Asamushi Aquarium

I am so excited. It is Christmas eve and we get to open one present after dinner. I can't wait. I forgot what I asked for, one of the advantages of being old. Yeah!

Yesterday we drove to Aomori and went to an aquarium. It was a lovely drive through the mountains. The tree branches heavy with snow, but the sky was bright and sunny. The roads were a bit icy at times, but we made it there and back. We took a toll road and it cost $8 each way, but who knows what the back roads would have been like. This will be our first white Christmas here. We live in the very northern part of Japan, it snows over 100 inches here every year, but so far none on actual Christmas. We are very excited.

We went to the Aquarium on a Friday, and there were only about ten other people there. We barely even saw other people. We got to get close up and look at things as long as we wanted. It was easy to keep track of Lily. She was an angel and loved all the fish. We even got to touch some, she got very wet. Then there is a dolphin show at the end. Now I have seen dolphin shows in 6 US states, and Italy and Japan. All the same. All fun. Now Mandy wants to be a dolphin trainer instead of a lawyer. The Japanese dolphin trainers wore Santa suits, I'm just saying, the Japanese are not Christian, yet they celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas is all around. We then had a picnic in the car and Lily and I napped on the way home. A lovely adventure the whole family enjoyed. I am so glad we went.

Tomorrow is Christmas! We mailed all our packages to all our family all over the world and only got one in return. From my parents. Yeah, mom and dad. Jeff says we don't send packages to get stuff in return, he is so sweet, I am just saying. Today we check the post office one last time. There was a package, it was a huge box, I was so excited. It was from Jeff's new troop who is moving here next month and mailing some of her stuff ahead of time. I don't think our packages will make it to our family for Christmas either, I mailed it all two days after the deadline. One year we didn't get our Christmas packages until February, and they were mailed before the deadline. So there is still some hope that our family loves us.

1 ¼ years until we leave Misawa
6 ½ years until Jeff retires from the military
16 years until we hike the Appalachian trail

Somewhere in there I will actually pick a degree path and graduate from college.