tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55910283446663672152024-02-07T17:22:45.338+09:00The Book GuardianNow with shushing actionAmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.comBlogger765125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-81269000884423820812018-11-26T21:08:00.000+09:002018-12-07T21:50:01.437+09:00Being apart ain't easy on this love affair<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As of today, November 26, Blake has been away from home on temporary assignments for 101 days of this calendar year. He's had short trips to Okinawa and Sasebo, both in Japan. Another short trip took him to Guam, and I was able to join him for the weekend after, which was really nice. His longest assignment was for a few months to South Korea, so we essentially lived in separate countries for some time. I was able to take three different trips to visit him while he was there, which was a great blessing and I've come to really enjoy and know Seoul more than I ever planned to, even after two trips there last year.<br />
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We tend not to broadcast that he's away during those times. I live in a secure place (a foreign military base is a well guarded gated community), but we still don't like to make a big deal of my being alone. Our ward and command and families know, so that we can both receive support, and we generally don't keep it a secret from anyone else if it comes up, but who we tell what information to is related to both Operational Security (OPSEC) and Personal Security (PERSEC). Even I don't get to know everything every time for those reasons.<br />
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It's fortunate that Blake's job isn't so secretive that I can't know anything. I know of families whose military member just disappears sometimes to do their jobs and know one knows where they are or when they will return and certainly not what they are doing. I know of marriages that have ended because of it. Comparatively, I know quite a lot about Blake's comings and goings and we can prepare for our separations.<br />
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For most of his time away so far, we've been able to talk regularly, usually daily, at least via text messages if not via phone or video chat. We can orchestrate playing games together online and or simultaneous viewings of streaming movies or tv shows. During one night while he was in Korea, we even went to the movie theaters on our respective bases and saw the same movie and had the same dinner (thank you chain restaurants). so it was almost as good as an in person date, just with less hand holding. We keep up with our family scripture study schedule and keep each other as informed as OPSEC will allow about what we're up to each day, just as we would if he were home, so that we can stay involved in each other's lives.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzVbtTkFM5seuD1dVWOq8-tWRa9JxBRTZcw7BjMvQZNnAOSKDQ-bf5UD01i0ybrWx8Ph5GTCMV_TDzxrdRhY3vqUwdvwjXGwz5pXhZpMS3qTmwpTHnwZuzgEwUBhnCYSPvf_pz61T4OZU/s1600/IMG_2696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzVbtTkFM5seuD1dVWOq8-tWRa9JxBRTZcw7BjMvQZNnAOSKDQ-bf5UD01i0ybrWx8Ph5GTCMV_TDzxrdRhY3vqUwdvwjXGwz5pXhZpMS3qTmwpTHnwZuzgEwUBhnCYSPvf_pz61T4OZU/s640/IMG_2696.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Genesis 31:49 - I commissioned this from an Etsy seller who makes custom dog tags. When he realized what it was for and that we were a Navy family, he included two chains and thanked us for our service. Blake wears his with his regular dog tags.</td></tr>
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I believe in some ways I was prepared for this - I lived alone for more than three years before we got married, so I am very comfortable doing so when the Navy requires it. I'm independent and self-sufficient, possibly to a fault, so I know I can handle things while he is away.<br />
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That's not to say it isn't hard sometimes. It definitely is. We miss each other like crazy. But we make it work and the times we are together are that much sweeter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAn3TLbCyqwb3YwtzG-HO7VyyHIxDue2EmYpsJBXJdZR6xcpzEv0hFDxKMSre8K3iqMUsEJGkiHxPRbHy36ODlgKcjGt73yBBbm5ca2P6zUKJF22wTT4ASL9_q90SUI7j9bZ9joMcDSRq/s1600/IMG_2694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAn3TLbCyqwb3YwtzG-HO7VyyHIxDue2EmYpsJBXJdZR6xcpzEv0hFDxKMSre8K3iqMUsEJGkiHxPRbHy36ODlgKcjGt73yBBbm5ca2P6zUKJF22wTT4ASL9_q90SUI7j9bZ9joMcDSRq/s640/IMG_2694.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For assignments that require him to work on a ship, he wears a silicone ring, so I wear his titanium one.</td></tr>
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Today, Blake left for what could be his longest assignment to date. It's an incredible learning opportunity, for both us really, and one we've been aware of for over a year. Even when it wasn't an entirely sure thing, we've prepared and readied ourselves to be apart for awhile. We're going to miss to each other, as we always do, but we know this what we need to do right now. Our command, families, ward, and friends are all very supportive and this is going to be worth it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9Co-8SaMw-vaeyX3GqU0vrr-mOWo7FVbvf4KTwpiiCFjIa_i9MmRn6SqTpSunI2cIZM66WVQp7v97S4Yde74m_y-hQuuhzqYaW78-vUDuPfg-jstpakRGxO1c8twAdVfOEQvTr1uHFJv/s1600/IMG_2698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1593" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9Co-8SaMw-vaeyX3GqU0vrr-mOWo7FVbvf4KTwpiiCFjIa_i9MmRn6SqTpSunI2cIZM66WVQp7v97S4Yde74m_y-hQuuhzqYaW78-vUDuPfg-jstpakRGxO1c8twAdVfOEQvTr1uHFJv/s640/IMG_2698.jpg" width="636" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gift from Blake to me</td></tr>
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This is what we signed up for when we joined the Navy. Blake is the one who wears the uniform, but we're both in this together. We didn't know the full extent of it, but we're learning and looking forward to wherever this adventure takes us!</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-74180677889436802922018-11-25T21:44:00.000+09:002018-11-30T08:31:10.810+09:00Nothing was different, but nothing would ever be the same<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: #ffffb3; color: purple; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px;">I'm a member of </span><a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://mormon.org/" style="background-color: #ffffb3; color: #aa77aa; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px; text-decoration-line: none;">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a><span style="background-color: #ffffb3; color: purple; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px;">, also known as the Mormons. When possible on Sundays, I discuss some things related to my faith and what I believe. With respect to your own beliefs, I hope this gives you a chance to get to know me and my religion a little better. For previous installments, click <a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Series" style="color: #aa77aa; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #ffffb3; color: purple; font-family: "trebuchet ms", trebuchet, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7969px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2018/11/families-can-be-together-forever.html">Last week I spoke of loss</a>, largely of parental loss, and that I believe in life before and after this one. This is the story of the most profound loss I have yet experienced in my own life.<br />
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I confirmed that I was pregnant late on a Wednesday afternoon in late August 2017, about ten minutes before Blake was due to be home for the day. I was fairly confident, based on certain symptoms that I now know for sure are my personal early pregnancy signs, but a quick home test and I knew. I'd been antsy about it all day, but I didn't want to know too much sooner than he did. When he got home, I gave him a super cute little "Made in Japan" onesie I'd rather hopefully commissioned a few weeks or months prior and we were both very excited. We got hospital confirmation by Friday of that week.<br />
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We told family that weekend, because Blake would be leaving soon for another temporary assignment and we wanted the familial support during that time. We told a few local friends and Blake's chain of command for the same reason. And because we just couldn't contain the happy news for long!<br />
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As is often the case with the Navy, Blake's assignment changed. He was supposed to be flying out to the carrier, the USS REAGAN, but instead he was tasked to help with the USS MCCAIN investigation down in Singapore and left right after Labor Day, with an undetermined return date. I didn't get to visit him, because of Zika, but I had my first prenatal appointment and busied myself with good things, as I do while he's away.<br />
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Three weeks later, Blake came home for 19 hours! Hooray! He got home Saturday night and was gone again by late Sunday afternoon, this time definitely for the Reagan with another undetermined return date. We'd been looking forward to him getting some experience at sea, and he was stoked about landing on an aircraft carrier!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIUusvFodHqdjtrX9WJdVNLz9bl0rDhd4AB8HRmHsXbRJF2MWuZtqRIryePmJU6HT1RouIcis8CjfzQBWohPaJ4mRCTCRoccbL9dhkSc2BggiokaNTHkavPz53ypzg0GtcUIB199ErBUR/s1600/2017-09-24+10.27.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIUusvFodHqdjtrX9WJdVNLz9bl0rDhd4AB8HRmHsXbRJF2MWuZtqRIryePmJU6HT1RouIcis8CjfzQBWohPaJ4mRCTCRoccbL9dhkSc2BggiokaNTHkavPz53ypzg0GtcUIB199ErBUR/s640/2017-09-24+10.27.35.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken during the short window we got to be together<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JMT7DEz0MSoP4u8G9wTbXddv5_wVwIHBNyHe4BE3fxA5E2f7UAsIqohxMYKnJ6SnXTEXr2QdHZZu7SER0hfw5DEYfLeLb7ak8UCUaZYQy1TeQiI-zWds2sLV8uTHCcbCiK9ggjx6A-l6/s1600/2017-09-23+19.39.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JMT7DEz0MSoP4u8G9wTbXddv5_wVwIHBNyHe4BE3fxA5E2f7UAsIqohxMYKnJ6SnXTEXr2QdHZZu7SER0hfw5DEYfLeLb7ak8UCUaZYQy1TeQiI-zWds2sLV8uTHCcbCiK9ggjx6A-l6/s640/2017-09-23+19.39.43.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malcolm tries to remind Blake to take him too by laying in the middle of his re-packing</td></tr>
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I was feeling a little ill the Sunday afternoon he was home. I'd been having some mild spotting almost daily for the previous month, but everything I read indicated it wasn't anything to worry about, so I was trying not to. By Monday morning, just before he was supposed to take off on his flight to the ship, the spotting and the feeling ill had increased, but OB said not to worry yet but to keep an eye on it. So, I told Blake to get on his flight and we'd be okay.<br />
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Naturally, I worried and kept close eye on things all day. I was taking a pottery class on base on Monday evenings, so I headed down. I was running late, and our dear friend (and Blake's immediate report in his chain of command) was leaving work late, which is unlike both of us, but it gave us a chance to run into each other and to talk. I think we were supposed to run into each other. I told her what was going on and she said that if anything more happened, anytime, to call her. I promised I would.<br />
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Pottery class was an hour long. OB had said that if bleeding increased enough to soak a pad in an hour to go immediately to the ER. I checked right after class and, sure enough, it was time to go. It was a blessing that I was already on main base, where the hospital was, and my instructor was kind enough to drive me to the hospital while I called Kate and stayed with me until Kate could arrive. I also called my upstairs neighbor, Jen, to update her and asked her to check in on Malcolm for me.<br />
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The ER wasn't very busy that night, so I was taken straight back. The next few hours was a lot of waiting, exams, tests, and worry. It couldn't be confirmed immediately that I was miscarrying, but I was told the baby was measuring small for the 9 weeks and 6 days they should have been and we were also checking that it wasn't ectopic or anything else.<br />
