa, which is hundreds of miles to the South. Thankfully, it only lasted a few weeks and then we ushered in a short, but beautiful, Fall season. John and I went to the Air Force Ball again this year and had fun, and we also took a short trip to South Korea.

John had to go to Osan Air Base in Korea for a week for some work stuff, so Annelise and I hopped a military flight out there and spent about 20 hours in a new country! We were able to eat at Chili's (yes, I thought of Clovis), we went to dinner with one of John's friends and ate traditional Korean food (I did not try the kimchi), and I even got some shopping done! We want to go back for a week in the Spring, Annelise and I didn't really see any of Korea other than the base and the area immediately outside the gate, and I want to shop some more!

Annelise loved having her Daddy home for the entire month of October, we went to the park a lot and also explored some more of the Misawa area. We went to a beautiful temple in Nanbu, Apple Hill in Namioka (Mom and Dad, it's where we stopped on the way to Hirosaki), and I showed him around Aomori.

Annelise is growing and changing, she has so many words now! There's still a lot I don't understand, but she's learning more and more every day. Right now we're working on counting (she can say her numbers in the right order but doesn't really count things yet) and colors. She's growing taller and taller, but not any bigger around. She still fits into some of her 18 months clothes, but the pants are definitely too short. Annelise also loves to sing, we started swimming lessons again this month and she really enjoys singing along with us during the classes.

John is in the middle of another class for his Master's degree, he's got about a year left. He's doing well so far, but it's tough to get all of the reading/papers done and still make time to spend with us. We can't fly by the seat of our pants anymore when it comes to weekend plans, we have to make sure to figure things out during the week so we can have fun as a family and have time for John to study.

I've been 'hardly working' lately but am transitioning into 'working hard'. I've got a ton of craft projects to complete before the holidays, plus decorating the house and making Christmas candy for our deployed friends. Between Officers' Spouses Club meetings, squadron spouses meetings, being a Key Spouse, and taking care of Annelise, I've had to send her to a sitter for a couple of hours a day just to have enough time to exercise and run errands. Because of John's erratic schedule (he will be gone for a total of 8 months this year), I can't depend on him being home for me to exercise in the early mornings or evenings, so I've been hitting the gym in the middle of the day. Annelise loves going to the sitter to play with her friends and I like having some time to myself. I will admit to dropping her off a few times in order to come back home and nap, but those are usually on days that she's kept us up at night or something.

Although I'm looking forward to the holidays, I'm not looking forward to Winter. The Japanese almanacs are predicting a very harsh winter, so I'm just glad that John is boing to be home to shovel every morning! I've got my Christmas shopping about done, I just need to shop for John and my dad/brothers. Boys are so difficult to shop for and I really hate giving gift cards!

Since it's Halloween, we're going Trick or Treating tonight, so I guess I'd better get ready! I'll try to be better about updating, but there will definitely be a post for Annelise's second birthday.

National Lampoon's Fuji Vacation

2010-07-29T20:23:00.001-07:00

I'm typing this from the library at Camp Fuji, as John is on a train going back to Misawa and Annelise plays with Auntie Kim and Uncle Ron. This whole experience has been a little surreal, so I'm sorry if the story is a little garbled...

A few months ago my good friend Vanessa asked if John and I wanted to travel with her family to climb Mt Fuji over the summer. Of course I said yes and we started planning. John and I would climb one night while they watched Annelise and Vanessa and Marty would climb one night while we watched their boys. It sounded like a pretty good arrangement and we made reservations at Camp Fuji, a Marine base that is fairly close to the mountain. The original plans were for a trip from July 28 to August 2.

Then we found out that John had some work stuff going on and shortened our trip to come home on July 31. It was still 4 days and I thought we could have a lot of fun in that amount of time, climbing a mountain and going to a safari park nearby. I started 'training', working my way up to an hour on the treadmill at a good incline and pace, then also working up to half an hour or so at a higher incline and slower pace. I bought new hiking boots while we were in Indiana and ordered some pants online, plus I borrowed a hiking pack from my friend Laura.

Then some stuff happened at work and it turned out that we couldn't leave as early as we would have liked on the 28th and John would have to be back in Misawa on the 31st. My vacation was shortened again and I was getting upset. We decided to leave Annelise in Misawa with Kim and Ron, all of the travel required plus climbing a mountain started overwhelming me and I knew it would be better for all of us if she stayed behind; plus John and I haven't gone anywhere without her for more than a few hours since she was born and Momma needed a break from Baby.

So we finally left Misawa at 5:30 pm, after getting work stuff sorted out and buying a ton of energy drinks and protein bars and fighting with the computer to load more music on my iPod and being nervous about leaving my baby behind. What if she cried the whole time? What if she didn't cry at all?

We got to Tokyo Station just fine, we've made that trip several times and it's pretty easy. I had written down a bunch of info on exactly what trains I wanted to take from there to Camp Fuji, but Tokyo Station is pretty busy and trying to dodge Japanese people while looking for the line you want to take and then finding the board for your line to figure out what track you need takes some work. We found the line, read a board, and located our track, but then a train pulled up about 15 minutes before the one we wanted and just sat there. We went back and forth, 'Is this our train?' 'I don't know, I guess if it's still here a couple of minutes before we're supposed to leave then it is.' The trains that we've been on before all have electronic boards inside and out telling you what train it is and where the next stop is, in both Kanji and Romanji (Romanji being everything spelled out using our alphabet instead of using traditional Japanese symbols), but this one didn't have anything in Romanji and of course I didn't print out any Kanji to look for (oh look, a lesson!). We tried asking a station employee, but many Japanese people do not read Romanji and he couldn't help us. We finally decided that it was the correct train and hopped on, searching for two seats together.

Since I had done a little bit of my homework, I had written down every station that the train would stop at before we needed to change trains, that definitely helped a lot. I didn't, however, do that for our final train so we relied on the timetable that I had copied down to guage how much longer we had until our stop. We got to Gotemba Station at around 11:30pm and caught a cab, thankful that Marty and Vanessa had driven in earlier in the evening and checked us in, opened our room for us, and turned on the fans. We got to catch an awesome glimpse of Mount Fuji at night with lights going up the sides, a combination of lighting from the huts and stations and the headlamps of the climbers. We were so excited and too tired to be nervous.

The next morning was pretty gloomy, it was very cloudy and was raining. We putzed around our room until 11, then made our way across base to eat lunch and buy water and other supplies. This was when we realized that my coat was not waterproof (Oh, another lesson). Water-resistant, yes, waterproof, no. So we also bought some waterproofing spray and went back to the room. Marty and Vanessa showed up and invited us to go to the local outlet mall and fun was had. We bought Annelise her first Lego set and even got some ice cream from Coldstone Creamery! Of course, walking around for a couple of hours right before climbing a mountain probably wasn't the smartest idea ever... (yeah, there's another lesson)

We got back to the room and got everything loaded up, then Vanessa drove us to the train/bus station where we realized that we left all of our pamphlets/info in the room (wait, ANOTHER lesson!). We got ahold of Vanessa and she checked their info to tell us what bus stop we were looking for (really, I remember the most random, useless things but I couldn't remember Kawaguchiko Station??) and just then a bus pulled up that was going to the right place.

At this point I want to tell everyone how much I live in Japan. Not only is it beautiful and just amazing, the people are so friendly. When the bus driver realized that we didn't really know where we were going he called me up to the front and we had a broken conversation where I told him where we were going and he told me what time we'd get there. Would that really happen in other countries? Can't you see some annoyed Frenchman telling me to piss off and find my own way? (not that I have anything against France, but really I can't say Englishman since we've got one in the family now) Japanese people are just so friendly and I'm really going to miss that when we leave.

Ok, so we get to Kawaguchiko Sta and accidentally find the bus to Station 5 of the trail we wanted to hike. There are a number of trails up the mountain and they all start and end in different locations, but they all start with Station 5 and the summit is Station 10; we chose the Fujiyoshida trail because it is the one that John hiked last year and is considered the easiest and most popular trail. We got on the bus and as we started up the mountain I couldn't help but notice how much wind and rain there was.

At this point I had already had several minor freakouts about climbing, I'm not an athletic or outdoorsy person but I really wanted to do this. I went from one extreme of KNOWING that I wouldn't make it up the mountain and would embarass myself by having to tell everyone that I wussed out to the other extreme of KNOWING without a doubt that I could do anything I put my mind to, especially if John was along to support me. One of my freakouts occurred not long before we left the hotel room and John looked me in the eye and promised me that as long as I tried my best he'd get me up the mountaint, that we would take it one step at a time and every step would be together.

I've got this idiotic penchant for caring what people think about me and wanting to be seen as a very strong person who can do anything when I'm actually very nervous about trying new things and fitting in with new groups of people. I wanted to climb Mt Fuji to prove to myself that I could do it, but also because at that point I had told everyone I know that I was climbing it and didn't want to return to facebook with my tail between my legs. I put on all of my gear and was fully prepared to climb that damn mountain as we stepped off the bus. We went inside Station 5 to buy a hiking stick for me (which can also be used as a bowstaff, I'm just saying) and a rain slicker for each of us when we heard an announcement over the PA that we all had to leave the station because they were closing. We overheard one of the station workers tell a group of hikers that all of the other stations and huts were closed and it was too dangerous for us to climb right then. The announcer said that the last bus back down the mountain was outside and we had better get going. We put everything back where we found it and hopped on the bus that brought us up the mountain, prepared to go back to Kawaguchiko Station.

As more and more people squeezed onto the bus, it soon became apparent that we didn't have enough space for everyone and the bus driver tried calling for an extra bus, then tried calling the hotel at Station 5 to see if there were any vacancies, then called back demanding that another bus be sent because we were out of options. By that time the Station had closed up and there were about 15 people huddled outside our bus that wouldn't fit; they had to wait about an hour before their bus finally arrived. It took us a long time to get down the mountain, there was a lot of rain and the fog was pretty dense in places, but our bus driver just took his time and played it safe.

We all knew that there would be no buses or trains out of Kawaguchiko this late at night, but it was a big station and I was sure that we could make it work. Oh wait, the bus/train station was closed and we ended up huddled under one covered portion with 50 of our closest hiking buddies, including one odd guy wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and a fedora with Chuck Taylors and no pack or supplies of any kind. Including a group of 15 high school and college kids on a mission trip. Including people from about 6 other countries. And the bathrooms were closed so we had to trek a few blocks to a 24-hour 7-11 if we needed to pee. I'll admit to allowing myself to become a little dehydrated in order to not have to put on our packs and walk to the convenience store. They're kept pretty clean in Japan, but we had somehow claimed the one bench and I wasn't giving it up. I slept on and off for a few hours from 12:30 to about 4:30 while John kept watch so that no one tried to swipe anything, but the sleep I got was fitful and I was definitely not comfortable.

One upside to this train station adventure was that I met a sweet girl named Brooke, who is a very proud member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2014. That's right, I managed to find an Aggie at Mount Fuji, it's really the whole reason I wore my Aggie hat on this trip. It made me a little sad that the fish this year are 10 years younger than we are, but it was also really cool to see her excitement over attending A&M. Brooke was a part of the mission trip group and told us that they made it up to Station 6 before they were told they should turn around, that the conditions sucked and that someone had died of hypothermia that evening.

So we rested, watched the other hikers with amusement, and wished for some liquor. They sell liquor at convenience stores here, but again we didn't feel like leaving our uncomfy little bench. Our dinner and breakfast consisted of power bars and crackers, snacks we had planned on eating on our hike. The station started coming alive around 5am, with locals showing up for a train and everyone starting to gather their things together. A worker finally opened up the doors to the rest of the station and many of us moved inside, where there were more benches and we wouldn't be in the way of the commuters. And yes, I was very grateful that I could finally use the restroom.

We were lucky enough to be able to leave pretty early, the first bus going back to Gotemba left around 7:10 and we were pretty tired of the train station by then. The clouds would clear up for a little while and then crowd back in, but the rain was gone and it had warmed up, it looked like the conditions for climbing the mountain were pretty good but John had to get back to Misawa so we said 'matane' to Mount Fuji, which means 'see you later' in Japanese.

The trip back to Gotemba was uneventful, I had a nice conversation with a Brit while we were on the bus and then we hopped a cab back to base; at that point we didn't feel like figuring out another bus schedule and $20 for a cab was well worth getting back to our room quickly. Just as we pulled up to base, the clouds moved away from Fuji and we had the most amazing view of the mountain. John had actually never seen the mountain, it was surrounded with clouds when he climbed last year, but I've seen it once from a plane. It was an amazing, and bittersweet, sight to see.

So we rested up and John caught a ride to the train station from Marty and Vanessa. I slept for a little longer and now I need lunch after spending so much time typing, but now it's time for the lessons we learned...

~Next time we travel, print out copies of the important interchanges and locations in actual Japanese instead of just Romanji.
~Always check everything to make sure it functions properly. Why did I assume that my winter coat was waterproof? Why didn't we bring any of John's Gore-Tex jackets (of which he has 3)?
~Rest before a big trip, that one's so obvious it makes me sad that we overlooked it.
~Check and double check that we have everything we need before we leave the room.
~God is in control. Always, everywhere. We get to make our own choices, but really everything is going to turn out according to God's plan no matter what. I believe that we were never meant to climb Fuji this year, that God gave us plenty of 'outs' but also plenty of chances to test ourselves. He wasn't testing me, I was testing my own resolve and abilities.
~Prayer really does help. The whole way through I kept praying for the strength of body, mind, and spirit to make it to the top. Then I added in that if we weren't meant to climb, I would need a definitive sign; all of the huts closing and the guy at the 5th Station warning us was sign enough for me and I'm very thankful for that.

John and I are both disappointed that we didn't get to climb this year, we were so ready. Ok, maybe I'm not actually physically ready, but I would have done it. What I mean is that we really connected on this trip, John saw that determination and strength in me that I'm always working for and committed himself to helping me get up the mountain. I saw that he really believed in me and it strengthened my resolve. Even though we didn't get to climb Mt Fuji, I think our marriage is stronger because of this adventure.

Another amazing thing is that not only were we both praying the whole way through this, we were praying for the same things, to be strong, to support each other, and to trust in God's plan. I didn't get to sing 'Climb Every Mountain' from the Sound of Music at the top of Mount Fuji this year, but I've been singing 'Jesus Loves Me, Yes I Know' and 'God Is in Control' in my head for the last day or so.

So we're going to try again next year. I'll be in better physical shape and more prepared for the actual climbing, God will still be in control, and you can bet that if I make it to the top I'm going to sing 'Climb Every Mountain' at the top of my lungs, even if I do hate that song!!

Trip, Part 2

2010-07-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

So we left the heat of Texas for the slightly-lesser heat of Indiana. We went to Lafayette first, after eating dinner with Danny in Indy and getting to see his office. One day I'll finally get Annelise into his apartment so she can make a mess...

We had a lot of fun in Lafayette, we got to see some of the Walsko family on Saturday to help celebrate Sandy's birthday and did lots of fun things. One day we went to the water park at Columbian Park, Annelise had an absolute blast! I would have been happy spending the whole day in the lazy river, but Annelise liked to walk around in the kiddie pool with her Daddy and Grandma. We only stayed a couple of hours, but that was long enough to tire the kiddo out, she slept through our lunch AT ARNI'S!!! OMG, that is delicious pizza!! Arni's is what Totino's Party Pizzas wish they were, with a thin, crispy crust and tiny pieces of pepperoni and just enough sauce. How have I known John for almost 7 years and this is the first time he's taken me to Arni's??

We went back to Columbian Park a few days later to go to the small zoo (the baby goats were SO cute) and play on the playground. Annelise loves being outside and was in heaven playing on the playground with Daddy. She also got to swim in a kiddie pool at Grandma's house, the kid loves the water.

I think my favorite part about our trip to Lafayette (besides the pizza, because it was amazing) was that Annelise became very comfortable around Sandy's dog, Molly. Annelise doesn't spend a lot of time around animals and gets scared around very energetic dogs, but Molly was on Benadryl after an ant attack and was very calm. She was perfectly happy to just sit around and let Annelise stare at her and now whenever Annelise sees a 'woof woof' she calls it Molly Moo.

The three of us rented a car for our time in Indy, which worked out really well because we had a lot of luggage. We stayed with the Brewers again, it's always so much fun in that house! Annelise loved playing with her older cousins and I'm pretty sure she made Austin's day when she called him Teddy Bear.

While we were in Indy, Dan took us and Claire to the Indianapolis Children's Museum because he loves me the mostest and is the best father-in-law ever. HELLO, there was a BARBIE exhibit there!! We had a lot of fun in the museum as a whole and I was very impressed byt how interactive it is and how every exhibit appealed to all ages of children. Annelise really liked the dinosaur exhibit, I liked the Barbie exhibit, and Claire loved the Rock Stars Cars & Guitars exhibit. I'm not sure what John liked the most, but I know we all had a blast. We even bought Annelise a toy dinosaur when we left and Dan got her a dinosaur puzzle that she loves.

The next day we went to the Indianapolis zoo, which was pretty darn cool. Annelise had fun looking at all of the animals and talking people into holding her and I had a strawberry lemon chill for the first time in forever, I love those things. By the end of the day, though, we were all pretty tired.

On Saturday we went to the neighborhood Independence Day celebration, complete with a kiddie parade and three-legged races and such. Claire pulled Annelise in the wagon and she looked so cute in her red, white and blue outfit. That evening we went to a block party in Northeastern Indy because Dan new the guys in the band and had a lot of fun. That neighboorhood throws a really nice party, complete with the most delicious pulled-pork sandwiches North of the Mason-Dixon.

On the actual Fourth of July, we went to the pool that the Brewers are members of and of course Annelise had lots of fun. She had a blast playing in the water and picking up Starburst that they threw in the pool (pretty much the only candy that won't instantly dissolve when you throw it in water). She was sad that I wouldn't let her eat any of the candy, but she got over it. We played for a while in the big pool, splashing and blowing bubbles and making new friends, and then went back to the house for a nap. That night we went into Zionsville for the amazing fireworks, capping off a wonderful Fourth.

