The Tagging Game I Stole from Angie

four items for each category:

Four Jobs I’ve Had in My Life:

• Mayflower RA-woo! woo!
• Applebees server
• barrista at Java House-Mormon Trek style
• public relations and official international representative for RoJo coffee

Four Movies I could Watch Over and Over, and Have:

• Pride and Prejudice (the original 5-hour-er)
• Lord of the Rings (all three please!)
• Notting Hill
• Finding Nemo (click on this one, you won't be sorry~ actually you better be clicking on all of them)

Four Places I’ve Lived:

• Hachioji, Tokyo Japan
• Normal, Illinois
• Iowa City, IA
• Clear Lake, WI (technicallly Reeve)

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch:

• Gilmore Girls with Rocket
• CSI w/ Mary
• Newlyweds w/ Susie Chang(before they broke up)
• a Baby Story w/ Rachie and Holls

Four Places I’ve Been on Vacation:

• Laird, Canada (come on, that was technically a vacation)
• Pensacola, Florida
• Grand Tetons
• Karuizawa, Japan
  

Four Websites I Visit Daily:

• gmail
• my blog
• Kelli's
• shutterfly (they sucker me into their great deals)

Four Favorite Foods:

• sushi
• ice cream
• chocolate
• Papa John's pizza (hey, sus~ theres your papa!)

Four Places I Would Like to Visit:

• Schupbach, Switzerland
• Alaska
• U.K.
• basically anywhere but the midwest America

Four People I am Tagging with this Meme:

• whoever wants to do this crazy thing....
  

In between...

In between blog entries... I have a good one in the mix, I would like to share with everyone lyrics from my new favorite band, "Copeland". Brought to you through me from my good friend, Eddie Han. Thank you Eddie~ don't think you read this but if you did, you would hear the silence of my applause... And if ya'll get the chance of meeting Eddie, ask him to tell you the "nabe" story~ it's my favorite! I laugh everytime. Anyway, enjoy the lyrics to my favorite song...

*If you find yourself here on my side of town

I'd pray that you'd come to my door

Talk to me like you don't know what we ever fought about

Cause I don't remember anymore

I just know that she warms my heart

And knows what all my imperfections are

And she said that I was the brightest little firefly in her jar

And I just know that she warms my heart

And knows what all my imperfections are

And she says that I am the brightest little firefly in her jar*

Copeland "Brightest"

Snowboarding Extravaganza

February 14, seventeen people set out on a snowboarding adventure...

little did they know, the fun experiences, the laughter, and the deep discussions, not to mention the sweet carving action a certain someone (*ahem*) got...

the seventeen people would soon become...

seventeen friends.

Ha ha! Okay, enough drama for the entry.

Enjoy shite kudasai!

Mary went snowboarding for the first time and picked up some *sick* skills!! I love this picture so I had to put it on... this is before we got on the lift for our first trip down. (editor's note: I'm using some new slang now that I'm a boarder chick... apparently my slang is not cool anymore~ so *sick* here is used as people in California would use it to describe something incredibly cool!)

Kyong A, you would have been so proud of TJ~ here he is on his first day. What a great snowboarder... His second day he was carving with the best of them... and even tried the jumps. (He did much better than me, I'll say!)

Holly takes to the slopes.... she picked up snowboarding so quick. I don't think I learned how to backslide for a long time. What a trooper!This is such a cool view of Mary. At one point, looking down on the scenery I totally forgot I was in Japan. It looked alot like Winter Park... but it was so beautiful there.
Megumi and I snowboarded together all three days.
Hey Mark! "Do you ever take that off any sweet jumps?"

Mark's got "skills"~ snowboarding skills.Ohhh Eddie gets some sweet air...

Megu and I got to board with the guys for two days and although we didn't have the same "skills" we got to tag along and take some pictures and just have fun. I was really challenged in my boarding and really just enjoyed myself. I loved hanging with these guys and it was fun to do some different trails.

I caught Takayasu taking a jump here.
Okay, Mom~ so I did try on jump... but don't worry! I didn't even get to the jump... just "biffed" it right before. Ah, what a humbling picture... oh well. Life's too short to pretend to be a coolster... hee hee hee! We found this cool "cove"~ dome like thing. So Mitsuru, Megu, Takayasu, Nagai, Mamoru, Keigo, and I take shelter from some pretty wicked wind at the top of the slopes.Woo Woo!! We love the top!
Takayasu and I on the last run. The snow was falling like crazy the third day so I wanted to take a picture.
Megumi, my faithful snowboarding partner. What a great gal. I am so lucky to have such a fun friend that will hang out with me. She was an excellent snowboarder and we always stuck together.
B.E.S.T. CLUB TRIPS ARE THE BEST!!!!

Color me excited!

This is for my faithful readers... Mom, are you there? ha ha!

I just wanted to let you know... emails, blogs, and other forms of communication will be "on hold" for several days as I will be out of Tokyo snowboarding until late Friday night.And I included this picture because I am completely psyched about my goggles. I know, I know! I am sure Rocket, Ben, and Matt~ you're all rolling your eyes at me cause I am such a silly snowboarder but seriously~ aren't these cool? And hopefully after these two years I'll be a better snowboarder, cool goggles or not!

