Family Spring Break

As mentioned before, this year for the children's birthdays we decided to give season passes to Silver Dollar City in Branson in lieu of traditional gifts.  We had planned to go over our spring break, but then my trip to Japan overshadowed things.  But, we made good and took a trip over this last weekend.

Our kids haven't had much experience with big amusement parks, so they were a bit leery the first day about going on some of the rides.  Ami was by far the bravest!  Elijah came in second place, then the rest finally followed behind.  An answer to prayer realized was that it seems Elijah has overcome his battle with motion sickness.  Believe me, we put that to the test!  He wanted to go on anything and everything and didn't have the slightest bit of queasiness.  Woo hoo!

We enjoyed plenty of shows, looking through craftsmen's shops, and the gorgeous spring weather.  We're looking forward to our next trip.

Ami and me, bottom center.

At the end of Day 1, it was actually a bit hot and we were all definitely tired.

Headed on the tram for Day 2:

Elijah and Chris headed out on Wildfire.  I think Elijah wanted to prove he was better at something than his siblings.  Way to go, Elijah!

That's Chris in the front, hanging upside down, waving his hands in the air.

Back and ready to go again!  Notice the lack of riders; it was a great day to be at the park!

A couple of hams....

And yes, Benjamin pretending to be sick, and Elijah "afraid" of the noise.

Headed out on the tram.  A great time was had by all!

Ami with her gumball gift from Elijah.  He really is one of the most thoughtful kids I know.

But wait, there's more!

Sorry, I found a few more shots to post from my trip to Japan.  This is it, I promise, then on to more recent life here at home.  You may have to click on the picture to enlarge in order to read the funny English.

A rare sighting of a lady in traditional kimono dress.

A typical front yard of a home in the city....simple, pretty, not much space!

This must be the world's largest umbrella, found at KIX.

Cars

I was sorting through my pictures from Japan and was surprised to find how many pictures of cars I had taken.  No, I'm not a car fanatic by any stretch of the imagination, but I always find it fun to see the latest trends in cars in Japan.  So, here are cars, cars, and more cars.

How about driving the Toyota Noah?

"I am safety driver.  Please, after you."

My dream car, sans black convertible top.  Some day......

Is this car going backwards or forwards?

Okay, Laurie....I'm trying to get caught up on things here at home still, so hang on for the "since I've been home" post.  :)

Dude!

If you mess around with my camera, the incriminating photos may just get posted.

While I Was Gone

So when the cat's away, the mice will play, eh?

There were donuts, donuts, and more donuts.  There was more than one trip to Sonic.  There were movies and pizza more than once.  There was geocaching a couple of times.  Beds went unmade, toilet seats stood tall, and daily chores were thrown by the wayside. 

There were trips to parks and picnics, with a bit of spelunking. 

I found no less than three grocery receipts with donuts on them.  One receipt had Cap'n Crunch, chocolate milk, powdered donuts, gem donuts, glazed donuts, Mr. Pibb, Chips Ahoy, A&W Cream Soda, and milk.  I did leave meals in the freezer for supper, but I guess since I didn't supply breakfast, they took matters into their own hands!

Most of all, memories were made and Chris (and Michaela!) did an awesome job of creating a fun spring break at home.  What a hoot!

Japan Wrap-Up

I wanted to post some pictures from my last couple of days in Japan.  Dad, Mom, and I made two more shopping trips to a couple of stores and loaded their van twice with relief supplies that we dropped off at Chad and Jennifer's to be taken up to the Tohoku area.  It was exciting to be able to help out in this way.  Of course we caused quite a scene at the stores, where normally Japanese will only buy a hand basket or maybe two worth of food at a time.  We spent a few thousand dollars at each stop and loaded up on cases of propane fuel for single burner stoves, single serving prepared meals, boxed juices, canned meat, feminine supplies, underwear, t-shirts, a variety of fresh vegetables, socks, and more.

On a side note, as mission forwarding agents for both my parents and sister's family, it has been incredible to be on the receiving end of envelope after envelope of donated funds towards the relief efforts.  We have been floored at the response.  It is a privilege to serve in this capacity and I know that my parents and sister's family are so appreciative of the partnership that each supporter has with them in this ministry to reach out to the Japanese people during this crisis.  While it was fun to shop with my mom and dad, I know that the responsibility of using the gifted funds wisely weighs heavily on them. 

I was so disappointed to barely miss cherry blossom season!  The trees were just beginning to show their first blooms the day I was leaving.  Oh, to be in Osaka in the spring, it's such a beautiful time where the concrete jungle gets that touch of pink.

Below is the view from my parents home atop a small hill in Osaka.  It's city, city, city, but that one tree in front is a burst of pink right about now.

Sunset through the cherry tree.....okay, so maybe it's more of a smog set, but it was beautiful!

With my parents, what a privilege to spend a week with them!

One of the cutest nieces ever, Katia!

And a fine young nephew, Gideon.  I love his laughter and huge smile!  I'll always remember spending a few nights with Barney.  Ha!

My big sis, Jennifer.  I'm so proud of her.  She and Chad have hearts of gold, so selflessly giving and working so that others may know of His Great Love.

My little helpers seeing me off at the airport.

Saying goodbye to family is never easy, but it does help to know that I'll get to see them all Stateside in July.  I had a pretty uneventful trip home, except for arriving to a dead battery in the van.  It looks like I left an overhead light on....oops.  Driving two hours home from the airport after being up for more than 24 hours isn't ideal, but thanks to some adrenaline and Amy and Chris talking me home on the phone I arrived safe and sound.

It felt so good to hug Chris and my kiddos.  Of course, as soon as the hugging fest was done, the kids couldn't wait for me to open my suitcases to see treasures brought from afar.  :)