We left for Japan the next day, which was probably John's favorite day of the whole trip. Not because he was ready to go home but because Annelise said 'airplane' for the first time that day. Now she can spot an airplane before anyone else (I think she has super-amazing hearing and can just hear them before I can) and says 'airplane' all the time. Her favorite book is an airplane book and she loves playing with the mini Thunderbird jet that we bought her at the air show.

So that ends our latest trip to the States. Next up, John and I will climb Mt Fuji at the end of the week and I'm planning a trip to Korea in September!

Our Latest Trip to the States

2010-07-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I last updated!! Quick catch-up: On Memorial weekend, John came home from his 4 (almost 5) month deployment. Yes, that's why he wasn't mentioned in most of our posts this year, he was working his butt off in a small country that I only learned how to pronounce during college because there's an A&M satellite campus there. We spent a week or so together having fun at Shipwreck Beach and in Hirosaki before Annelise and I jetted off to Texas for Melisa and Trent's wedding with John following about a week later.

This is going to be kinda disjointed, there's just soooo much to type about...

We had a great time in Texas, my favorite and least favorite part of any wedding is decorating the hall. It's so much fun to hang out with the family and make the hall look beautiful, but it's a lot of work and was very hot. Kyle and my dad spent a lot of time up on the scaffolding and I spent a lot of time with various centerpieces and chopping onions (thank goodness for food processors!). Annelise had a great time playing with her cousins and even tasted her first sno cone!!

The weekend before the wedding we went up to Ft Worth for Melisa's last single night out and had a blast. Annelise came with us to the restaurant/bar for dinner and happy hour and then Mom and Dianna took her home while Lusa and I stayed with everyone else for the disco cover-band. Lots of fun was had, and I even made it all the way back to Dianna's house from downtown without getting lost!

John and his mom flew in on Thursday night and on Friday morning he and Kyle helped my dad on the ranch while the rest of us got our nails done. Sandy had never had a pedicure so she LOVED getting one for her birthday. Annelise liked getting her feet washed and lotioned, but didn't want Lily to come near her with the nail polish. Afterwards we went to lunch and then headed home to get ready for the rehearsal/dinner.

We woke up early on Saturday morning to get our hair done, a friend of Dianna's took care of me, Mom, Dianna, Erica and Mary and it was so nice to be able to sit around the house instead of a salon. Now I know why the celebrities have stylists come to their houses!! We got dressed at the church and started taking pictures, but of course Annelise fell asleep about an hour and a half before the wedding. We woke her up in plenty of time to get over the grouchies, but it didn't help much.

The wedding itself was beautiful, Melisa was a gorgeous bride and Dianna and I cried most of the way through. Annelise was very well-behaved, even if she did try to take every single tissue out of every single pack in the pews.

Once we got to the hall, it was party time!! Jackie did a wonderful job on the cakes and Mike and Larry outdid themselves on dinner, Sandy wanted to have them ship some of the klobase back to Indiana for her. :) We had a great time dancing and hanging out with the family, Annelise was having so much fun that she cried when Sandy took her back to the hotel. She fell asleep as soon as Sandy got her pjs on, she was that exhausted.

John and I got back to the hotel after 1 and then we all woke up the next morning in time to take Sandy to the airport and drive to Oklahoma City for an air show. We have several friends on the Thunderbirds, the Air Force demonstration team, so we were able to get VIP tickets for the show on Father's Day. Because we're a true military family, it was nothing to drive 4 hours the day after an awesome (and VERY tiring) wedding. John loved his Father's Day gift and really enjoyed getting to show the planes off to Annelise.

We drove about halfway back to Ennis that evening and then woke up the next morning and went boot shopping! John's brown boots didn't fit the way he likes and I've been looking for boots for ages, so he and I each left with something. The best part, however, was that we also bought a pair of boots for Annelise! And she LOVES THEM!! Given the chance, that kid would wear her boots every single day.

While we were in Texas, we also made the drive to College Station, I hadn't been there since Erin and Brinson's wedding and was amazed at how much has changed. We ate lunch at Wings n More with Shanna (aka Friend) and Kyle and it was so much fun to see her with her adorable twin belly.

Annelise also got to go swimming at Aunt Tina's house and in her very own kiddie pool at Babi and Grandaddy's.

After all the fun in Texas, we were a little tired and our trip was only halfway done! We flew up to Indy to see John's family and had even MORE fun!

It's a Beautiful Day!

2010-05-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of weeks of very icky weather here, it would turn cold at the drop of a hat or a rain shower would pop up out of nowhere, and I ended up with a cold to go along with my seasonal allergies. After a few days of fever/achiness and a few days of Annelise having a fever, she has fully recovered and I'm back to dealing with allergies with a little bit of a leftover cough. My new best friend is Tylenol Sinus Pain, it made me feel much better and I didn't have to worry about taking a sinus med AND a pain med. Between limitations due to me breastfeeding and limitations due to the small number of options at the BX, I was very glad to find something that worked!

The weather warmed up over the weekend and Annelise got to play outside with the new bouncy ball I bought for her. She has a blast and LOVES being outside! She has also learned her second Japanese word. She uses 'hi' for 'hello' as well as 'yes' and now she can say 'ohana', which means 'flower'. She doesn't say it often, but I was so excited to hear it yesterday!

We're gearing up for Melisa and Trent's wedding next month, I can't wait to get to Texas and start really helping out! I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time attaching candy to styrofoam balls and other small stuff like that. Annelise is very excited to get back to the States to play with her cousins, she loves playing with other kids.

Aside from the wedding and seeing everyone, I'm looking forward to picking up a few new books while I'm back home. Janet Evanovich and Catherine Coulter both have new books coming out in June and although I will be able to get them in Misawa eventually, I can definitely get a lower price at Hastings! We're not going to be doing a lot of shopping this trip, but we are planning a trip up to Tinker AFB for a Thunderbirds show and a trip to College Station so I can eat at Wings n More (and maybe see Friend and her baby belly?). When we get to Indiana, the families have so many things planned we may not get to sleep! And I finally get to eat at the real frozen custard stand in Lafayette, something my friend Mandy has been giving me hell about for a few years.

Well, I think the kid wants to go outside and enjoy our beautiful Monday, so I guess that's the end of this post! I'll be back in a couple of weeks!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T04:09:00.000-07:00

To all of the mothers that I know, especially my mom, John's mom, and our two grandmothers, Happy Mother's Day!! Annelise and I went to brunch today with my friend Vanessa and her two boys, we had such a great time. Annelise really enjoyed her plain waffle, scrambled eggs, and lots of grapes. She loves playing with the boys and I think we're going to have to spend some time at the park together this summer so she can chase them around.

I feel so very blessed to be a mom and want to thank all of you for showing me how it's done!!

OOPS!

2010-05-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was really tired on Monday and then didn't feel well on Tuesday and that's why I didn't post when I was supposed to. I was tired on Monday because on Sunday we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Hirosaki!! I had a ton of fun hanging out with friends, seeing the beautiful cherry blossoms, and eating a potato on a stick. Annelise enjoyed being adored by all who saw her. This is par for the course in Japan and she will be very confused when we move back to the States in a few years.

We haven't done a whole lot over the last couple of weeks, but it has been so nice to spend time with friends. Hopefully we'll get to go to the Mother's Day Brunch this weekend with some friends as well as go to Shimoda Mall for Pepper Lunch. I tried to go last weekend but Annelise fell asleep right before it was time to leave and one of the most important lessons I've learned from my friends and family is that you NEVER wake a sleeping baby. Especially when the kid only takes one nap a day.

I finally got Mother's Day gifts mailed, they'll arrive late but there's nothing I can do about it now. I bought them a while back, I just suck at getting everything together and to the post office on time. I also bought something for my Dad's birthday, that's coming up soon!

We booked our tickets for Melisa's wedding, I can't wait to see everyone! Annelise is going to be so adorable in her flower girl dress and I love my bridesmaid dress. My friend (and cousin) Alisha just had a baby so I also can't wait to meet little Easton and to see how much Quinn has grown.

Spring has finally sprung in Misawa with the blooming of the cherry blossoms and many beautiful flowers. There are daffodils everywhere and the tulips have popped up as well, now I'm looking forward to the hydrangeas. Japan is such a beautiful country and I love watching the seasons change and all of the little surprises that come with them.

New Leaf

2010-04-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

My sisters complain that I don't post enough, so my new goal is to post every other Monday. That gives us enough time to do interesting things worth writing about and doesn't put too much pressure on me.

Last week I turned over a new leaf and started exercising. I've been overweight for a long time and Melisa's impending wedding (and the GORGEOUS bridesmaid dress) is a perfect short-term goal. I don't really have a goal of how much I want to lose by then (ok, I do but I'm not telling anyone), but I do want to work out every week day of the two months we have left until the wedding. I've done pretty well so far, it helps that my friend Kim has agreed to be my workout buddy. The first day I went to the wrong gym, but I worked out anyway. And since then we've met every morning at 6:30 to exercise in the family room while Annelise watches Sesame Street.

Since we've been back in Misawa, we've spent a lot of time unpacking and cleaning up. My house is still a wreck, but I have received all of the stuff that I mailed from Tx/In and it's all been put away. We've been spending time with friends, sending some off to deployment and saying hi to others that we hadn't seen in a while. I went to Pepper Lunch (see Morioka post) last week with some friends, I love that place! In fact, I'm thinking about going back next week. I also tried a fish egg the week before last. We were over at a Japanese friend's house and she had sushi rice with shrimp and fish eggs on top. I was not a fan of the fish egg, but at least I tried it. While we were there, Annelise discovered a love for kiwi and showed everyone just how good she is at eating strawberries. This kid LOVES fruit, she would eat it at every meal, now I need to get better about preparing veggies for her too.

Last Friday I went to Shipwreck Beach with two of my friends while Annelise stayed with a sitter. It was nice to have a day to myself and I found some really cool sea glass too! I think I'll go back in a few weeks, once it warms up a little more. It wasn't very cold this time, but I did have to wear my coat until I walked enough to warm up.

And today we're going to our squadron picnic so I guess I should shut this down and make some corn flake treats! Annelise is growing smarter and smarter every day, now she says 'step' and 'ball', and one thing I forgot to write down last time is that she says 'good girl' when she does something good like say please or thank you. It's so adorable!!

Long Time, Crappy Internet Access

2010-04-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

The last time I posted was right before we left for the States. My parents have really slow internet, as did the other locations we visited, so my internet time was limited to the important things like checking e-mail and catching up on facebook. I didn't even farm very much because it just took forever.

Our trip was wonderful, we spent lots of time with my family in Texas and even weathered a snowstorm that brought nine inches of snow to Ennis. The highlights of our time in Ennis include: a wonderful butterfly birthday party for Annelise that we held at Sherry's because of the icky weather, me learning to sew pillowcase dresses for Annelise (my friend Susannah made some for her daughter a few months back, check her blog on the side of this site), Melisa's bridal portraits and wedding shower, lots of yummy food, and plenty of time with friends and family.

Annelise's birthday party was so much fun, I made a cake and decorated it with butterflies, we decorated foam butterflies, ate lots of yummy food, and opened a ton of gifts. We left most of the toys at Babi and Grandaddy's house so she'll have something to play with when we go back in June, plus I didn't want to pay to mail it all home. The pillowcase dresses are awesome and adorable and I have lots of fabric to make more. I'm going to make some for Annelise, Carleigh, and Carsyn that all go together, different color solids with bands of the same polka dot fabric. I also have fabric to make some pillowcase tops for myself and one of those will coordinate with a dress I want to make for Annelise.

Melisa's bridal portraits were taken at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens and were preceded by Trent's groomal portraits. Our cousin Penney is the photographer and does amazing work, plus Melisa and Trent are very photogenic. We brought Annelise's flower girl dress and she took some pictures with Melisa plus I took a couple of shots for her Easter pic. I'll be mailing those out soon, I just have to figure out where I put the cards that I bought... Dianna, Mom and I hosted Melisa's wedding shower in Ennis and everything went really well. I made a purple cake with daisies on it, there were supposed to be tulips instead but they are very difficult to make. She got a lot of really nice gifts and I know her favorites were from us. Dianna and I gave her a crystal pitcher, which is my usual wedding gift because I think it's something that everyone should have, and Annelise gave her some kitchen stuff in a hand-decorated gift bag. I couldn't find a gift bag at Target that worked so I bought a plain one and let Annelise color all over it while I baked the cake. Mom wrote a big T on it, for Tobola, and it looked adorable! At the shower, I finally got to meet Trent's family. Melisa and Trent have known each other since high school, but that was when I was in college and then living in New Mexico, so I was really excited to meet his mom, his sister, and his adorable nephew. Brekon will be the ring bearer and Annelise had fun playing with him.

We got to spend plenty of time with our family and friends, between Annelise's birthday party, spending time at Grandad's and Granny & Papa's, and seeing people in the church nursery. We also spent one day with KristenSue (see The Asker's QotD? on the side) and Annan drove to Ennis one evening for dinner. I didn't get to track down any of my air force friends, but we'll try to make up for that in June. Most importantly, we met my cousin Quinn who was born in December and Savannah's fiance Chris. Quinn is this adorable little man and we all love holding him and loving on him. Annelise loved playing with all of her cousins and accidentally sat on Quinn's arm and then kicked him in the head. She also got kicked by one of my cousins, but no worries she kicked him right back! I'm pretty sure she thought it was a game and didn't realize he was being mean... Savannah's fiance, Chris, is from England so everyone in the family had met him but me and the logistics of us both being in Ennis at the same time were a little crazy. Chris is this adorable little man (hehe!) with a hilarious accent who says things like 'whilst' and obviously loves Savannah very much. I can't wait to go to their wedding on New Year's Eve of 2011.

We also went to Indiana to see John's side of the family, man was that fun! Annelise had a blast with her Minear cousins and made cookies with her Grandma. We got to see Becky with her adorable baby belly just days before our sweet new cousin Liv arrived and can't wait to meet Liv in June! It still amazes me how much Annelise loves everyone, she ate lunch with Uncle Paul and would have spent all day playing with Grandma Walsko if everyone else hadn't wanted her attention. When we were in Indy, Annelise took turns sharing her affections with Blake, Austin, and Claire, but her favorite is still her Uncle Danny. I cried a little when she said 'Bye Danny' the night before we went back to Texas, she just adores him.

We ended up extending our stay in Texas by a couple of weeks because John came to San Angelo for work. We rented a car and drove to San Angelo to spend about 10 days hanging out together. Annelise had so much fun playing with him and John was amazed by how much she had changed in just the six weeks that we had been away from Japan. We went on a picnic one day and to the park on another, Annelise LOVES being outside. She loves to run around in the sunshine and pick up stuff off of the ground and get chased by anyone. We had to be careful at my parents' house, if she saw that the back door was open she'd be outside before we knew it.

Because Easter Sunday disappeared in the crazy time change of flying back to Japan, we went to Dianna and Kyle's house on Friday night for an Easter egg hunt. It was pretty funny to watch, Dianna doesn't have a lot of patience and was putting candy into Annelise's basket until she finally got the hang of it. Once she figured things out, she had lots of fun picking up candy, hard-boiled eggs, and plastic Elmo eggs.

While we were gone, Annelise changed so much. She's a champ at climbing stairs (aack!), got 4 new teeth (her first dentist appointment is in May), and has picked up so many new words. Annelise now says please, thank you, no, Annelise, Elmo, cheese, baby, and lots of other things. She loves singing 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' and is pretty good at the ABCs. I can't wait to see what she'll have learned by the time we go back to Texas and Indiana in June!!

Morioka

2010-01-30T18:22:00.001-08:00

We went to Morioka last weekend on a base-organized trip and had a lot of fun. Morioka is about two hours from Misawa and there is a Handi-Works Square there that is a kind of artists' co-op. There is a large central store, exhibition hall, and classroom and then there are smaller workshops around the central area. Each shop features a traditional Japanese craft or food and has space not only for the making of the wares but for the teaching of the craft. Annelise and I went on this trip with Kim, Vanessa, and Vanessa's two boys. A is 7 and E is 4 (?). We went into the main classroom and were taught how to weave bamboo pen holders. The wooden bases had already been cut and drilled and the upright bamboo pieces had been secured to the base, plus a few rounds of weaving had been done. We were shown how to weave our bamboo in and how to start new pieces when the others ran out and were instructed to weave until our pen holder was 10cm tall. Then the ladies showed us how to weave in the ends of the upright pieces to finish off the top. My pen holder doesn't go straight up, I was pulling too tightly and it narrows a little at the top, but it's really cool. Thank goodness for Kim, Annelise got fussy halfway through the project so I played with her while Kim wove and then we switched off.

After we finished with our pen holders, we were free to explore the shops and of course buy souvenirs. We watched sembei being made, they're traditional rice crackers with a variety of flavorings. I bought some honey-peanut sembei and also liked the cheese-flavored ones. (who'd have guessed that I liked the cheese ones, right?) The best part was being able to buy fresh sembei that were still warm, they were very very delicious.

We went into a toy workshop where I bought a rolling toy for Annelise. It's a rat because she was born in the year of the rat. I also bought myself a necklace from the ceramic workshop with a beautifully painted ceramic fragment pendant. After we explored the workshops, we went back to the central area and I bought a kokeshi, of course! Vanessa bought a couple of Mutsu apples, those are my favorite. They are huge and expensive, but she got a good price at the market. Mutsu apples are a little tart and just between American green and red apples in the texture department. I don't like red apples in the US, they're too mealy for me, but I love basically all Japanese apples. Actually, writing about the apples was making me hungry so I took a small break to slice up a Fuji.

After we left the Handi-Works Square, the bus took us to the mall so we could grab lunch and do some more shopping. We ate at Pepper Lunch, it was my first time to try that restaurant, and the food was delicious! In the truly Japanese way of doing things, you put your money in a vending machine and choose what you want to order, then hand the tickets that the vending machine spits out to the lady at the counter. I followed Vanessa's lead and got a dish of beef, rice, corn, green onions, and of course pepper. The rice and corn are already cooked, but they load all of your food (including raw meat) onto a very hot cast-iron dish and then you can cook your meat as much or as little as you want. I didn't realize just how hot the food was until I fed Annelise some of the rice and she screamed and spit it out. Best Mommy Ever! She forgave me when I gave her a fruit twist and then went on to eat plenty of rice and LOTS of corn. I've gotten ok with chopsticks, but I still can't eat corn with them and had to resort to the spoon provided. Well, I can pick up the corn one by one, but I didn't want to deal with that.

