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Changi

April 8, 2012 / vanalee / 0 Comments

We flew from Tokyo to Singapore for the first leg of our trip to Perth. Although we lived in Singapore for a year I never really spent much time in the airport. We’d arrive, check in, go to the lounge, and go to the gate. On this trip we had no lounge privileges and a long layover. First, we ate chicken rice. Yum. Then we claimed two seats near a window in an area with trees. After sitting for awhile we took turns guarding our bags and taking a walk around the terminal. There were many people sleeping.

There was a Koi pond nearby.

And then I found this…right in the airport. An amazing idea!

Changi Airport is a great place for a layover and I hear the duty free shopping is good, too.

Moving on

April 7, 2012 / vanalee / 3 Comments

The movers arrived promptly at 9:00am on April 2. It took three days for them to pack us. Then our home of six years looked like this:

No more seeing the Angel Moroni from our window.

We did have time to get out and around Tokyo for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) one last time.

Hanami Party at Ueno Park

I also took a short walk around my neighborhood and favorite park. Goodbye Tokyo Temple and your beautiful gardens

Goodbye Arisugawa Park.

I won’t miss you miss you, Mr. Crow.

Very early on Friday morning we went to the airport for our flight to Singapore and then on to Perth, Australia to spend two weeks with Luke, Allyson, Madeleine and Isabelle.

Goodbye, Land of the Rising Sun. We will miss you…you are part of our hearts. We are so grateful that we were able to live here for six years. We are grateful for friends who have blessed our lives. We are grateful for all we have learned.

I’ll miss…

March 29, 2012 / vanalee / 1 Comment

Being the only foreigner on the train. It happened again today as I made my way home on the Yamanote line. The train was packed and I eventually found a seat and although there was an empty seat next to me everyone continued to stand in their sardine can state. I showered and remembered deodorant, I had brushed my teeth and put on a little make up. So, why won’t people sit next to me. Finally after several stops a women much older than me finally sat down.

I’ll miss riding the train.

Sayonara and a contest

March 26, 2012 / vanalee / 3 Comments

Although I have been working at getting everything ready to pack up and leave Japan, it really hasn’t hit me that it’s actually happening now. I am right on schedule for everything I want to have finished and will be ready when the packers arrive next Monday. I have not been keeping up with my daily gratitude posts and I plan to do better. I am changing them up a bit this week and want to post about the things I am going to miss about Tokyo and Japan. These are still very much gratitude posts, you see.

So today as I plan to say sayonara, these are the things I am going to miss:

This morning I got up early to take a photo of the Angel Moroni…there will be more to come. A few weeks ago I was a bit distressed when the tower that the Angel Moroni is on became covered with scaffolding. I knew that there was damage from the earthquake that caused Moroni to spin around. He was still in position so I thought they were doing the work while he remained in place. Then one day he was just gone. I was a bit sad and worried that this beautiful statue that I can see from my window might not return before my departure. Then just as quickly as he had disappeared he was back and last week the scaffolding came down. They actually installed a new angel. Some of the missionaries are referring to him as Moroni the Younger. Here are some photos a temple missionary sent to me.

The old Angel Moroni was taken down in parts

The new angel just put into place

This morning's view

I wanted to get up early and shoot the Angel Moroni from this spot down the street. The large silver building is Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills. If I shoot from the corner down the street from the temple it makes it appear as if the Angel Moroni is on top of Mori Tower.

I will miss seeing the the angel from my window everyday.

I will also miss the wonderful smell of the Japanese bakeries as I pedal the streets early in the morning.

I think I am going to miss having a blog called Life in Japan. I’m not sure what to call it now. Â I don’t think I want to call it Life in Texas.Â I’m open to suggestions…maybe I should have a contest. Submit your ideas and I’ll think of a prize if there is a winner. I have an idea, but I would be open to others.

Can’t Wait

March 22, 2012 / vanalee / 1 Comment

I can’t wait. They are swimming already or maybe still swimming is more accurate.

Spring

March 14, 2012 / vanalee / 2 Comments

Hooray!

March 12, 2012 / vanalee / 2 Comments

Today I am so grateful that our youngest grandchild is out of the hospital. We love this baby boy!

One year

March 11, 2012 / vanalee / 1 Comment

Today was the one year anniversary of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. We watched some videos and read some information that reminded us of that time a year ago. My heart is filled with sadness and my eyes are still full of tears as I watch the devastation of that day. I was here. I experienced the earthquake, but my life was just inconvenienced for a short time. I still had everything on March 12 that I had before the earthquake. There are too many that lost too much. Although I have worked on projects over the past year and went up to Tohoku twice, my efforts are just a single drop in in a huge bucket.

Blessings

February 26, 2012 / vanalee / 0 Comments

Yesterday John Richard Carruth was given a name and a blessing by Andrew. I’m so grateful that Andrew could perform this ordinance and that we were able to be there. Here he is with his oldest cousins, Caitlyn and Aimee before he was blessed.

Crazy

February 25, 2012 / vanalee / 0 Comments

I am so grateful for this crazy little girl. She is in constant motion.