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Somewhere in that, Blake finally messaged me to let me know that he was safely on the ship and had started getting settled in. I had to respond that I was in the ER. He found a phone on the ship and called me immediately. I updated him as much as I could. He started offering to see if he could get back off the ship and home and I was about to tell him "No, you're already there, I'll be fine.", but I was taken to an ultrasound in the radiology department before I got a chance. I laid alone, scared, and crying while the tech, who had been called in from home, silently did their job. By the time I got back, maybe 30 minutes later, Kate had updated our commanding officer (CO) and Blake had updated his chain on the ship and the commands had already decided, without Blake asking, to send him home as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be until next day, but it would ultimately be better than either of us being alone. We talked a couple more times throughout the evening and the doctor came by during at least one phone call so they were able talk too.<br />
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Somewhere in the 9pm hour, I finally called Summer (who I do the school musicals and many other things with) to let her know that I wouldn't be at rehearsal the next day and why. She immediately offered words of comfort and asked if I would like her to send Ben to give me a blessing. We believe that through the power of the priesthood, blessings can be given for illness and comfort and through our faith we can be healed, if that is the will of Heavenly Father. It can be hard to ask for help, of any kind, but after running to Kate as I had earlier and the pottery instructor offering to drive and this offer of a blessing, I was getting practice in taking people up on things as fast as I could. I knew I couldn't do it alone. Ben recruited another man from church to help and arrived about 20-30 minutes later. Kate, a woman of faith in her own way, had also prayed for and with me while we were waiting.<br />
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Finally, around 11pm, I was discharged. We still didn't know for sure yet, but it was most likely that I was experiencing a miscarriage. I was told to keep an eye on the pain (which had started setting in while in the ER) and the bleeding and sent home. Our CO, who lived very close to the hospital, had offered his car to Kate, since neither of us had one, so she could drive me home. I called my parents and Blake's to let them know what was happening. I also had to call Jen again, the aforementioned upstairs neighbor, because I was completely out of toilet paper. I had planned to pick some up on my home, if things had gone according to plan.<br />
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Eventually, I got to bed and woke up feeling sad and scared on Tuesday morning. I was still bleeding some and the pain was mild, and my outlook was not good. I walked Malcolm and probably tried to eat breakfast and go about my day. But, by late morning, the pain came on so suddenly and so intensely that I was vomiting and shaking on the bathroom floor. I called Jen again and asked for a ride back to the ER. When I was waiting for Jen by the front door of our building, I saw another friend from church and told her what was happening.<br />
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I later identified that the pain was probably labor pains, which my body was not ready for. It came in waves every several minutes and was the most intense and painful I could ever remember. Jen helped me breathe and work through them until I was able to get some medication. There were more tests and exams and finally the official confirmation - my HCG (the pregnancy hormone) levels were 50% what they were the day before. I was, in fact, having a miscarriage. Once again, Blake called to tell me that he in was back in Japan and awaiting a flight back home, and I had to, once again, tell him I was in the ER. I also told Kate at some point that I was back in the hospital and when she tried to check on me and I didn't respond right away, she came over from her office in the building next door and relieved Jen. Eventually, and I can't remember how she found out - probably related the church friend I'd seen earlier, my friend Crystal came shortly after I was discharged and waiting at the pharmacy and relieved Kate.<br />
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This time, Crystal took me home. We stopped for a smoothie (because I was hungry but had no energy or desire to actually eat), which she kindly went in for while I hid in the car. Once we got home, I took Malcolm out and then Crystal and I both took up residence on the couch. We talked a little, but mostly just watched <i>The Great British Baking Show</i> while I laid down. Crystal admitted it was probably the most tv she'd watched in years, but I was grateful for her company. At some point, I actually heated up some dinner for both of us because I was feeling up to it and because it was easier than trying to tell her where everything was.<br />
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Eventually, Crystal started falling asleep on the couch. By this time, Jen had picked up Blake from the airport so I knew I'd only be alone for an hour or so, and sent Crystal home.<br />
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Blake was given the rest of the week to be with me as much as needed. He had to do a little work stuff here and there, but mostly we were just able to be together. Wednesday morning, the fetal tissue passed. Thursday, we got a ride from yet another friend back to the base so I could some follow up lab work and see the OB. It was supposed to be my 10 week appointment, but instead to it was to make sure everything was progressing as it should in a different kind of way so I wouldn't have to have a d&c. We had a couple hours to wait in between the lab and the OB, so while Blake ran errands like groceries, I rested at a friend's apartment, even though they weren't home. Their cat took care of me instead, which <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2017/11/ive-been-thinking-about-you.html">I referenced vaguely last year</a>. <br />
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Throughout the week, we had a few visitors, meals were dropped off, and many people called or texted to check in. Because Blake was gone to the ship and then suddenly back and then there were all the people we had already drawn on for assistance, so we knew we weren't going to be able to not tell people, and we really didn't mind that word was getting around. It was easier than telling people ourselves. I can't say that I'm ever happy to talk to about it, but I'm comfortable talking about it and willing to, when the time is right.<br />
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Saturday we went out to a light movie on base, just to get out of the house. But on Sunday, I wasn't up to the social and fellowshipping part of church. I did, however, really want to partake of the Sacrament (much like communion, but with bread and water instead of wafers and wine), which we believe is a renewal of our baptismal covenants and chance to realign ourselves with God's will every week. I also knew I was in great need of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which we believe covers all struggles and ailments - not just sin and death. So, we showed up to church just as services started, stayed until the Sacrament had been passed, and then quietly left.<br />
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Monday, Blake went back to work and I went back to rehearsal and we tried to get back to normal life. Except, like the song lyric that I chose for this post, nothing was different, but nothing would ever be the same. It was the most intense grieving process I have ever experienced, and I was retrospectively sad for all the friends and family I've had who have had a similar loss. It's not a club you fully understand until you do. I felt broken and devastated and lost. And, admittedly, I sometimes felt relieved. I was (and still am) terrified about being a parent. Even though I was (and still am) mostly excited about the prospect, I was also okay with waiting a little longer, but then I'd feel guilty about that. It's an incredible roller coaster of emotions and a cycle I've been dealing with ever since.<br />
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Eventually, we did mostly get back to normal. There were probably even some days I didn't think about the loss at all, but most days it at least crossed my mind. And, as most people know, just over a year later, we are having better success this time around and have officially been told that the chance of miscarriage in this pregnancy is less than 1%.<br />
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I don't know why this baby didn't get to stay with us, and I don't know for sure what will happen in regards to this specific loss in the future. We have beliefs and doctrine about what happens to children after they are born, but nothing specific about before. Just hope, and I can live with that.<br />
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If you've ever experienced this kind of loss, you are not alone. I am here and we can talk, or not talk, or whatever you need. 20-25% of pregnancies end in loss, so it's a much bigger club than any of us would ever hope. Our generation is much better talking about it than those before us, but it's still not easy, nor will it ever be. I know I'm changed forever because of this, but I am grateful for the family, friends, and especially Blake, Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ who made sure I didn't have to do this alone. </div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-77230663148448006272018-11-24T16:24:00.000+09:002018-11-29T10:35:23.179+09:00So come out of your cave walking on your hands<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We live in a town called Zushi, which is directly east of Kamakura, which I've raved about many times. They are divided by mountains, on which there are many hiking routes and some historical sites. Since Kamakura was once the seat of the shogunate, these sites date back for centuries. One of those sites only opens a few days a week for a few weeks of the year, if at all, and we were able to jump on the opportunity to visit!<br />
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This is the Mandarado complex of yagura, which are manmade caves for the memorial services for the dead dating back to the samurai era between the 13th to 15th centuries. The dead would be cremated nearby and then buried or memorialized in the caves. There are more than 150 caves here, making it the largest of such clusters!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this handsome face.</td></tr>
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We finished our outing with some delicious burgers - some of the best we've found in Japan. Mine had 5 different kind of cheese on it, and it's really good our cave visit involved a bit of hike to balance that out.<br />
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Local friends, this is only open Saturdays-Mondays until December 17, so if you want to see it, go soon!</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-56791304471485421862018-11-23T20:11:00.000+09:002018-11-28T20:31:01.108+09:00Look around, look around!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Back in January we did one the best things we've ever done in Tokyo - a</span><a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2018/01/where-do-we-go-from-here.html" style="text-align: left;"> puzzle scavenger hunt in and around the Tokyo Metro</a><span style="text-align: left;">. We were super excited to find out that it was back with all new adventures and puzzles! And, once again, the </span><a href="http://realescapegame.jp/events/tokyometro2018.html" style="text-align: left;">Tokyo Underground Mysteries</a><span style="text-align: left;"> did not disappoint!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTsQdPo1x6dpIKM6TT1BkHcIztNyJBcoCO5Z06c2DkSavfwCzZSWhHOSLeTlrLoX-mS7IxOXDwZdXNa85HazC5wpoqXDHLBaEiGK9XAZRHri14qeT8sNak18Izanw5f8D-EEAcudGQLhq/s1600/IMG_2422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTsQdPo1x6dpIKM6TT1BkHcIztNyJBcoCO5Z06c2DkSavfwCzZSWhHOSLeTlrLoX-mS7IxOXDwZdXNa85HazC5wpoqXDHLBaEiGK9XAZRHri14qeT8sNak18Izanw5f8D-EEAcudGQLhq/s640/IMG_2422.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many other people doing the same thing we were doing - trying to interpret a series of windows!</td></tr>
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We got a late start in our day, so we started with lunch while we figured out the first puzzle and then we were off!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVGE-F3oOEkMLY4Ttoau-VEVqBfH_2GO9c8Xr8nOlvoBiGlB12mAIf6HtGKiMw3MYftfR3qyycBK2GNeUumk4PWco4ic5B8bXLglvhrzZ9Pxp9Ijpj-_iHkBve-pFpg1SYBSDlD7eenqV/s1600/IMG_2407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVGE-F3oOEkMLY4Ttoau-VEVqBfH_2GO9c8Xr8nOlvoBiGlB12mAIf6HtGKiMw3MYftfR3qyycBK2GNeUumk4PWco4ic5B8bXLglvhrzZ9Pxp9Ijpj-_iHkBve-pFpg1SYBSDlD7eenqV/s640/IMG_2407.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried rice (chahan) from Pepper Lunch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Godzilla Road with Godzilla in the background!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Subway buddies!</td></tr>