We walked around and shopped a bit, I didn't buy anything but I oohed and ahhed over the adorable matching rain boots/jacket/umbrella sets in every color of the rainbow that they had in the kids' store. Have I mentioned lately that I love Japan?? Just before it was time to get back on the bus, we stopped by Mr. Donut to get dessert for the road. I love Mr. Donut and it's a good thing that we don't have one in Misawa because it's addictive.

In all, we had a lot of fun in Morioka and I'd like to go back with John, one day when he's not working his tail off!!

Things to Buy

2010-01-24T18:03:00.000-08:00

I have a list of things I need to buy while we're in the States and I figured if I put it online, I'd be less likely to forget something...

Printer toner- Brother TN-330 or TN-360
Whole wheat pasta- shells, macaroni, etc
Pepto bismol tablets that you don't have to chew
FABRIC!!!
Slippers for Annelise
Elmo DVDs, especially the three-pack that we're wearing out
BOOKS! J.D Robb's new one, The Holy Bullet, crappy romance novels, anything that catches my eye
Easter dress for Annelise
Quiet tape
Grill cover

I'll add to the list as I come up with more stuff...

Random update

2010-01-16T00:33:00.000-08:00

It didn't snow much in November and December here in Misawa. I had heard that measurable snowfalls started in November so I warned my parents to pack boots and such, which they didn't need at all. Well, they needed the coats, it was chilly. We got some snow right before Christmas, just enough to be pretty, not enough to be hazardous. And then 2010 arrived and brought with it all of the snow we hadn't received yet this year. We've had over 18 inches of snow in the last week. That's a crazy amount of snow for someone from Texas! There has been a lot of shovelling and a little bit of hibernating because I don't want to take Annelise out in the cold and drive on icky roads.

Annelise has 8 teeth now and she's growing like a weed. Well, she's taller anyway; she hasn't gained much weight lately even though she eats three meals a day, plus snacks, plus still nursing whenever she wants. Annelise rarely stops moving, she'll sit still for a little while if Elmo's on but moves even in her sleep. She also talks almost nonstop, she has entire conversations with people on the phone and Skype and sometimes with herself. I'm working on teaching her more words and a couple of new signs but it's hard to not try to keep her as my sweet little baby. She has this little grin that melts my heart, it's a cross between sweetness and looking for trouble and it makes me want to hug her close. Today she was super snuggly, which I cherished because she so often would rather run around and play. Annelise is also showing more of an interest in books. It's amazing that my child didn't have much love for books for such a long time, but now she brings them to me to read and it makes me so happy!

Well, I guess that's enough of an update to keep my sisters happy for now. We're getting ready for our trip to TX/IN, so I'm staying busy and will probably not post again for a while.

Christmas in Japan

2010-01-08T01:38:00.000-08:00

I have been informed by my sister that I was supposed to make a Christmas post, so here goes. You'll have to wait a while for the pictures to be posted on Shutterfly though, we have a lot going on right now!

On Christmas Eve, we went to the children's Mass and then drove over to Derick and Lisa's house (there blog is listed under Los Gees on the right side of this page) and had lots of fun. Annelise was afraid of their dog Kona at first, it's been a while since we were at their house and Kona is a big dog, she's used to being around much smaller dogs. She got used to Kona by the end of the night, thank goodness. We had fun hanging out with our friends and meeting some of Lisa and Derick's friends, and the best part was playing Guitar Hero!! It was Derick's Christmas gift from Lisa and he got to open it early so we could all play. I don't know most of the songs on there, my childhood was filled with George Strait and this game is full of classic rock. I did sing along to Willie Nelson's 'On the Road Again', though, no one else really knew that one. John had lots of fun playing the drums and Annelise was our groupie, she stood in the center of the room and danced her little heart out.

The next morning we got up bright and early to open gifts. Our parents went a little overboard on the gift-buying this year so we spread out Annelise's gifts throughout the day. Santa brought her a wagon, a chair, some clothes, books, and a couple of other small toys. Annelise also received lots of adorable clothes from our families, some really cool toys, and her favorite gifts, a spoon and some socks. Why did we bother buying toys for her?

John received a Kindle from me this year, he's starting his Master's soon and since we're overseas it will make things much easier to be able to just download most of the books instead of having to wait for them to arrive in the mail. In general, our mail service is great, but there are always exceptions and those exceptions are always the things you actually NEED instead of stuff you just WANT. He also got a few new shirts and some other stuff, but he was most excited about the Kindle and plugged it in right away. He received several Amazon gift cards and I think has already spent them all on Kindle books!

I got some amazing gifts this year, Annelise gave me a gift certificate for TWO massages, I really needed them! John bought me some sewing accesories, like a tote full of thread and supplies and a case for the machine that I bought with my birthday money. He also bought me a hand-blown vase that was made not far from here, it's something I'll treasure for a long time. I also love the gift I received from John's brother. He actually bought me a very nice gift, but the part I was most excited about was a bar of soap that he got from his room in the Plaza Hotel in NYC. We were chatting when he was there a few months ago and Danny went on and on about how great the soap smelled so I told him to swipe me a bar. It turns out that it is Bulgari soap, and you Janet Evanovich readers know why I'm so excited! One of the main characters in her books is the mysterious, very handsome, very sexy bounty hunter named Ranger and he uses Bulgari Green shower gel and now I have soap that smells like him! I think I'm going to put it in my dresser so all of my clothes smell extra yummy.

On Christmas Day we were able to talk to our families and Annelise showed off her toys for the grandparents on Skype, but she really was most excited about the spoon and socks. We went to lunch at the dining hall on base with several people from John's office. The base leadership serves lunch and the dining hall is open to everyone instead of just the people who live in the dorms and we had fun helping one of the airmen win a bunch of gift cards.

Later that day we went over to Yazmin and Dave's house for even more fun. I made a brisket and yummy rolls and we enjoyed taking time to just relax and hang out with friends. We even played Guitar Hero again and I'm learning the words to more songs. We also had not-good margaritas and then I had a yummy amaretto sour and a delicious mudslide. I think they realized that I'm a better singer when I've had a few drinks in me...

Overall, we had a wonderful Christmas. We missed our families and this was the first year that we didn't celebrate any part of the holiday with any of our families, but our friends helped fill in that gap. We had a 'slightly white' Christmas where there was a little snow on the ground but the streets were clear. So our first Christmas in Japan was a success and we're looking forward to next year!

Christmas Letter, 2009

2009-12-15T16:23:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas from Misawa, Japan! We’ve certainly been busy since our last Christmas letter! The Minear Family packed up and moved to Misawa Air Base at the end of January, courtesy of the Air Force. We moved to a small farming community in Northern Japan and love our new life here. We live off-base in a very interesting house, our kitchen and bathrooms are very different from what we were used to. We also purchased two used cars and John finally got a TV of his own, instead of the hand-me-downs we had in New Mexico. We are enjoying getting to know our Japanese neighbors, Annelise and I walked to the air show with them in October and had a lot of fun.
This year has been filled with a lot of travel, John has to leave town every month or so for work and we took a family vacation to Guam in July. We had a wonderful week there and Annelise LOVES the beach! We also made a trip to Florida this fall; John was already there for work so Annelise and I took a military flight to Seattle and then made our way to the Southeast. I had a lot of fun shopping and buying things as simple as Pepto-Bismol tablets that you don’t have to chew and my favorite scent of deodorant. We have everything we need available on base, but there are times when you want a specific brand or color or scent and you have to make do. Of course, I also bought plenty of clothes and Christmas gifts while I was in Florida as well! The best part about our trip to Florida was visiting Disney World. My parents, sisters, and brothers-in-law and John’s mom, aunt and uncle met us there and we had a blast. Annelise enjoyed all of the attention and John and I enjoyed spending time with family and not having to carry her everywhere. My parents were just here for a week over Thanksgiving and I think they really enjoyed their trip. They tried several new foods and we showed them our favorite spots around Misawa.
In between the big trips, we’ve also made several small trips around the Aomori Prefecture (our region of Japan). We went cherry picking, to a baseball game, and to a number of festivals. Our favorite festivals are the Cherry Blossom Festival in the Spring and the Misawa City Festival in the Summer. John was able to climb Mount Fuji this summer after going to Tokyo for a work trip; he was able to see the sun rise from the summit. Our favorite place in Japan, however, is Shipwreck Beach. There are five or six wooden ships there, partially buried in the sand right on Mutsu Bay. We love going to Shipwreck for picnics and to search for sea glass and other treasures. I’ve got a bunch of sea glass just waiting to be made into jewelry and other crafts, if only I had the time.
We have made many new friends here in Misawa. I learned from living in Clovis that you have to get out and get involved in order to meet people, so within our first month here I took a pottery class and got involved in the squadron and the Misawa Officers’ Spouses’ Club. We’re lucky to be in another great squadron, I was definitely worried that I had been spoiled by the Wizards and Fireballs at Cannon but was pleasantly surprised by how involved people are here. It really is true that you band together when you’re overseas and so far from family. I am now on the board for MOSC and am still wondering how I got roped into it. John really likes the people that he works with and some of them are even married! So we’ve been lucky enough to make friends in the squadron, through my adventures, and even some ‘hand-me-down friends’ that I met through one of my old friends from Clovis. We are truly blessed by this and my parents said that leaving here was a little easier knowing that we have such a great group of people who care so much about us.
My favorite thing about living in Misawa is how beautiful and colorful everything is. From the flowers that start in the spring and last well into the fall to the amazing foliage all around, Japan is such a beautiful country. John’s favorite thing about living in Misawa is exploring the country. Between ski trips in the winter and all of the festivals, we have been able to see quite a bit of this part of Japan. Annelise’s favorite thing about Japan is definitely how friendly the people are. She loves waving and saying Hi to everyone, and all of the Japanese people adore her.
Speaking of our beautiful little girl, Annelise just turned one! As I said, my parents were here for Thanksgiving and her birthday (which was on Thanksgiving Day this year) and I tried my hand at making her cake. She had lots of fun eating the cake and playing with her new toys. She is growing and changing so much, she picks up new tricks every time I turn around! Annelise and I have been going to Water Babies, a swim class on base. The class is almost over but she has had a lot of fun and is no longer scared of going under water, now we just have to keep up with taking her to the pool so she doesn’t forget what she learned. She can’t swim yet, but we’re hoping to take the class again next fall. Annelise has been walking for a little while now and we’ve had to put up baby gates to keep her off of the stairs and away from the Christmas tree. She loves Elmo and would watch Sesame Street all day long if I would let her; she was very excited to get Elmo pajamas and books for her birthday. Our sweet girl is so very friendly; she has never met a stranger. She took to our families right away when we were in Florida, even though we hadn’t seen them since January, and even waves at people when we’re driving down the street! If you are on Skype, look us up because Annelise loves talking to people on the ‘TV’.
We are planning a trip to the States in a couple of months and again for my sister’s wedding this summer. Hopefully we’ll get to see most of you while we’re out there, we certainly miss our friends and family. Please continue to check ajminear.blogspot.com and ajminear.shutterfly.com for updates and photos of our adventures and leave us comments to let us know what you think!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Love,
The Minears
John, Angela & Annelise

One Year Old

2009-12-05T00:19:00.000-08:00

I've been putting this post off because it's bittersweet. Annelise turned one year old on Thanksgiving and I can't believe our sweet, sweet baby is now a toddler. My parents were here for the week before her birthday and we had lots of fun showing them around. They taught her some fun new sounds, she now makes a high-pitched noise to try to whistle. We went to the doctor this week and although Annelise hasn't gained much weight since her last appointment, she's met all of the milestones for her age. She has been slow to gain weight because of all of the walking she's doing, along with her swim class. We only have 3 classes left and I hope that she starts packing on the pounds once we're done.

We started Annelise's twelfth month with a short jaunt from Ft. Walton Beach over to Pensacola to spend the day with Auntie Kim and Nana Peggy. We met them at the Navy base and watched the Blue Angels practice and then went inside the museum and got autographs! Afterwards, Mommy got to go back 'home' for the first time in monts, we went to Hobby Lobby. We had a lot of fun that day and then went back to our hotel to prepare for the big trip to Orlando.

On that Friday, we left for Orlando as soon as Daddy got home from work; the drive took over 7 hours but it was worth it to see the family and go to Disney World. We got to the hotel after midnight and you stayed up for a while playing with Babi, Grandaddy, Grandma, Nanna, Kyle, Lusa, Trent, and Uncle Greg and Aunt Karen. That's right, Grandma surprised us by bringing some relatives that we had never met! We had a blast the next day at the Magic Kingdom, riding rides and seeing the sights. Buzz Lightyear and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad were everyone's favorites and you loved being held by everyone and basking in the attention. Because it was Halloween, you were dressed in the adorable dress that Aunt Karen made and the whole park was decked out! That night we went to a restaurant that Mommy really liked but apparently some of the others weren't huge fans of. That's what they get for ordering the same old-same old, I was adventurous and lucked out!

The next day we took some family pictures and then packed up to go back to Ft. Walton Beach. It was a short weekend, but so worth it. We had so much fun with family and can't wait to go back to Disney World when you're older. We also want to make a trip to Tokyo Disney before we move.

The rest of our time in Florida was spent shopping and spending time with Daddy. We flew back to Seattle and ended up having to wait a day to get on the Patriot Express because of maintenance problems. The motel that Mommy picked was kind of shabby, but it was next to a Denny's, down the block from a convenience store, and had a free shuttle to/from the airport. That was all very important because the airport only had two restaurants outside of security and Mommy was tired of them. Plus they did not have Dr Pepper in the airport, while the convenience store did!

We made it safely back to Misawa and you did so well on all of the flights. Annelise, thank you so much for being such a good traveller, it makes life a lot easier. Once we got back to Misawa we cleaned the house and unpacked all of the stuff that we bought and mailed in Florida. Daddy came home a week later and then we started prepping for Babi and Grandaddy to visit!

When Babi and Grandaddy came to Misawa, we took them to Shimoda Mall, Hachinohe (the fish market and Niitori), the Pacific Ocean, and Hirosaki Castle. You and I took kimono pictures with Babi and we also had one-year-old pictures made of you. We had a great time and made lots of memories. But now for the real reason they flew thousands of miles: your birthday!!

We started the day with some rain. Then Mommy had to run to Yokomachi because we forgot to thaw the rolls. Then we got to eat Thanksgiving dinner! It was definitely better than last year's, Daddy makes a much tastier turkey than the hospital. Mommy decorated your cake with pink and purple icing and yellow and pink flowers. It was not as elaborate as I would have liked, but I keep reminding myself that all that mattered was that it tasted good. Your Tio David and Tia Yazmin came over to help celebrate and we sang Happy Birthday to you. I helped blow out your candle and then we let you dig in to your cake. You enjoyed rubbing icing on your face and in your hair while the grown-ups ate cupcakes, and then Babi took you upstairs and hosed you down in the bathtub.

Annelise, you are one blessed little girl. So many people who love you gave you birthday presents. You got lots of pretty clothes, winter gear (a coat, two hats, gloves, and some boots!), several books and puzzles, and lots of toys. My favorites are the Little People toys and your favorites are the push toy, Cookie Monster doll, and spoons and forks. You're not very good at eating with them yet, but you like to pretend they're drumsticks!

This month has been a busy month for you, little girl. Not only did we DO a lot of fun stuff, a lot of fun stuff HAPPENED! You got your sixth tooth not long after we got back to Misawa and I can tell that you're working on getting two more. You have different waves for Hello and Bye-bye and have started pointing at things. You say Grandaddy very well and also sing 'I Love You, Yeah Yeah Yeah', it's so cute! You can now climb stairs, we had to go to a Japanese store to find a baby gate wide enough to keep you off of our staircase. The craziest thing that happened was that you managed to turn on your Elmo DVD by yourself! The best we can figure, you were playing at the entertainment center and pushed the power button to the bluray player. Because of the way it had previously been turned off, it started the movie without you having to hit play. All I really know is that I was washing dishes and realized that you were watching Elmo, but I hadn't turned the movie on! You also got sick for the first time this month, you got a cold that lasted about 48 hours. The snotty sneezing was pretty gross, but I credit breastfeeding with the fact that you recovered so quickly. You also got some new shoes this month, they have squeakers in the soles and you love to toddle around making noise. Sadly, we have misplaced one of the shoes so you have been squeak-less for a week or so.

Annelise, you're so grown up now! You are very independent and love walking everywhere so I cherish the times that you're sleepy and want to snuggle. This last year has been so wonderful and I look forward to what the next year with you will bring!

November 18, Ten Years Later

2009-11-17T21:54:00.000-08:00

I saw Bonfire being built once, on an October Saturday in 1999. Just a few short weeks later, Texas A&M was all over the news because the stack had fallen in the wee hours of November 18th. I took a lot of crap from people I went to high school with, I spent a few hours worrying about friends on campus and if they were OK, and I got my acceptance letter a few weeks later and officially became an Aggie, it was a turning point in my life.

Freshman year I went to the memorial and cried the entire time, in the rain. I've only been to the official memorial once to read the inscriptions and stand on that hallowed ground and I've never seen the off-campus Bonfire burn, I'm waiting for the return of the real, official Bonfire to campus. When it does, I will go back to College Station from wherever I am in the world with child(ren) in tow. I will stand in the crowd of my kinsmen and cheer, celebrating the lives of all Aggies and the 'burning desire to beat the HELL out of t.u.'

I bleed maroon always, no matter where I live or how long it has been since I stepped foot on campus. I am drawn to buy maroon clothing and shy away from anything orange, even if I know I'll look good in it. I wear my ring proudly and 'scope' other people's hands for Aggie rings as well. When I see a fellow Ag, I know I am with family and feel perfectly at home. I know that, between my Aggie family and my Air Force family, I am never alone and am even more grateful when those families overlap. Non-Aggies are amazed when I go right up to someone with an Aggie ring and introduce myself, they just don't understand how I could walk right up to a General or a random person in an airport. But then again...

