FAM IN JAPAN - VIIII - FINAL

LAST PHOTOS from my fam in Japan! 

April 1st was my sisters birthday...and also EASTER SUNDAY!! What a day! We all headed to church (HOPE CHURCH) to celebrate Jesus and my sissy! 

The kids loved the train! Hunter would ask me at every stop, "how many minutes until we get there?" 

After church, I took my sissy to eat AFURI ramen and then get some cupcakes! 

I LOVE THIS PIC!!! My sissy on her bday (Wearing the dress I bought her!), my three nieces (Tayah, Eden, Lenya) and me all in Ginza together on a Sunday!!! Pretty much the best scenario ever. 

These pics crack me up...especially that second one of Eden. It perfectly encapsulates her amazing personality...as I was snapping photos and did not give her any direction and she just does this one shoulder pose HAHAHHAA

Sissy squeeze!!!

After lunch we met back up with the crew and took my sister out for her bday dinner at TORAJI, which is a famous Yakiniku place here in Tokyo. We had our own private room and that was a really cool memory. 

We all woke up on Monday, had our last breakfast in Tokyo, and had to make our way to the airport :( But...before we headed there we made sure to make a pit stop at a city park to give the kids a chance to run wild before sitting on a plane for 10 hours. My bro found this awesome spot and we checked it out...

They had a zipline! Hunter loved it.

These kids love a good playground!

Ant on daddy duty

HAHAHA...typical Russ. The running joke in our family is that he falls asleep at the most inopportune times at the weirdest places. Take for example, on his kids stroller with our crazy amount of luggage...lookin like a total creep ahahaha. Actually, i'm pretty sure he told me, "hey dude take a pic of me like this...ready?" 

After an hour or so of playing...the kids were exhausted!

Look at these sweaty faces hahaaa. After finishing playing, we gave them ice cream, and headed to the airport. 

And that, folks, wraps up my time with my fam in Japan. Looking back at all these photos is so sweet...and I am so glad they all came out. It was a lot of effort to say the least! But my sibling are all incredible and made this trip so much fun...something I will never forget. God has truly blessed me with an amazing family!! He is so good!!

Where to next?? 

FAM IN JAPAN - PART VIII- NAKAMEGS + SHIBUYA

Wow...I realize this "Fam in Japan" series is quite long! haha...I guess I took a lot of photos while my family was here and I am slowly getting to posting them all. 

On our second day in Tokyo, we woke up at our place in Nakameguro and walked out to see the sakura blooms. This is my favorite place to see sakura in Tokyo so I was reaaaaally happy to show my fam ;) 

Isn't it magical??

So, my favorite coffee shop in Nakameguro is called JAHO and it wasn't open yet! Bummer. So we opted for my second favorite coffee shop, SIDEWALK STAND. 

After our morning in Nakamegs...we decided it was time to brave shibuya with two strollers and 11 people...

We got crepes and Cam was happy as a clam hahaha.

My bro and his boys <3

It was really funny traversing through the scramble (aka busiest intersection in Tokyo and quite possibly... the world) with our strollers hahaa.

Lenny and Eden are really sweet sisters with eachother! They love playing together and they watch out for one another. 

I turn around and see Lenya full force licking this icecream cone HAHAHA.

This was on Cat street, near Harajuku...aka home to the most stylish people in Tokyo. 

Hunter Minh. I love this kid. 10 minute before this photo, he was swinging off some pole and smacked his head on the ground after his dad told him to stop. He had to sit down and wipe his tears with a good snack...and after a few minutes of pouting...he gave me this cute grin that we all know and love :) 

Love my sissy!

We wrapped the night up eating Katsu in Ebisu and then icecream before heading home. These kids did amazing all day and the adults were pooped but in good spirits haha! 

I think I have one more post left of this trip! 

KASHIWA X NORTH

Every year, for the past 25 years, North High School (my alma mater) sends a group of kids to Kashiwa Municipal High School (where I work) for a week of cultural exchange. 

This program has been near and dear to my heart ever since I was a kid...considering my older siblings all hosted students from Kashiwa back when they were in high school! I have very distinct memories of being a little 6 year old kid meeting my sister and brother's host students from Ichikashi...and then even more so when I hosted a girl, Rika, when I was a high school student.

So, to be on the Japanese end of things is very special. My office here in Kashiwa has been planning this trip for a while, and as one of the two Native English Teachers here, it is my job to make sure their time here goes as smoothly as possible. It was my third and final time hosting these kids and what made this year even more special was the fact that my cousin Danielle came with the group!!

26 American students.
25 Japanese students.
3 American teachers.
And one jam packed schedule.

The students were here Monday-Friday at school, and it was my job to ensure they knew the schedule, went to the right classes, and stayed organized. It reminded me a lot of my time working at Forest Home Summer Camp...that kind of non-stop-never-have-time-to-even-go-pee kind of business hahha! The students were able to do so many things at school : cook lunch together in home ec, take calligraphy class, do kendo, experience P.E, wear yukatas, and even go to Disney Sea!! 

It was non stop every single day and a whole lot of fun. It was especially nice to see Mrs. Hart, who was my former teacher and now great friend. I felt so lucky the whole week to get the chance to be a part of this program and host a group from my high school and hometown **tears** 

The week wrapped up with our farewell party on Thursday night, and sending off the NHS group at the airport Friday morning. I was crazy enough to schedule a trip to Korea on that Friday so I missed the farewells...but it ended up being good timing as I needed a break from all the school madness to clear my head a bit. 

Well, that closes out my third year hosting the NHS group at Ichikashi. What a way to go out! 