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Once again, my favorite part was the mystery train ride. We got on a the train, per instructions, and then had to answer questions solvable only during the ride between each stop until we knew where to get off next.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqP21rVn_sSbZXR1az74IwaCKYtGjnVMJ_Y3IbFjuKeE0laA4enXcgC1p8Zobwq1-5lNCRE5ZWZbUGkplX2pBFe1qaGAx55G0oDiHj5oYr0VR0_ax8H0PE21XZcDxhbQ3OJFYYJJjc1p4/s1600/IMG_2424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqP21rVn_sSbZXR1az74IwaCKYtGjnVMJ_Y3IbFjuKeE0laA4enXcgC1p8Zobwq1-5lNCRE5ZWZbUGkplX2pBFe1qaGAx55G0oDiHj5oYr0VR0_ax8H0PE21XZcDxhbQ3OJFYYJJjc1p4/s640/IMG_2424.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching the board for answers and clues</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puzzle book in one hand, train handle in the other, pencil had to go somewhere!<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a puzzle, just an amusing sign outside of a restroom<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgkOU97gKbbZseSEPiypglS1p1UD8Xuv2p-EdRKwlzS8nbmzQPoJL1iIYdYvs3FIXVAhw5NBJHCoyXzwMKvuyLkd9kVC1LQ5akTceStF-VuL-33AhyphenhyphenTfTJUWcyTbZ3dqgRRuABZUfVHXi/s1600/IMG_2427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgkOU97gKbbZseSEPiypglS1p1UD8Xuv2p-EdRKwlzS8nbmzQPoJL1iIYdYvs3FIXVAhw5NBJHCoyXzwMKvuyLkd9kVC1LQ5akTceStF-VuL-33AhyphenhyphenTfTJUWcyTbZ3dqgRRuABZUfVHXi/s640/IMG_2427.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dialing for a clue<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT773L5xBC_nozu63_cR_4DcfE2N5ZXziSyVEb7-v5FGP12Hx89GpoLDWj9z7L_NojMJX8c6jTF7xWPmlzaioeSXs_s9-A2-rFqXJIuoAH8Rj6AMUH4xZXzbEgDx07A0nsBu_nRmBMl9G0/s1600/IMG_2428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT773L5xBC_nozu63_cR_4DcfE2N5ZXziSyVEb7-v5FGP12Hx89GpoLDWj9z7L_NojMJX8c6jTF7xWPmlzaioeSXs_s9-A2-rFqXJIuoAH8Rj6AMUH4xZXzbEgDx07A0nsBu_nRmBMl9G0/s640/IMG_2428.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate pecan waffle break</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAI3KoT9_8XLwAErX0XCsk9HE7uBiVOUQc4STakzu1ZisiCU6LkRyb4ZMw-pILOJKq_sZAbm8uargRei7SPqhPVdX9yjZiZJFzwVLLHQVOY-phbqIfSwRgeSDmn2Cm83kIiQVvDNdf42iD/s1600/IMG_2429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAI3KoT9_8XLwAErX0XCsk9HE7uBiVOUQc4STakzu1ZisiCU6LkRyb4ZMw-pILOJKq_sZAbm8uargRei7SPqhPVdX9yjZiZJFzwVLLHQVOY-phbqIfSwRgeSDmn2Cm83kIiQVvDNdf42iD/s640/IMG_2429.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found an excellent view of the Shibuya crossing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
It took us a little longer this time, but we worked well together and definitely wouldn't want to do this alone. Once we'd acquired all the clues, we headed home, took a break, ate Thanksgiving Dinner Part Deux, and then spread everything out on the dining room table to solve the final puzzle. It took some trial and error and even a little serendipity, but we did it!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2ElR6q8qpvCIVvhIqe79htGrCn2W-zjDFWcIjzZ-rX0ihaDOPjLoFXVjhp97KviEGBpUtE34l3E6RJax9sfgkeVECt2QQ33GuQuaO6R49Z04-Nho18d_a4wgucUPIqvmtC3dgGrfTHWZ/s1600/IMG_2432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2ElR6q8qpvCIVvhIqe79htGrCn2W-zjDFWcIjzZ-rX0ihaDOPjLoFXVjhp97KviEGBpUtE34l3E6RJax9sfgkeVECt2QQ33GuQuaO6R49Z04-Nho18d_a4wgucUPIqvmtC3dgGrfTHWZ/s640/IMG_2432.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More windows = more clues<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHUqlWiMKE4r_nb52zmkdUeIBnXLUiJ_VwOJ4VGDxtpy-cQn7uu7CVMAd7vHutX6ucYkUUmuBo-EUaM_RT6lRQXvlzVux624RdA3-7A40huwfskrl0rjAkpPryNR0x7dAe45o2nLnQUA6/s1600/IMG_2434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHUqlWiMKE4r_nb52zmkdUeIBnXLUiJ_VwOJ4VGDxtpy-cQn7uu7CVMAd7vHutX6ucYkUUmuBo-EUaM_RT6lRQXvlzVux624RdA3-7A40huwfskrl0rjAkpPryNR0x7dAe45o2nLnQUA6/s640/IMG_2434.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hooray!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For those in the Tokyo area or visiting before the end of January, I highly recommend this adventure!</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-63036072566617152752018-11-22T19:56:00.000+09:002018-11-28T19:56:29.355+09:00It's turkey-lurkey time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My lemon meringue pie didn't turn out. I am officially 1 for 3 of lemon meringue pies I've attempted to make. Two of them have turned into a delicious lemon drizzle instead, which tastes great on vanilla ice cream, but doesn't hold up on a plate. Too many variables in the history of making the pie to know exactly what went wrong, but I'm sure I'll try again one day.<div>
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<div>
I'm most impressed that my pumpkin-chocolate tart turned out as well as it did! Despite the fact that I could have sworn I saw some at some grocery store somewhere, I had to make my own creme fraiche. It's not that tricky, but you have to start with buttermilk and I didn't have any of the that either. I can get it at the commissary, but I needed very little and didn't want to buy a whole quart of it. So, I started with making my own buttermilk with whole milk and lemon juice. Once that was set up, I added it to some heavy cream and just left it on the counter for 12 hours. The consistency didn't seem all that different by then, but I used it anyway. I also forgot to add sugar to the chocolate crust mix, so I just generally sugared the top of the crust and hoped for the best. Despite all this, it finished well and was quite yummy. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Everything else went according to plan, except that I almost forgot to put the turkey in the oven! I remembered about 30 minutes later than I meat to, but that's not terrible. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Overall, we had 10 people to feed and between our contributions and theirs, we had way more food than we could ever have needed and everyone had some of their favorites represented. I didn't even get to try it all because this lemon sized gummy bear I'm carrying around takes up more space than you think it would at this point. I even waited for pie longer than everyone else, and I still was barely able to find room for it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After dinner, several of us played Twister (an interesting post-dinner choice, but one our friends may make a tradition) and Pit - a game I love but don't play much because you need several players. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwT1hWjq8bk16OHxDWwGzY2IdofEg2kI7fvtrJzQJutQ0GL880tCTAJHrENW78iGdpdHIjF-cj8Qq5eq759iWecpiWHoIlRMuAHo9t76Lf0b7tvbsIU7o0gIcZRq_IwIuUGqW3R_Z6HZ_w/s1600/IMG_2397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwT1hWjq8bk16OHxDWwGzY2IdofEg2kI7fvtrJzQJutQ0GL880tCTAJHrENW78iGdpdHIjF-cj8Qq5eq759iWecpiWHoIlRMuAHo9t76Lf0b7tvbsIU7o0gIcZRq_IwIuUGqW3R_Z6HZ_w/s640/IMG_2397.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Literally the only photo I took all day</td></tr>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ultimately, it was a great day and a lovely meal with even lovelier people. We're up to at least 4 loads of dishes in the last 24 hours, with at least another two to go, but it was worth it! </div>
</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-67031144101947964222018-11-21T19:47:00.000+09:002018-11-27T15:24:40.250+09:00All the Ajax in the world ain't gonna clean your dirty laundry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The experienced Thanksgiving cook knows that it's best to spread the cooking and baking over multiple days. To that end, I spent several hours today doing just that - toasting bread for stuffing, baking a pie and a tart, making ice cream batter to cool in the fridge overnight, and making laundry soap.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-FRbbHg_0bnPaYhsOmEsoomCDoeMg1WbaKyDef-RZv1uNsdhA3247aP-htpJ-KM_FHTfzx8yAX-am-gHi2K4QK5lQ1uand5Vq6UVpl3htNhMgssM-eUe-Xaxd4NlDnBXbXsI6CLdvJKi/s1600/IMG_2382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="875" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-FRbbHg_0bnPaYhsOmEsoomCDoeMg1WbaKyDef-RZv1uNsdhA3247aP-htpJ-KM_FHTfzx8yAX-am-gHi2K4QK5lQ1uand5Vq6UVpl3htNhMgssM-eUe-Xaxd4NlDnBXbXsI6CLdvJKi/s640/IMG_2382.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>
<br />
Okay, so the laundry soap isn't for eating. I haven't checked, but I'm pretty sure soap, Borax, and washing soda should not be ingested. It just happens to be time for me to make it again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQftKFK4t5DU7ESho9Nk80LRU5nT25vjkch7VWoEzqOoz3xcMr8JArvl_tIaSXSbbDvJXbzBFev4TDPd62jNuM4Hs-P5btTkyoV2KYmUVP2rXCCX3QhU7NfyzHLDO1j7rMSBLLFpKkL359/s1600/IMG_2380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQftKFK4t5DU7ESho9Nk80LRU5nT25vjkch7VWoEzqOoz3xcMr8JArvl_tIaSXSbbDvJXbzBFev4TDPd62jNuM4Hs-P5btTkyoV2KYmUVP2rXCCX3QhU7NfyzHLDO1j7rMSBLLFpKkL359/s640/IMG_2380.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice cream batter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I've actually been <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2011/07/its-holiday-pardon-me-as-i-celebrate.html">making my laundry soap</a> for several years now. For a while, I was making the base goop and then adding a whole bunch of water and storing it in 5 gallon buckets. The mixture didn't blend well and was never quite even. It worked, but how much actual soap was going into the wash was inconsistent. Finally, moving to Japan and having my own laundry room (instead of basement communal coin laundry or a laundry closet like in the last two places I lived) inspired me to make a change and just make the laundry goop base, stop there, and store it in quart jars. Less time to make and the results are much more consistent. I use one tablespoon per load and I eventually found the perfect spoon just long to scrape the bottom of the jar.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXQ8mSys3Ru_989ofRHe1G8fakskuvPl-DFz3_pqkAwvn3gaAo_4HOhk_-7rmPqwNhXqUer9Fp48966s-I6klJW9tIGd4BMB8K-AUiOs113HqXd8WOCbBVEXvIB34E5Cd_6mzI-WwqYlE/s1600/IMG_2386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXQ8mSys3Ru_989ofRHe1G8fakskuvPl-DFz3_pqkAwvn3gaAo_4HOhk_-7rmPqwNhXqUer9Fp48966s-I6klJW9tIGd4BMB8K-AUiOs113HqXd8WOCbBVEXvIB34E5Cd_6mzI-WwqYlE/s640/IMG_2386.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toasted bread for stuffing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For the curious - <a href="https://www.budget101.com/content.php/3993-Whipped-Cream-Super-Laundry-Soap?s=1d040ece8199cc56cf0ecad5b34feccf">this is the recipe I use</a>. I only have to make a new batch every few months, but your laundry needs may vary.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdisiRgaoCEvup9SypfoA5cuy_aYnv9QkIgAqJ_NaGyH2UJzzgRPVfq2S8hvZMGu5_zAO9TNMCipnfKt67J1XdsDDj3bhRwRdsI5AId6VZchzfa_Gc37pdLDRqMOyxQqUwPwpeh4Ie2UfT/s1600/IMG_2385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdisiRgaoCEvup9SypfoA5cuy_aYnv9QkIgAqJ_NaGyH2UJzzgRPVfq2S8hvZMGu5_zAO9TNMCipnfKt67J1XdsDDj3bhRwRdsI5AId6VZchzfa_Gc37pdLDRqMOyxQqUwPwpeh4Ie2UfT/s640/IMG_2385.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemon meringue pie (left) and pumpkin-chocolate tart (right)</td></tr>
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My favorite part is when I get to blend it all up. Before that part, it's half liquid, half solid and not useful. But put it on the blender (a standard quart sized jar fits a standard blender), press the button, and a few seconds later - fwoompf - it is suddenly laundry goop. It's very satisfying kitchen science.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PJDPlqIRdIBXHfKKFLaQN7T6DE4Q3urpV25jCYVFD51uG92XDoZqG3pz3mEpvEKeJs6ocazydsGOUykPmA-oF7r2SsdMXqsEJgqzYhXczvw3iIlk6O-lhZ7vGLeU0pYd1IX3BIp9D0v2/s1600/IMG_2379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PJDPlqIRdIBXHfKKFLaQN7T6DE4Q3urpV25jCYVFD51uG92XDoZqG3pz3mEpvEKeJs6ocazydsGOUykPmA-oF7r2SsdMXqsEJgqzYhXczvw3iIlk6O-lhZ7vGLeU0pYd1IX3BIp9D0v2/s640/IMG_2379.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen science in progress!</td></tr>
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-34209098680115256392018-11-20T19:32:00.000+09:002018-11-26T19:33:28.119+09:00My friend, the dictionary, is a very reliable friend<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Several years ago, back when I was still in undergrad, I was part of a Utah-based theater lovers message board, Players Anonymous. Our membership was largely comprised of community theatre practitioners in the Utah and Salt Lake valleys. It was an opportunity to keep up to date about auditions and performances and other opportunities in the area, but also a place for general socializing. Eventually, mostly with the rise of Facebook, the boards went the way of much of the internet, and I'd moved out of Utah anyway. I enjoyed my time as a part of this group and met many people who affected my life in many ways, but that's not the point of this post.<br />
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My name on this board was Stretch Armstrong, based on the doll - not the band, or Stretch for short, which is where I get the AmandaStretch I largely go by now online. For a little while on the board, I created a weekly feature called "Stretch's Word Corner" where I'd make up silly words and their definitions. I don't remember any of them anymore - nothing really took off, but it was an amusing diversion for me.<br />