From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. From the inside looking out, you can't explain it.

Today I remember the twelve who died when Bonfire fell and the many, many more who have given their lives in the service of our country. After the service academies, Texas A&M has commissioned more officers in the armed forces than any other university. We have actually commissioned more officers than the Air Force Academy. We have a long history of loyal service to our God, our Country, and our University. I am proud to be a part of that history and hope that I make Aggieland proud of me. It is so much more than a school, it is the beginning of the rest of your life.

So in memory of Aggies past, in honor of Aggies present, and in hope for Aggies future, I answer, Here.

11 Months Already? (several weeks late)

2009-11-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

Annelise, we had an amazing month together, going to water babies and running all over Misawa getting stuff done to prepare for our big trip back to the States. We started the month by sending Daddy off to Alaska, he spent a few weeks there and then went on to Florida. While Daddy was in Alaska, we helped Auntie Kim pack for her trip to Florida, and man was that tough! It took us alllll day to get her suitcases under the weight limit and then we had to help her mail a bunch of stuff. That was when we discovered your fear of packing tape, you cry every time you hear it being pulled off the roll. I don't really know where this fear came from, but we're dealing with it.

You got bucked off the couch this month, I'm still not sure how it happened but you ended up on the floor with a huge new bruise. You also conquered your first typhoon, which wasn't much of a typhoon at all since it went south of Misawa. We basically just got some wind and rain and lived to tell the tale.

Mommy spent a lot of time baking this month, our squadron sold cakes and other assorted fun stuff at the annual Misawa Air Fest. I made 40 cakes and then got to spend the day watching some really cool planes fly around. We walked to the air show with our Japanese neighbors, you loved that. The girls entertained you all the way from our house to the flight line, which is quite a trek. You got your first tattoo, an F-16 of course, and got to watch the Japanese Blue Impulse demo team and the USAF Thunderbirds! You're such a little Air Force baby, the sound of the jets didn't bother you a bit and you only got annoyed when you ran out of puffs to eat. After the air show, we got to see Mommy and Daddy's friend SLICK, who flies Thunderbird #2. We met SLICK and his family when we lived in New Mexico and I was very excited to get a picture of the two of you together.

We spent quite a bit of time cleaning up the house in anticipation of Babi and Grandaddy's impending trip to Misawa. They won't get here until you're almost a year old, but we had to do stuff far in advance because we took a quickly-planned trip to meet Daddy in Florida! Knowing that Daddy would be away from us for almost 2 months and that we now have access to a weekly flight to Seattle, we decided this was the perfect time for you to make another trans-Pacific flight. Preparation for this trip included cleaning up the house, throwing some clothes into a suitcase, and a lot of waiting around. We waited at the passenger terminal for several hours before finding out that we made it on the flight, then we spent a lot of time on planes in order to get to Florida. We flew from Misawa to Seattle, with a stop in Alaska, then we waited around in Seattle before we flew to Charlotte and then to Pensacola. Thankfully, Auntie Kim and Nana Peggy were happy to pick us up in Pensacola and entertain us until Daddy got off of work and drove over to retrieve us.

Once we finally got to our hotel, you had the best time playing with Daddy. He is still your favorite person and you completely light up when he gets home from work. Since we got here, you have taken your first steps and it is amazing to see you discover your surroundings from this new perspective.

Auntie Kim and Nana Peggy babysat you on the 24th so Mommy and Daddy could go out for my birthday, you had a blast and we ate some really good steak. You're such a parrot and had a blast mimicking Papa Wade and playing with little Brayton.

My next post will be all about our time at Disney World with the family, we had a wonderful trip and made some great memories!! I can't believe you'll be a year old soon, the last year has just flown by.

My Sweet 10-month-old

2009-09-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

My sweet Annelise Marie, you are ten months old now and I can't believe we're only two months away from your birthday! I've already begun planning your party, I've even started buying stuff for the favor baggies!

This has been yet another busy month, we started going to Water Babies this month and you love it! There are 6 other mommies and babies in your class and we get together twice a week and sing songs and play in the pool. You love to 'kick, kick, kick' and hate having water dripped on your face.

This month, we met Baby Yushin, he's my friend Junko's baby and looks like a little Japanese man! He's so adorable and I can't wait for him to be big enough for you to play with. We also found out this month that Aunt Carla is having a boy, I can't wait to meet Baby Quinn when we go back to Texas next year! Speaking of babies, you do not like it when I play with other babies, you like being the center of attention.

Your favorite toy right now is the dinosaur Roll-A-Round toy, there are places for little balls to roll all over it and you have finally figured out how to do so and to get it to make noise. At first, you just chewed on the balls or threw them, then you tried to climb on the dinosaur to get closer to Elmo on the TV, then you figured out how to push the buttons to get sound without having to deal with the balls! You are one smart little girl!!

We went to the Lake Towada Kunizakai festival this month and got to see some really cool floats and dancing. The best part was when some kids were handing out apples and you got one! We ate it the next day at the beach. That's right, we made another trip to Shipwreck Beach, this time with Daddy in tow. We got to hang out with the Gerst family and eat a yummy picnic. It's getting cooler now, so that may be the last time we go to the beach until next year, although I do want to take Babi and Grandaddy out there when they visit.

You went to the doctor twice this month, I was worried that you had an ear infection but it turned out to just be a new tooth. This tooth (tooth #5) came in twice, it went back down after it came in the first time and made me very angry. I hate that you were in so much pain and the only things that help are Momma Milk and motrin. The second appointment was for your well-baby check and you are doing great! Your doctor was very impressed and said you're right on track.

So what are you doing now that is so amazing?? You make a monkey sound, a dog sound (or 'Rona sound'), a horse sound, and an Indian sound. You also know to say 'Yah' when I ask if you're hungry and shake your head 'no' if I offer something that you don't want. You tasted a pork chop this month and I'm working on getting more solids in you to fatten you back up; water babies has slimmed you down a little.

And your biggest accomplishment this month??? You stood on your own!! We were at Daddy's tug-of-war tournament (his team placed third, they were the top American team. yeah!) and you were playing with some Japanese kids and just stood up! You haven't done it since then but I don't really mind, I want you to stay my baby for as long as possible.

We went to the base pool with Daddy last week and had a blast. You loved showing off all the things you're learning in swim class and wanted him to play with you the whole time. I might as well not have been there! I think next time I'll stay at home and take a nap while you guys hang out together...

We ended the month in a great way. Daddy and I went to the Air Force Ball on base while Auntie Kim babysat you here at the house!! Auntie Kim watched you a while back while I got my hair cut, but it didn't really count because she just walked around the BX with you while I was just down the hall at the salon. So yeah, this was your first official time to be babysat by a non-family member and you did really well!

I love you, Annelise, and hopefully by the time I write another one of these, we'll be in Florida!

Stolen from Annie: Crafty chain letter!

2009-09-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

My friend Annie posted this blog chain letter and I thought it was a cool idea, so here goes...

The first 5 people to leave a comment on this post will receive something handmade from me. The catch (in true chain letter fashion) is that you have to post this on your own blog/facebook/myspace page. Just leave a comment and then e-mail me your address if I don't already have it.

The rules:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. What you get is what you get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It will be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying.
5. I reserve the right to do something strange.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this on your blog and make something for the first 5 people to respond to your blog post.
7. Send your mailing address to lone_angel_04 at yahoo dot com.

Nine Months Old!!

2009-08-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

Full post to come, I'm tired and don't feel like blogging today. On the plus side, I'm going to try a weekly 'survey' like Roommate and Friend do so that you guys are kept more up-to-date on what we're up to.

Well, Annelise, you've now been outside my tummy as long as you were inside it. You're definitely not the tiny little thing that Dr. Fuelberth took out of me, you get taller and heavier every day. We don't spend much time at the beach these days because you're too heavy for me to cart around for long. Your looks are changing, when you were born you looked just like me, but now you look more like your daddy. Your eyes are still a beautiful blue, you have Babi to thank for that, and your hair is growing and getting thicker. We're still stuck using headbands but I figure you'll have enough hair for pigtails before you're two...

We've had another great month here in Japan, Daddy climbed Mt. Fuji with Uncle Derick and Auntie Lisa and brought you back a climbing stick. We spent more time at the Dirty Kimono Shop where you get to see your friends, the crazy old men who work there. After our last trip there we went to breakfast with Kim, Junko, and Akiko and you had your first taste of eggs! You really like scrambled eggs, but if I feed them to you, you take them out of your mouth so you can feed yourself. We haven't fed you many new foods this month, when I feed you 'real food' at our dinner time (around 6), you don't eat enough breastmilk before bed and wake up hungry a few hours later. I've got to get better about feeding you something at lunch, but I usually just grab a sandwich instead of cooking something.

We parked our car at the American Park one Saturday for a huge yard sale, that was a lot of fun. We made about $100 (which I used to fuel my kimono addiction and at my new favorite recycle shop) and you made a friend named Lily! It was a long day, but we got rid of a bunch of stuff that we didn't need anymore. We did go to the beach three times this month looking for sea glass, we found some cool shells and sand dollars, but not a whole lot of sea glass. We also made two trips to Aomori, one to drop off Tia Yazmin and Tio David at the airport and one to pick them up. On our first trip, we found an amazing recycle shop called Crazy Used Store Bomber, it's my new favorite place to shop except for all the stuffed animals. And by stuffed, I mean someone spent a LOT of money at the taxidermist's. I bought you your first Elmo doll there, along with a few kokeshi dolls and a really cool gift for your godfather. On our second trip, we went to the Big Buddha, which was very interesting. I was the unofficial tour guide since I was the only one who bothered to read the guidebook, and we enjoyed discovering what each building or site was meant for. There was a very sad area full of pinwheels stuck in the ground that were placed there in memory of unborn children, but it was nice that they are remembered. We really liked taking pictures all over the place and even got a cute one of you in a big basket!

One of the most interesting things we did this month was actually two things! The store on base held a Christmas in July event and you got to take a picture with Santa Claus, and then the next week you got to take a picture with Elmo! You didn't mind Santa, but Elmo scared you; you like to have a chance to assess the situation and when Elmo walked right up and got in your face a little, you freaked! You're crying in the pics with Elmo, but I figure you need some of that kind of photos to show your therapist in a few decades.

This was also the month of the Misawa City Festival. We went to the parade on Friday evening and got to see some amazing floats that were all made right here in Misawa. The parade on Saturday didn't have big amazing floats, but it did have lots of people in crazy costumes. There were sumo wrestlers, ninjas, and even a whole group of men dressed like Michael Jackson. Some people might think that they dressed that way because MJ passed away this summer, but they are apparently in the parade every year! The only disappointment from this festival was the lack of potato on a stick, my favorite festival food.

Annelise, you are a very sweet and smart girl. You know just when to do the sweetest things, like snuggling with me or Daddy or giving kisses or saying 'I Love You'. That's right, you're only nine months old and can already say I Love You! Granted, it sounds more like 'ah la lya', but you say it in response to someone telling you they love you so I think it counts. Your favorite words are Mama, Dada, Babi, Nana, Me, and Lala, you even said something that sounded like Grandaddy the other day! You have figured out how to work some of your toys this month, like the caterpiller you got for Valentine's Day. You hook the pull around your teeth and pull the caterpiller away from you to make it jiggle. I'm pretty sure this is bad for your teeth so you don't get to play with him anymore. You have learned how to 'find hidden objects' (that's a milestone!) by taking toys out of their containers and try to roll toys down the neck of your Roll A Rounds toy. The Roll A Rounds toy, however, is not as good of a toy as I originally thought, you tried to climb on the steps of the tail (it's a dinosaur) and also tipped it over trying to climb on it. You really like to dance and sing, the Friends theme song is a favorite of yours, and you even decided to dance after an earthquake!

We got to see three of my Great-Aunties on Skype this month, you were amazed by how much they talk. You still love talking on the phone and on Skype, you especially love giving kisses and telling on me. I swear, you get a different tone to your voice sometimes and I just know that you're telling on me for not letting you chew on something or for buckling you in your carseat and taking you somewhere when you really want to crawl all over the place.

Annelise, you're getting closer and closer to standing on your own, but you're still very scared of it. The other day, Daddy noticed that after you clap your hands, you clasp your fingers together. You're so cute and smart!! I think you weigh about 20 pounds now, but we won't find out for sure until Sept 16th, there's only one pediatrician right now so we had to wait awhile to get an appointment.

This coming month is sure to be full of fun stuff, Japan is always serving up one surprise or another and you never cease to amaze me!

Quick update

2009-08-13T01:41:00.000-07:00

We've been up to a lot, yet not a lot, lately. John climbed Mount Fuji at the beginning of the month with a couple of our friends. They started in the evening and climbed overnight to see the sunrise at 4:30. He had a lot of fun and they brought back some amazing pictures. We've spent a lot of time hanging out with friends, going to each other's house for dinner and whatnot. Annelise and I have also spent quite a bit of time running around doing a whole lot of nothing. I feel like we leave the house almost every day but don't get a whole lot done. Yesterday we found an amazing recycle shop in Aomori, there were several things that I would have liked to bring home with me but didn't have the money or space in the car for. That's probably a good thing, I realized that I don't really need a curio cabinet just now and that although the samurai helmet was really cool, we don't have a place for it in our house. I did, however, come home with four new kokeshi dolls and some bobble-head Morioka horses, as well as a birthday gift for someone special. We're going to go back to Aomori this weekend to pick up some friends from the airport (I dropped them off yesterday, that's why I was there) and hope to check out the Big Buddha there. I can't wait to post pics, this Buddha is seriously gigantic, you can walk around inside the statue, and he's not the tubby guy that Americans imagine, he's more regal.

I'm finally getting started on my craft projects, I'm currently working on a curtain-ish thing to cover our linen cabinet and am finally starting a quilt that I meant to make almost 2 years ago. I then want to try my hand at teddy bears and purses made from the awesome kimonos I've been buying and work on some sea glass jewelry. Speaking of which, I have plans to go back to the kimono shop and also to search for sea glass next week!

Have I said lately how grateful I am that John went to weapons' school? Thanks to him going through six months of hell, I get to live in this paradise and try all kinds of new things. Before we got this assignment, I always said that the one place I didn't want to get stationed was Asia because it was just too different from everything I'm used to. I'm so glad that God and the Air Force didn't ask for my opinion! I've already made so many new friends and so many wonderful memories and I can't wait to see what else this assignment has in store for us!! This just goes to show that there is good to be found in every event in life, in every place the Air Force sends you. I don't believe that crap about God not listening or not answering prayers; I believe that sometimes He says 'No' for your own good, just like I tell Annelise 'No' when she tries to chew on an electrical cord or climb up the stairs. She doesn't understand why, but I do, and the same thing goes for events in our lives. We don't understand, but God does, and being in the Air Force has definitely taught us that.

8 Months Old!?!?

2009-07-26T02:09:00.000-07:00

Goodness gracious, Annelise, I can't believe you're already 8 months old! You didn't have a doctor's appointment this month, but I know that you've grown in both height and weight. When I'm nursing you in the middle of the night, I look down at you in my arms and can't believe how big my baby girl has gotten.

This month has been very exciting for us, we started by going to a cherry orchard, cherries are one of your favorite foods. I wish they were easier to eat, but I can't just give you a cherry to gnaw on because of the seed. The next day we went to a Japanese baseball game, which is completely different from an American baseball game. The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles didn't win, but they had fun cheerleaders and mascots, including an eagle-like man, a pickle, and two dwarves. You had fun playing with the noisemakers that we got and Mommy got her first taste of Japanese rest stop food. I had some sort of pastry with ham and egg salad, it wasn't very pretty but it was very very good.

The next week we went on our Guamanian vacation, where you got your fourth tooth and started pulling yourself up on everything that will stand still for a few moments. You adored the beach, you thought that the ocean was the perfect place for splashing and loved licking salt water from your hands and eating sand. During our Guamanian vacation, you got to ride the train for the first time and were pretty good on the way to Tokyo. On the way back, however, you were tired and ready to get home and weren't very well-behaved.

Annelise Marie, you've been growing and growing this month, and it's not all because of Mommy Milk anymore! You love eating apples and grapes, as well as Gerber puffs. Your favorites are the fruit-flavored ones, you've got a sweet tooth like your mommy. You also tasted broccoli and chicken this month, as well as Mommy's ice cream. This will be a surprise to your daddy, but I just couldn't resist your sweet little smile and gave you some when we were in Towada the other day.

Speaking of Towada, we went to Lake Towada last weekend for the fireworks but were rained out. It's a good thing I bought a rain cover for your stroller because without it we would have turned around and headed home. The cover kept out the wind and rain so that you were much warmer and more comfortable than the rest of us.

This weekend is the Tanabata Festival here in Misawa and yesterday we dressed up in our yukata and strolled around town. For me, that meant that I wore a kimono and obi, and for you it meant wearing a cute little onesie-like outfit that I bought at Nishimatsuya (the bunny store). We looked beautiful together and had lots of fun. Sadly, I did not get another potato on a stick because I was full from eating my chicken fried rice.

You're so grown up, Annelise, you crawl all over the place and are now working on walking around by holding on to the furniture or your cage. You haven't gotten very far yet, but I'm sure it will happen soon. Your hair has grown so much in the last month; you're not ready for bows or pigtails yet, but it's better than it was. Your favorite words are mama, dada, and baba. We're not sure what baba refers to, but you say it all the time. Daddy is your favorite person, it's hopeless to get your attention when you're looking at him. Your next favorite person is Elmo, you refuse to talk to Babi or Grandma on the phone when Sesame Street is on and you love watching the Elmo's World DVDs that Daddy bought for you.

The next time I write one of these posts, you'll have been to the doctor again. I can't wait to find out how much you weigh and how tall you are! I already know that the doc will be amazed by how smart you are, your grasping abilities are above-average because of the way we feed you and you use your feet to pick things up and get them to your hands!

Well, my smart little baby, until next month! I love you so much!!

