Big Bear

Our new favorite place is Big Bear Mountain!!! It's a four season vacation spot. Snow in the winter and the lake in the summer. We plan on making many trips up there while we are out in California! When my Mom was out here visiting we went there and then Chris,Lola and I went out there this past weekend with our good friends. It's breathtaking up there and the weather was perfect 82 degrees! We have said multiple times we could see ourselves living there one day.

As promised I am writing an update! I know crazy two updates in one week!!!
We are adjusting well out here, my in-laws were here for the past few weeks and we went to Las Vegas!! It was my first time so needless to say we had a great time. I understand why it's called "sin city"-haha!
We still love our house, love our central location to all the hotspots in Cali and Vegas. I am in the midst of trying to start my own business, and getting some great guidance from some people already in the industry.
Lola is getting bigger by the minute and learning to say more and more. We had not mentioned Micheal Jackson around here, but of course it was all over the news and today when I turned MTV on and his music videos were playing she said "Mommy Michael Jackson dancing!" and then starting dancing herself! I couldn't believe she knew his face and name!! Lola loves loves loves to dance! We really need to get her into dance lessons!
Other than that things are just moving along, nothing really huge to update on, promise I will continue to put up new pics!

random pics

shes soo big now I can't believe it!

she loves to take pictures!!

Lola eating Miso soup at a local Japanese restaurant!! The food is actually just like the food in Japan, so needless to say we love it!

all of us in Las Vegas!

ladybug!

I know that everyone still checks this blog and thank you for coming back! I'm still in the Japan mode, thinking that our internet took forever to upload pics! Here are a few random ones that I put up for you all to see and it took me less than five minutes!!whoo hooo! It would have taken me all day in Japan. Anyways I am about to go out and run some errands so I will update later on tonight or tomorrow.

All moved in & loving So Cal

So we made it to California!!! Lola even knows where we live now. If you ask her where she lives she says "califownia". It's the cutest thing!!! We are loving our new house, which we might buy, Chris is busy at work and I am trying to find a job.
We are overwhelmed at how quiet it is out here. Our backyard looks out into wide open space and mountains, the view is breathtaking!! I know you want to see pictures but since our shipments just arrived we are still in the process of unpacking and trying to get everything situated so please check back soon!!!
It was a hard adjustment coming back to the states, but we are used to it now. People are not nearly as respectful or as nice as they are in Japan. When we landed in L.A. we were instantly greeted with the American culture! No one offered to help us with our six bags and huge dog carrier, in fact most people just looked at us like we were crazy.
I will post pictures soon! We miss you Megumi and Noriko!!!

Saying Goodbye to Japan

It's not spring yet here in Iwakuni

My volleyball coach's daughter, my other volleyball coach and his wife who plays with me

Lola, Sophia & Melanie all in mid chew!! Melanie and her family will be moving to 29 palms as well!!!!

Lola and I goofing off

Sakura tattoo (cherry blossom)

It snowed here last Monday!!! I had just dropped Lola off with her senseis and saw this beautiful opportunity for a picture

Lola chowing down on spaghetti!!

I think we know what she's getting for Christmas this year!!

Wow, where does time go?! The beginning of April we will be moving to 29 Palms,California after three years of calling Iwakuni,Japan our home. We have loved it here, but it is time to go back to the states. We have had a lot of firsts here, learned a lot about ourselves and others and made some amazing memories, as well as some lifelong friends. I feel very blessed to have had this once in a lifetime opportunity, and hope one day Lola can come visit the amazing country she was born in.
I have been playing on a 9 man mama-san volleyball team with some wonderful Japanese and American women. I wish I would have gotten involved in the team a bit earlier, but I feel fortunate to be able to play with them at all. I do not have any pictures with the whole team since Chris has been gone, but I will get some before I leave. In the league I play in, the oldest woman is in her 70's!!! Yes I said 70's!!! All the American women were stunned! It is very empowering and encouraging to play with them.
We are having a bit of a rough period right here before we PCS, but we will get through it. All of our things were packed out of our house almost two weeks ago, Chris is away on a training exercise and Lola has been fighting getting sick--oh and we still don't have our flight details worked out! Needless to say it's been a bit crazy around here.
The next few weeks will be filled with sad "see ya later parties"(I never say goodbye, b/c I hope to see all these wonderful people again soon), me finishing up this term in school, preparing to check out of our house and probably a little bit of last minute shopping in Japan;-)
Hope everyone is doing well and hopefully see you all very very soon!