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I don't remember how I came up with any of the words. Some of them I worked on, some of them were probably happy accidents, like chocolate chip cookies - one of the world's best accidental inventions, but with far less cultural significance and staying power.<br />
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Words get made up all the time, at least in English. It's a living language, after all. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/new-words-in-the-dictionary-september-2018">Merriam-Webster added 841 new words to its dictionary this year</a> alone!<br />
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I don't know if it will become part of the dictionary anytime soon, but Blake accidentally coined a new word, a clever portmanteau, this week that we really like - packanizing.<br />
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There's packing - put stuff in bags or boxes for travel or moving.<br />
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There is organizing - shifting things around to new locations within a permanent/semi-permanent space.<br />
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Packanizing is both! Blake has both to do this week, and when mentioning them on his to do list, he accidentally combined the words and it was a perfect description of the task ahead - a little packing of things to take with him, a little organizing of things to leave at home.<br />
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So, if you find it fits in your own life, you're welcome to use it too! Maybe it will take off and make the dictionary one day. Or maybe it will just make your life easier instead of saying packing and organizing separately all the time. You just might save several seconds of time over the course of your life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAixp7QyzEPruJR_7dMzm-9_HH8RULirKvBU8OUlESEXSv3eIPgLhCOk-BogpOMMpXvxluDHwAr_hhWlBkK_zGfvw8QwHh-sVApFAWh-g6ES47l3eKWm656i2_YeVdaeaC-FFj4DqdUnxL/s1600/2018-10-01+14.20.23-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAixp7QyzEPruJR_7dMzm-9_HH8RULirKvBU8OUlESEXSv3eIPgLhCOk-BogpOMMpXvxluDHwAr_hhWlBkK_zGfvw8QwHh-sVApFAWh-g6ES47l3eKWm656i2_YeVdaeaC-FFj4DqdUnxL/s640/2018-10-01+14.20.23-1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two nerds in love at a library on a vacation to Australia</td></tr>
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-26381604328237442952018-11-19T21:16:00.000+09:002018-11-20T12:17:24.879+09:00'Cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For as long as I think anyone can remember, my grandmother made pecan rolls for her family and friends at Christmas time. They are delicious treats with a nougat center and caramel with pecans on the outside. It's a very involved, all day process, but she did it every year (except when she and Grandpa were serving a mission for our church) without fail. Every year, my family would get a package of them with one pecan roll for each of us. We'd put them in the freezer and once every other month or so, we'd get one out, thaw it, and we'd each get a piece or two. Once I didn't live at home, I'd get mine in the mail. I'd freeze it, thaw it sometime during the year and eat it over a few days. After Blake joined the family, she would send us two every Christmas. I have no idea how many she would make every year, especially as her own family grew in addition to all the friends who would receive them, but it was many. So many.<br />
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A couple of years ago, she finally announced that she would be unable to continue the tradition. It was too much prolonged standing for her, and we all understood. My mom and sister helped that last year so that they would get more practice making them on their own, and Blake and I each got one more pecan roll in the mail.<br />
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We finally thawed one of them today. They tend to hide in the freezer, plus I've wanted to save them, but it was time. It was as delicious as ever. We saved a few pieces for tomorrow, and we still have one more in the freezer for one more time.<br />
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I need to learn how to make them. I'm sure they will never be as good as Grandma's, but it doesn't mean I can't try! </div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-37252154248124955322018-11-18T20:05:00.004+09:002018-11-18T20:05:45.821+09:00Families can be together forever<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px;">I'm a member of </span><a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://mormon.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #b5653b; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px;">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px;">, also known as the Mormons. When possible on Sundays, I discuss some things related to my faith and what I believe. With respect to your own beliefs, I hope this gives you a chance to get to know me and my religion a little better. For previous installments, click <a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Series" style="color: #b5653b;">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7969px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span><br />
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I believe that this mortal life is not all there is. I believe that we lived in a spiritual form before we were born and that we will live in a spiritual form again after we die until the resurrection when our spirit and body will be reunited in a perfect form forever. I believe that we have opportunities to live and grow and learn in this life and that we will have to chance to continue and progress beyond this life as well.<br />
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I believe because of those beliefs about life before and after this one that the relationships we have now may have existed in the existence before this and have the potential to continue after this one as well, especially marriages and families that are solemnized in temples for time and all eternity.<br />
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This belief is one of the great comforts of the gospel - that we will see those who pass on before us again and that death is only a temporary separation. That's not to say it's easy to lose those we love or that we can't be sad or grieve their loss, but that it can give some additional perspective to that loss and help, eventually, ease its pain. While some deaths can be a relief, such as the end of long and/or painful illness, others are still incredibly difficult, particularly anyone who dies before it is expected.<br />
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Of course, the closer we are to someone, the harder it can be to lose them, no matter the circumstances. Two of my friends (and their families) are going through one of the most challenging losses I anticipate anyone having to go through - the loss of a parent, particularly in a quick and unexpected way. These friends are close to my age and the parents close to the age of mine. One lost their mother, the other their father, and both due to sudden and relatively short illness. While it's not a loss I fully understand yet, and hope I don't anytime soon, I am still very sad for them and their families and their surviving spouses. And I'm sad for myself, because I know these parents that my friends have lost too, and they will be missed.<br />
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My friends believe as I do, but I know that they are hurting anyway and are sad not just for themselves, but for their young children who have lost a grandparent. Even when we believe we will see them again, we are sad for the lost potential of what could have been if we'd had more time here.<br />
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There is a lot more to Heavenly Father's plan for us than I can ever adequately explain here. You can learn more at<a href="https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/plan-of-salvation"> this site</a>, but I'm also happy to answer any questions anyone might have. I am grateful for the peace and perspective it gives me in all aspects of life and, in this particular case, look forward to seeing my loved ones again.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandpa P, who passed away in 2016. Shortly after I moved to Japan later that year, I realized he wasn't around anymore and didn't know we got to live in Japan. Immediately, I thought, "He knows." And I believe that's true - that he knows, loves me, and is proud of me and Blake and our little family.</td></tr>
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-65975041524860817762018-11-17T16:40:00.000+09:002018-11-18T19:59:08.850+09:00I'll be your candle on the water<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning, Blake took me on a little adventure to a place here in Japan that he had been to but I had not, which is a rare occasion here. Our destination today was the Kannonzaki lighthouse. The first lighthouse at this location, built in 1869, was the first lighthouse in Japan and designed by the same French engineer who designed the base for the Japanese that we currently use. That first lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake in 1922, and the second by the great Kanto earthquake in 1923, so this structure is technically the 3rd one, built in 1925.<br />
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It's a short little hike from the bus stop and a climb uphill at the end, then stairs in the lighthouse itself, but the view of Tokyo Bay is incredible. Lots of ships and boats were out on the water today and even though clouds obscured much of the view on the other side of the bay, it was still lovely.<br />
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On the way down the stairs, Blake told me some of the best trivia I may have ever heard and was officially surprised I didn't know yet - <a href="https://nerdist.com/theres-a-very-specific-reason-medieval-castles-stairs-were-all-clockwise/">why spiral staircases are usually clockwise</a>. It's so that defenders of the castle would be able to use their dominant hand (usually the right hand) to wield their sword against attackers who would be forced to fight with their non-dominant hand or run into walls. I took stage combat in college and love sword fighting as a result and I love trivia, so this was great to learn!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before catching our bus home, we shared a Coke in a limited edition Shonan bottle. The Shonan region is essentially our backyard and it felt appropriate to buy one on a day we were exploring it!</td></tr>
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In case I haven't made it clear, I love living here - learning both the ancient history and more modern and experiencing this fantastic culture. I also had a chance to practice my Japanese language more than usual today, since we helped clean the church before our outing and the sister missionaries are having a no English day today to work on their Japanese language skills. I responded a lot in English, but enjoyed practicing my listening skills!<br />
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It's been two years now since we moved here and it's gone by fast. We will still be here for a little bit, but it's not forever, so I still have more learning and exploring to do!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cave with a few small shrines on the hike to the lighthouse</td></tr>
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-31512605375281355252018-11-16T22:12:00.000+09:002018-11-17T16:14:14.714+09:00Let the waves up and take me down<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning, a friend posed the question on Instagram - what good are you going to to do/be today? I wrote back that I was going to go to an water aerobics class. Honestly, I'd been looking forward to it most of the week, but as with many things that take effort and aren't totally necessary could have easily talked myself out of it. Telling this friend added to the list of people I'd told about it (besides Blake) and helped build my commitment to going.<br />
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And so, this afternoon, I traipsed all the way to main base and went to water aerobics! It was only the second I've ever attended and I really like it. It's low impact, which is good for my bad ankles and, now, my baby. Embracing the cheese factor of it just makes it that much better. There were only two of is in today's class and we did some sort of partnering square dance routine and even though I didn't know her, we smiled and laughed our way through it and burned some calories along the way.<br />
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I want to try going to this class more frequently. With Blake heading out soon, and<a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2018/11/everyday-its-gettin-closer.html"> my natural ability to avoid keeping up with routines</a>, I need to build some routine into my week and things to look forward to that will help time pass and do some good in the meantime.<br />