Where America's Day Begins...

2009-07-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our vacation to Guam, we had so much fun! This is the first real vacation we've been on since our honeymoon, so we were overdue. We started by taking the bullet train to Tokyo, then another train to the airport. We got to Guam around 2am, but Annelise had spent so much time cooped up on our laps that we were up until almost 4 playing with her. The next day we explored the island a little, we saw an old friend at the BX on the Air Force base, and I ate a DELICIOUS cheeseburger! We stopped at a Spanish fort to take some pics and met two Buddhist monks! On Friday, the sky was pretty overcast so we ate some delicious Mexican food and then went to an aquarium. We love taking Annelise to aquariums, she adores water and fish and this aquarium had a good-sized tunnel to walk through with all kinds of fun sea life. John bought Annelise a stuffed sea turtle that we named Squirt, like the turtle in Finding Nemo. We ended up at one of the public beaches that afternoon, Annelise loved the 80 degree water and was delighted to sit in the sand and splash around. She also tried to eat some sand, and judging by her diapers I didn't do a very good job of keeping the sand out of her mouth. That night we got some delicious steak at Tony Roma's. I know, I'm the idiot American who goes on vacation to a tropical island and eats American food, but I miss American food! I haven't found a decent steak in Misawa and the Homemade 1/2 pound Cheeseburger at Jeff's Pirate's Cove was so good I almost cried.

On Saturday, John went scuba diving and Annelise and I slept late. That afternoon we did some more exploring, and we did the same on Sunday. Sunday morning John went diving again and Annelise and I walked down to the Denny's for breakfast. The kid is so used to Japanese people fawning all over her that I think she was a little disappointed by her reception on Guam. People thought she was cute, but they had better things to do than play with her. That afternoon we took some pictures at the place where Ferdinand Magellan landed on Guam in 1512, I felt very historical. Monday morning we planned on driving to the Southern tip of the island and going to a resort, but Annelise was having a bad morning and we ended up just hanging around the room. That night, we went to dinner at Rhonda and Popeye's house, it was so nice to spend some time with old friends. It made me feel like we're in the 'real' Air Force, we've been around long enough to go to dinner with people we used to be stationed with. (p.s., we just found out that some of our old neighbors from Cannon are moving here, that makes me feel even more grown up! People always talk about how small the Air Force is and how you meet up with people you used to be stationed with and now it's happening. With John's career field, we're very likely to switch types of bases with each move so I had given up hope on being stationed with people I actually know.)

Tuesday morning we went back to the AF base to do a little more shopping and mail our souvenirs home so we wouldn't have to cart them with us on the planes and trains. We went to the beach on the navy base that afternoon and had a wonderful time. I bought a floatie for Annelise, which she did not like very much because it impeded her splashing abilities, and we spent some time in the deeper water so Annelise could actually swim with the fishies while John snorkeled a bit. Then we sat on the beach, on the beautiful sand, in the crystal-clear water, and just enjoyed some time together as a family.

We had a wonderful vacation, even if Annelise misbehaved on the train rides back. She spent the first night in Guam in a 'fort' that we made by blocking off the space between the two beds with pillows and a suitcase, but then we bought a pack-n-play for her to sleep in the rest of the week. It would have cost us almost $200 to rent a crib from the hotel so instead we bought an $80 pack-n-play and I didn't have to worry about how clean the sheets and mattress were. We ate some delicious food, including pancakes that were the size of dinner plates and almost an inch thick. When you go to Jan Z's for breakfast, you only order one pancake. They have delicious tropical tea on the island, it's mango-flavored and doesn't need any sugar. I looked up the brand they serve at the Mexican restaurant and I can't afford it, it's $9 for 6 bags!

Annelise is now crawling like a champ and pulling up on anything that stands still. She also got her fourth tooth on the train ride to Tokyo and now gives the sweetest baby kisses ever. We took lots of pictures while we were on Guam, we even figured out how to use the timer so that we have a few (crooked) family pictures. Check ajminear.shutterfly.com for the pics, hope you enjoy them!

Seven Months Old!!

2009-06-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

Annelise Marie, we've had a lot of fun this month! You've grown and changed quite a bit, and your personality is so vibrant.

We started the month with a doctor's visit. You are happy and healthy and the doc was impressed that you can sit on your own. You now (almost a month later) weigh about 17 pounds and are 27 inches tall. I can't believe that you've doubled your birthweight and grown half a foot! You had to get two shots this time, you were supposed to get three but the clinic was out of the third one. You don't have to go back to the doc until you're 9 months old and other than the shot we're still waiting on, you don't have any more immunizations until you're a year old! I am very grateful for that, you're always so quiet and sad when you get shots.

We spent plenty of time with friends this month and made new friends, as well. You got to play on LYNX's piano and you're such a ham that you would bang your fingers on the keys and then turn and look at us to make sure we saw how cute you were being. We took Lisa and Yazmin to the kimono shop and I found an obi with butterflies on it, I'm going to use it to make a wall hanging of some sort for your room when you're older.

We went to Shipwreck Beach twice this month, you like being outside but are not fond of the SPF 70 sunscreen that I slather all over you. It doesn't help much, you've still picked up some color even though I reapply it every two hours. We also went canoeing on Lake Ogawara last weekend. You liked sitting on my lap and watching the world move by, but you did not like wearing a life jacket. I guess you'll just have to get used to it, though, because Daddy and I like going out on the lake.

We felt our first two earthquakes this month, they feel like you're driving over railroad tracks even though you're standing still. When we felt the first one, you looked at me with this confused look on your face, you wondered how we were moving without actually moving!

I had two spouses' events again this month, but this time you stayed home with Daddy for both of them. I left bottles of pumped milk so you wouldn't go hungry and you actually drank some of it the first night. You also fell asleep in Daddy's arms, you haven't done that since you were only a few days old. The second night, you decided that you didn't want a bottle and went to bed without dinner, but then I accidentally woke you up when I was putting a heavier blanket on you (it was very cold that night) so you didn't go hungry.

Your intelligence is sometimes overwhelming, Annelise. First, you taught yourself how to play peekaboo, now you imitate the elephant sound on your jumperoo. I get a big smile on my face every time I hear you chattering with your animals, and you also like to hear your voice echo when we go up and down the stairs. You are a very smart child, sweet girl, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

The most exciting thing we've done this month is started you on solid foods. We bypassed the pureed baby foods and jumped directly in to feeding you table food. You're so independent that I'm not sure how you would have handled me spoon-feeding you anyway. So far you've tried bananas, apples, watermelon, avocados, carrots, cherries, pineapple, and little bits of bread that I tear off of my food. You're not fond of avocados or apples, and your favorite is definitely cherries. We're going cherry-picking next Friday, I'm going to make sure we take lots of pictures!

There are so many things to look forward to in this next month. You are very close to crawling now, you can get your baby belly off the floor and move your arms or your legs, but not both your arms AND your legs. You've got a pretty cute scooch going on right now, you look like a little inchworm. You are also working on your top teeth, although I'm not sure how long it will be before they appear. You're more drooly and are chewing on your hands all the time, so I know it will happen soon!

I don't know who you look like anymore, some days you look like me and some days you look like Daddy. We even have a picture where you look like your Grandaddy! (He's pretty proud of that.) All I do know is that you're so beautiful it hurts and that everyone who sees you is charmed by your beautiful blue eyes and sweet, sweet smile. You're quite chatty and love talking to your grandmothers on the phone, I just have to keep your hands out of the way because you're really good at hanging up on people. You also like telling Daddy all about your day when he gets home from work. We greet him at the door every day and you're always so excited to see him and talking to him, he loved celebrating Father's Day with you and getting the card that you 'signed'.

Well kiddo, I guess that's it for another month. I know this month is going to be lots of fun and full of adventures, but could we keep the poosplosions to a minimum?

Shipwreck Beach

2009-06-12T23:55:00.001-07:00

Today we made the trip to Shipwreck Beach, which is about an hour from Misawa. We parked in this little driveway that was definitely not a parking lot, but it's really close to the shipwrecks. Then we walked down this little gravel road to get to the beach and the shipwrecks. I wish I knew the story behind the wrecks, there were four ships on the beach.

We set up our picnic lunch, using the picnic basket that we got from my aunts at one of our wedding showers. I had Annelise all dressed up to take pictures, but this beach wasn't quite right for that. The other beach we went to was a little more beachy, this place kinda reminded me of Galveston.

After we ate our lunch, we went hunting for sea glass. This beach is on the bay, not the ocean, we have access to the Pacific Ocean, Lake Ogawara, Lake Towada, and Mutsu Bay all within one hour of Misawa. Shipwreck Beach is known for the wrecks, but it's also known as a great place to find sea glass.

This is the glass we found today, that's a lot of glass for only about 1.5 hours of looking. We also didn't go all that far down the beach. Next time we'll park at another place and explore the other end of the beach. On our way back to the car, John took a pic of Annelise and me in front of this gigantic pile of shells. We don't really know where these shells came from, there were no shells like this on the beach. We don't know if this is just where they put all of the shells from the restaurants or if someone is in charge of combing the beaches for shells or if they somehow got them from the bay, but it's A LOT of shells. And they smelled. There were birds on top of the pile of shells and I worried that they would trigger an avalance of some sort.

That's right, all of the white things in the background are shells. Anyone want some shells from Japan? We had lots of fun today and I can't wait to pick up some wire and such to make jewelry with my sea glass. We got blue, green and clear glass, and apparently you can also find red and purple glass, although those colors are very rare. I think I'll need to see some samples so I know what to look for. The darkest blue piece I found looked like a rock until I licked the dirt off of it. Yeah, I know that's gross; I felt like Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs or Kirsten Gum from Cash and Treasures (now called Treasure Hunter Kirsten Gum). So anyways, I'd like to go back to Shipwreck Beach with more time and a slightly warmer day so that I can search more thoroughly for darker glass. Until then, I'll have some fun with what we brought home today. And, let's face it, I've got more than enough crafty projects to keep me busy.

Annelise's first food

2009-06-09T04:18:00.000-07:00

We gave Annelise her first food tonight, she had some bananas. Many of you know that I have issues with textures, because of that I find pureed baby foods to be very icky. In order to avoid those kinds of foods as much as possible, we're going the baby-led weaning route. We'll offer her food from our plates and let her figure out textures and flavors and decide what she does and doesn't like. Because she's still fully breastfed, it's ok that she's not actually eating much. Annelise probably didn't get any actual banana into her stomach tonight, but she enjoyed playing with it and tasting it. We're going to take it slowly so that she can get used to different kinds of foods and so we can monitor her for any possible food sensitivities or allergies. We've got an independent little girl, so she's more than happy to do this stuff herself, it would probably be a fight to be able to feed her purees from a spoon. Feeding Annelise this way not only ensures we know exactly what she's eating and saves us from spending a ton of money on baby food, it is also going to expand what we eat. I want her to try as many foods as possible, so there will be a lot more fruits and veggies around the house from now on!

Anyways, I took some videos and spliced them together. The resulting movie is too big for me to send through Yahoo, so I decided to post it here. Hope y'all enjoy!

It's a Wonderful World

2009-06-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

I love to read, you all know that. I have stacks and stacks of books and am always looking for more. I read my favorites over and over again, I've lost count of how many times I've read the Harry Potter books and the Chronicles of Narnia.

When we lived in Clovis, a friend introduced me to paperbackswap.com. PBS is an awesome site where you can post books you no longer want and earn credits when you mail them to others. You then use those credits to request books that you want and they are mailed to you by someone else. There is no exchange of money and since all books are mailed via media mail, your personal outlay of $2-$3 per book is well worth it. I LOVE PBS and have used the site to fill in my favorite series. Currently, I'm getting rid of a few series that I'm bored with and am using my credits to get some books that John wants and to explore a couple of new series.

One of the best things about PBS is that you can still use it if you live at an APO or FPO, which is not the case for many websites. Stores that only use UPS or FedEx to ship will not mail things to us. We are also limited by weight requirements and a few other requirements. I love that I can still get my books through PBS and I take full advantage of the service.

Since we moved to Japan, my access to English-language books is limited. There's a library on base, but I like owning books and sometimes I put a book down in the middle of the story and don't pick it up for weeks because I get busy. Libraries don't like it when you keep their books for a month... There's also a small bookstore at the Base Exchange, they stock a lot of popular authors, but you can never be sure that they will have the exact book that you want. My last option for buying books is the base thrift shop, which is a crapshoot. The stock there depends on what others are getting rid of, so I seldom find something I want to read at the TS.

My PBS buddies have kept me sane, I can usually find the books I want on the site and wait anxiously for them to arrive (sometimes it takes 6 weeks for media mail to get here). Getting mail is like having a birthday, it's a wonderful little surprise and I love going to the post office and finding out that a new book has arrived. I started noticing the sweet little notes in my books not long after we moved here, notes thanking us for John's service. Those little notes make me smile, they remind me that although we're sacrificing a lot by living so far from our families, we are appreciated. There is a woman on PBS who has told me that if there are ever books on her list that I want, she will mail them to me without me having to use my credits. This week, I received a message on PBS from a woman who is mailing me a book and also wants to send us a care package. Then this morning I woke up to find a message that someone had given me 10 book credits, just to say 'thank you' for John being in the Air Force.

I am so very lucky to have a wonderful family and friends, but the PaperBackSwap community is an unexpected blessing. I cried a little this morning when I got the message about the credits, it warms my heart knowing that people appreciate what we do. I have more to say, but Annelise just woke up from her nap. That's the way I roll now...

Half a Year Already

2009-05-26T00:39:00.000-07:00

Man, they're not lying when they tell you that time flies once you have a baby. I can't believe that Annelise turns six months old today.

Annelise Marie, when we tell you that you're a genius baby, when I sing 'Who's the smartest little girl in the whole wide world?', I'm not exaggerating by much. You have had a VERY busy month, growing and changing and learning every day. You are just as curious (nosy) as the day you were born, always looking around and taking in everything that you hear and see. You are very verbal and make sure that you are heard and that we are listening to what you have to say. You're getting closer to saying that magic word, Mama, I'm going to cry when it actually happens. We practice every day and I know that once you start, I'm never going to hear the end of it.

I am amazed when I look at pictures of you in the hospital just after you were born. You're just not the same baby anymore. You were so tiny then, now you have adorable rolls of fat on your arms and legs and you've gotten so tall that we had to move your jumperoo to the next height. Your bald spot is finally filling in, that's a huge relief to me. You still have a mullet, it's going to take the rest of your hair a long time to grow as long and as thick as that little patch on the back of your head. Your blue eyes and huge smile charm everyone we meet and my favorite part of you is your adorable baby belly. That's Daddy's favorite part, too, he loves smooching on you and tickling you and making you laugh. Your laugh is the sweetest sound in the world and your cry is so sad and pathetic that it breaks my heart.

You've become so adept at rolling around that we had to buy a play yard for the living room. Our house isn't set up for baby gates so you spend a big part of your day in the 'cage'. You love it there and sometimes one of us will crawl in with you to play. Between rolling and spinning and a little bit of scooting, you can get just about anywhere.

Over the last couple of weeks, you have gotten your first two teeth. They came through quickly, with only a couple of days' span between seeing one and it popping through and then another couple of days' span before the other one was through, too. They're not all the way in yet, but they sure are sharp. Your little 'puppy teeth' can leave quite a mark if you get ahold of my hand and I have to keep a close watch on you when you're eating.

You had your first bottle last week, I pumped and pumped to make a measly few ounces so I could leave you with Daddy during my OSC meeting. We had to do some experimenting to find a bottle that you liked, but we figured it out. You're not a huge fan of it, but you did take about half an ounce the night that I was out. Then something happened and the milk went sour, it may have been too long since I pumped it, but at least we know what to do now. I'm so grateful that I got that couple of hours out of the house on my own, I'm a much better mommy when I can get a little time to myself every once in a while.

Last week, we went to a play group at the Misawa International Center. We'll be going back twice a month, I like most of the people there and it gives you a chance to interact with other children. A little Japanese girl grabbed a toy from you this time, you grabbed it back later. And then, when I least expected it, you sat on your own! I didn't get very good pictures because I didn't want to move away from you out of fear that you would fall over, but I got some within the next few days. You're doing better and better, especially when you have a toy to play with. I still stay very close by, you tip over after 10-15 seconds, but I'm sure that it won't be long before you're off doing things like this on your own.

We've spent lots of time with friends this month, including two trips to the kimono shop and several cookouts. We went to lunch with some friends a week ago and one of the ladies working at the restaurant held you while Daddy and I ate. Aunt Lusa was worried when I told her about it, but you loved every second of it. Then later that day we met our neighbor across the street and she hugged you and loved on you and talked to you in Japanese about all sorts of things. I have no idea what she was talking about, but you seemed to enjoy yourself.

Yesterday was Memorial Day and since Daddy had the day off of work, we drove out to the beach. We slathered on the sunscreen and headed out, it didn't take very long to get there and was well worth the effort. The water was very cold, which you didn't like very much, but the sand is so dark that it's almost black and you liked squishing your fingers and toes in it. Some of our friends came along and brought their dog, you liked looking at Kona and watching her play fetch. She even licked your hand once, she left plenty of slobber and sand on your fingers. We plan on checking out the other beaches in the area, no swimming is allowed at the beach we went to this time because of the riptide. I've got some adorable swimsuits for you, I can't wait until it's warm enough to put you in them!

The next month is going to be lots of fun, baby girl, I can't wait to see what you learn next! We're also going to start letting you munch on some big-kid food, we'll see how that works out...

Mother's Day

2009-05-14T04:37:00.000-07:00

We've been up to quite a bit in the last couple of weeks, but I'll leave that till the monthly update on the 26th. This past Sunday was Mother's Day, we had lots of fun celebrating all weekend. On Saturday, we spent the day in Towada and went to the used kimono shop and a really nice recycle shop. We also spent some time just walking around and taking pictures. Two of the people we were with are photography enthusiasts, so we all served as models for the day. Annelise was an especially popular model, but we won't get copies of any of the pics until we see everyone again over the holiday weekend.

