SANTA PHOTOS!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! (if you want the story, see this post about Santa at the COmmissary and just know that I had to track down the commissary secretary on her lunch break and flip through a folder of random photos until I found these and had her email them to me on January 14th-but i'm putting them in the month of december becuase, after all, it's SANTA!)


And that's all I'll say. Enjoy, and you're welcome : )

Clara Enjoys Soy Milk

I guess she really is her mother's daughter? I'm sure it helped that it was vanilla flavored, but, since it's now february, and she's taken to regular, UNSWEETENED soy milk, I think it might just be the soy milk itself and not hte vanilla flavoring. Whatever the case may be, I still love this set of photos taken on Dec 27th.

Christmas 2008

Christmas this year was nice with just our small family. I made a nice (albeit far too huge) dinner for Tyler and me on Christmas Eve. I even pulled out the nice china : ) here was more on the table by the time we sat down, but I think you get the gist by the photo. I got a Cajun Spice turkey from Popeye's on base for Tyler, but only the skin was really spiced.

We each opened up one gift on Christmas eve. Tyler gave me beautiful flowers! A really nice big arrangement with really pretty flowers (some that I hadn't ever seen before) and it smelled WONDERFUl. Unfortunately I dind't take a picture, which was dumb of me, but I don't see on in my photos. So, just know that they were really big an nice and pretty : ) Tyler opened up a magnetic travel size Settlers of Catan. I know! It's so awesome! I found it completely by accident at Sanwado (which I've been told is owned by Sam Walton of Wal-Mart fame and that's how the japanese say his name). And it was only about 1200 yen too. Tyler bought Clara an "Orignial Teddy Bear" that she got to play with on Christmas Eve. It was cute becuase it was a tad bigger than her when they were both sitting on the ground. Frankie got some treats.

Christmas morning was fun. Santa came! I didn't get a picture, but he filled stockings for Tyler and Frankie (although Tyler's was mostly skittles, combos and gum). Frankie got her favorite dog treats from the groomers and some other tasty snacks as well as candy cane shaped rawhide chews.

We had a tons of boxes sitting around our tree from family. I got a blender and cookbook and some jewlry and lotions and a COMPOST KEEPER! (Thanks mom!) and a bunch of other stuff that I also failed to take a picture of. Except for the compost keeper becuase I was so excited about that : )

Clara got the Air-tivity center from Playskool (which she wasn't NEARLY as excited about as she should have been. Talk about a dissapointment for me!) She got a talking book from Grandma and Grandpa Young and a pop-up/hide-and-seek/wahck-amole type toy from Aunt Carly. She liked pushing the animals back into the case and got excited when I poped them up again. She also got to play in a box of packing peanuts from my mom's package. Tyler is trying to stop her from eating the peanuts, not encouraging. I know the picture could go either way.
































This is apparently the best shot I have of Tyler's Christmas Gift. "Santa" brought him a PS3 and a few Blue Ray movies (kung fu panda, iron man) I got hims some shirts and comfy warm up pants for lounging around hte house. A bunch of other stuff happened I'm sure, but I'm bcak posting this in February (I KNOW! i'm so behind!) but just so everyone knows it was a really great christmas to just hang out with our family up here in northern japan.

We got to skype a little I think. Either on Christmas day or the day after, so that wsa nice too.

Merry Christmas! And I'll try to be better at documenting next year : )

Ward Christmas Party

Last night was our ward Chritmas party.There was a program then eating and santa was involed as well. The program started with some pretty music, both hyms and carols and a bunch of people participated. I participated by bringing fudge on a christmas themed platter for teh 'eating' portion of the evening. : )

We wanted clara to meet santa, but there was a long line and it was getting late. So instead we just ate, chatted with the Farer's and the missionaries and called it a night.

Some photos for your viewing enjoyment.




(She doesn't like to keep those black shoes on. In fact, now I can't even FIND those black shoes! (since I"m back posting this in January) Man. . they were so cute too!)

My Big Plates

I've long felt bad about not 'keeping a journal'. That was really my main reason behind starting a blog. This blog is where I put day to day happenings and the general record of our lives. Big and small, mundane and unique. It's my "Big Plate" record, if you will.