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So, Friday afternoon water aerobics is going to happen. I'm telling you, so feel free to follow up with me about it!</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-42979993773920567192018-11-15T21:09:00.000+09:002018-11-16T11:25:58.808+09:00Drink to the foam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are a lot of Navy traditions. And I do mean a lot. I found <a href="https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/customs-and-traditions.html">this list</a> just now, but it's certainly not exhaustive. I've learned about a few of them in the past three years of being a Navy wife, and I know I have more to learn. Some have changed over time, as the world has modernized, more women have joined the service, or any number of other reasons. For example, there is a ceremony for <a href="https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/customs-and-traditions/crossing-line.html">crossing the line</a> - when the ship you're on crosses the Equator. Those who have never crossed the line before transition from pollywogs to shellbacks during this event, which was once much more embarrassing and grueling than it is now.<br />
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One we've participated in a few times has completely changed from its historical connotations. This tradition, called a "wetting down", occurs when someone promotes. Originally, when someone receives a new stripe or insignia, it would be super obvious because it would be very clean and bright compared to the rest of the uniform. In order to blend it in, they'd wet it down with sea water and dirty it up so it wasn't so obvious they were only recently promoted.<br />
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Now, a wetting down more simply refers to a social event where the newly promoted treats the rest of the officers in the command to drinks or something. We don't drink, so for Blake's wetting down for his last promotion, we treated the command to a movie and concessions at the theater on base, and had a great time!<br />
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Another tradition we participate in somewhat regularly, including tonight, is the Hail and Farewell, to celebrate both newcomers to a wardroom and those leaving. A Navy wardroom is basically a social club of the officers in a command. On a ship, it's a specific room. Off a ship, in a command like ours, its more theoretical. Of course, because this is the Navy, there is a lot more to it, but wardroom events are opportunities for the officers to socialize with each other, but also for senior officers to get to know and even mentor junior officers. Spouses are frequently guests of the wardroom, and I enjoy the chance to get to know Blake's colleagues and their spouses.<br />
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Our first Hail and Farewell was our own when we first arrived in Japan. The CO introduces the newcomer and their family (if applicable), usually in a generally lighthearted kind of way. For those we farewell, the CO talks a bit about their accomplishments over the past tour and wishes them well on future endeavors. It's been a few months since the last event, so we had a number of people to celebrate tonight for the Region Legal Service Office (RLSO), which Blake is the process of t<a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2018/11/rise-up.html">ransferring back into from the DSO</a>.<br />
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Tonight, at a bar on base, was a good time - I got to meet Blake's new CO and XO, who both seem like good people, and chatted with some other friends I hadn't seen for a bit. I did burn the roof of my mouth a little on some waffle fries, but I'll live.<br />
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We have a really good and supportive command and JAG community, even with changes in personnel every few months. Not every command is this great, so I know we've lucked out to have such a positive experience for a first tour. Some of the people we are meeting now will likely be people we run into in the fleet for the rest of Blake's career and I think that will be a good thing!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forgot to take a photo at the event, so we are are on the train home!</td></tr>
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-25356893322793183922018-11-14T17:31:00.000+09:002018-11-14T17:31:53.772+09:00I'm havin' a baby, a little girl, a little boy, a little you, a little me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So here's a thing that it is pretty common knowledge now but hasn't been discussed on the blog - I'm pregnant! And, as of today, officially in the second trimester!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's our little gummy bear!</td></tr>
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Baby is due at the end of May, just before my birthday. And since it's just before my birthday, when I will turn 35, it's not a geriatric pregnancy, which is great! That magic date that will switch me to advanced maternal age is not a big deal right away anyway, just increasing risks and more prenatal tests, which we will take into account for any future kids. It's just one less thing to worry about this time.<br />
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I have been very fortunate that I have mostly been spared any morning sickness or nausea. There were a couple of mornings during week six that I thought might be the onset, but then that was it. Even then it was just some mild queasiness that was solved by sitting and sipping a ginger beer with real ginger and taking a slow morning<br />
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Mostly, I'm just tired. So very tired. Which is why household <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2018/11/divide-and-conquer-and-conquer-listen.html">chores have been low on my priority list, as I mentioned yesterday</a>. Instead, I've been busy growing organs and a skeletal system! I am blessed that most days I can take my time and take naps and do what I need to do, but I've also discovered that, if necessary, I am capable of dozing off in a room of 30+ teenagers.<br />
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I also have to make sure I eat regularly. Things escalate very quickly from "I should eat" to "I should have eaten twenty minutes ago" if I don't stay on top of it. I don't really have any food aversions, so that helps, so long as it's pregnancy safe.<br />
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Telling family and friends has been a lot of fun for us - we tried our best to work it into conversation subtly when we could and watching people figure it out was highly entertaining. For example, we told our parents right away, within minutes of our successful home pregnancy test. It was approximately 11 pm our time, after I came home late from a rehearsal and couldn't wait anymore to confirm what we both suspected. Telling Blake's mom went something like this "Hey! You guys are up late! What are you doing?" "Taking pregnancy tests. What are you doing?" She thought about it for a short moment and then completely exploded with joy.<br />
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Our Halloween costumes were also good for some slow burn reactions. We wore them to both the church party and another with friends from work and it went something like this text exchange just about every time.<br />
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Our main goal is making sure baby and I are both healthy, of course. We have a great medical team, from what I've observed and know from other moms that have had babies here on base in Japan. We will, however, not be finding out if we're having a boy or a girl. We have waited this long to find out, so we can wait a few more months. We already have names picked out either way and there are so few good surprises left in this world.<br />
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We are, of course, very excited. We have been waiting and hoping for this baby for a long time, and the road has not been easy. Everything is looking really good though, and we are very hopeful that trend will continue! This will be one of our best adventures yet.<br />
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-17402424691295197602018-11-13T22:22:00.000+09:002018-11-14T10:22:20.790+09:00Divide and conquer and conquer, listen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've posted a few times about <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/search?q=chores">chores</a> over the years, both how lame they are to do alone (since I lived alone for almost four years before getting married) and how much I appreciate having a chore partner to help keep it all manageable now. Of course, being a military wife, I get several opportunities to do them all alone again, but at least during those times Blake is away I have only half the laundry and half the dining dishes now. And a dishwasher, which I didn't have in my solo hobbit hole of an apartment.<br />
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We've had to reorganize how we divide and conquer in regards to household tasks over the years. Shortly after we first got married, I was working starting early in the morning and Blake had evening classes some nights, so our schedules were opposite. We had a chore chart to help us remember it all. For example, Blake would make breakfast in the morning and I did dinner at night. Our laundry was in the basement of our building, so Blake would haul it up and down the stairs and wash it all before he left for school and I'd fold it while he was gone to class. I'd do bathrooms; he'd do floors.<br />
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Adding Malcolm added walk schedules and other dog duties. Human children bring similar changes. On the plus side, Malcolm is no longer afraid of the vacuum, so that chore is <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2014/11/trapped-in-closet.html">much less of a production than it used to be</a>.<br />
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Moving to Japan, where Blake leaves for work early in the morning and I tend to <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2018/11/everyday-its-gettin-closer.html">do as I please</a>, everything has changed again. I've willingly volunteered to take over most of the chores, since I have way more time, though I do tend to leave the garbage for Blake to take out. We both pitch in on dishes when possible, since it goes a lot faster with two people - same with laundry folding. Today, I folded clothes for the better part of the afternoon because we've both been lazy about it for almost two weeks. (I can give you the two week estimate because our Halloween shirts were in there.) Blake has probably still never had to clean a toilet in our entire marriage, though he did clean one by choice yesterday, since I declared randomly that I'd had enough of my own laziness and they needed it. I cleaned one and by the time I got to the other Blake was already on it, which was incredibly kind of him. Really, my inability to stay on top of chores lately is not entirely laziness, but more on that tomorrow.<br />
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Also, we've outsourced our vacuuming to the USS MARVIN, our new robot vacuum. It runs every night in the main room while we're in bed and in the back half of the apartment when I remember to set it up and it has made a gigantic difference in our house of all tile floors and a black, hairy dog. Every night before bed, Blake and I do a <a href="https://www.thefreedictionary.com/FOD+Walk">FOD walk</a> and I empty the vacuum so that it's ready to go again.<br />
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Ultimately, we divide chores based on aptitude and interest and time, not at all on any gender roles or anything else. It works for us. We're constantly renegotiating them (e.g. "If you take Malcolm out right now, I'll start on dishes." or "Let's take Malcolm out together, then do the dishes together."), as we both think is healthy and necessary.<br />
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But what we can't do? Convince Malcolm to do his share. It's his toys we're picking up during the FOD walk and his hair that Marvin is picking up and his poops we clean up on all the walks we have to take him on. He's a punk. An adorable, furry punk and we will keep him around anyway.<br />