I had so much fun at the used kimono shop, and everything was made even better by the fact that John watched Annelise so that I could go in and shop on my own. It was so nice to dig through the piles and not worry about her grabbing things or getting fussy or whatever. Plus, the store is not very clean and one of the men who works there smokes. I will be taking her with me when I go back next month, but won't be staying inside for very long. The way the store is set up, there's a room upstairs with kids kimonos and summer kimonos for Y100 each. The adult kimonos up there are cheaply made and some of them have stains/holes/whatever. Then all of the kimonos/happy coats/obis that are downstairs are Y500 each. There was a room with summer kimonos and lots of happy coats (the shorter jackets), as well as under-kimonos that are basically Japanese underwear. Then there was a whole section full of boxes and boxes full of obis and then there was another section with some kimonos on hangers and a GIGANTIC pile of kimonos. I'm talking 8'x4'x3' high. I got two summer kimonos and one winter kimono for myself, as well as 5 or 6 obis, a kimono for Annelise to wear in a few years, and two summer kimonos for me to experiment with on sewing projects. My total was Y6500, which is roughly $65. When I go back, I want to pick up a couple more obis and a few winter kimonos for sewing projects. I bought patterns to make teddy bears and purses, and today while I was on base I saw some pretty obis or kimonos that had been framed. You can also take obi-tying classes to make really pretty wall-hangings and such. I would love to find an obi or kimono with butterflies on it and frame part of it for Annelise. I think that will be a great way to display kimonos and obis in my house that is also within my decorating style. The wall-hangings that you can make are really cool, but definitely do not fit well in my house.

On Sunday, John and Annelise each gave me a card. John tried to trace an outline of Annelise's hand in the card from her but it didn't work out well. Check the Shutterfly site for a picture of it, it's so cute! I also got a new book to read to her (last year I was about 12 weeks pregnant for Mother's Day and John gave me a book to read to Annelise while I was pregnant), a framed wall-hanging that says 'God Bless This Home' in Japanese, and I bought myself a kokeshi doll of a mother and child. We went to Mass, where Annelise was sweet and adorable and complimented by other moms and then we went to brunch at the Club. We met Shannon for brunch and got to eat with some other people we know from the squadron and their adorable kids. I'm in love with Jack, he's just over a year old and is in a very adorable stage; he blew kisses to us as they left.

After brunch, we made a quick trip to the commissary and then stopped by the house to pick up the brownies that I made the night before. We then drove over to Kim's house for a cookout and had lots of fun spending time with the same people we were with all day Saturday. I'm so glad that we have actual friends here that we actually hang out with that aren't from John's office or our neighborhood, people that both John and I like. We had lots of friends in Clovis, but for the most part they weren't OUR friends, they were my friends or John's friends. And we very rarely did anything with any of them as a couple, other than squadron or neighborhood stuff.

So anyways, my Mother's Day was wonderful. And it was topped off with a prize from John's mom, she sent a Paula Deen cookbook and a Japanese phrase book! I'm not sure why we didn't buy one of those before we moved here, but they're always out at the bookstore and sometimes pantomiming just doesn't work.

I hope all of my Mommy friends had a wonderful Mother's Day, I miss you guys.

Yay!!

2009-05-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today we went on base to check the mail and run by the B/X. While we were there, we ran into Nomi. I met Nomi last week at Kim's house and she is the first Japanese person that I actually know that I've run into while out and about. Our real estate agent doesn't really count, he was running a booth at the bazaar in March. And it wasn't just 'hi, how are you', Nomi stopped to tell me that the International Center playgroup is cancelled this week. While I'm sad that we'll miss out on the playgroup, it made me very happy that I'm making friends and seeing them all over!

Hirosaki

2009-05-03T04:26:00.001-07:00

Annelise and I went to Hirosaki today for the Cherry Blossom Festival. We went on a bus trip organized by the base, it was nice being able to just ride along instead of figuring out directions and dealing with paying tolls.

This is the tail end of the blooming season so most of the trees were already green. We found a few patches of still-blooming trees, they were so gorgeous. The day started when we got off the bus. We walked through a small market and of course there were people handing out samples of whatever food they were selling. I snatched a piece of apple and then ended up eating some sort of tentacle. I was distracted and the sample was in my hand before I could say no, so I had to eat it. The flavor was ok, but the texture was not fun. I made it a full three months in Japan before eating anything with tentacles, I'm pretty impressed.

When we got to the park, we walked around a little, taking pictures of the different kinds of trees. I had someone take a picture of the two of us in front of a blooming tree and then another pic of us through a hollow tree. It's a really cute picture, check our Shutterfly site to see it.

I fed Annelise and then we wandered around the park for a while. She ended up falling asleep in the stroller and I used the handy-dandy blanket clips to hold her blanket up so she'd stay warm. I also used the plastic stroller-protector to keep out the raindrops (it only sprinkled). Japanese people have a gadget for everything, I love it!

We didn't actually go into Hirosaki Castle, there were stairs and I didn't want to wake up Annelise to take her out of the stroller. I found out later that the stairs inside the castle were pretty steep, so I'm glad we skipped it. We wandered the castle grounds and looked at Mt. Iwate, which is the tallest mountain in Aomori Prefecture.

By this point I was very hungry, so I grabbed a very yummy donut before searching for more food. I eventually found the area set aside for food and souvenir vendors, but encountered my usual problem here in Japan: I don't read Japanese and therefore have no idea what the different foods are. There were various foods on sticks (apparently this is a universal festival food, along with cotton candy), as well as yakisoba and some other yumminess. I skipped the yakisoba, I can get that anywhere, and went for the potato on a stick. The spiral-cut a potato and then stuck the stick through it, spreading out the spirals so that when they fried it, everything was browned. There were 6 topping options, all in powder form. I bypassed the BBQ and mayonnaise options and chose the seaweed/butter/salt sprinkle. Potato on a stick is yummy, I highly recommend it. Then I bought a Coke and a roasted ear of corn to round out my lunch. Yeah, that's really well-rounded.

On our way back to the bus, I stopped and bought a Kokeshi doll with cherry blossoms pained on it as well as some flip-flop socks. You know, the socks with space between the big toe and the other 4 toes so you can wear them with flip-flops. Not all that fashionable, but oh, so Japanese.

I had lots of fun today and am very proud of getting out and doing something without John. If I spend all my time at home while he's out of town, I will go very crazy very quickly. Annelise was well-behaved, let's hope she does as well when we go on the ferry tour next month!

Again, check ajminear.shutterfly.com for pictures from today as well as some cute pictures of Annelise from the last month.

My 5-month-old little girl...

2009-04-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

They say that time flies when you're having fun, and it's totally true! Annelise, I can't believe that you're already five months old! You're a totally different person from that teeny tiny little baby we brought home from the hospital. You have a huge personality and you charm the socks off of everyone, including Daddy and me.

This past month, you had your first Easter (and first Easter basket), your first splinter, and your first playgroup. Easter was a lot of fun, you love the bunny from Babi and Grandaddy and you look so cute in the rabbit ears that Aunt Nanna sent. You first splinter made me sad, I couldn't stand the crying when the nurse removed it. I wish I had the splinter instead of you, I hate that you were scared and hurting.

Our first playdate was very interesting, we went to a playgroup at the Misawa International Center. You were one of two American kids there, everyone else was Japanese. You had lots of fun playing with the Japanese mommies and they loved holding you and carrying you around. Hopefully next time I'll get to play with a Japanese baby while you play with the Japanese mommies! Everyone was impressed with how smart you are, apparently Japanese babies develop more slowly than American babies.

Speaking of development, at your last doctor's appointment you weighed 15 pounds and I'm pretty sure you're closing in on 16 now! You're by no means fat, you don't have half as many rolls as Aunt Lusa had, but you're not skinny either. You're just perfect, I wouldn't change a bit! You're much more into rolling over now, you can travel all the way across the living room if you're in the mood. You've also figured out rolling over to get to a toy you want and will sometimes scooch a little to get to a toy. Your current favorites are teething toys, your front teeth are on their way even though we can't see them yet. You're not a fan of orajel, but it really helps with the pain.

Annelise, you're grabbing at everything you see now, getting ready to start grabbing for your food. You figured out how to get ahold of my necklace the other day and I was so proud that I almost forgot to make you let go! Last night we had game night and you grabbed LYNX's cards and Erin's hair and then you gnawed on Mike's hand. I think he was a little surprised by that, we freed him from your clutches quickly.

It snowed last night, several inches accumulated. I was completely surprised and now I'm also sad. The wind/rain/snow/cold temps no doubt took all of the cherry blossoms off of the trees. I had planned a trip to Lake Towada this week to go out and see them, I guess we'll wait and see how the trees on base fared first.

Annelise, I love you so much and you're so much fun. You're such a smart girl and Daddy and I are proud to be your parents. I've actually begun to like to change your diapers because you're the most talkative when you're on the changing table. One day I'll have to take a video, it's so darn cute!

Muster

2009-04-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

It's still April 21 in the States, I was too tired last night to make this post.

As a Texan, April 21 holds special meaning for me; it's the day that the Texans won their independence from Mexico, the day that we became a nation. As an Aggie, it hold even more significance. April 21 is the day of Aggie Muster, 'If there is an A&M man in one-hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.' I don't know if there are any other Aggies in Misawa, but I'm used to spending the day on my own.

There are three Musters that stand out for me, in 2000, 2003, and 2006. 2000 was the year of my first Aggie Muster. I had been accepted to A&M but didn't really know a whole lot about the school. I knew the basic traditions, knew that I liked the campus, and knew that they had a great Civil Engineering program. I didn't tell anyone that I had no idea what was going on, my friend Rusty was born in Bryan and has always been a die-hard Aggie and he would have ridiculed me for not knowing. So I attended Muster in Ennis, knowing only that I would find out whether or not I'd been awarded a scholarship from the Ennis A&M Club. The 2000 Muster was an important one, Bonfire had fallen just a few months before and we honored the twelve. It was my first REAL experience with former students, not just current students. I was touched by the idea that someone will answer 'Here' for me after I die, and I was honored to do the same for others. I didn't receive a scholarship that night, I was really disappointed. The Aggie Spirit prevailed, though, and the Old Ags there that night were so impressed by all of us incoming Fish that they donated extra money and awarded two more scholarships, one of which I received.

In 2003, I was in Houston for NASACon, one of the most memorable experiences of my college years. I had a lot of fun and made some awesome friends, but the best part was Muster. When we found out that Muster would occur during NatCon, some people immediately said they wouldn't be in Houston. We had a couple of BQs in the AAS squadron and they had to be in College Station and none of the rest of us wanted to miss it, either. We found a conference room in the hotel and set it all up, I think Paige was one of the people in charge of that. I helped read the names, that was an amazing experience for me, but the best part was that Muster was important enough to all of us that we got up early and made it happen. I felt a real sense of community then and I know that the other Aggies who attended who were not AAS or SW members really appreciated it.

Then we come to 2006. I had lived in Clovis for just over a year and was facing my second Muster without going to something organized. My friends Amy and Decie invited me to a party at the 524 bar, one that happened to be pirate-themed. That pirate party was awesome, I got to hang out with friends and drink a lot (basically the only things to do in Clovis). The best part of the night was when I heard 2 drunk guys singing The Spirit of Aggieland. I joined in and after the song was over, found out that they were both Class of '01. That party means so much to me because it reminded me that you find Aggies in the most random of places and that the Aggie Family is such that you can approach anyone just because of the ring on his/her finger and be automatically welcomed because you wear the same ring.

Family is of the utmost importance to me, my 'real' family back in Texas, my Aggie family, and my Air Force family. I'm so happy that they have overlapped, my friend Rusty is now married to my cousin Mary and one of my friends from the Fireballs is an Aggie, Class of '98. I don't know where Annelise will go to college, but she will grow up knowing all about the importance of family and how being an Aggie not only gave me a new family, it helped me meet John.

Peekaboo!

2009-04-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

Annelise taught herself to play peekaboo a couple of months ago. Originally, she would bring her arm around in a circle and stop with it over her eyes, then pull it down and smile at us. Since then, we play peekaboo with her from time to time, using our hands or a blanket. Yesterday I was checking my e-mail and looked back at her in the living room to see her playing peekaboo with the animals on her play mat. I stayed back so that I wouldn't distract her and got a pretty good video of it. Ignore the background noise, Kenny Chesney was on Oprah.

So here it is, hope it brings a smile to your day!

Easter Fun!

2009-04-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Annelise's first Easter! We started out by dyeing eggs on Saturday. We only did 5 (I boiled 6 but one cracked open), but that was just enough. We stripped Annelise down to her diaper just in case we spilled the dye, but everything went really well. She wasn't very interested in the eggs, but she loves not wearing clothes so she was happy.

We wanted to attend the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night, one of our friends was joining the Church and we wanted to be there to support him, but things just didn't work out. Annelise is teething, so she's pretty fussy in the evenings, and we weren't going to be ready in time. Instead we went to Mass Sunday morning, that worked out well because we got to see some of our friends and wish them all a Happy Easter.

The Easter Bunny visited our house, he concentrated on technology this year. We all got CDs, I got Sleeping Beauty on DVD, and there was some candy for the grownups as well as a stuffed airplane for Annelise. And then there was the huge pile of stuff sent by the grandmothers and my sister. Annelise received stuffed animals, an outfit, a couple of books, a pin to wear on her Easter dress, and lots more stuff. She's so darn spoiled, but who can help it!

After Mass, we went to brunch at the Club. As always, the food was ok and the price was astronomical. We don't go to brunch very often, there are other places on base that serve a decent breakfast for a lot less. It was nice to show off our pretty dresses, though, so I guess it was worth it. I wore the same dress I wore last year (because I love it and there's not a huge selection out here) and Annelise wore a dress that my mom and Dianna bought at JC Penney. When we moved here, we decided that my mom would pick out Annelise's Easter dresses and John's mom would pick out her Halloween costumes. The selections at the BX aren't great and this way they get to go shopping for their grandbaby. My mom loves buying frilly dresses and Halloween is Sandy's favorite holiday, so it works out well.

Sunday afternoon we went over to my friend Kim's house for Easter dinner. The food was delicious, the company was entertaining, and I even got to play Phase 10!! Kim invited two other families over and we all had a blast. Annelise loves playing with Kim, she smiled and flirted with everyone. John got to talk guy stuff with the husbands while Annelise and I played cards with the wives, so we were all happy!

Overall, our Easter was really great. I'm so thankful that we've made wonderful friends here and that we got to spend the day together. Annelise looked adorable in her dress, my and John's parents handed out pics of her over the weekend. For you Aunties out there, I'm waiting for mine to arrive so I can mail them; it may still be a few days and I hope Jess's doesn't get lost in the mail during her move!

Fun in the April Sun!

2009-04-09T16:21:00.000-07:00

April has started off to be a great month! Last Saturday (the 4th) was John's birthday, we spent the day doing fun stuff. We started at Cinnabon for breakfast and then went to Japan Day. Lots of people from Misawa set up fun stuff in the high school so that the military folks could experience small pieces of Japan. We attended a tea ceremony, got Annelise's name written in Japanese characters, made a kite, and got lots of info on stuff to do in the surrounding area. I forgot the camera, but we'll go back next year and take lots of pictures. They even had rooms where you could try on samurai armor or a kimono. Most of the rooms were dedicated to Japanese crafts, like braiding (very cool, I tried it), embroidery (a little different than we're used to), several kinds of painting, and working with bonsais. We really enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to use the maps and guidebooks we got to explore the area.

That afternoon, we went to the Misawa Aviation & Science Museum. Misawa was the starting point for the first non-stop trans-Pacific flight, the plane's name was the Miss Veedol. Images of Miss Veedol are everywhere around here, even on the ambulances! The museum houses Miss Veedol half of the year and then it goes to Wenatchee, Washington, for the other half of the year (that's where the flight ended) while a replica hangs out in Misawa. There were also a couple of other replicas and then you move on to the science part of the building, which was the best part. There were all kinds of interactive displays, a spinning room, helicopter and airplane simulators, experiments to help show you the effects of gravity, and many others. Everything was totally interactive and John was like a kid in a candy store, we will definitely be going back. They also had a really great souvenir shop where we got Annelise a small wooden replica of Miss Veedol. We'll probably get one for Kolton for his birthday, I think he'd like it.

Saturday night we had dinner at home, I made brisket, parsley potatoes, and yellow cake with homemade chocolate icing. John was in heaven, he ended up eating brisket for several days afterwards and wouldn't let me freeze the leftovers because he wanted to keep taking them for lunch. Thank goodness for foodnetwork.com, I found a brisket recipe that could be done in the oven with a very flavorful dry rub. I'm pretty impressed with myself and will be making brisket again in a couple of weeks when I host the OSS coffee.

Sunday we went to Mass and then to the parish Easter Basket Celebration. Sandwiches and Popeye's chicken were provided and everyone pitched in with side dishes and desserts. We had lots of fun hanging out with people from church, John said it was the first time he's ever done any kind of fellowship activity after Mass. We'll be joining in again soon for Fr. Christopher's farewell, I just hope it's warm enough for an outside event. The one we went to was inside, but the next one is planned for outdoors. It's definitely warmer here, but even temps in the 50s are too cold for Annelise to be outside for long.

One of the funniest things about the weekend was that we kept seeing Marty and Vanessa on Saturday. Marty and Vanessa are friends of one of my friends from when we lived in Clovis. I met them when I was visiting Jess in San Antonio last Summer, and boy am I glad. We first got together not long after we moved here and have somehow seen them every weekend since! Between base activities, ski trips, and just seeing them in the Commissary, it's very cool to see someone we know as we're out and about. That's the kind of thing that makes Misawa feel like home, and it took a while for that to happen in Clovis.

The excitement has continued this week, on Tuesday Annelise and I walked down to the grocery store for their sale day. On Tuesdays, Yokomachi has a whole section of food for 100 yen. Since they're only about a kilometer away, I popped Annelise into the sling and we went on an excursion. We sat in the cafe area for a while so I could replenish with a croissant and a Coke and then we explored the store. I got some yummy fruit and even found my favorite Snyder's Snacks, garlic prezel pieces! They only had single serving bags that were kind of expensive, but it was a nice treat.