By typing out posts, which is much faster than handwriting, I can document much more than I would otherwise. Pictures and video just add to assisting memory recall when I remenisce. But still, my blog is for general day to day records. Not private, individual moments reserved for solely myself or my immidiate family. My 'small plate' record, if you will. So, by blogging, I get the big plates out of the way and there is at least SOME record for my progeny to go through. This also leaves me less stressed about record keeping so I will acutally enjoy handwriting my small plate record.

. . . . . granted I still haven't really started a good small plates record. But at least i've got the big plates going strong! So, one thing at a time. and since the year is coming to an end, I figure now's as good a time as any to articulate this new goal: Start a consistent small plates record.

The reason this is all brought up is becuase my friend alicia posted this website on her blog

http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

So, now I will have an acutal paper record of my big plates. Which is exciting to me becuase digital records only last so long (and, quite frankly, I trust a paper book in a fireproof/waterproof/floatable safe to last longer than a blog on the world wide interweb given my propensity for mis-clicking).

This is exciting to me. I'm not sure why. I think it's because Heavenly Father has repeatedly instructed his children to keep records and I'm finally getting in synch. I'm also super excited to have a real book becuase:

a)I hate scrapbooking (sorry!)
b)I don't like hand writing becase I need to get out too much info
c) I hate scrapbooking

Yes I will have to forgo video clips, but photos are included! Which rocks. My only ral descision left now is whether or not to spell check. I think it might give future generations a look into my personality if I leave it 'as is'. Although, I don't want to suffer from mistranslations. . . . . . . : )

Happy Record Keeping and a merry new year to all!

The Crappiest Generation Of Spoiled Idiots

I got htis from my friend Alicia's blog and it's hilarious and true. Just slow down and think about where we are today compared to even 10 years ago.



Unfortunately, I have to admit that I too always act like flying is the worst day of my life. I will forever remember, now, the cattle cars that pushed across Europe to places like Buchenwald and Auschwitz-Birkenau and sort myself out.

Tis the season. Slow down. (that goes for you too-crazy Misawa AB post office patrons who seem to think that tiny parking lot is the autobahn).

The Joys of Tormenting Your Child

I went to the COmmissary today, as per my usual Tuesday routine, and who do you think was sitting right inside the door? Nobody but the Big Man himself! Mr. Claus. Kris Kringle. St. Nick. Whatever you call him, the dude who dresses up in red and delivers toys via flying reindeer and is somehow inextricably connected with the Christmas Season even though he seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.

Mrs. Claus was there too.

So, being the good mother that I am, and realizing that today is the 20th of December** and this just may be the first, last and only chance I get to put Clara on a strange man's lap (again, an oddly accepted tradition for "the season" given that its frowned upon every other week of the year), I offer my first born child to the strange man wearing a red velvet costume complete with crazy beard/mustache combo.

I should mention that she just woke up when I pulled her out of the carseat to go shopping. And the second I walked in the store she started staring at him. Not in a "hey mom! get closer that looks interesting!" sort of way but a "what the. . . . . . . . " sort of way. I clearly see my daughter getting more uncomfortable with every step I take closer to Santa. Instead of backing away though, my mind races with the hilarious picture I'll get when my daughter bursts into tears when I drop her on Santa's lap.

Let me just say: IT was AWESOME! HAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahaha!~!! I put her on his lap, she looks at him, her lower lip pushes out farther than the laws of physics should allow, she looks for me, sees that I've backed away out of arm reach, squinches her eyes shut and lets loose! Oh it was so cute and funny. I side step towards the photographer whose waiting I think, for her to stop crying. I'm laughing and trying to 'calm' Clara (though its blatently clear there's no consoling my child) by calling her name to have her look towards the camera. After a few secnds I just lean into the photographer and say (giggling) "can yo ujsut take the picture? hahahaha!"

__I went back to edit this post on Jan 20th and managed to delete the remainder of this post. I'll try to get it as close as I can to what it was.__

He took the picture and they told me that they would print them out and post them on some bulletin board thing at hte commisary entrance. I hope no one takes clara's pic! Its going to be so awesome.

