Yamadera (Mountain Temple)

While I was visiting Sendai, Hannah and Julie took me on a "cruise tour" which means we had 40 minutes to see all the temples at Yamadera. I'd really like to go again and hike around some more. It was beautiful. Please enjoy these wonderful pictures along with one of my favorite promises from the Lord. *Come everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;

and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine

and milk without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, and a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.

Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon him while He is near, let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

"For as the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I pupose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."*

Isaiah 55

All I know about him is he is 40

Today I had something really interesting happen to me... I was going for a walk and this man was hobbling down the street toward me. I had two thoughts cross my mind, "should I help him?" and "is he some tricky con artist waiting to attack me?" So I decided because my Japanese is poor and I was alone, to pass him by. (I know you're thinking good smaritian I am not, right?)
And he cried out, "suimasen" which means "excuse me"

This was proceeded by a half an hour conversation where he asked me repeatedly to help him and I said that I couldn't. I just couldn't help but feel that something was out of place and that something was weird. I didn't feel safe letting him put his arms around my shoulders so I could carry him to his car... yet, it didn't feel right letting him hobble by himself. I thought of the angels unaware verse... and the good smaritian story... And I'm pretty sure I screwed up but I did what I thought was best... I called my friends to pick us up in their car, and as we waited he, in broken Japanese, proceeded to tell me what a LOSER he was because he had to ask for my help. It was so sad. Seriously! SERIOUSLY! Sad.

All I know about him is he is 40 and has a problem with his knee... he thinks he is a loser because he is old and injured. His life is worthless now. He told me that. And I couldn't even communicate with him or share God's love with him... He just kept asking for my help...

And what a freak show I am. I wouldn't even give it to him... I kept thinking that I would get attacked or that there was something suspicious about him. I totally HATE this. Ya know, usually I am so quick to trust and especially when I first arrived in Japan... and then I ended up getting hit on by a pick-up artist... so ya know, tough girl act. I refuse to be tricked... and I probably just let this helpless man dive deeper into his depression. He said what a "surprise" I was and he was so glad to have met me...

He just kept saying "thank you" and "i am so sorry" in Japanese over and over again. When my friends arrived he was too embarassed and wouldn't accept our help. So we drove away...

I totally blew it. Why do I regard my life as so much more important that I wouldn't even help him? I kept praying, "God if this is an angel... if I am supposed to trust Him... please intervene. Please forgive me for not being more trusting..."

Have I become hardened and uncaring? As all my compassion been spent? I beg for God's mercy cause I really don't know what I am doing in this country...

Glass Top #303

Hey there!

Thanks for stopping by... today is absolutely beautiful so I took the time to take some photos. I have more to share you but wanted to give you a quick tour of "Glass Top #303" or as our sign reads, "Gurasu Toppu #303" which is how you write it when you send a letter...

Welcome and come on in...

this is our genkan... which is where you leave your shoes and

and pick up some slippers.
First door on your left is Mary's room and the first door on your right is...

the seminjo "washroom" and the ofurdo
this is our ofurdo, which is our "bathroom"

further in and this is our kitchen

these are the spectacular shelves TJ made for us, after I saw some in a Pottery Barn for kids magazine I took it to him and said, "hey, can you make this?" and this is the masterpiece he created... they are amazing and NOT connected so we can do basically whatever arrangement we want with them. woo hoo!

this is our tatami room... see the mat floors? that's called tatami... our mats are green cause its new... usually they are a woody color (beige?) this is our "living room"...

our dining room

ah, yes and my room. sorry it's a mess... SG~ see the painting you did in high school?

these are my bookshelves. I don't have a ton of room and I have too many books and pictures... so sorry it's messy... but that's my life.

teeny weeny closet and pictures put up with magnet strips... it was a creative idea I had spur on the moment. to put magnets on my pictures and on my door and the hang them... kind of different, but way fun!

today is a holiday... so some kids woke me up this morning with their little parade... this is the view from my window/balcony.

and this is the Japanese style garden I look out on... my neighbor owns it.

and here is the train which passes my window every day... plus, the place I get gyozu when I'm in the mood... mmm, mmm, mmm

this last picture has nothing to do with my apartment... but I just got a disposable camera developed and found this picture of Megumi and I. I laughed so hard... check out her face... she's really not as mean as she looks... I laughed so hard.

oops, speaking of Megumi.

We're going to a festival tonight in Chofu... gotta run!

An ode

This is my ode to "I love"

please join me in paying tribute to the "simple, every day"

things we love and don't often recognize...

Without further ado, I give you, my masterpiece....

I LOVE...

coffeeshops and the awesome people who work them...MarkandRitaville...

and their pier... and the fact that everytime I think of that pier I think of my uncle and how he punted an "out of control" candle into the water...

and the fact that that was five years ago doesn't quiet my laughter.

