Only a life lived for others is worth living

Upon our return from Hawaii (in the airport actually), we learned that one of our good friends, Dan Shinozaki, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. We were, of course, completely shocked and devastated by the news and immediately began praying for him. We began thinking of ways we could be good friends to him during his battle and began making plans to visit him in the hospital. He was staying in a hospital nearly seven hours away so a quick trip wasn't feasible. Exactly one week and one day after we found out he had been diagnosed with cancer, Dan passed away. As you can imagine, we have been trying to cope with the loss of our friend ever since.

We were able to attend his funeral service at his family's home in Japan. I am so glad we were able to go to the service because it was wonderful to meet his parents and brother and sister. After meeting them and being in their home, it was so easy to see why Dan was such an amazing and kind person. He was the type of person that immediately put you at ease. He always listened attentively and showed genuine interest in others. He was such a kind and caring person, and he's already missed so much. He had a magnet featuring, "Only a life lived for others is worth living," a quote by Albert Einstein. Dan lived those words.

This picture was taken after the 5K last year. Dan is in the middle holding #547. He was planning to run the 5K race with us again this year. We will run it in his honor instead.

I don't know what else to say. I will never understand why things like this happen in life, but I have already learned so much.

You have no guaranteed tomorrow.

Dan would have been 28 this coming Friday.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" Psalm 91:1-2

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Kauai...can I go back yet?

It's difficult to express our Hawaii trip in a blog post, but I'll do my best to hit some of the high points of our vacation. I'll start by saying that our trip to Kauai was my favorite vacation to date. It really couldn't have gone better. The weather was great. It was relaxing, and everything fell into place. Travis and I had a great time together, and we were surrounded by the most gorgeous setting I have ever experienced. I'm not sure I've ever felt so strongly about a vacation destination before, but I must say, I don't think it can get any better than Kauai. It's such a unique place. Kauai has gorgeous mountains, canyons, lush green forests, gorgeous beaches and beautiful rivers. You look one direction and you see desert and then turn your head to see the most lush and greenest fields you've ever laid eyes upon. It's just incredible. Mountains to one side and white sandy beaches to the other. I know you think I'm probably exaggerating or getting some sort of a kickback from a tourism association or something, but I really did love it that much.

We stayed in a small condo owned by a couple from Indiana, and it turned out to be the perfect place. We were able to save some serious cash by cooking almost all of our own meals and packing lunches. It was especially fun to finally grill some enormous steaks, too. Staying in a condo was so convenient and far less of a hassle than staying in a hotel. We didn't have to worry about someone cleaning our room everyday, and we had so much more room. It was really great to have a fully supplied kitchen, and we didn't have to constantly think about where we would go for our next meal. I would highly recommend going that route if you want to stick to a budget.

Travis and I enjoyed several different transportation methods on our trip. We traveled by plane (obviously), sailboat, teeny tiny plane, Harley and Chevy Cobalt. Quite a variety, huh?

This is a picture of us with our friendly pilot. We toured the entire island of Kauai by air, and it was breathtaking. I was a little nervous at first, but once we were in the air, I relaxed and had a great time. I think it's worth noting how cute Travis looks in this picture, too. :)

This is a shot of the Napali Coast taken from the airplane. We later were able to see it from a sailboat, too.

One day we rented a Harley to tour the northern part of the island. I'm sure you can imagine whose idea that was. ;) I was pretty terrified for the first hour and did nothing but pray, but after that I relaxed a bit and even had fun. We rode the bike for almost the entire day but had to cut it a little short because of rain. Of course we didn't have any rain gear so we just tried to pretend it wasn't raining. By the way, if you're in a car and you see someone riding a motorcycle in the rain, it's not polite to point and laugh.

One afternoon, we took a sunset cruise down the Napali Coast. We had a wonderful time despite my very poor wardrobe choice. I'm not sure why I thought a short sundress made of lightweight fabric would be a good choice for a cruise along the water. Let's just say our fellow passengers almost got a different kind of whale show. Speaking of whales, though. We saw soo many! It was just amazing. We were close enough to hear them "talking," and we could hear their blowholes. It was just the coolest. They were popping up out of the water all over the place and pulling out their fins to slap the water. It almost looked like they were trying to high five each other. I was too emotional to take any pictures. I refused to take my eyes away from the water so you'll just have to imagine it. It was a dream come true for me.

We also did a lot of hiking during our trip. We didn't tackle any major hikes, but it was a great way to get some exercise and to experience Hawaii. Plus, I was super excited that there are no snakes in Hawaii! It really is heaven on earth.

We spent our last day in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. We flew into Honolulu and met up with one of my friends from high school and his wife. He was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and to drop us back off. We found out the night before that the airport was sold out of rental cars, and if we were able to track one down, it was going to cost $170 for one day! Yikes!

Our first stop in Honolulu was Diamond Head. We climbed to the top of it and enjoyed a great view of Honolulu. There was an impressive mix of cultures there, too. We saw people from all over the world. And, in some cultures, it's apparently okay to take your shirt off when you're hot even if you're only wearing a lacy bra underneath.

