Kimono kraziness

I am on my way to turning Japanese. I have been tutoring a gal for a few months now, and she invited me to bring a friend to dress in a traditional Japanese kimono. So, I agreed, and it turned out to be quite an adventure.

Dressing in a kimono is no easy task. It took us about an hour and a half to get completely ready. We began by putting on "underwear," pictured above. After that, we put on a slip, which looked like a lightweight kimono.

My student, Miyoko-san, had arranged to have our hair done. My friend, Beth, went first and had her hair put into a cute little bun. It was very plain and simple. The hairdresser asked me if I wanted a "cute style" or a "Japanese style." I opted for the Japanese style. After having seen the result of Beth's hair style, I assumed mine would be similar. Much to my shock, it was not.

So, how do you like the rat's nest on top of my head? I was literally in pain from trying to hold in the laughter. I appreciated the effort, but it was just so unexpected. I didn't even know my hair would get that big. 

You wouldn't believe the amount of ties and restriction-type bodice thingys that are under kimonos. It felt like wearing control-top panty hose (not that I have ever worn any) x 100. 

Here I am from the back. The obi (yellow belt thing) almost balances out my badonkadonk. Maybe I should always wear one.

Here are the itty-bitty shoes I attempted to wear. They were WAY too small. Like my socks?

The socks were supposed to clip shut in the back, but as you can see, my cankles are too big. The stairs were no easy feat, by the way.

We went for a traditional lunch in the city. It was quite tasty and nice. The little brown squiggly things on the rice are little whole fishes. I just pretended I didn't know what they were and shoved them down the pipe. It just really creeped me out that they had round black eyeballs.

This picture does a better job of capturing the grandeur. 

Here's a photo from the restaurant. I dig my outfit.

One of the ladies that joined us for lunch was wearing the scarf in the picture above. I half-heartedly made a comment about it, and the next thing I knew, I was wearing it! It felt really eery to have an entire dead animal wrapped around my neck. Eek!

We wrapped up the afternoon by enjoying some little cakes and coffee at a posh little place in the city.

Mildly amusing

We've been settling into life in Japan, and everything is strangely starting to seem normal. We had big plans of heading to Nagano last weekend, but apparently everyone in this country also had the same plan. We'll have to try to travel there again soon. Instead of heading to the mountains, we spent the weekend relaxing. It was a welcomed change to the usual hustle and bustle of the weekends. We watched movies and cooked a lot.

We did venture out Saturday afternoon to take a stroll around a little outdoor shopping area, and I snapped a few pictures of things that made me laugh and remember that life here is anything but normal.

Although this vehicle would look perfectly normal in my hometown, I can assure it seemed absolutely outrageous in Japan. You should have seen the driver trying to navigate his rig down the narrow streets of Nagoya. 

This patch could complete any outfit.

While we were out it started snowing, but the snow was like none I had seen before. It fell in tiny round pellets and didn't melt instantly. It reminded me of little balls of styrofoam. 

Strange stuff.

Snowbeard

We took advantage of being so close to the mountains again last weekend. Below is a picture of the result.

Field trips are fun

I've been quite busy lately, but fortunately I've been busy with fun stuff. Below are a few pictures from my most recent outings.

I went to Tokoname to make an ojizo-san. I think he's supposed to protect travelers and children, but since he was crafted by my two Christian hands, I have decided he's just a cute little figurine.

This is the meal I enjoyed in Tokoname. I love to take pictures of food. Perhaps that's because eating is my favorite pastime.

Last week my Japanese tutor invited me to join her on a trip to the neighboring town of Arimatsu. Her sister lives in Arimatsu so the three of us went to learn about the ancient Japanese art of shibori. 

Hand crafting shibori, which is often used to create beautiful Japanese kimonos, is no easy task. We were able to observe part of the process, which is pictured above. The fabric's pattern is first hand-marked marked with washable ink. Then, the craftsperson stitches on each dot. After that, the fabric is meticulously "wadded" up. The ink is washed from the fabric, and then it is dyed. The process can sometimes take months for just enough fabric for one kimono. Additionally, since there are many types of shibori, the craftspeople become specialized. The same individual works on the same piece until it's completed. Talk about needing serious patience!

Here's a photo of the lunch I enjoyed in Arimatsu. Apparently I was carb-loading.

When we were walking around Arimatsu, we stumbled upon a kimono exhibition. We went inside and enjoyed looking at a huge variety of beautiful kimono fabrics. Some of the kimonos were more than $5,000, which didn't include all the necessary accessories that go with it. Wowzers!

Please pray for baby Harper

I don't know her personally, but I feel like I do. Please pray for baby Harper. Her mom's blog is here.

Thornsberry Family Pics

My family had not had a professional photo taken together since I was 11, and it was time to change that. I really wish I had a scan of the last picture we took so you all could laugh. My mom made us all dress in western wear. As if my buck teeth weren't enough to deal with, I was forced to wear the ugliest brushpopper and bolo tie. My mom wore a teal green western dress with fringe. My brother got to wear a much tamer outfit, but I do recall it including a lot of denim, and well, my dad's wardrobe really hasn't changed since then. He just wore a button down shirt and blue jeans. Anyway, it was pretty grotesque.