I miss you Mark and Rita... can't wait to visit! when my brothers play guitar...

and when Jordan teaches himself a new instrument...

oh man, check out Rocket's face.

Sarah Gehrman

and the fact that we've been best of crazy, weird friends since the 6th grade. I miss our nose flute playing days... and now she has developed her skills on the autoharp. She's talented for sure!
The cubs!

Oh yeah, and my cousin Josiah!
A country sky...

you might not respect this photo like I do... but come to Tokyo and you'll realize how great the midwest has it... sure, I love the city life but deep down the country has my heart.

My Grandma's ability to make a cake in any shape/decoration you ask...

Seriously, why did everything thing it was gross that

I wanted a cake of my face?

I-94 and the open highway between Illinois and Colorado...

karaoke

crazy hats...

and the horsetrack... but mostly for the horses...

Again, with the random photos... been wanting to blog about Glass Top #303 but it's a mess and my room needs a serious attitude adjustment so until I am Martha Stewart or a genie with a dust cloth breezes in... you'll have to settle for random photos and odes...

I embrace my randomness....

Is it a bad sign that I am sitting here? Semi-awake and refusing to go to bed... listening to Christmas music while thinking deeply?

I've been thinking about long-lost people... and thinking about the Beatles song "In My Life"...

*There are places I remember, all my life, though some have changed...some have gone and some remain... all these places have their moments.*

So in "loo" of that... I've decided that laughter is the best medicine...

I watched "Elizabethtown" tonight and wanted to make it a goal of mine to become more spontaneous. Can you make it a goal to be spontaneous? That seems kind of "structured" to me?! ANYWAY!

I realized I am pretty random already. I mean, I'm kind of crazy sometimes.

In Yokohama yesterday I managed to embarass myself four times by either slipping on slick brick, tripping on the stairs and running into random people. Nothing says, "Hey, I'm a big, fat gaijin like running into people and plowing them over." I am for sure one cultural blunder after another... it was great. Good thing I learned as a youngin' how to deal with embarassment. My B.F. Sarah and I always said in high school it was impossible to embarass us because we constantly were embarassing ourselves. Ha ha!! That's rich. Like the time I tried to do a high kick and slipped on wet pavement and fell... SG had some pretty embarassing times... but that's for her to blog about not me.

Here are some random things about me and random pictures of me being... random.... YESSSS!! I win!

My life as it stands today (May 1st 2:25AM)
*Flip flop season has arrived, although like I told Jordan~ I believe every season has the potential to be flip flop season... I celebrated the new season with four new blisters. Yesss!

*I thought of Jamie K's laugh yesterday and started laughing randomly in Starbucks... this only adds to the fact that I was with two of my friends Mikkun and Masashi and they now think I am more crazy than already they knew me to be.

*Japan was hot today... real hot. But I can remember July and how humid it gets... probably not as hot as this picture. Keith Brooks, this picture is for you. I was laughing today just thinking about when we drove out to CO and your car "broke"~ oh, man! And it was so hot we had the windows down and so my hair got real tangly? So I, like the genuis I am, used my other shirt to keep my hair back... but dude, it was SO hot. And that was October. What was up with that?

*Elizabethtown was the movie of choice tonight... can't decide what I think of it yet. Could be good... defnitely liked Kirsten Dunst's random character...

*trying to bring "Whose-your-baby's-mama-drama" into the slang here in Japan... not working so well... Sorry Sus and Meg.

*TJ has succeeded however in making "Hot Dog!" (as in, yipee) a success.

*have a monster headache

*Bela and Edgar's "Blue Spruce" still rocks my world... maybe I'll name my next pet Bela or Edgar... hm, note to self...

*next pet is undecided... though my friend Ty told me he had a duck once...

*Ty also told me he and his brothers have "outgrown" wrestling... absurd. I didn't even know that was possible since my brothers are 31, 29, and soon to be 27 and they still find enough energy to wrestle with me. How would we relate with one another if we couldn't hit each other? hmmm...

*have a restful week ahead of me~ it's officially "GOLDEN WEEK" and that is ONE week of Holiday for people in Japan. No one knows why it is called Golden week.

*had lunch with a family I teach english to their adorable five year old. Probably had one of the most memorable times... we had sushi. I of course loved it.

*learned how to say "of course" in Japanese...
*will be taking a bus to Sendai in five days... yee-haw. CAN NOT WAIT!!!

*miss my adorable niece like crazy... trying to figure out polite way to kidnap her.

*have been regretting decision to take out my eyebrow piercing...

*have been contemplating my next tattoo... met a guy from the Navy and am best frends with Eddie Han who is covered in tats... found a Lewis quote I'd like to make into a tattoo... don't think my Dad planned me reading Lewis would inspire a tat....

*wish it was Monday so Kelli was on her internet... do I have bad timing or what?

