Christmas Party!

My Love tried on a vest that we got the night before at a friend's house when playing a X'mas gift exchange game. It was ridiculously small for him and obviously gayish! So, Kaori took it home cause it fit her well.

Mary, Kaori and Benjamin slept over on X'mas Eve!

This is me, and our huge fridge on the background!

This was our table. Not very traditional for X'mas time, but good enough to satisfy us!

We had 11 adults and 1 baby at our place, all that fits in our little house!

Mary and Kaori talk and eat away!

End-of-the-year Party!

Mansur and Takashima

Dinner was great!

Smile ladies!

Last Wednesday, December 21st, was my last day of school this year. I only had class in the morning and as soon as it was over, I walked down home and prepared a healthy Japanese style soup for lunch! While we ate it, the phone rang and a friend invited us to a party that evening.
At the end of every year, Japanese companies organize parties for all of their employees. Takashima is a friend, who became a Christian at our church a year ago, but who has known Mansur for a few years now. He is the boss of a wedding company and Mansur and I have both worked for him a few times. He is also a professional piano player and plays for some of the weddings his company organizes.
He invited us to this dinner and asked Mansur to talk to the public about the meaning of a few important steps that make up a wedding, like the entrance of the bride and her father, the lifting of the veil, the ring exchange, etc.
We had a great time at the party! We both won prizes for the BINGO game. I got a Tiffany open-heart pendant! A few people sang and danced! At the very end, I sang Bossa Nova. We left the restaurant at 2:30 a.m. and took a cab from Osaka to Kobe. Takashima's company paid for it though! It was quite a long day!

3rd Wedding Anniversary!

Smile!

So many Japs!!!!!!!!!

Someone kindly took our picture!

Isn't Kobe great?

I had to get my dessert at the end of our date!

We had a great time last Tuesday night, on our wedding anniversary! Kobe's end-of-the-year illumination was gorgeous! It took us longer than usual to get through since the walking path was so well organized this year. As we walked, we ate some Chinese food and some fried chicken! By the time we got to the end, we were not that hungry anymore. Still, we entered a restaurant and ordered a pizza and then a cute dessert for me. It was just great to spend time together and walk in the cold. God has blessed our marriage so far and we pray that He will continue to do so in 2006.

Am I that old???

Please read the entry to see what this picture is doing here!

I just had to take the time to share this with you. It is absolutely ridiculous and I am extremely embarassed to let you know, but it was so funny that Mansur and I were laughing for about 15 minutes this evening. Last night, after church, we didn't go out for dinner with our friends like we usually do. We decided to come home a little earlier since I had to prepare 2 presentation outlines for this morning. I usually feel a little stressed before a big presentation because there are so many things in my mind. I knew that preparing dinner wouldn't take so long since we had some left-overs from the previous day, when I cooked some Indian style chicken for our guests. I prepared some crackers with cheese, tomato, olives, etc. Then, we ate our real dinner and after cleaning up, I sat in front of the computer to do my work. It didn't take so long to finish my studies. After a seven-hour sleep, I went to school this morning and did my best in both classes. The funny thing happened when I got home to prepare dinner tonight. I opened the fridge to see what we had that could be used, and then I saw a small Japanese-style bowl, which contained 2 chicken bones and a piece of used tissue paper. It was perfectly wrapped and when I got it I had no idea what it was doing there. I looked over at Mansur, who was sitting on the couch and said: "Love, did you put this in the..." But before I finished my question, I realized that it couldn't possibly have been him. It was certainly me, the wife, who had done such a silly thing. I looked back at the bowl, and while still holding the fridge's door open, I told him shamefully: "It was me, right??? I did it. Can you believe it? I am worse than an eighty-year-old obasan." And when he saw the contents, he couldn't stop laughing. I joined him in amusement. I defended myself by saying that I was probably so worried about my presentation and all the work I had to do last night that I cleaned up the table, and amazingly managed to wrap a nama gomi and return it to my fridge! I had absolutely no memory of it. If I had a pet, I might understand such an act, though the tissue would still be a mystery; but I do not have a pet and such bones would never be recycled at our place...
I then decided to take a picture and share it with you guys. And now, it's open for discussion...You can make fun of me! That is all I deserve. But if you can manage to be compassionate, you can try to make me feel better by sharing a similar experience. If not, I will just wonder why this happens only to me. Was my 24th birthday my turning point? Was that the mark of my critical period?

X'mas Week

I can't believe Christmas is this Saturday. Time flies! We are so excited.... It is freezing over here, though I know it is not as bad as many other places on Earth it is still cold enough to make a Brazilian complain. However, we manage to stay warm.
Friday, the 23rd, is a holiday in Japan. Therefore, we have an early celebration. Our friends Andrew and Keiko, who just moved to a house 10min away from ours, have invited us to attend a X'mas party at their new place on the 23rd. Then, on the 24th, while Mansur is at work, I will be preparing for our own X'mas celebration that evening. A few friends will come and 3 of them will sleep over at our place. We are looking forward to that. Unfortunately, Mansur has to work on the 25th as well, and must wake up at 6:30.It will be tough on him... But since there will be guests at our place, it will be a blessed morning! We'll probably just chill and maybe do something relaxing before going to the Christmas service at 16:00.
I am already writing about next weekend when I know that this week still has so much to offer. On Tuesday, we will celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. On Thursday, my first day off school, we are planning to go to an Onsen behind the mountains that form the beautiful city of Kobe.
We will hopefully add a few pictures throughout the week! Enjoy!
By the way, how are you spending your Christmas?

Leah's X-mas Party on Dec.10th

Mary, Kaori and I in Leah's tatami room

Janice and Dawn help themselves for dessert

Pretty faces!!!

Mary, Leah and I pose beside the X-mas tree

that many enjoyed putting together that evening!

I have been planning to post this one for quite a while, but couldn't manage to fit it in my schedule. Sorry!

Well, last Saturday, Leah-chan decided to put this X-mas party together at her place. Though she has been extremely busy during week days, she still managed to invite about 20 people to her cozy apartment. Thanks, girl!

We all had a great time. I dropped by a little earlier to help out with the cutting and setting. Yumiko, a lovely Japanese friend, joined us as well an hour before others arrived.Leah is amazingly talented in the kitchen! All of us enjoyed her hospitality and her treats. Please check out the pictures and get to know some of our friends!

Kani

Last night, my beautiful husband prepared steamed kani (crab) for us. It was absolutely delicious! Thank you Love!

My BirthWEEK

My last entry was about my birthday and the great time I had with my lovely husband... Now you can see the pictures of the celebration last Sunday, at a restaurant in Harborland, Kobe. Thanks to my friend Masa, you can enjoy the picture of the harbor.
I must say that it is a blessing to have such a wonderful family of friends in Japan. It is what makes Mansur and I so comfortable here. I appreciate all of you! Sunday was an amazing evening for me. More than all the flowers, cards and gifts I received, your presence was the most important. ARIGATO!