So, this year I decided it was time for replacements, and my good friend, Brett, took them for us. He is based out of Kansas City, but he also travels around quite a bit. I think he did an incredible job. Here are a few of my favorites.

If you would like to see some more of the photos, you can find them here. All of them aren't included there, but you can go to Brett's website to see the rest.

Owwww

This past weekend, we headed to the mountains to snowboard. I, being extremely challenged in all things, was terrified. I recalled my first skiing experience and could only imagine the worst. And, as anticipated, I was terrible. Despite being the sorest I have ever been in my 24.5 years on this earth, we had a blast! I spent most of the time on my fanny, which I could have sworn had enough padding, but it was worth it. I'm sure it will take many more attempts before I will actually make it down the mountain, or even 100 yards without falling flat on my rear, but I am definitely going to attempt it again.

This picture really cracks me up because it almost looks like I knew what I was doing. I can assure you that seconds after this shot was taken, I fell again.

Here I am with Beth. She did a great job of encouraging me.

We've both decided that "coaching" in marriages is a terrible thing. Cheerleading is the only way to go. Oh, and we learned this the hard way. We almost ended our marriage atop this mountain. Only kidding, of course.

I've gone public

So, Travis and I have some friends that have been writing down long-term and short-term goals together for years. I have greatly admired their pursuit in accomplishing them. I  think there's a lot to be said about putting something in writing.  And, since it is that time of year to make promises and attempt to get back on track, I've decided to make a little list myself. I also think if I post them on my blog I might be more likely to actually complete them; however, I could just be setting myself up for public failure. 

Here goes it...

• Read the entire Bible in one year.

• Run a half marathon. (Stop laughing, Jonathan.)

• Visit at least three different countries.

• Blog 100 times.

• Increase Japanese conversation and comprehension to at least an elementary level.

So, feel free to offer your encouragement, but if I don't accomplish some or all of them, I don't want to hear a peep!

Back to Japan

Thanks for your patience while I took another little vacation from the blog. We are now back in Japan and getting settled back into our routine. I wish I could tell you that I've already finished unpacking, but I just can't seem to make myself do it. Oh, well. 

We had a great time at home. We spent most of the time visiting with our families and enjoying the company of our friends back home. I ate like Ruby used to and enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you to all who contributed to my gluttony and to those that let us stay in your homes.

We don't have plans to return to the homeland until next December so the longest stretch is ahead of us. It's going to be really hard to be away, but I know 2009 is going to be a great year.

Enjoy a few pictures from our trip to America.

Silver Dollar City, which is appropriately nicknamed "Steal-Your-Dollar-City," robbed us of $94.00, but we still managed to enjoy ourselves. We consumed a hefty amount of grub at the buffet, drank some hot wassail and watched "The Christmas Carol." This photo is of Travis and my sweet niece, Jordan. 

We visited my brother and his family in Ozark several times during the trip. Of course it wasn't so much to see him as his cute family. This photo is of me and my youngest niece, Johanna. She insists on wearing pajamas while at home, hence the princess nighty.

Travis tried to teach her how to take a photo Japanese-style.

One of the fondest moments of the trip was the annual Trivial Pursuit game we play on Christmas Eve. It's always a competitive game and we play "men" vs. women. Although the males' egos needed the win much more than we ladies did, we defeated them for the second year in a row.

Here's a picture of Travis and me on Christmas Eve.

Tim and Travis were inseparable for much of our stay. I think they're hetero-lifemates or something. As you can see, Tim grew an incredible beard that had to be captured indefinitely. I continue to marvel at the many photos we took of it. Unfortunately, it's now gone. This picture will help all of us to remember it. Thank you, Tim.

On another note, we also received quite a surprise from Tim and his wife, Christy. They told us news that they are expecting a baby! Whoa. I'm not even going to write anything about the beard and its incredible fertility powers.

On Christmas Eve, my brother and his family were invaded by a nasty illness so they were unable to join us on Christmas day as they usually do. So, my parents and I had the great idea to drive an hour and a half to visit them. Although it was wonderful to see them and to enjoy a little family Rock Band, I later paid the price. I still say it was worth it, though. I mean, this picture has fame written all over it.

This picture just makes me laugh.

Towards the end of our trip, we headed back up to St. Louis and spent some time with our dear friends, Mike and Maya. We spent one afternoon at the City Museum. If you have never been to the City Museum, I highly recommend checking it out. I'm not sure how the place stays open because I swear there are law suits waiting to happen everywhere, but we had a great time climbing all over the place.

And, we even managed to find a place to relax.

We took this picture on our last day at home. Our little Skittle is doing well. I know many of you have been concerned about her physical condition, but she seems to have lost a few pounds. By the time we left, she was leaping onto the couch with only one try.  Now we'll just have to see if she can keep it off. 

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year. 2009 is so my year.