*have a "bible crush" on Daniel... seriously, I think having a "prudent" spirit is the coolest thing have ever heard. Who knew being a "prude" could be so cool...

*looked up prudent in the dictionary...

*randomly bought a Otis Redding cd because he is the Memphis Blues man.

*randomly decided to blog... succeeded in boring not only myself but probably you... put embarassing photos on the web and now will be going to bed.

Glad to be back...

A fun game from Ang and Holly...

Put your music player on shuffle.

Press forward for each question.

Use the song title as the answer to the question.

(Plus, I put pictures up of when I took a train to China...

no joke, today I went to Chinatown in Yokohama...

enjoy the following pictures)

Megumi, Mikkun, and Masashi in front of a Chinese temple.

Masashi didn't take a "normal" picture all day... what a riot!

How am I feeling today?

"Hit That Jive, Jack!" Diana Krall

Will I get far in life?

"(You Can) Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward

Like I said, Masashi... ha ha! In front of an international cruise ship. Sweet!

How do my friends see me?

"Little Country Girl" Brooks and Dunn (ha! ha! Nice!)

When will I get Married?

"Undignified" Matt Redman

Yokohama Harbor

What is my best friend's theme song?

"Just to See You Smile" by Tim McGraw...

What is the story of my life?

"Come Home Running" Chris Tomlin

um, for sure! I'll take this song as my life's story....

What is/was high school like?

"Send A Picture of Mother" Johnny Cash Live @ Folsom Prison

Mikkun and Masashi talk about our route under the umbrella...

How can I get ahead in life?

"Sabra Girl" Nickel Creek

What is the best thing about me?

"Learn to Be Lonely" PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

ha ha... what a cruel joke...

Megumi and I shared an umbrella... Yokohama is Japan's #1 date spot... so Megu and I shared an umbrella and ice cream. hee hee hee

That's what good friends are for!

How is today going to be?

"Only Hope" Switchfoot... love this song!

What is in store for this weekend?

"When You Come Back Down" Nickel Creek

What song describes my parents?

"Share the Well" Caedman's Call

(dude, that's sooo cool! they definitely "share the well" with all those in their lives... me, my brothers, and everyone around them...)

Pretend smooching...

To describe my grandparents?

"Out of the Woods" Nickel Creek...

gosh, 3 Nickel Creek, can ya tell who I like to listen to?

How is my life going?

"This is How It Feels To Be Free" Philips, Craig and Dean

What song will they play at my funeral?

"Shine Your Light" City on a Hill

We tried Masashi's tea with tapioca balls... (Jame, remember trying those for the first time?)

Megu is sucking one up a straw... we were laughing so hard cause it was so funny to suck, suck,suck and then pop! it "zooms" up the straw...

ha ha!

How does the world see me?

"I Ran Away" Coldplay... hm, interesting perspective but I'm to be misunderstood, right?

Will I have a happy life?

"Peace" Norah Jones

Looking out on the "wild, blue, yonder..." actually that songs about ehe sky, isn't it? Oh well! The sea is wild and blue... and they are looking out "yonder".

Ha! Ha!

What do my friends really think of me?

"There Goes My Life" Kenny Cheasney... interesting...

What should I do with my life?

"I Will" Beatles...

*Who knows how long I've loved you... you know I love you still.

Will I wait a lonely lifetime? If you want me to, I will*

Will I ever have children?

"Watch the Wind Blow By" Tim McGraw

*All I want to do is let it be and be with you and watch the wind blow by. All I want to see is you and me go on forever like the clear blue sky, slowly, there's only you and I... and all I want to do is watch the wind blow by.*

What is some good advice for me?

"Make Room" Grits

How will I be remembered?

"Chapsticks, Chapped Lips, and Chemistry" Relient K...

that one makes no sense. ha ha

What is my signature dancing song?

"No greater Love" Stephen Curtis Chapman...

hm, maybe signature slow dance... or interpretive dance~ ha ha!

What do I think my current theme song is?

"I'll Never Fall in Love Again" Burt Bacharach...

ohhh that's below the belt.

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?

"I've Got To See You Again" Norah Jones

What type of men/women do I like?

"New Favorite" Alison Krauss and Union Station

Starbucks was promoting their new banana line of frappes and mochas... these little girls were wearing banana hats and handing out free samples... kawaii!!

So I am officially "back" now that Mary and I have hooked up "Under the Sea" which is the name of our network... I know, you're wondering why?

Well, it's because we were playing an animal game and I was the crab and I had to have a noise and so I burst randomly into "Under the Sea" because that is the only sound I have ever heard a crab make.

Also, a fun quote... since Mary and I went stir crazy March with no students and April with no internet we had many silly and funny moments.

Jo: "Mary, can you curl my back hair?"

In my defense? I wanted her to curl the hair on the BACK OF MY HEAD that I couldn't reach... it just came out all wrong...

hee hee hee