She stopped crying (or, screaming I hsould say, becuase there were no tears) the second I picked her up. But she kept peering around my shoulder to look at Santa whilst clutching my shirt for dear life. My Christmas is made : )

**It's not the 20th of december. I do'nt know why I thought it was, but the day I saw santa at hte commissary was clearly hthe 15th of december.

Clara's second babysitter

Tonight was Tyler's squadron Christmas party. We hd to get a sitter for Clara becuase it was in the evening and she's sort of not a 'babe in arms' anymore now that she's so mobile.

I got some references from jen Steffans (who was super nice to answer my bajillion questions ebcuase I'm new to the babysitting game) and got a girl to sit. When I picked her up I thought I did a prett good job of explaining how to put clara to bed: At seven pm Pick her up, put her in thecrib, pull the side up and she'll cry for 5-20 minutes. that's normal.

Apparenlty what the baby sitter heard was "she stays up as long as she wants and just plays and I'll rock her to sleep but if she wakes up when I put her in the crib I take her out again". I felt bad for both clara nd the babysitter. Clara becuase you could tell she was soooooo tired when we got home at 9pm and the babysitter becuase she had a baby who wouldn't go to sleep! Hahahahaha, I'm sure she was just al ittle inexperienced. She slept fine that night, she just went to bed late is all.

The Christmas party was fun though. I had to fill in for tyler when they sang "Punk Christmas Carols" becuase he was up paying the resturaunt for dinner. They wrote funny words to different christmas carols (mostly pertaining to FLying/squadron stuff) and we (and by we I mean me and the four other dudes in the LPA) sang them.

The squadron commander thought I was a good sport for filling in. I thought it was fun. I was a little sad I dind't get to read any of their "Night before Christmas". The only think that sort of sucked was that I was deaf in the left ear and it was pretty loud so all the noise just sort of bounced around in my head.

The Ear Infection That Refused to Die

Last friday (seven days ago) I got an ear infection. I tried to go to bed at 10 with it just a little plugged and came downstairs (I've been sleeping upstairs becuase Clara and I are both getting over colds and she's been waking up a bit during the night lately) at 10:30 crying practically uncontrollably from pain.

I make tyler call urgent care to see if they're open:
Tyler: Hi, um, my wife has an ear ache and we were wondering when you open? I mean, if she can make it through the night, what time do you open tomorrow? . . . . . Oh, she can come in now?
Anna: I want to gooooooooooooooooooooooooO! >as she clutches her shirt and sobs in pain<
Tyler: Yeah, that's her. Um, we might be coming in tonight then.

Now we don't really know any of our neighbors and the only one we do know, well, the wife is stateside nad the husband was out with some friends (it was, after all, Friday night). So tyler says:

Well I can stay here with clara and you can go to Urgent Care
Anna: I ccccan't dddrr dddr dddrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!
Tyler: oh. Ok.

So we load clara up and go to UC. Fortunately no one was there so I was seen quick. Unfortunately, the medicine they gave me didn't make the stupid infection go away! So I had to go back in Again today. They gave me a new antibiotic, but I got sort of made at the check in girl. Not to her face of course, but still.

She looked at me like I was retarded for coming back to UC instead of making a follow up appointment with my Primary Care Provider (that I have no idea who is). Apparenlty, when I was in excruciating pain and deaf from the infection last week, the Dr. told me to make a follow up apoointment. Either I noded or he just assumed I processed it. I didn't. So I got treated like a dummy. Which infuriates me.

But, hopefully this new antibiotic will sort it all out becuase I'm freaking sick of being deaf in my left ear and I'm sick of having this stupid ringing in my ear 24/7. I've had to go to a wife coffe and tomorrow is the Squadron Christmas party and I'll not be able to hear anything. Ehhhhhh

The Things I've Done

I'm in the process of back posting/ catching up for the months of October and November. I'm trying to keep up with December as we go, but I'm just holding off publication because I don't want to forget everything that happened in Oct/Nov.