Wednesday I got up early for a 7:10 dentist appointment and John stayed home with Annelise. No cavities, thank goodness! John took the whole day off, which was very nice. Somehow, him being home in the middle of the week was so much more fun than him being home on a Saturday. We really enjoyed ourselves and even got some things done around the house! Annelise also had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, her 4-month checkup. Annelise now weighs 15 pounds and is almost 26 inches tall! She's in the 55th percentile for her weight and the 75th percentile for her height, but the most impressive part is that she's in the 95th percentile for her head measurement. Annelise takes after her Daddy, she has a big ol' noggin. We have to make sure that the necks of all the clothes we buy are very stretchy or have snaps so that they will fit for a while. Annelise had a big-girl experience at the doctor's office, she had to get a splinter removed. I was taking pics of her with her Easter basket and she got a splinter in her finger. John and I couldn't get it out so we had the nurse take care of it. I held Annelise, John held her arm, and the nurse held her hand to get the splinter out. Annelise cried a little, but she cried even more when the nurse came at her with the band-aid. She thought the whole thing was over and then the nurse grabbed her hand again, so she started screaming! Once the Bugs Bunny band-aid was on, however, she calmed down.

Good news in the family, my baby sister Melisa just got a job for next fall. She's finishing up her bachelor's next month and will be starting her master's in the fall as well as teaching 6th grade math! I'm so proud of her! And Annelise was so excited about the news that she rolled all the way over, from her back to her tummy to her back, the full 360 degrees instead of just 180 and then back again. My sweet girl is so smart!

Check the Shutterfly site for new pics in a couple of days, including one of Annelise with her big-kid band-aid!

Asamushi Aquarium

2009-03-28T05:41:00.001-07:00

We made a foray out into the wilds of Japan today and drove to the Asamushi Aquarium in Aomori. We picked up directions from the family center on base and they were typical of a country with no street names. "Turn on white pole road" "Turn left at the fifth traffic light" and so on. We got there all right, there was some snow along the way and a very long tunnel through a mountain. We thought the ticket price was a little high (1000 yen for each adult) until we realized there was a dolphin show and feeding shows for the otters and dolphins.

Some of the exhibits were a little ghetto, there were small fish tanks for local frogs and such, but for the most part everything was really well-done. Some of the tanks looked kinda small, but they had a huge variety of sea life. The sea lions, seals, and otters were definitely in show-off mode and Annelise couldn't take her eyes off of the turtles. Here eyes were really wide the whole time we were there. The penguins were kind of disappointing, they were all sitting around in the habitat and none of them were in the water.

There was also a tunnel tank where you could walk through the tunnel while fish, some sharks, and a huge stingray swam over and around you. Annelise thought that was really cool, she kept looking around. We ate lunch in the little cafeteria and then went to the dolphin show. We missed watching any of the feedings, we didn't feel like waiting around and having the stroller meant we took up a lot of space.

The dolphin show was really cool, there are 5 or 6 dolphins there but only 2 did the show that we saw. They jumped through a hoop and played with soccer balls and large beach balls and did some other typical dolphin stuff. I wish we had gone to the dolphin tank to see them separately, but Annelise was getting fussy.

We will definitely go back and will probably take any visitors we have. It was worth the price of admission and the aquarium is across the street from the ocean. It was a beautiful drive up there through the mountains, and then you pop out right on the water, so pretty!

I posted some pics on our shutterfly site, check them out. Oh yeah, and Nemo is the same in any language. There were 2 tanks with clownfish in them and the Japanese kids were crowded around them saying "Nemo! Nemo!" It was pretty darn adorable.

She's 4 months old!

2009-03-26T02:01:00.000-07:00

Annelise Marie, you are four months old today! I can't believe how fast the time has gone and it's crazy how much you've grown! You're at least 25 inches tall and weigh between 14 and 15 pounds!

You hit a couple of great milestones this month, sweetie! You laughed your first, adorable, baby laugh on March 6. It doesn't happen often, but that makes it even sweeter when it does. You also rolled over for the first time on your own on March 13! You rolled from your tummy to your back and I didn't even see it, I left the room for a couple of minutes and when I came back you weren't the way I left you! You're not very interested in rolling over, though, and haven't done it again since.

Your legs are getting stronger and you can support yourself for longer and longer amounts of time. You even pushed yourself forward the other day. You were laying on your tummy and scrunched up your legs and PUSHED! Granted, your arms weren't cooperating so you scooched on your face, but there was still forward movement!

We didn't get out and do much this month, we've been pretty busy here at home. We did attend our first bazaar on base and bought gifts for lots of people. We bought you your first robe, I pretend it's a kimono. You look so adorable in it and I love dressing you up when we get on the webcam with the family.

We went to the last session of our pottery class last week and took cupcakes to share with everyone. You wore the "I *heart* Japan" onesie that Aunt Sherry gave you, the Japanese people thought it was so cute! You even made friends with an older Japanese woman who carried you around and even put you to sleep while I finished my vase.

Some big things are coming up this month, sweetie. We're going to go to the aquarium this weekend (weather permitting) and at least one cherry blossom festival. I can't wait to see the cherry blossoms and to take pictures of you surrounded by them.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I decided this month that you speak whale. We love Finding Nemo and sometimes you sound just like Dorrie when she's speaking to the whale. You make a variety of sounds and some of them even sound like words. I swear, you even said 'Ranger' once! We have the best conversations, I love chatting with you.

You and your Daddy are too adorable for words. You light up when he walks into the room and he just about melts when you smile at him. Nothing makes me happier than to see the two of you together, the two of you make everything better!

I'll close with a picture of you in your robe, so cute!

Shutterfly and update

2009-03-06T23:37:00.001-08:00

Check out our Shutterfly site at ajminear.shutterfly.com for new pics. I'm not posting pics here because I make one big post on Shutterfly every month. I also added new pics to the December and January albums there, some photos that my sister took.

The rest of our belongings arrived yesterday so the house is full again. Annelise slept in her crib for the very first time last night. John spent quite a bit of time putting together the crib, glider, shelves, and jumperoo, he's my hero. Annelise loves her jumperoo, although her legs are so short that I have to put a pillow on the floor so she can bounce around and she hasn't yet figured out how to use her legs to turn herself around to play with the different toys.

We'll be spending the next couple of days unpacking and decorating her room, I'll post pictures on the Shutterfly site once everything is set up!

3 months old!

2009-02-26T01:22:00.000-08:00

My little girl is 3 months old today, I can't believe we're here already! Lots of things have happened in the last month, we moved into our new house, Annelise and I went to a pottery class, and Annelise met her pediatrician here!

We love our new house, Annelise, it has two stories and you have your very own room! You're sleeping in a borrowed bed right now, hopefully you'll be in your crib by the time you're 4 months old. We still have a lot of unpacking to do, but I have a limited amount of time in which to unpack during the day because you require so much attention. Daddy bought a very large tv and you love to watch Sesame Street with me. You also love when people sing, you sang along with Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift during the Grammys and be-bopped around when we watched the Oscars, as well.

You went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago for your check-up and a couple of shots. You did so well when you got the shots, you only cried for a minute or so and then gave me a dirty look. After a short nap, you were ready to go again and were back to your old, talkative self that night. I took you back to the doctor this week because you had a diaper rash that wouldn't go away and you weigh 13 pounds now!! You're also 23.5" tall, that's almost two feet! You love your doctor, he's a total Doogie and you just smile at him and flirt away! I can't believe how big you've gotten, you don't fit into my arms the same way anymore.

You and I are attending a pottery class here in Misawa, it's interesting. I'm not very good at the potting thing and you had an explosive diaper during the first class. I had to change you on the cold bathroom floor with only the changing pad to protect you and you got very angry with me. You were much better this time and I was able to actually participate in the making of my vase. Mr. Ito did most of the work of shaping it, but I actually did a lot of the shaping of the bottom of it this week. We'll go back one more time in a few weeks to paint it and then Mayu will pick it up after it's fired.

Speaking of Mayu, she's our first Japanese friend! She works on base and leads a lot of the tours within the community that show the military folks cool thing about the area. Besides the pottery class, we've also gone grocery shopping with her in a Japanese grocery store and I'm hoping to start a survival Japanese class on Monday. There will be other excursions in the months to come, but I'll probably have to find a babysitter for you for some of them. I'd like to go to the used kimono shop but it's very dusty and you might get sick.

You've hit your 3-month growth spurt lately and are nursing more often than you used to. I love our time together while you eat, but this really cuts down on the time I have available to unpack our stuff. Daddy and I are ready to have everything set up and you want to be in the middle of it. You're only content in your bouncy seat for five or ten minutes and I just can't do most of this with you in the sling or baby bjorn. I can't wait for your swing and jumperoo to get here next month, you're going to love them so much!

You're officially out of your 0-3 months clothing, thankfully your 3-6 months clothes arrived in the mail this week. You have so many cute new clothes, I can't wait for you to wear them all. I had lots of fun dressing you up in all of your Valentine's Day outfits, now we need something for you to wear on St. Patrick's Day!

Your personality is ever-emerging, you make us smile all the time. You're more talkative than ever, with a wide range of sounds and volumes. You've also taught yourself to play peekaboo, in your own way. You cover your face with your left arm and then pull it down and smile. I LOVE when you do this and it made me so sad that you would only do it for your Daddy for a little while.

I love you so much, Annelise. I can't wait to see how you grow and change over the next month!

2009-02-23T03:02:00.000-08:00

We got 9 boxes in the mail today!!! All of the stuff we mailed from Texas arrived, as well as a gift for Annelise from her Uncle George. It has been so much fun opening all of the boxes, I can't wait to get the new bedding on our bed. Annelise has already spent some time in her bouncy seat, she interacts with it so much more than the last time she was in it. I'm also in the process of washing all of her 3-6 months clothes, they arrived just in time. My kid is right on target, the 0-3 months stuff is starting to get tight just as she's about to turn 3 months old.

We finally got the internet hooked up here in the house, so now I can actually post whenever instead of having to go to the cafe, and we even got our Vonage phone hooked up now that the adapter arrived in the mail. We're really starting to settle in here, the kitchen basics are unpacked and I actually cooked dinner tonight. Getting all of the kitchen stuff sorted and put away is going to take some time. Had I known that we had long-term storage available earlier, I would have done like my friend Vanessa and left a lot of the kitchen stuff behind. I definitely would have left the crystal, I very rarely use it at this stage in our lives.

All of my books are unpacked and I've been sneaking time to read here and there. I definitely missed my books while I was in Texas and am sad that I will have to put my book collecting on hold while I'm here. I'm still going to buy new books as they come out, but I probably won't be able to pick up any of the older books that I need to fill out my collection.

Oops, baby's awake!

update

2009-02-15T00:53:00.000-08:00

We're in our house, all of the stuff shipped from Clovis has arrived. There were a few moments of panic when we couldn't find the legs to the dining table, but one of the 11 moving guys found them. That's right, 11 guys came to move our stuff; they unloaded all 7 crates in less than 2 hours. We were going to have them unpack the stuff too, but we just didn't know where we were going to put most of it! We ended up running out and buying some storage stuff for the kitchen to use as an island/peninsula thing and will be buying something else for the utility room and probably something to put upstairs to hold towels. This house only has closets in the bedrooms so there isn't a linen closet and because of the radiators there's a big space in each bedroom that we can't use. That has proven to be a little frustrating, the computer is now downstairs instead of in the spare bedroom because otherwise there wouldn't be space for a bed in there! This means that my dream of having all of the airplane stuff tucked away in a spare room has been dashed. There are already signs of Fireball and aviation memorabilia sneaking in, such as the Fireball sign on top of the bookcases and the print of a WWII plane hanging in the living room. And because John is perfectly happy with things decorated in this manner and because I went along with it in Clovis, he doesn't understand why I don't like it. We'll have to meet in the middle, I'm just not sure where the middle is yet.

Everything is going to fit, we're just going to have to be a little creative. We don't have a lot of space to hang stuff, we can only put nails into 2x4's that are already on the walls and they're not on every wall. We bought our new bed and a rug for the living room that will be delivered this week and we're going to buy the TV and order the new bedroom furniture later in the week. I can't wait to get the new bed, Annelise takes after her Aunt Lusa and takes up as much space as possible in the bed so she doesn't get to sleep with us much.

We were supposed to go to the winter festival at Lake Towada today but had to skip out. I came down with a stomach virus on Friday night and John got it yesterday. He got hit a little harder than I did and is still laid up in bed, I got rid of it in about 24 hours. My poor husband, the achiness sucks.

I can't wait to post about all of the milestones Annelise has hit lately, she's an amazing little girl! But y'all have to wait till the 26th for that...

We got a house!!

2009-02-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how stressful finding a house has been! We didn't want to live on base because there is no air conditioning and it gets very hot and humid in August and September (Texas temps, it even breaks 100!) and the only housing available was on the far side of base. The road can be pretty treacherous on icy/snowy days and y'all know I'm afraid of driving on ice.

We looked at a couple of houses that just would not work for us, and then we finally found one we liked. We went in Monday afternoon (yesterday) to reserve it and it had been reserved Monday morning. We were supposed to go look at another one this afternoon but it was reserved already and the realtor hasn't even let anyone in to look at it! Thinking back, it probably wouldn't have worked for us because it was in the Japanese style with sliding screens for a lot of the interior walls. While that's really cool to look at, we may not have had enough outside walls for the bookcases and we have to secure those to the walls so Annelise can't pull them down. (Have you seen that episode of Grey's Anatomy?)

So John found out about an open house today and we rushed over during his lunch hour to see it. Three couples had already looked at it, but we managed to get back on base and reserve it before anyone else did. It is two stories and has a very open floor plan on the first floor. The second floor is all bedrooms, which are little small, but we'll make do. The best part is that there are 2 bathrooms and we have a huge master closet. There's also a carport and a small yard, this is going to be a great house to raise Annelise in. We'll have to buy baby gates and some storage furniture, but it will all work out.

We'll be spending this weekend looking for used furniture for the kitchen and living room, we need some storage pieces, and we'll also order new bedroom furniture for us. I can't wait for all of our household goods to get here so I can set things up, especially Annelise's room. She hasn't slept in her crib yet and I am really looking forward to putting up all of the decorations I bought, especially the quilts that were made for her.

By the way, I updated our shutterfly site, click on the link on the right side of the page to see pics of stuff we've done and seen here in Japan!

Misawa

2009-02-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

We've been here for almost 2 weeks so I guess I should make a post about our new home already. Our flight to Japan went well, I'm glad that the AF paid for a seat for Annelise. There is no way that I will be flying back to the States with her on my lap, she weighs more than 10 pounds and is a complete wiggle worm; 13+ hours with her on my lap would not be fun. Anyways, the flight was smooth and we made it through Immigration and Customs just fine. We stayed overnight and then caught the bus from one airport to the other and flew to Misawa. The airline employees were so helpful and the flight attendants even gave Annelise a toy JAL airplane.

We're living in billeting right now, looking for a house whenever we can. It gets pretty hot and muggy here in August and September so we're looking to live off-base where they have air conditioning. If we end up on base, we'll have to buy a bunch of dehumidifiers and more fans. We bought a car and are picking it up this afternoon, it's not quite what we wanted but it's a good car for a good price.

We've been trying to do things off base, we attended an event at the International Center just a couple of days after we got here and went on base-sponsored tours of Misawa and the next town over. We've also found a couple of restaurants we like, but won't be eating out much because it can get expensive fast. The portions are small so sometimes you have to order more than one of something.

John has started work, although who knows when he'll get started doing his actual job. There's so much to do to get set up that he feels like he'll never get started! I can't wait to get into a house so that we can unpack and then I can get involved on base. My life right now revolves around doing laundry, washing dishes, taking care of Annelise, and leaving the room for a little while each day so I can check my e-mail and the maid can clean.

We really like it here so far, although I'm sure some of the new will wear off eventually. I'm already looking forward to a trip to Okinawa to see the Malans, I can't wait to see more of Japan! We're hoping to see one of the winter festivals with the huge ice sculptures and we'd like to do one 'exploratory' trip a month. There's so much to do and see, I'm sure we'll be fully occupied for quite a while!

Annelise is 2 months old!

2009-01-25T22:23:00.000-08:00

Well, Annelise Marie, you are two months old today. This has been a crazy month for our family. Right after you turned one month old, we flew to Indiana to see your Minear and Walsko relatives. They all adore you, of course, and you got lots of beautiful clothes from them. So many clothes, in fact, that we needed to bring home an extra suitcase!

After we got back to Texas, we drove to Ft Worth to pick up your passport. That was an ordeal, but the end result was that you were then officially able to move to Japan! We spent the next couple of weeks shopping and packing and getting ready for the move.

This month you met more of your extended family, as well as some of Mommy's friends. You are so loved, even when you are fussy. Babi and Grandaddy threw us a going-away party where you met lots of new people and you also made your first friend that's your own age. Brenden is the son of two of Mommy's high school friends and is a couple of months older than you. The two of you just stared at each other and then he tried to hold your hand. I told him that wasn't allowed for a few more decades.

We also took family pictures this month, they were a Christmas gift from Babi and Grandaddy. I haven't seen all of them yet, but I know you're adorable. We're in Japan now, we've been here for a few days. We're looking for a house and a car, but for now we're living in the motel on base. Our new friend, LYNX, is really awesome and she took us to a Japanese restaurant and to a Japanese celebration of Shougatsu. We watched them make Mochi and Sushi as well as played with some Japanese toys.

Annelise, you love bath time. Your Rainforest bathtub is your favorite place to be, and you love the time you get to spend with Daddy during your baths. You also love to eat, your eyes light up and your mouth opens wide when you know I'm about to feed you. I can't wait to take you to the doctor and find out how much you weigh! Your love of food is obvious, not only in our chubby cheeks, but in the sounds you make. You, my little sweetheart, are one gassy baby. Today when we went to Daddy's new office to meet everyone there, you tooted a big one. I made sure everyone knew it wasn't me, my biggest fear right now is that you'll pass gas and people will think I have no manners.