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How do you divide chores in your house?</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-80536412421138483272018-11-12T19:46:00.000+09:002018-11-12T19:46:18.895+09:00Eating things only with chopsticks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've made it pretty obvious that I love <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/search?q=kamakura">Kamakura</a>. No matter how times I've been, there is always more to explore or someone to introduce to something I've previously fallen in love with or favorites to see again. Today's trip was most of the latter two options. With Blake preparing for his next TAD soon and a move and other life changes closer on the horizon than we will ever be truly prepared for, we are trying to be proactive about visiting favorites potentially for the last time (at least together) and crossing things off our Japan bucket list. <div>
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Blake really wanted to make sure we visited our favorite restaurant again, the one we just happened to find on <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2016/11/theres-no-place-id-rather-be.html">our very first Japan outing</a> and take as many people to as we can, so we built a Kamakura day around that. </div>
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Lunch was delicious as always. We love yakiniku so much that we have our own tabletop grill for it at home now, but this place is so good and the lunch price is excellent, so it's worth the trip. </div>
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Following lunch, we went to a chopsticks store that we feel is like Ollivander's wand shop from Harry Potter, where the wand chooses the wizard. There are fancy and fun chopsticks of all price ranges, many of which you can have a name engraved on. We've purchased several of these for gifts in the last two years, but we hadn't yet purchased any for ourselves. More on what we picked in a few paragraphs, when it's time to pick them up. </div>
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A few days ago, I asked Blake if he had been to the bamboo forest in Kamakura yet. "Nope!" he responded. "Have I taken everyone <i>but</i> you!?" I queried and resolved to fix that today. It's a small but gorgeous garden on the grounds the Hokoku-ji Temple, and we enjoyed a stroll whilst our chopsticks were engraved.</div>
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Our first (or preferred, in Blake's case) names are written on each chopstick, one in hiragana, one in katakana, which I wrote out myself on the order from. My Japanese handwriting still isn't great, but it was sufficient today!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you can't read Japanese, mine is the pink with the inlaid mother of pearl and Blake's is the blue with wood. The hiragana is on the left of each set, katakana on the right.</td></tr>
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Finally, we topped off the day at what seems to be our favorite Kamakura ice cream shop with their latest creation, a five layer ice cream!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From top to bottom - matcha, purple sweet potato, blue Ramune soda, strawberry, and vanilla.</td></tr>
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It was a lovely outing. I hope that wherever we live in the future we can find little places like this that we enjoy revisiting over and over again. </div>
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-18890668776154968102018-11-11T20:32:00.000+09:002018-11-11T20:32:13.776+09:00Oh what songs of the heart we will sing all the day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px;">I'm a member of </span><a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://mormon.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #b5653b; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px; text-decoration-line: none;">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px;">, also known as the Mormons. When possible on Sundays, I discuss some things related to my faith and what I believe. With respect to your own beliefs, I hope this gives you a chance to get to know me and my religion a little better. For previous installments, click <a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Series" style="color: #b5653b; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7969px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span><br />
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I've mentioned before that I <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2009/07/no-one-heres-getting-pigeon-holed.html">frequently hold music related callings</a> (assignments) at church. I've also written more about callings <a href="http://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2011/01/put-your-shoulder-to-wheel.html">here</a> and <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2011/03/ill-go-where-you-want-me-to-go.html">here</a>. I actually avoided it for the first year I lived in Japan had worked as activity leader for the girls ages 8-11 and then as a counselor in the presidency of the women's ministry (Relief Society). But when I realized our congregational music chair was leaving soon, I had a feeling I'd be asked to accept that assignment, and I was right. Then, a few months ago, our choir director was needed elsewhere and I asked if I would be willing to do that assignment as part of my music chair responsibilities and I agreed<br />
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I really don't mind these particular jobs. I enjoy music immensely and feel that its presence in our worship services is invaluable. I've done them before, but there is always still more to learn. And! I realized today our little ward choir music library is really just an unorganized IKEA bag of binders and stacks of music, so you better believe I will be putting the knowledge I've gained from the two Masters degrees I have (musicology and library sciences) specifically with the goal of organizing music as a music librarian to work soon.<br />
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Today was a particularly involved musical day. Lots of people were out due to travel (it's a three day weekend, since we're an American base even in Japan, thank you veterans) or illness, plus I keep forgetting my choir accompanist moved, so I was pretty busy for two of the three hours of church and the hour before for choir practice. Blake helped me copy and collate the Christmas song we started in choir today. Choir was more of a soprano sectional (no altos or men), and I had to play the piano and teach/lead the music - which was actually still productive. Then, even though it's not my month, I led the music in our general worship service (Sacrament meeting), since this month's conductor was away for a volleyball tournament. The Sunday school class we attended did not have any music - this time, but I spent the last hour of church in the children's Sunday school (Primary) subbing as the music leader (who was traveling) and playing Battleship (the ships were songs the children are learning).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTUC0Sf7eHOSulYYR-he4pLvs3PRTjN7yKh6JzdZJlyMnb67sCFhFdMp7mTMuyTMD_aMqG2tztCrZkvlRPZVoDQar_3Rn36YuR2xWMS5EHlqOLWH_G6m6GkxGHY3TY3g1rR2A3Y52jop2/s1600/2018-11-11+20.05.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTUC0Sf7eHOSulYYR-he4pLvs3PRTjN7yKh6JzdZJlyMnb67sCFhFdMp7mTMuyTMD_aMqG2tztCrZkvlRPZVoDQar_3Rn36YuR2xWMS5EHlqOLWH_G6m6GkxGHY3TY3g1rR2A3Y52jop2/s640/2018-11-11+20.05.44.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Props to Jessica, our usual Primary music leader</td></tr>
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Truthfully, it was probably one of the better Sundays I have had at church recently. I felt the spirit, sang and learned of Jesus, and had fun!<br />
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The rest of Sunday hasn't been too bad either. We took a too long nap, went to the dog park, and then made okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancakes) for dinner.<br />
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Afterward, Blake and I played Forbidden Island and won by the skin of our teeth.<br />
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I love Sundays! And music! And spending time with Blake!</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-63697362560619603782018-11-10T18:52:00.000+09:002018-11-10T18:57:40.996+09:00The art of the trade, how the sausage gets made<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We had grand plans today. A trip to Tokyo to a museum we hadn't seen yet, a restaurant I've had my eye on for a while, and possibly some shopping. We don't have much time before Blake leaves for his next TAD (temporarily assigned duty), so we're trying to knock some bucket list items before he goes.<br />
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But then yesterday was a bigger day than we anticipated and we didn't get to bed until late (11pm, so late, we're so old now) and our house was kind of messy and we decided to just stay home for the day. Our house is now cleaner, we had video chats with both sets of parents, I had time for a small nap (or at least a closed eyes in a dark room for a bit, not sure if I slept), and we took our dog and our weekend dog friend to the dog park. It was a good Saturday.<br />
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We figured that we'd at least get out of the house for dinner though and went to a Chinese/ramen restaurant just outside the gate of our housing detachment that we haven't been to in almost two years. We went twice shortly after moving in and then tend to forget about it as an option, even though it's the only restaurant within walking distance (while the one on our detachment is under reconstruction) and less than 15 minutes away.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_BnPVOZPDGP2GH83_neSvipKnG_xCo7BSsiR16Se5lbISe3yy2VH9rIVh78vyw-Nqwq7DMiYmvdzXHE4THn86XkJJtGB5WOk-A_vcS2M4aL6BMZWmRviAo1nJ7m993Ex7yRQHbIi8LEF/s1600/2018-11-10+17.30.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_BnPVOZPDGP2GH83_neSvipKnG_xCo7BSsiR16Se5lbISe3yy2VH9rIVh78vyw-Nqwq7DMiYmvdzXHE4THn86XkJJtGB5WOk-A_vcS2M4aL6BMZWmRviAo1nJ7m993Ex7yRQHbIi8LEF/s640/2018-11-10+17.30.19.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love watching the kitchen staff at ramen restaurants</td></tr>
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Blake chose shrimp in chili sauce over rice, which wasn't too spicy and, therefore, pretty yummy.<br />
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I chose . . . poorly. I don't know what I thought I was going to get, but it was some sort of scrambled eggs with crab meat in a tomato sauce of some kind and I only managed to eat about a third of it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO3IMRlGO57Ke7r_eiTVNve4Iv5cq0PuDl-DOC5NRVdBM9WUxaQVwPyaYH6Ezo1GVzOYEUWWdRZK9DYs7S2TsKZEJKBxRcSLRy5mEwE5NXFrl86bA-GLfFscVddnIwOPn40ikC14XkGYb/s1600/2018-11-10+17.35.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvO3IMRlGO57Ke7r_eiTVNve4Iv5cq0PuDl-DOC5NRVdBM9WUxaQVwPyaYH6Ezo1GVzOYEUWWdRZK9DYs7S2TsKZEJKBxRcSLRy5mEwE5NXFrl86bA-GLfFscVddnIwOPn40ikC14XkGYb/s640/2018-11-10+17.35.49.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Fortunately, Blake didn't finish his shrimp, and the side dishes (bean sprouts, egg drop soup, and spring rolls) were sufficient and delicious. I usually order pretty well at all the different restaurants we've tried, even when I can't read the menu, but it's always a risk to try something new. Most of the food we've had in Japan has been even better than I expected (American Japanese restaurants are probably ruined for us now), but then sometimes, like tonight, it's weirder or less desirable than expected. And that's okay. That's life! There were a lot of other good looking things on that menu, so I'm just going to have to go back and try again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pOO1T-02T3N8lvtt0VKW2UUXCucm74qje6czF78mX-9s6aM689DUS8XG2SaYiAeeFeb5KKnl8iZ-Nn6ZB1rMkTsj0_Lozz2zdtJwqCHzpYUMYYx3vrbk3zC1kNQqIoYYJ4JxO8GZqkVO/s1600/2018-11-10+17.55.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pOO1T-02T3N8lvtt0VKW2UUXCucm74qje6czF78mX-9s6aM689DUS8XG2SaYiAeeFeb5KKnl8iZ-Nn6ZB1rMkTsj0_Lozz2zdtJwqCHzpYUMYYx3vrbk3zC1kNQqIoYYJ4JxO8GZqkVO/s640/2018-11-10+17.55.41.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign outside our gate as seen on our walk back home</td></tr>
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-27804216214002355052018-11-09T22:04:00.000+09:002018-11-10T12:04:52.647+09:00Rise Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Blake's job as a first tour JAG has been to rotate between the four main branches of military law to learn about their functions and start figuring out what he likes best and what he is suited for. He started in prosecution, then legal assistance, the operational law/command services, and finally spent the last several months in defense. It was actually a bit more complicated than all that with some of his temporary assignments, but that's the basic gist of it.<br />
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Defense is actually a different command than the rest of it, for obvious conflict of interest reasons. You can't have the same chain of command working on opposite sides of the same case. So in May, he checked out of the Region Legal Service Office and checked into the Defense Service Office. Within the next two weeks, he will check out of the DSO and back into the RLSO for his next assignment.<br />