Anyway, to liven things up a bit, since I"m sure everyone is just itching for a new blog post from me that has nothing to do with what I've been up to for hte past three months. . . my friend Cam put this on her blog awhile ago and I thought it looked fun. Feel free to copy and past and bold the things YOU'VE done on your blog.

(PS. I have, of course, added a few phrases which I"m sure you're not supposed to, but come on, its me)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (does Ayers rock count? It was pretty big)
9. Held a praying mantis-NO! But I trapped one in a colander! Then felt bad so I gave it some grass and leaves then stayed on the other side of the house until Tiler got home. Ehhhhhh
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea --isn't that really dangerous?
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch -origami's an art, right? Yes.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables -I'm about to!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing wait, I can't remember if that was real or just at the Quarry in Provo with my Intro to Outdoor Rec class. . . .man, what an awesome class that was.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted well, it was drawn, does that count?
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie-- I'd like to thank the Allers who made it all happen!
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class but I stopped after the first time when bree told me afterwards that only little kids take karate (no offense lindy-but really, I was the only adult n the place aside from the teacher, or sen-sai, or whatever)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp -a recreation of one at the holocaust museum when it traveled. It was still powerful.
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy its not a toy so much as a blanket, but its mine and I still have it
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job too bad there's not an 'extra bold' option for things you've done repeatedly.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper mock trial! woo hoo!
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House but I didn't go inside, is that what that means?
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life--although, I don't know that that kid would have Died if I didn't jump in the Wave Pool at 7 peaks, but I did. Lifeguard!!
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous How many people can say they got an unsolicited hug from Wayne Arnold from the Wonder Years at Carnie's on Sunset Blvd?! Ehh? EHH? That's what I THOUGHT!
93. Lost a loved one Frosty completely counts.
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake I thought that would kill you. No?
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Japanese Driver's Ed. . .

Is really just as boring as American driver's ed. But you're forced to pay extra special close attention because the teacher has a super thick Japanese accent.

It doesn't help when you've got a baby rolling around on teh ground going "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh >breath< ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

I'm lucky Whitney brought paper for notes. Although I should have just let her take the test for me which is what the spouse of the Phillipino chick was doing. Serisouly? I know rules are lax, but come on!

I will say though, that I did significantly better on THIS driving test than I did on my American one. 100% versus. . . well, lets just say in America I missed the most you could possibly miss but still pass.

I'd also like to say that I've driven a stick here in Japan as well. I'm not sure when (as I'm back posting this) but I was terribly proud of myself. I drove the Higbee's van home one night because I had no other way to get home.

Japanese Wrong Numbers. . .

Are essentially the same as American wrong numbers, but when you receive one, its a little more confusing. Since I don't know how to say "I don't speak Japanese" I went with the "uh, um, Hello? Uh, I don't. . . um. What?" Until I heard the click.

I hope Hillary's better at international relations than I am.

"The Branch President Would like to Meet With You"

Really? That's interesting. What if I say no? Hahahaha I should have said that, but I dind't. I went in and met, and what did it get me? Nothing short of a calling as

YOUNG WOMENS ADVISOR!!!!

AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! It's my punishment for repeatedly telling TYler "I hate teenagers" when I see them in mobs at the mall or food court or on the street.

Aparently, word on the street is that I've just barely emerged from my teen years:

Branch President: "You were just a teenager, what, four years ago?"
Anna: EIGHT!
Branch President: Eight? Really?
Anna: YEAH!

So apparently, I got married at 19 and had my first child at 22 with a man who is 28. Not htat there's anything wrong with that, but I'm just sayin', thats not me.

I think it will acutally be cool if I dind't feel so crappy. I've got clara's cold that she got on Thanksgiving : ( I super like the other advisor, Julie Bloomenkrantz. And Patrice told me that leaders can acutally get the young women acheivement award thing so that might be cool to do. Oh, patrice is a YW advisor too, so I think it'll be good.

Seriosuly though, 4 years ago? I dress it up on Sundays! I wonder what they would have thought if I didn't put forth my Sunday Best (or at least try to put forth my sunday best).