FAM IN JAPAN - PART VII- TOKYO

After exploring my hometown of Kashiwa, living it up in Kyoto, and seeing some good friends in Osaka...we finally made it to Tokyo! It was my sisters first time in the city, and my other siblings first time in a while! So we were all so excited to be back in T O K Y O!!!!!

First stop in Tokyo : Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. We were in Tokyo at the PEAK of Sakura season and had planned a photoshoot with my good friend Nathalie! It worked out really well to do the photos on Friday after arriving from Osaka...and although the park was PACKED with people, it is so big that it wasn't to big of a deal. We payed our 200 yen fee to enter and were immediately greeted by the incredibly full and beautiful trees! 

STUNNING!

We made sure to bring plenty of snacks for the kiddos so they would be happy during the photoshoot! I love this one of Lenny and Eden in their cute pink puffy jackets. There was still a bit of chill in the air so the kids were sure to stay cozy. 

As we were exiting the park, the sakura petals were falling so magically!!!! It was incredible. 

The park closes at 5pm or so...and we were some of the last ones out. I love how even in one of the biggest cities in the world, there is a wide open space to roam! When I look at this pic it makes me miss my sibs! I love them so much.

Check out this MASSIVE sakura tree. WOW. 

The boys of course found some frisbee to throw around! And I captured this cute moment of Cam and Russ as we were walking out. 

Since the kids did so well on the photoshoot, I promised to buy each of them a toy. We went to KiddyLand in Omotesando and I let them buy anything that was $10 or under! They were SO happy to pick out a toy....and seeing their precious smiling faces was a really fun memory for me. 

After our photoshoot, it was time for dinner. Russ and Jen headed out to their sushi dinner date, so Stac, Ant, D and I took the kids out to eat. It's pretty hard to find a place for 4 adults and 5 kids in Tokyo...so I convinced them to go to Dennys! This may seem lame to some...but Denny's in Japan is actually completely different from Denny's stateside...and I knew it would be a great experience for all of us! 

This little smile is the cutest little thing ever!!!!!

The kids got pasta, happy meals with ketchup smiles, and the adults grubbed on hambagu and set meals. So yum!!! And the best part was we could be as loud and messy and we wanted. Also, if you're wondering where Cam was in this photo...he was knocked out on the extra chairs we had around our table. The kids were still adjusting to the time difference, and occasionally a few of them would fall asleep FOR THE NIGHT at 6pm or so haha!  

After dinner we headed down the street to dessert...

My brothers are huge sneaker heads and follow all the hyped brands...so of course they knew what KITH was and that it was LITERALLY down the street from the Dennys we were at! KITH is a dope sneaker and street wear brand that opened, get this, an ICE CREAM shop that really bomb dessert. This was the perfect end to our first day in Tokyo. 

YUMMMMMMMMMM. The coolest aesthetic. The best icecream. In the greatest city in the world. YEAHHHHH.

We headed home after that...the kids were so tired. I loved these city shots of them. Having them in Tokyo was seriously a dream come true. 

GOOD NIGHT, TOKYO.

REUNITED

I love this photo of my grandparents. I found it last year when I was digging through old photos. I had never seen it before. It stuck out to me for two reasons :
1. They're in Japan. I never knew much about their travels here...but when I see photos like this now, I instantly connect with them. I can feel the Japanese culture and I feel this deep deep bond to them...to our heritage...to our story. 
2. That look of pure joy on their faces. It's so genuine. And was exactly how I always knew these two. Full of love. Full of love. The greatest couple I ever knew. 

This morning my dad called to tell me my beautiful grandma Jean had passed.

She had been in hospice at my parent's house since February, so we all knew it was coming. But hearing my dad's voice on the other end of the line made me suddenly feel the distance. I felt so far away. I wanted to walk outside, across the street, and be back at my parent's house with everyone. But there I was. In the office at work. With a class schedule ahead of me and a world of people around me who's days went on per usual. 

So I did the only thing I knew to do. Pray. Write. Read. And this is what I penned in my notebook...

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She is with you, Lord. 
She has now entered the gates of heaven, your arms are wide open, "welcome home Jeanie."
Such victory and joy in this passing, Lord, a woman who lived an honorable life, a woman who loved and cared for her children and grandchildren, a woman with a legacy. Amen. 

Lord, our humanity hurts when we think of death. Our flesh cringes at it, we don't like to look at it, not at all, but our souls know different. Our souls know that death is natural, our souls know we were not made for here. Isn't that wild? Doesn't that change everything? That flips it all on it's head. That flips it all around. Life...what is it? What is it about? My grandparents, Jean and Ryo, Sumio and Kathy, they lived so well. Long lives. Beautiful marriages. A lineage of Godly children and grandchildren. And they passed gracefully. And they arrived at their destiny. The gates of heaven.

I've experienced this moment two very distinct times before. When Gpa Sumio passed away when I was in college, and when Gpa Ryo passed away in 2016 when I was here at school. I remember this overwhelming feeling that death brings : urgency. Suddenly, nothing really matters anymore besides you, Lord. Besides truth. Besides heaven. Besides salvation and eternity. Suddenly...urgency floods me. And I know truth...reality...the end for us all : heaven's gates. So everything is thrown off balance, and nothing really matters anymore. And i'm flooded with that now, Lord. Urgency is flooding me now! What do I do with it. I can feel my head pounding. It aches because it is flooded...flooded with memories, flooded with urgency, flooded with emotion. I don't want to do anything but dwell on this. But, I have class in 25 minutes. I have 31 students to look at in the face and talk to. I have a job to do, and the world swirling around me. Life goes on, and toady will pass. 

All flesh is like grass, and all it's glory like the flowers of grass.
The grass withers, and the flowers fall off, but the word of the Lord endures forever. 
1 peter 1:24-25

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