We went to Pearl Harbor and climbed around on the U.S.S. Missouri. Since Remington (my high school friend) and his wife, Olga, are both in the Army we were also able to go on a couple of the bases there. It was so interesting, and I think I must have driven them crazy with all of my questions.

To end our vacation, we headed to Waikiki for dinner. We ate at a place called Tiki's. I had some crab and goat cheese macaroni and cheese, and it was scrumptious.

Overall, I'd have to say our trip to Kauai was a perfect vacation. In fact, I think I'm now suffering from some sort of post-Hawaii depression, and I'm worried that the only cure might be more Hawaii!

* I forgot to mention that we celebrated 11 years together on our trip. Isn't that just crazy?

Snow last weekend, sand this weekend!

It seems excessive, and maybe it is, but we're heading to Hawaii today! I found a really good deal a while back, and we're able to use miles for our flight. We're heading to the smallest island, Kauai, and I can hardly wait. I have always wanted to go to Hawaii, and I'm so excited I'm able to have the opportunity. We woke up to snow in Nagoya today so it seems like the timing couldn't be more perfect. And, I've always dreamt of seeing a humpback whale in the wild so please, please, please let that happen! I'll be sure to post pictures soon.

Hakuba again

The alarm went off at 3:40 a.m. on Saturday morning so we could hit the road early with a couple of friends. Off to Hakuba we went! We met a group of about 10 others there for a fun day in the snow. We spent the entire day snowboarding on Saturday. Travis went for a half day again on Sunday, too. I opted out of day two and read a book and magazine in the lodge instead. It was quite relaxing.

Hakuba is so beautiful. I'm pretty sure it's one of my favorite places on the planet.

Travis has been so patient with me while I continue to try to snowboard. I've really started enjoying it, but as you might expect, I'm a slow learner. He never makes me feel bad for being slow or for needing to take breaks to enjoy the scenery.

Travis' face in this picture shows how he was really feeling. We chose a difficult and speedier course, and we decided we should stop and snap a few photos because they might be our last. We had both just endured a couple of pretty nasty wipeouts before these pictures, and people were zipping past us at incredible speeds. Ahhh!!!!

The mountains are just amazing. I can't believe how small I feel next to them. Being amongst them is such a humbling experience, and I'm so grateful I get to enjoy them.

This picture cracks me up because I definitely look pregnant. And, I'm pretty sure snowboarding when you're pregnant is a really bad idea. Rest easy, I am not. I was actually working so hard that I started sweating terribly. I had to take off a layer, roll it up and stuff it in my jacket. Aren't you glad I shared that with you?

After snowboarding all day, we headed to an onsen with some friends and then went back to our cottage for dinner. After dinner, someone had the great idea to build human pyramids. It was so fun! I ripped these pictures off of facebook. Hope my friends don't mind.

Here's the girls' pyramid. Only one hand!

And, the entire group! What a fun picture. We couldn't quite pull off the top, but we got pretty darn close. Lorie (the topper) had to push all the camera timers and then try to climb to the top really fast. Needless to say, it took us a few tries.

This weekend was a lot of fun, and I felt like a kid all over again. I mean, how often do you get to have a big slumber party with all of your friends? I don't know why we don't do it more often. When I get home, I'm totally throwing a slumber party. Who's in?

Running, out of milk

I don't really have a lot to say, but I'm home alone and waiting for my dinner to cool. Just thought I'd share a little bit with you before we head out of town again this weekend. I'm a bit tired so this may not make any sense at all. Props to you if you actually read it!

Things are going quite well in Japan, but we've been extremely busy lately. It seems like we have something going on every single night! It's certainly nice, but it leaves me a bit exhausted . For instance, tonight was a little bit tiring. Travis and I haven't had a whole lot of time to hang out with each other so I was really looking forward to heading home after work to have dinner with him. So much so that I planned everything out just so. You see, I had to work at a location about 45 minutes away from our house by train. Getting there requires me to first take the subway, and then I switch to a different train line and go from there. Once I arrived at my final destination, I put in some extra effort so I could get home as soon after work as possible. I went ahead and purchased my return ticket to avoid any extra stops on my way back home. I finished work at 6:16 p.m., and the train I was hoping to catch back to Nagoya was set to leave at 6:24 p.m. If I missed this train, I'd have to wait 30 min. in the freezing cold. My job is about a ten minute walk from the station. So, I decided to sprint the entire way, which is about a half a mile or so. I was also wearing dress clothes. I looked like a huge dork, but I was determined. I finally arrived at the station with about five minutes to spare. I was so relieved and excited. I was already dreaming about the delicious dinner I was going to make and was so excited that I'd be home earlier than I originally thought. I was breathing hard, but I decided to call Travis to tell him about my incredible feat. When I opened my phone, I saw that I had a voice message from him. It said he was going to have dinner with a colleague since it was his final night in Japan. What?!! All that work for nothing? Of course I didn't mind. It was just quite funny and kind of a slap in the face. All that running for nothing!