You're also a very vocal little girl now. It's like someone flipped a switch last Tuesday and now you smile and talk all the time. We can't help but laugh sometimes, you're just so adorable. I can't wait to see what you learn to do in your third month!

Grandad Update

2009-01-19T04:41:00.000-08:00

Things have gotten much worse since my last post. Grandad is in septic shock, there is an infection somewhere in his body that has moved into his blood. They took some cultures to figure out what and where the infection is, but the cultures won't be back until sometime today. In the meantime, his blood pressure is really low so they can't give him much pain medication. Also because of his low BP, his organs are working very slowly and have started to shut down. At one point yesterday evening, they actually lost him and brought him back. They have started him on dialysis but are skeptical of how well it will work because of his blood pressure. Things are very not good.

My aunts and uncles are all in Memphis, as are most of the grandkids; I think Drew and I are the only ones still in Ennis. Drew couldn't get away from work and I couldn't make the car trip with Annelise. Having to stop and feed her every few hours would have lengthened the trip significantly and she's had a couple of fussy periods over the last few days that we've attributed to gas. She just screams and screams and the only thing that helps is to get her to burp or put her in her bouncy seat. Plus, we're just not quite ready to leave on Wednesday. We've got some last minute packing to do and we have to mail some stuff to ourselves (the AF will reimburse us for that). The general concensus is that Annelise and I should not delay our flight and let John go ahead. Getting through 2 Japanese airports with Annelise, her car seat and stroller, and four suitcases is not impossible, but it would require me meeting a lot of very helpful people. We decided to stick together and stay with our original plan, and my parents will be back here in time to take us to the airport.

That's it for now, I have lots of stuff to get done today...

Prayers Needed

2009-01-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

Please pray for my Granddad, he's in the hospital in Memphis, TN. He's been living and working out there for the last couple of years and my parents are on their way to see what's going on. One of his friends got ahold of my dad or someone in the family and said that he was taken to the emergency room. They did a CAT scan and couldn't see anything so he was transferred to another hospital where they're going to do exploratory surgery. My parents will get there in the middle of the night, so I'm expecting several phone calls before daylight. My mom and her sisters/brother are really shaken up, we knew he was going to the doctor a lot and having lots of tests done, but know one really knew what was going on.

Please pray for my parents to get there safely and for Granddad to be ok. Gotta go take care of a crying baby.

Moving soon...

2009-01-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Indiana was lots of fun, we ended up bringing back an extra suitcase. Annelise got lots of clothes and John and I each got a coat, plus he got some hiking boots and I got two pairs of boots. Our flight back to DFW was delayed because of freezing rain in Texas, but it was all fine by the time we got back.

We've been sorting and packing this week, trying to decide what can go with the movers and what we NEED with us. The airports in Tokyo are going to be a blast with 6 suitcases, carry-ons, Annelise, and her carseat/stroller.

We picked up Annelise's passport today, so now we're just waiting on a couple of other things before we can leave! Our movers will be here on Monday, and then we're just waiting on our itenerary to be e-mailed to us and I'm sure there are other things as well.

Tomorrow my cousin Ben is getting married, Annelise will get to attend her first wedding. I'm looking forward to brisket and dancing and John is looking forward to drinking with Kyle and Trent. Then Annelise gets baptized on Sunday. We attended a class this week and Melisa and Dan are her godparents! Annelise is wearing my christening gown and it doesn't quite fit... I weighed 6 1/2 pounds when I was born and was baptized at 2 weeks. Annelise weighed 8 pounds when she was born and is being baptized at 6 weeks, so I can definitely understand the top button not buttoning. That's ok, though, because you have to unbutton it anyways when they annoint her with the oil.

Next Saturday our friends and family are getting together at my parents' house for a party in our honor. If you're in the area, come on by! Several of my friends here in town haven't seen Annelise yet so I hope they can all make it. Man, we have lots to do and very little time in which to do it. Anyone want to buy a 2008 Ford Escape?? I'm selling mine.

More pictures of Annelise!

2009-01-01T11:05:00.001-08:00

This picture is from yesterday, she's changed so much in the last month!!

Christmas Day, Annelise is wearing the airplane sleeper from her Grandma Sandy and the tutu from us. This is later in the day, she slept the whole time we opened presents.

Annelise's first bath in her big-girl bathtub. She was happy until we took the picture.

Pictures of Annelise

2009-01-01T10:41:00.000-08:00

Dressed up in her polar bear suit to take pictures for our Christmas card.

Annelise and Daddy napping in Vegas.

At the airport before her first flight!

In her crib with the teddy bear John gave her.

Annelise in the hospital.

Annelise Marie

2008-12-31T21:19:00.000-08:00

Annelise is 5 weeks old now, she turned a month old last Friday. This kid is amazing. She smiles, does the silent laugh, and is just freaking hilarious. Sometimes I'll be laughing at something she did and she'll give me this big grin and laugh with me. I also love when she unlatches while she's eating and smiles at me. This usually precedes her falling asleep very quickly, but it's really cute anyways. Annelise knows my voice and she definitely knows John's voice. She loves her daddy so much, she just stares at him adoringly.

Annelise is also very vocal. She's been making noises that sound like 'Hi' since she was born, but now she makes even more noises. We have whole conversations during her 3am party time (I wish it was 3pm, but that's ok) and I cherish them. Her whole body is noisy, my precious baby girl can burp and fart with the best of them. Her daddy is so proud. When Annelise really lets one loose, you can hear it from across the room.

She holds her head up well and follows objects with her eyes. She especially loves watching me eat peanut m&ms. I'm a great mom, huh? I'm just waiting for her to roll over, I know I'm going to cry.

We talked to my parents on the webcam today, so Annelise had her first experience with being 'on TV'. She slept through most of it, of course! I'm putting all of my pics onto Shutterfly right now, but it takes a while to upload almost 150 pictures!! Hopefully I'll be able to post some pics on here tomorrow!

Winter Clothes

2008-12-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

As a Texas Girl, my idea of a winter coat is apparently laughable. Literally, Mandy and Johnny laughed when they saw my 'coat'. In preparation for moving to Japan, we asked for money from everyone for Christmas and planned on buying coats and stuff while we're here in Indiana.

Yesterday we went to the mall and I had my first true case of sticker shock. Over $200 for a freaking coat? And it's not leather? I ended up getting a Columbia parka at JC Penney for a price that didn't scare me, but John's still looking for one. Then we went to Macy's to look for more coats and boots. John was skeptical that I'd find anything in the shoe department, but I ended up getting 2 pairs of boots for under $100!! I got a black pair and a camel-ish pair, I'm so excited about them! I still need some hiking boots *shudder*. Hiking boots represent everything I hate. They're not pretty and you use them outside, in the cold, in difficult walking conditions. I don't like the cold. I don't like being outside. I don't like traipsing around the great outdoors. I love John. Yeah, that's why I'm buying hiking boots, because I love my husband.

So now I'm almost set for the move. Except for coming to terms with leaving my mommy after living with her for 7 months and not being able to text or call my sisters whenever I want and not having Target or Chick-fil-a again. Oh well, as long as John and Annelise are there I'll find a way to survive.

Oh yeah, and my baby is so freaking adorable. It amazes me how much she's grown just since we left Texas!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-28T07:02:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful first Christmas as a family of three. Christmas with the Sylvesters was a lot of fun, Annelise got some adorable outfits from my aunts & uncles and I got a really cool photo album in the gift exchange. For the second time since John joined the family, he got Axe body spray in the gift exchange.

At Christmas with the Johnsons, John got a puffy vest to match all the other guys in the family. We have to exchange it for a bigger size, but he can't wait to wear it.

Monday we went to Wichita Falls to get Annelise medically cleared to go overseas. It took a while, but we got that all taken care of and now we're just waiting on her passport to come in. We also got to visit our friends, the Kelly family, which was really nice.

Christmas Eve was very busy and very fun, we finally got the Christmas tree up that day. That night we went to my cousin's house for the Zmolik Christmas party. We only stayed for a couple of hours, but we got to see lots of cousins and Annelise met her great-great-aunts, my Meme's sisters. After the party, we went to Midnight Mass to start Annelise's first Christmas off the right way. Mass wasn't as full as usual, so we all got to sit together along with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. John, Kyle, and Trent dressed up so that they all matched my dad, it was so much fun seeing his face when he realized what they had done. He laughed so hard that he had tears falling down his face!

We woke up Christmas morning and opened presents, Granny and Papa were even there! Annelise got a tutu from us, a playmat from Santa, and an awesome wooden puzzle from her aunts & uncles! John and I asked for money from everyone, we have to buy warm winter clothes for Japan. We spent all day at home and then went to Granny's house that night to play games.

Annelise spent her one-month birthday with the girls, we went shopping on the day after Christmas. She was really good and had lots of fun shopping at Wal-Mart and Target. My mom, sister, 2 aunts, and youngest cousins left that day for Iowa.

Yesterday we flew up to Indiana to see John's family. The flight went well and Annelise was great, again. We're having lots of fun up here and Annelise has met a great-aunt, her great-grandmother, and a cousin already. More aunts, uncles, and cousins will be met later in the week.

I have lots of pictures to post but I left my camera cord in Texas and my parents' computer hates blogger. I'll get it all figured out eventually and then make one big picture post. Until then, check myspace, facebook, or just stare at the Christmas card we sent!

Christmas Letter 2008

2008-12-21T09:48:00.000-08:00

Howdy All!!

2008 has gone by quickly for the Minear family and has been busy enough that weʼve finally gotten around to writing a Christmas letter.

We started the year saying good-bye as many of our friends left us behind in Clovis. We were sad to see them go and hopeful that weʼd soon follow their lead. We made a trip to Indiana in February and John was able to do a lot of genealogical research and even meet a distant cousin!

Over Easter weekend, Angela visited John in San Angelo, where he was taking a 7-week-long class, and shared the good news that we were expecting our first child on November 22. The next ten days were a whirlwind; after we called and e-mailed everyone we know with the baby news, John found out that he was accepted to Weapons School. After another round of phone calls and e-mails, we got one more piece of amazing news, we were leaving Cannon AFB and moving to Misawa Air Base in Japan! Yes, that all really happened over a space of ten days!

John got back to Clovis just in time for Angelaʼs first prenatal appointment and we got to see our little Nugget on the ultrasound screen. He left for two weeks in Las Vegas just as the movers got to the house and Angela experienced her first Air Force move on her own. Thanks to help from a few friends, everything went smoothly. Now weʼre just waiting to see if everything survives the move to Misawa! Angela moved in with her parents in Ennis and John spent his two-week ʽvacationʼ in Ennis, building a workbench for Angelaʼs dad and working on the ranch. It was hard work, but he needed the time outside in preparation for six months in the vault at school.

John moved to Nellis AFB for the remainder of the year, and Angela spent her time in Ennis. We met up in Huntsville, Alabama, at the end of July when John was there for a class trip and Angela was at a family reunion in Tennessee. She drove three hours just to see him, but thatʼs what you do in the military. The next time we saw each other was for Labor Day weekend in September, and by that time we knew that we were having a girl. We had lots of fun together in Vegas and even got to see another Cirque du Soleil show thanks to a great military discount.

John missed out on seeing Angelaʼs belly growing from day to day, so he was very surprised the next time he saw her! She started having contractions two days after the babyʼs due date and by the time John got to Ennis on the day before Thanksgiving, Angela was in full-blown labor. He got to the hospital just two hours before our beautiful little girl, Annelise Marie, was born by c-section. She weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce and was 21 inches long. We came home from the hospital two days later and John got to spend a few days with us before returning to school.

And now itʼs December. John just graduated from Weapons School and is now a Weapons Officer. The graduation was a lot of fun and he even received an award! Weʼre packing up here and driving back to Ennis for Christmas, and are then flying up to Indiana for New Yearʼs. Weʼre coming back to Texas just in time to attend a wedding (one of Angelaʼs cousins) and have Annelise baptized, and then weʼll be leaving for Japan on January 21. We canʼt wait to start that adventure!

Annelise is amazing. Her smile is beautiful and although she looks likes Angelaʼs baby pictures, she has Johnʼs mouth. We will be communicating with the grandparents, aunts, and uncles by webcam so they donʼt miss out on all of the fun stuff while weʼre in Japan. Sheʼs discovering her hands and stretches all the time, Angelaʼs pretty sure she did that in utero, as well. Annelise is a little wiggle-worm and weʼre enjoying discovering all of her quirks. Annelise just went to the doctor, and at 3 weeks has grown an inch and now weighs 9 pounds, 4 ounces!

Johnʼs going to be very busy in 2009, work will take up a lot of his time and Angela & Annelise will take up the rest. Heʼs hoping to find some time to paint and as a family weʼre looking forward to making trips around Japan to see our new home. Angela is going to spend all of her time chasing Annelise, which is already shaping up to be quite a job. She also canʼt wait to get back into base life and make new friends in Japan. Angela misses the volunteer work she did at Cannon and is hoping to find some fun stuff to do at Misawa. Annelise is going to be spending her first year doing all kinds of things, sheʼll be travelling across the world before sheʼs even two months old! She canʼt wait to move to a new place and make friends, although it will be weird for her to be surrounded by people sheʼs not related to!

Check this page regularly for updates, weʼll do our best to post stories of what weʼre doing and plenty of baby pictures. We love to get comments from our friends and family, so drop us a line!

Merry Christmas,
John, Angela & Annelise

Howdy

2008-12-12T08:14:00.001-08:00

Here goes! I've had a journal at LiveJournal.com since college, but decided to move to a new site once Annelise was born. Hopefully posting pictures will be easier here and I won't have to worry about clogging up my friends' pages with pics and having to do LJ-cuts, I was always bad at those! Not that I'm completely leaving LJ, I'm just moving my personal blog over.

Stay tuned for pictures and a Christmas newsletter!

Annelise's birth story, posted in LJ and reposted here...

2008-12-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

I got my first contraction at 4:30 Monday morning (11/24), I can't believe it's already been a week! They were irregular and uncomfortable so I went about my day. I told my husband when we talked that morning and then told my mom. She and I were set to run errands, so me having contractions sped her up in getting her stuff done. We went all over the place and got lots of stuff done. That night they were about 5 minutes apart so I decided to lay down and rest, hoping to leave for the hospital overnight.

No hospital trip, the contractions got further apart and irregular and stayed that way all day Tuesday. Tuesday night they were more intense, I had to breathe through them. At about 12:45 Wednesday morning, my water broke. I felt something that I hoped was the baby's head 'clicking' into place and then felt a gush. I had enough notice to take the pillow from between my legs and was very grateful for the advice that had me sleeping with a plastic tablecloth under my sheets for the last few weeks. I soaked a couple of pads and pairs of underwear before realizing that the fluid was greenish. Knowing that meant that she had passed meconium and being a first-time mom, we rushed to the hospital so she could be monitored. That turned out to be a good and not-so-good idea. Mom seemed to take forever getting ready, but we finally made it to the hospital and checked in around 2.

My doctor wasn't on call, but she had left instructions to be notified if I came in. I was dilated to a 2 (after not being dilated AT ALL the week before) and Annelise was at a -1 station. I was really excited and settled in for a long labor. I'm glad I went in for monitoring, Annelise's heartrate was weird all night/morning. My doc came in around 8 and checked me, I was dilated to a 3. She asked if I wanted an epidural and I said yes, I was so tired from 2 nights of contractions. I knew it would slow things down so she said if I wanted one right away she'd start me on pitocin to keep things moving. So it was good that I was being monitored because Annelise's heartrate was wonky the entire time, but I know that if I had stayed at home I would have gone without the epi and pit longer.

We spent all day watching CSI and the home shopping channels and answering the phone. My sisters and aunts called and texted all day, my mom was always on the phone with them!!

My husband had changed his flight and got to the hospital around 7:30. By that time I was an 8 and Annelise hadn't moved down any more. The doc said that because of her heartrate and mine (mine was high and hers wasn't fluctuating with the contractions) we might want to consider a section. John and I talked and we realized that we would rather have a section then instead of waiting longer and being forced into one. We really just wanted to make the decision ourselves.

My section went well, my nurse-anesthetist was awesome and so was the doctor. I shook the entire time and all I could think about was 'How is she going to make a straight incision when I can't stop shaking?' They got Annelise out and said that she was a girl. We had been told she was 'most likely' a girl so I'd been saving all of my receipts. When I heard the news I said 'Good, now I don't have to take all the clothes back!' They showed her to me and then got her all cleaned up. She was placed next to my head before they took her to the nursery and I gave her lots of kisses and told her I loved her. John went to the nursery with her and she apparently kept her eyes locked on him the whole time. She was 21 inches long and 8 lbs, 1 oz.

After they took her to the nursery the NA asked if I wanted 'the relaxing shot' and the next thing I remember, I'm in the recovery room. They brought Annelise to me there and she nursed, latching on with no problem. She stayed with me for an hour and then went back to the nursery for a while. They moved me to a regular room and I got to see my parents and sisters.

Annelise was brought back to me in the middle of the night and we've been inseparable ever since. She had some congestion in the hospital, but my husband is now thoroughly trained in the art of the bulb syringe and she's great. We came home Friday afternoon and are enjoying being out of the hospital. Annelise is feeding well, my milk came in last night. She's lost almost a pound since birth, but now that my milk's in I'm not worried about it. Her color is great, no sign at all of jaundice. She's smart and amazing and I am so in love. I love watching her sleep because she's so peaceful but I hate it when she sleeps because then I can't see her beautiful eyes.

John went back to Vegas yesterday morning and it sucks not having him here, but he'll be done next week and then we get to be a family! Annelise loves him so much and he's an amazing father. He's been my biggest cheerleader, talking me down when I was stressed about her eating and talking me up when we have a good day. We had a rough night Saturday night, turns out she didn't like me putting lanolin on my nipples, and she spent a lot of time screaming. Once we jumped that hurdle, I mentioned that it's times like those that parents shake their babies, when they feel like nothing is working. He looked at me and said, 'I guess I can see how that happens, but I didn't want to shake her at all, I just wanted to hold her close and figure out how to make her feel better.' Not that I ever worried about him shaking her, but it just goes to show what a great man I married.