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As such, the DSO had two farewell events in his honor this week. The first was an informal dinner with fellow officers (spouses were invited, but I was the only in attendance) at a local izakaya, a type of Japanese bar where you can get a private room and order small dishes for everyone to share to accompany your beverages of choice. He received a certificate that was lighthearted in nature to commemorate his time at DSO and we enjoyed the casual social time.<br />
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The final event was his formal farewell from his command during an all hands meeting, in uniform, at the office. Here, his commanding officer read a letter detailing his accomplishments over the last five months and praised him in front of the entire command. Normally, he would have also received a plaque, but the engraver is apparently down and he will just have to get that eventually.<br />
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I cried some happy, proud tears. He really has done great work and learned a lot, which will certainly serve him well in his career to come! This life isn't easy, but he is doing it well!<br />
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-43524837593003964402018-11-08T20:38:00.000+09:002018-11-09T16:13:49.429+09:00Take a break<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Lots of my days are fairly busy with rehearsals or errands or social engagements or Japan adventures. But some days are not. Some days, like today, are spent mostly at home, binge watching Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy for the third time, doing laundry, straightening up the house, and just relaxing and cuddling the dog.<br />
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In the morning, I had an Officer Spouses of Yokosuka coffee at another member's house in my neighborhood, which was convenient. When I got home, Malcolm made it very clear he was happy to see me and didn't want me to doing anything else for a bit.<br />
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After lunch and some more chores and some indoor fetch, Malcolm needed some more cuddle time.<br />
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At the end of the day, the house wasn't sparkling and my to do list is still fairly long, but I felt good about my day. It's good to slow down sometimes, spend time with family (even the furry members), and relax. I've also had a bit of a cough this week, and I think spending the day at home was good for that too.<br />
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Sometimes I feel guilty about the days I spend this way. There are more of them than there used to be when I was working full time and/or going to school. But it's okay. Different seasons of life bring different opportunities and this season is a little more flexible for me than most have been or will be. The key is to be grateful for the highlights of whatever season you're in, and days like today are certainly a highlight of this season.</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-56490751335569017992018-11-07T20:54:00.000+09:002018-11-08T12:02:02.843+09:00How does she know you love her?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tonight, Blake and I were invited to speak to the 12-18 year olds from church at their weekly mid-week activity. Our subject was dating and relationships, so we were asked to share our story and any thoughts we had on dating and then answer questions that the youth had submitted anonymously. In case you don’t know our story, you can find it <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2012/09/at-last-my-love-has-arrived.html">starting here</a>. We were asked because we are fun, or at least that’s what we were told. I’d like to think we are, though we have been out of the dating game for more than six years now and haven’t been the average age of the teenagers in attendance for about 20, so hopefully our story and things we’ve learned were of some value.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The questions that were asked were pretty good actually: How can I tell if a girl/guy likes/doesn’t like me? How did know this person was the one? What should I say to a girl?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Between us, the adult leaders, and the youth, we had a productive discussion on it all. The suggested dating age in our church is 16, and most of the youth in attendance tonight are under 16, so we also likened most of our advice or thoughts to just building relationships and friendships of all kinds.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The thing about dating advice, and even all advice really, is that it’s never one size fits all. There are some good, General principles we can all put into practice, but its application can still vary from person to person and, when it comes to dating and marriage, from relationship to relationship. Some of the best advice I got before getting married, which tends to be what I pass on to newly engaged couples, is to take all advice with a grain of salt, including this!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hopefully we communicated that in some part to this group. I didn’t want it to be the first or any part of a series of “you should date and get married and have lots of babies immediately” discussions that can happen all to frequently in our religious culture. I know I was sick of them after 12 years of dating, and 16 years since becoming a “youth”, before I met and married Blake. I even walked out of at least one of those discussions when I saw that topic written on the board when I went into the room. It was after a particularly bad breakup, and I don’t feel bad about it for a second.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Dating is stressful sometimes, but it can also be fun. I hope these kids can figure that out for themselves when the time is right!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">On the way home, we stopped at a recently opened Carl’s Jr. just outside of the main base. Due to a series of unappealing ads and even some that were downright sexist, I haven’t eaten at a Carl’s Jr. in years. (I also haven’t lived near one in well over a decade, but that’s besides the point.) Still, I can’t deny the opportunity for a good burger (somewhat elusive in Japan) and, particularly, a nice, thick ice cream shake, even if Blake ended up drinking most of it. At least I know they’re there AND tasty for future reference.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi824lw6Gt9_2J0TkREtY1oYr8uOC4zsHcQKZEaczVeK-wiFdrYQn1vOTydtjrUFGwelBulweNMzTAaKdRwPPzqVYSr5ZMf6sYgoFQVDtbC84-BczQxT87jLSFxmg0u0GzomI6G_6a29axY/s1600/2018-11-07+19.57.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi824lw6Gt9_2J0TkREtY1oYr8uOC4zsHcQKZEaczVeK-wiFdrYQn1vOTydtjrUFGwelBulweNMzTAaKdRwPPzqVYSr5ZMf6sYgoFQVDtbC84-BczQxT87jLSFxmg0u0GzomI6G_6a29axY/s640/2018-11-07+19.57.30.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We got home much later than usual for a weeknight, but I think it was worth it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-82290862544889546552018-11-06T13:16:00.000+09:002018-11-06T13:16:00.175+09:00I wish that the earth, sea, and the sky up above will send me someone to lava<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In March of this year, I started a new instrument - the ukulele! A woman in my neighborhood had recently moved in and was starting up some classes for anyone who wanted to learn. Blake was leaving for a long TAD, so I needed new projects, and a new musical skill? Yes, please! We started with the Lava song from the Pixar short (the title of this post). 8 months later, I can definitely say that I know how to play the ukulele (though I'm still not great, just better than I was when I started) and I am having an absolute blast.<br />
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In an effort to find my own ukulele, I discovered that there is a music street in Tokyo, outside the Ochanomizu station, where there is a whole block of instrument shops. I took a little excursion one day and found the perfect little uke!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My concert sized ukulele - I love it a lot!</td></tr>
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At this point, I've learned several new chords and a few dozen songs in class. I've been trying to work up a few songs on my own, and that's getting better as well. I took the ukulele camping this summer and got to play what few songs I knew at that point around the campfire. I was even able to play the ukulele for a play I was in this summer and felt really good about my progress there!<br />
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We started Christmas music the last few weeks in class, of which I'm definitely in favor! Hopefully, I can commit more songs to memory, so this instrument and my ability to play it are even more portable. Any requests for songs I should learn?</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-26530031645107303602018-11-05T20:56:00.000+09:002018-11-06T13:12:41.225+09:00Right Before Your Eyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This year's musical with the <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/search?q=drama+club">high school drama club</a> is <i>James and the Giant Peach, Jr</i>. Before this summer, I had read the book and seen the movie from the 1990s, but I hadn't even known this musical and certainly hadn't heard any of the music. I'm grateful that Summer wanted me to choreograph again and give me a chance to learn about this sweet and touching version of this delightful story!<br />
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As usual, I've had a great time with these students and exercising my creative juices. The students have worked really hard and I'm looking forward to their opening night this Friday! Today, Monday, was their final dress before they start school performances for the elementary students on Tuesday.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the sweetest moments in the show, when the insects tell James that his parents will always be with him</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqk3EI0iGN84E0ci9yDPSlc3J58TJVg2Tmjum1Y89mpdNR0KiyyPX5lyfqJZ9y8WhFfKPOwLiNXzsnQ7yjRNHJSolvuycI0K1Azpwsin5pbD-txX245tUVpkBDVAWvrpfgz2tPtughVm1/s1600/2018-11-05+15.20.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqk3EI0iGN84E0ci9yDPSlc3J58TJVg2Tmjum1Y89mpdNR0KiyyPX5lyfqJZ9y8WhFfKPOwLiNXzsnQ7yjRNHJSolvuycI0K1Azpwsin5pbD-txX245tUVpkBDVAWvrpfgz2tPtughVm1/s640/2018-11-05+15.20.21.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiker and Sponge and the cruise kick line - This part made me laugh so hard during today's rehearsal!</td></tr>
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Break a leg, guys! If you're local, come see our show! If you're not, but want to hear the music for yourself - you can d<a href="http://jatgp.com/cast-album/">ownload the original cast album here</a>!</div>
AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-40132369933919714422018-11-04T15:24:00.000+09:002018-11-06T07:43:55.186+09:00Another hundred people just got off of the train<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px;">I'm a member of </span><a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://mormon.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #b5653b; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px; text-decoration-line: none;">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20.7969px;">, also known as the Mormons. When possible on Sundays, I discuss some things related to my faith and what I believe. With respect to your own beliefs, I hope this gives you a chance to get to know me and my religion a little better. For previous installments, click <a bitly="BITLY_PROCESSED" href="http://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/search/label/Sunday%20Series" style="color: #b5653b; text-decoration-line: none;">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7969px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7969px;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">When I was in London on study abroad, our group was split up between several area congregations (ward) so as not to overwhelm one with 40 of us. My assignment was in a ward that was an hour and a half away from where we were staying and involved at least two trains and a bus. I had been asked to teach a youth Sunday School class, so I frequently used that time to plan my lessons. It was only for about seven weeks, so it wasn't a terrible inconvenience for long.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">For the last two years in Japan, we've been taking the train to church again. Two trains again, but no bus. If we leave our house at exactly 15 minutes after the hour (45 minutes before services start), we arrive about 10 minutes early, which is, in our opinion, right on time. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Last week, we had almost two hours on multiple trains each way to attend stake (multiple congregations in a larger geographical area) conference. Frequently, they broadcast the meeting to our individual buildings, but sometimes we are requested to gather in person for additional fellowship.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">By contrast, while I was growing up in both Utah and Texas, church was rarely more than a five minute drive for regular meetings, sometimes 30 minutes for stake meetings. As an adult in Virginia, maybe it's been closer to 15 minutes. So, 40 minutes or more one way each week has been adjustment, but since attending our church meetings has been a top priority in our marriage, we've made it work. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Sometimes I miss the easy commute, but I enjoy the time with Blake, talking about our church meetings, or family stuff, or even brainstorming what's going to be fastest to make for lunch we when we get home. Sometimes it's the only train ride(s) we get together all week. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #4e2800; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Of course, church is more than just a weekly meeting. Church should be everywhere all the time, and I really appreciate this relatively new video form our church about that.</span></span><br />