I HATE going to the grocery store. I feel bad even saying that since I am constantly thinking about all of the individuals suffering in Haiti. I can't imagine how excited they would be to even get to eat a hot meal right now. And, I'm complaining about going to the store. But, I still don't like it. In fact, when we lived in the U.S., I sometimes did not enter a grocery store for three to four weeks. It's not something I'm proud of, and I've improved drastically. The whole "lack of a full-time job thing" really doesn't leave me with a good excuse for not going. Anyway, tonight I kept debating on whether or not I should go. It is cold, and I didn't feel like it. Plus, I have to carry my groceries up two enormous flights of stairs. But, we were out of milk. So, I started thinking about Travis and about him making oatmeal in the morning. He'd have to use water instead of milk...So, I convinced myself it would be worth it. I walk in the store, pick up a few other random items and head for the milk. And, no milk. There was milk, but not the milk that I ALWAYS buy. The only milk available was the heavy cream kind. I have to wear a swimsuit soon so I don't really need anything extra sticking to my thighs. Ugh. So, we still don't have any milk.

Props for making it through my rant! We're heading to Hakuba on Saturday, so I promise a post with lots of pictures is soon to come! Oh, and the weekend after this one, we're heading to somewhere AMAZING. Can't wait to share it with you!

Onsen experience

When we leave Japan, I will miss the onsens. Onsen is the Japanese word for hot spring. To be honest, when I first heard about onsen experiences, I was pretty freaked out. You see, the only way to enjoy an onsen is in your birthday suit. And, they are public. Now that I'm over the initial shock of getting nakey in front of strangers, I really enjoy them. Of course they aren't coed, so it's divided between gals and guys. For Americans, the concept is a little bit strange, but I can assure you it's well worth the embarrassment. It's a very relaxing experience, and the water always has some sort of special mineral content, which I'm sure has taken decades off of my skin.

It's worth noting that going to an onsen requires following a very specific procedure. First, you enter the dressing area and disrobe. You typically bring a small towel, about the size of a dish towel, to be used as a "modesty" towel. If the towel is provided to you at the onsen, it's usually really small and doesn't exactly cover a lot. So, after you're in the buff, you gracefully and confidently walk to the shower area where you shower with multiple other women. Each woman has a little plastic stool to sit on and a wash basin to wash with. At this point, it's extremely important to scrub like you've never scrubbed before. Wash, wash, wash. Once you feel like you're squeaky clean, do it again, just to be sure.

After you're finished showering, you can enter the hot spring. Your towel and hair must never enter the water. I usually just put my towel around my hair. Then, you relax and enjoy. Many of the onsens have an indoor and outdoor bath so you can enjoy both of them. Also, some have hot baths and cold baths. And, many have multiple baths with various mineral contents specific to different benefits.

I won't sugarcoat it completely. It can be extremely awkward at times, especially for a foreigner. For instance, last weekend, my friend Megan and I went to an onsen. We were chatting while immersed in the water, and the woman next to us would not stop staring at us. It was an evil-kind-of stare, too. But, after living here for a year and a half, I'm used to it. It's just a little bit weirder when you're naked.

Hakuba

I'm watching a movie called "Easy Virtue" right now with Jessica Biel. And, the dog in the movie looks like a smaller version of Skittle. Now I'm all sad and stuff.

Onto more exciting topics, we've been doing great here in Japan. We've settled back in, and so far we've had a lot of fun. Having an oven has made me so much happier. The only problem is that I keep baking, which means I keep eating. I'm going to have to figure out how to bake and then get rid of all of the goods as soon as possible. Perhaps it's time to meet the neighbors?

Last weekend we headed with a couple of friends to Hakuba. You might remember that we went there last summer, too. It's where the 1998 Winter Olympics were held, and it's just beautiful there. I really can't get enough of the place. I hate cold weather, but at least when there are gorgeous mountains to look at and hot springs to enjoy, it's worth it. And, there's also an amazing Mexican restaurant in Hakuba. I miss Mexican food more than anything so it's such a treat to eat it there.

Last year I tried snowboarding for the first time, and I was pretty terrible. I decided midway through the season to try skiing. And, I was pretty awful at that, too. So, last weekend I decided to give snowboarding another whirl, and to my surprise, I had improved! I can now successfully get up on the snowboard every time I try, and I can make it down the mountainside with no falls. Unfortunately, the flatter spots kill me, and I still can't turn. But, not falling every ten seconds definitely makes the sport more enjoyable.

Here we are with the entire group.

When I saw this snowboard in the rental shop, I just couldn't pass it up. I was quite amused by it.

It is such a beautiful place.

We booked a hostel for the night, and we weren't expecting luxury. But, we also weren't expecting what we got. Ha! Fortunately, the boys weren't scared to sleep on the drool-stained pillows so Megan and I could have semi-clean ones. It really wasn't too bad, but it was pretty amusing. And, thankfully the fumes from the heater didn't kill us in our sleep.

Last weekend's trip was the first of several. We already have plans to head back to Hakuba twice in the next month. So, expect some more snowy pictures. Until then, keep it real!