Anyway, I will be sure to post pictures of the snowboarding trip... I just wanted to send out an FYI!

Holly, get the kleenex!

Ah, Holly! I took one look at this picture and knew it would be my next blog...

Because I don't want to make you cry, I'll keep this short...

Thanks for being my friend. Here are some of the highlights from our friendship...

When I fell out of Andy Eiffert's truck, oh no wait! That was you! ha ha! This story will forever crack me up.

Staying up till 6AM and instead of going to bed at that time, going to get breakfast!

Steven Curtis Chapman concert!

Our first bible study with J Klaas!

Trunk riding! And Clay got pulled over!

36 Valley!

When you prayed for my fundraising and wanted to know every cent the Lord brought in for my summer trip in 2003.

When TN and I broke up and you were so mad at me cause I didn't ask you if it was "okay"!

Coaching me through microbiology and letting me study from all your notes, just so I could putter my way through that class!

"Show him the BRIDGE" during "A Walk to Remember"

When I dared you to break "the child" over your head and didn't believe that you would actually do it. Until you raised that figurine over your head and slammed that beast into the concrete. And then you felt so guilty cause Andy gave it to us... so you went out and bought another one. Oh, man! That's good!

When you dyed my hair red and you gave me splotches on the side of my head and I had to hide them for dance when I put my hair in a bun it was like a "Target" sign. My gosh!

Vowing to learn how to "beatbox" like Justin Timberlake!

All our dance parties (including the ones in Japan)!

The road trip to Colorado! Making Rachie listen to rap and then country music, box seats for the Rockies, pink campaigne at Alaina's party!

When you, Rachie, and Liz-oh came to my dorm room senior year for my birthday! I thought everyone had forgotten about me but you three remained so true!

Me trying to use three way calling and then accidently leaving you a LONG message where you could hear my conversation with my other friend. That was humiliating!

Confessing to J Bradley (oh man, why did we do that?)! ha ha

Ganging up against Rachel and teasing her... then begging her to bring DQ home when she got off work!

Getting you to smoke a cigar with me... enough said, right?!

You coming to Japan and being the true friend I needed to make it through the first two months which would have been difficult without God's grace through you!

And everytime I have turned to you for wisdom and received it with love (although sometimes without)! I owe you for your wisdom in keeping me from making some huge mistakes.

It has been a pleasure to see God work in you and to see the growth that has taken place in your life. Wow girl! Praise God for His work in you. You are a true friend and a loyal gal. Thanks for all the fights, the tears, the laughter (ohhh, the laughter was wonderful) and the memories. I have no doubt that God is going to bless the work He has placed before you in Arizona. Have a wonderful time and know that I am praying for you here in Japan!

Gambatte!!

Blank Canvas

Words cannot express...

so what can I offer?

I have nothing pretty...

I'm a filled canvas.

My life started with a weave
with a word,
freshness and softness.
But sin crept in, no stormed in
and I was changed.

Can I be a blank canvas?

Can I have Your heart in me...

Or will I forever be influenced

by the things that have influenced me,

the people,

the prayers,

the love,

the sadness.

Can I be a blank canvas?

Or will I forever be... me?

How can I go back,
Can I have that soft skin...
That newness...
That melting of flesh and soul.

Now I feel I'm melting but more like

drowning...

I can't get past this prayer.

I want to pray for something new,

something different.

I want to be new

I want to be fresh

I want to know life without sin.

A blank canvas, knowing no sorrow...

But clearing the canvas takes away

laughter

joy

takes away from the ways You have

worked,

molded,

sculpted.

Your faithfulness through

the years,

the pain,

the joys,

the laughter

So here I am!

I'm skin

I'm heart

I'm soul

I'm your canvas, Lord.

Fancy Meetin' You Here!!

So I got an email...

"Joanna, Steve's flying into Tokyo"

and about two weeks later I'm sitting in Narita airport enjoying some fine Japanese cuisine (okay, not really) with Steve Monson, a pilot for Northwest.For those of you who don't know Steve, he and his family are dear friends of ours. I grew up with Steve's youngest daughter Sarah, who is actually two years older than me but ya know? Small town and everything.
It was great to meet Steve and share with him a "teeny" bit of Japanese culture with him. Although we ate American style pizza and had Starbucks... ha ha!! But I told Steve, the next time you fly into Tokyo you HAVE TO come to my part of Tokyo and enjoy Japan. I don't think Narita Airport and the Radisson boast about Japan culture too much, sorry Steve. Ha ha!! But it was fun to meet with him and see a "familiar face".

Thanks Steve for lunch and coffee. Amy, hope you enjoy the pictures!! I love you guys and miss you all. Next time you come, stick my mama in your suitcase please. :)

Yeah Baby!

For the rest of February, RoJo Coffee is honoring it's first International customers (Joanna and Holly) by offering their friends and blog viewers a 1 percent discount for every foot of their combined height!! Let's see...4 plus 4 is 8! That is an 8 percent discount! But we'll just throw in 2% more and call it a 10% discount.

Hey! Just wanted to thank ROJO coffee for sending my team in JAPAN some of the best coffee we've ever tasted. And even though my brother Jordan is "hilarious" with his 4 foot comment... I have to say, you guys make a superb cup of coffee.

Check them out!

www.rojocoffeecompany.com