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-79723424624934961662018-11-03T20:27:00.001+09:002018-11-03T20:28:01.089+09:00Lookin' for some hot stuff, baby this evenin'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For some reason or another, every time Blake and I have planned a trip to Hakone, a mountain town southwest of Tokyo well known for its volcanic hot springs resorts and views of Mount Fuji and only a couple of hours away from us, something has come up and we've had to cancel. We kept hearing of friends' adventures there and seeing beautiful photos and just never making it ourselves.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just walking around the town is charming!</td></tr>
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Until this weekend! We finally made it! We could make it one long day trip, but that would mean close to five or six hours on trains and buses just getting there and back, not to mention any travel around. We chose to make it a little more relaxing of a getaway and did the long trip out there Friday after work and stayed the night at a hotel to rest up before a day of exploring. We found a nice western-style hotel with an <a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2017/11/rubber-ducky-youre-one.html">onsen</a>, instead a more pricey (but definitely worth the experience when you're in Japan) traditional Japanese inn or ryokan. I took advantage of the onsen before bed for even more relaxation, and we both enjoyed the breakfast provided in the morning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One night away from home and we accidentally pack the same shirt (our family reunion shirt from when Blake's entire family came to visit us this summer). Luckily, we both wore hoodies most of the day.</td></tr>
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The first few hours of our day seemed like just going from one mode of transportation to another, but the variety of transportation methods and the lovely views of the fall leaves in the Hakone National Park were the point. The joy is in the journey, after all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAQ5altGuwrNZq8Nv-jCXjXE5vv9oXEeMQyPWM3zEKFcow9BLxvH5LuGt_LfbiEs47UmiG6zEqvKJLqwYCZDd4y87y0-G9Uu53frvvtlx53HwDZSuf4lHN8DMQdO2LUiLuNBysujqwDiY/s1600/2018-11-03+09.36.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAQ5altGuwrNZq8Nv-jCXjXE5vv9oXEeMQyPWM3zEKFcow9BLxvH5LuGt_LfbiEs47UmiG6zEqvKJLqwYCZDd4y87y0-G9Uu53frvvtlx53HwDZSuf4lHN8DMQdO2LUiLuNBysujqwDiY/s640/2018-11-03+09.36.08.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Our first stop was Hakone Shrine and the gorgeous torii gate submerged into Lake Ashi, a volcanic crater lake.<br />
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Then, even though it hadn't been high on our priority list, we took a reproduction pirate cruise ship north on Lake Ashi. It was included in our <a href="https://www.odakyu.jp/english/passes/hakone/">Hakone Free Pass</a>, a pass we decided to buy at the last minute that covered most bus routes and all the other transportation we took plus discounts or entry at a variety of other places in the area that was well worth the money, and it was going from where we were to where we wanted to be for the next leg of our adventure, so why not? It was a lovely little cruise with excellent leaf peeping opportunities. On clearer days, we would have seen Mount Fuji.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGzutCBGLNU-nMVOOwNBufjLIRfVlo8k_t0-dkY6phbxgYLQtyZYIgks1igGUpqrxgPRxiWBYTfieEFYSP1OfBcB9jSBymYty844dG4N-Vlbg1I8X-QB0oOrpW0nHQ2kLMZq9l7HHdx9D/s1600/20181103_101139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGzutCBGLNU-nMVOOwNBufjLIRfVlo8k_t0-dkY6phbxgYLQtyZYIgks1igGUpqrxgPRxiWBYTfieEFYSP1OfBcB9jSBymYty844dG4N-Vlbg1I8X-QB0oOrpW0nHQ2kLMZq9l7HHdx9D/s640/20181103_101139.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ship Victory</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same torii gate from earlier!</td></tr>
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It dropped us off at the beginning station of the Hakone Ropeway, which we took all the way to the end and then took a cable car.<br />
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We stopped at Owakudani, a volcanic valley with active sulphur vents, including a new one from a small eruption in 2015. Here, you can eat black eggs that have been boiled in the sulphuric water. Each one you eat is said to add seven years to your life!<br />
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After lunch at a Ninja Cafe, where the staff were dressed as ninjas, we headed to <a href="https://www.yunessun.com/en/">Yunessun</a>, which was conveniently only a few minutes by bus from the end of the cable car line we had just chosen to take to the end and go from there. It's almost like I planned that! (Maybe part of me knew this, but I did surprisingly little advanced planning for this trip. I knew what we wanted to do and kind of where stuff was, but we figured out the travel parts as we went.)<br />
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Yunessun is basically a onsen themed water park. There is a traditional onsen portion, though we skipped that this time, but the main attraction is the family friendly, bathing suit area with a variety of different themed baths. We tried just about all of them! It was a chilly day, so relaxing in a warm bath was just what we needed. Besides the ones pictured below, we tried a few different tea baths, one in a cave with an aquarium of jellyfish, and more!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkkL6eEPs_bcPVQvEW1spsrwmQRm5QTO2Kx1D5tHG8BSXUtlo1tsZu7mIE568FnWln_kmiNrOur3ZDeE7Oxus0v0I2qR-1Zk1N7dwZfK1ts73_8zPqom5Xa2sdXNvd_aSvrNg-PELh8mJ/s1600/1D01B251C32D5CEEC8A4F90C1E9D099E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkkL6eEPs_bcPVQvEW1spsrwmQRm5QTO2Kx1D5tHG8BSXUtlo1tsZu7mIE568FnWln_kmiNrOur3ZDeE7Oxus0v0I2qR-1Zk1N7dwZfK1ts73_8zPqom5Xa2sdXNvd_aSvrNg-PELh8mJ/s640/1D01B251C32D5CEEC8A4F90C1E9D099E.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee bath (sorry about the water on the lens)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sake!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wine - This one was probably our favorite. Fun color and nice temperature, so we started and ended our bath exploration here.</td></tr>
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Then, though there were many other attractions in the region that we could spend days locating and enjoying, we decided that we would also be well served by not completely exhausting ourselves and heading home in time for dinner (which we picked up on the way).<br />
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It was a great day and we're so glad we finally made it! Hopefully, we can go back and see some of the things we missed!<br />
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5591028344666367215.post-66566463971297108842018-11-02T12:38:00.001+09:002018-11-02T12:38:23.873+09:00Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In order to have any sort of home based business on our base here in Japan, you have to have base approval. The application you submit says that you will abide by base and local policies and procedures, your sponsor's (spouse or parent) command is aware of what you're up to, and your business doesn't compete with those already provided by the base. This applies to any goods you may sell or services you provide. It's not terribly complicated, but it has to go through multiple channels to be fully approved and then you're allowed to advertise your business and actually ask for money in exchange.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-EINe8LEn3HqRhM6h2H06VEs9bVlnlX9WlWZi8zFBDE8pcaLrOLjAXGQfKDaBmoNl64yI88AnFtnPMQfAe-_qZOyjqz-07aO48KNvchMmBRX-0qx-ywzHgoRHGn1UDficeH_MO8izhwi/s1600/2018-10-18+20.38.08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-EINe8LEn3HqRhM6h2H06VEs9bVlnlX9WlWZi8zFBDE8pcaLrOLjAXGQfKDaBmoNl64yI88AnFtnPMQfAe-_qZOyjqz-07aO48KNvchMmBRX-0qx-ywzHgoRHGn1UDficeH_MO8izhwi/s640/2018-10-18+20.38.08.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couch snuggles - Malcolm (left) and Stella (right) and me</td></tr>
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I decided that since I already have to walk Malcolm, he likes having friends to play with, and we are allowed to have up to two pets in our home at once, I would get base approval to take care of other pets so I could bring in a little extra cash. I was able to secure that approval and Malcolm became the CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) of my little pet care business. I've watched some cats and one hamster, but I primarily take care of other dogs - sometimes in their home, sometimes in ours.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-uxURO5bpvIh0F9oBBsilYh_fCmQjUPO346dEUqtSzO7i-aLIbJHqNcJ8rF1-8jKLGXhfjt39Vwk3yzbYwTCTMukCR_6rQpoSKNGk1QpPQcOQGPdmrTRKN7UZSGaDrDHHGzwtffxl77Y/s1600/2018-08-15+21.48.47-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1328" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-uxURO5bpvIh0F9oBBsilYh_fCmQjUPO346dEUqtSzO7i-aLIbJHqNcJ8rF1-8jKLGXhfjt39Vwk3yzbYwTCTMukCR_6rQpoSKNGk1QpPQcOQGPdmrTRKN7UZSGaDrDHHGzwtffxl77Y/s640/2018-08-15+21.48.47-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malcolm doesn't look very sure about Parker, but they actually got along just fine</td></tr>
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Every dog has their quirks, but we find we usually enjoy giving Malcolm a new buddy to play with once in awhile. I always meet new clients with Malcolm ahead of time, to make sure everyone gets along, so we really haven't had any problems. V<a href="https://thebookguardian.blogspot.com/2017/11/i-cant-wait-to-meet-virginia.html">irginia still holds the title of Malcolm's best friend</a>, but we've made some other good dog friends along this journey as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarnkSfuVIZ0Xy003-N9aYwp6CKwLOObaPRSxdd12pDmgoDFSSjHShp07aUck-GIV6iibjX_05pSc1_Pp_zLp2eGz42thmDai2PM5EnfUyJW4-1btBIEpuGcT1ClRClO-d_yGXIng2PZiJ/s1600/2018-08-11+09.32.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarnkSfuVIZ0Xy003-N9aYwp6CKwLOObaPRSxdd12pDmgoDFSSjHShp07aUck-GIV6iibjX_05pSc1_Pp_zLp2eGz42thmDai2PM5EnfUyJW4-1btBIEpuGcT1ClRClO-d_yGXIng2PZiJ/s640/2018-08-11+09.32.45.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia stayed with us for six weeks this summer while her family went to the States. Two big dogs in the bath was extra adventurous.</td></tr>
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It's time to re-certify my approval (it's only good for one year), and I filled out my part of the paperwork before writing this post. I'll send it with Blake on Monday to route through his chain of command and then we'll go from there! I've enjoyed this little business opportunity, especially when more formal work that I'm both interested in and qualified for has been rather elusive. We're good either way, but I like being able to contribute and feel like I'm accomplishing something, and being helpful to my neighbors and friends at the same time!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNlMKgcBjNW-MoZ-33dIxc80JcWpyN7UTqOdabkFcw69D6_ZS08zgd1OvOyxpZd_VTIPoH8QwhCPWwzZVfn3cbY4OdAcGwEwFB8nWpMqshcpgkMAkBm6oo0MaLIvf257qIS6LMpCtTZpp/s1600/2018-08-17+21.18.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNlMKgcBjNW-MoZ-33dIxc80JcWpyN7UTqOdabkFcw69D6_ZS08zgd1OvOyxpZd_VTIPoH8QwhCPWwzZVfn3cbY4OdAcGwEwFB8nWpMqshcpgkMAkBm6oo0MaLIvf257qIS6LMpCtTZpp/s640/2018-08-17+21.18.27.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I checked on Parker at his house while Virginia stayed at ours. I can handle three dogs on a walk at once, but it's always helpful when Blake joins us.</td></tr>
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AmandaStretchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649673692690240933noreply@blogger.com1