4 years

June 2, 2011 Izac and I have now been married for four years. I love my husband and I continue to look forward to our future adventures.

The Recovery

As the weeks have progressed the fear has abated...but in its place has been a frustration at not being able to do anything. I live in this wonderful country with an amazing host people and I have not been able to do anything. From the get go we were told to donate to the Red Cross. We did but that didnt feel like enough. A few weeks ago word came down that we would be allowed to purchase and donate items that the people in Sendai and the surrounding areas desperately needed. Izac and I were supposed to go on a trip but he had to do duty. I was at first mad but then decided that since I had the time I would go to the thrift store and see what I could do. I am so glad I did. I was able to do something. For 7 hour I helped receive, sort, box and label donations. I worked with some local Japanese women and made some new friends. I went originally to see what I could do for others but instead ended up feeling better. I ended up going back the next day and working another 5 hours. I am so glad that I was able to do something small for this wonderful country that I live in. The recovery is slow and will continue for a while. Nagasaki and Hiroshima were rebuilt after a tragedy and I know the Japanese will rebuild again. They have already rebuilt Sendai airport. The recovery will be long but it is happening.

The Aftermath

For the weeks that followed 3/11/11 I bounced between worry and calm. I had to keep my family informed about what was really going on (the American news was blowing everything way out of proportion), Prepare everything here for the possibility of evacuation, and keep things going as if nothing had happened for the students that I work with. When Izac was returning I was worried they would not let him come home. Once he was home we had to complete all the essential paperwork in case of an evacuation. I am fortunate that if I have to go back plenty of people are willing to let me stay with them so one less thing to worry about. What I was feeling was nothing compared to what the people of this country were feeling. Shock seemed to be the most prevalent. These amazing people have lost so much and there is not much that can be done. Here on base many wanted to help right away but we could not. Not until the Japanese asked for help. SO while the country mourned we had to wait. It was a hard time for everyone.

The Event

On Friday March 11th I was having a bad day. My husband was leaving again. I was swamped at work and grumpy. After the kids left for the day I decided to stay at work and knock out as many reports as I could. While working I kept hearing sirens going off. They reminded me of the tidal wave alarms that I used to hear as a little girl living in Hawaii. I had told Izac I would call him before 3:00 and had no luck getting through. I chalked it up to Softbank (our lousy cell phone company) and kept working. Finally at 5:00 I decide to leave. The sirens were still going off but since I had not heard anything I decided it must be a drill (we had just finished basewide exercises including full evacuations). As I was walking into my building a friend of ours asked how Izac was. I answered that as far as I knew he was on his plane and headed to the states. She answered "Are you sure they let him go with the earthquake?"....Earthquake!?!? Then began a tortuous few hours until I got a Facebook Message from my sweetie letting me know that he was O.K. I learned very quickly not to watch the American news because they were scaring me. Down in Iwakuni we were ok. There was no damage or after shocks that we could feel. We had a Tsunami warning (hence the annoying alarms) but otherwise we were ok. I have twice in my life been touched by horrific events first 9/11/2001 and now 3/1/2011. I have been so fortunate both times and am so thankful.

Nagasaki Lantern Festival

I had the opportunity to join a friend on a trip to the Nagasaki Lantern Festival. This is an annual event that occurs during late January and early February for three weeks. It is done to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The areas decorated for this festival are lit up in many fantastic colors dominated by red and yellow. We started out our visit at the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. It was a small museum but well done. We then went to our hotel and settled in. That evening we explored the festival. There were 7 major sections that were decorated and lit up with several other businesses decorating as well. Below are few pictures of what I got to see. If you get the opportunity to go to this festival I say go.

While the Cat is away... the mouse will shop

I have discovered a bad habit that I need to keep control of. While my hubby is here I do not shop very often. When he is gone I shop more. Is it boredom?... probably. So what is my way to combat this difficulty? I have decided that the crafty things I have started must be finished before we move. This means that I plan to have my scrapbooking done by the time we leave. Here is to my hope that I am successful in both less shopping and completing my crafty things.

Best Wishes for a wonderful holiday

I have to say it... Merry Christmas!!! A little late I know but all I can say is whew. It was such a nice Christmas this year. I hope that everyone who celebrates Christmas enjoyed it. I know that not everyone celebrates this holiday so if you do not then I hope you had a wonderful winter holiday/celebration. I hope that with this time of year you may renew your spirit and find peace. I have.