nana

My nana passed away last weekend. She has not been strong for the last year or so. When we were home in August she fell at her home and hit her head and although the injury wasn't that bad, from that day on she was just not the same and eventually had to move to a nursing home. I knew when I saw her before we left that it would probably be the last time but that doesn't mean her passing hasn't taken me by surprise.

So I will go home for a week to attend her funeral. My husband is letting me go by myself so maybe you could all say a prayer for him this week as he watches the girls.

I'm wondering when it will hit me that she is actually gone. I'm dreading that moment.

a birthday flashback

Today I turn a year older and since birthdays can cause one to reminisce, I thought I would share a few memories (flashbacks, if you will) from birthdays past.


a year ago...

I was halfway through the busiest year of my entire life. But I made it!


two years ago...

I had given birth to Natsuki, our fourth little girl, two months earlier and she was finally sleeping through the night. Yeah for me!


three years ago...

Chikara and I had decided that we were finished having babies. Little did we know...


four years ago...

We had finally settled into our new house and Sakura was our little baby. I turned 30 that year and although I wasn't really thrilled about turning 30 in the few months leading up to this birthday, the day after I was totally at peace with it. Weird.


five years ago...

I had just found out I was pregnant with Sakura and I was potty-training Emi. This was also the year that I started to feel more confident with my Japanese.


ten years ago...

I had been married for almost a whole year. Although we fought a lot that year, we also learned a lot about each other in the process. The second year was a lot more fun!


fifteen years ago...

I was studying piano at Portland State University and dating my high school sweetheart. Both didn't last very long. Not completing my degree is my one regret.


twenty years ago...

We had moved to the States from Canada a few months before and I was NOT thrilled about it at all. I spent that whole year trying to be the biggest pain the ass so my parents would send me back. They never did and eventually I got over it.


twenty-five years ago...

I was nine and in fourth grade. We lived in a small coastal town and my parents started a Christian school that my brother and I attended. That following Valentine's Day I received my first ever heart-shaped box of chocolates from a boy.


thirty years ago...

My nickname was Sarah Elisabeth Bunny-Rabbit Shinness.


*I saw this at Small Notebook and I knew right away that I would use it here for my Flashback Friday that also happened to be my birthday.

a Misaki flashback

This is Misaki on her first day of preschool. She had just turned 4 two months earlier and I was so nervous. I had no idea how she would do. Would she pay attention to the teacher? Would she follow instructions? Would she make friends? Would she enjoy herself? Would she be able to tell me what she did all day? Of course all my worrying was a complete waste of time. She did great all through those two years of preschool and she's turned into a spectacular first grader.



Basically this is how Misaki handles life: Nonchalantly with the occasional outburst of emotion.

PS Can you see Sakura to the left of Misaki? She was almost 2 at the time. What a cutie-pie!

our wedding day

Yes, it's Flashback Friday again. This is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding. A friend took it while we were watching some of our guests sing and dance for us (seriously!).



Anyways, this picture reminds me of how perfect our wedding day was and how happy I am that I married Chikara.

first grade

Another flashback! This time to my first grade class picture. Can you guess which is me?




That's right, front row, far right. The only little girl with one knee up. The day we received our pictures, a few other girls in my class took the picture and somehow marked an indentation of a check over all the girls except me. Over my head was an "X". They said they had gotten "this" picture directly from the photographer and he had marked it himself. "Didn't I feel bad that I had wrecked the picture?" They actually said that to me. Amazingly, this is not a sad story for me. I just shrugged my shoulders and walked away thinking, "Girls are dumb". I didn't even hate them or feel sad that they did that. I think this was an early indicator of my ability to block stupid people and their stupid comments out of my life! I wonder if I ever told my parents about that day?

preschool Emi

This is 5-year-old Emi on her first day of swim class at her preschool. She's the one on the far left squinting up at the sky. I didn't actually take this picture, the school always hires a professional photographer for school events so I purchase this one from them.

Chikara and I love this picture of her. She's so little and proper (both hands clasped in front of her) but she's also curious about everything around her. I have to say that except for her size, not much has changed!

father/daughter flashback

Flashback Friday 2:

This is one of my very favorite pictures of Chikara being a daddy. At the time, Chikara was working at his old job and he was so busy that he didn't get to spend a lot of time with the kids, but on this one occasion, he took Emi with him on the train to a practice and she was so excited. You can see that she's got her bag, her favorite shoes and the hugest smile. She's only 3 but she knows that this is a special moment.



I hope that she always remembers that spending time with Daddy is special.

Flashback Friday!

Welcome to the new corner of my blog: Flashback Friday!


This picture was taken right before we moved to Japan in August 2001, which means we've been in Japan for seven whole years now! Isn't Emi just adorable in this picture with her chubby cheeks and big eyes? I know I look a little tired but I had just found I was pregnant! Surprise!

Anyways, seven years later, I can honestly say we made the right decision. Here's to seven more years!