Vacation

It was fun to spend time together as a family. I have noticed that when we travel we talk and interact so much. At home, we tend to drift off into our separate spaces. Force us into a vehicle together and we laugh and fight together. I really like my family, we all have so much energy, it is an amazing uplifting thing to spend time together. However, I have to really force it.



This week has been an at home vacation for us. Jeff went into work every morning but was home by 10. We bundled up the girls and went on some local adventures. The mall playground and video arcade, the bowling alley, the children's science museum.

It takes so much work to convince them all to be ready at the same time and to agree to do something together. It was worth all the forcing, in the end we had a great week. I got so many wonderful presents, so did Jeff and the girls, but it was the fun we had together that really made this Christmas special for me.



Next month, Jeff and Mandy are going down to Toyko for a couple of days to see a Sumo wrestling match. Jeff is going snow shoeing. Hopefully Mandy and I can get another ski trip in before we leave. Our departure date is scheduled for late March and I am hoping we will be here to see the Cherry Blossoms one last time. We will see, sometimes spring comes late here, but sometimes we see blossoms at the end of March.

I have to get back to homework and housework. Tonight is New Year's Eve here. We are having a family game night and watching the naked Japanese guy on the TV. Every year we watch him. We have no idea what is said, but a guy strips down to a loin cloth and dumps water on himself and does death defying stunts involving fire. There is always a bunch of Japanese people there watching and laughing. That is all I know. Our Japanese friend says that this year he might not be allowed to do his thing, because some people have complained that it is dangerous. I guess we will see if he get permission to do his crazy new year's stunt again this year. If he does I will try to take some video of it to share with you.

In Japan New Year's Eve is one of their most important holidays of the year. Many people go to the Budist temple at midnight for the ringing of the bells. The bells are run one time for every bone in a person's body and this is done to purify one of the sins of the past year. I have never been to the temple for new year's eve, I wish I had been able to go. Jeff and I feel it is important to be together as a family for new years. It would feel weird to leave Mandy and Lily and go out on our own, so we all stay together and enjoy the holiday with games. This year we got the Amazing Race DVD game, it is fun, Mandy beat us all the first time. I am hoping to talk the family into RISK, my all time favorite game. They don't like it, because I always end up ruling the world!

Happy New Year.