for laura

this is the most recent picture of our house that i took. it was in march during that freak snowstorm in the midwest. can you say "suck?"

why wasn't it like a john hughes movie?

so my class reunion is nigh. this summer actually. when i first heard about it, i was so turned off by the idea. but now...i am intrigued. one of the girls i went to high school with is in charge of it, and she started a myspace page for it. i am amazed at freaked out by what everyone looks like and does now. some went really far and others stayed in the same place.

anyway, to tell you the truth, i really hated high school. it was all the stereotypes of a john hughes movie, but with no happy ending where the popular girl falls for the criminal or the jock for the freak. if only. there were just a lot of mean people, administrators & teachers included, and it was tiring. at one point, i just gave up on trying with most people. i just concentrated on getting out of there--focusing on just school and watching lots of movies by myself.

but now i am torn. should i go? should i keep away? there are a handful of people that i'd like to see, but at the same time i feel like it would be completely weird. anyone else go to their reunion yet?

maybe, just maybe...i should pretend i invented something...like post-it notes...

good lesson today

today at church, i was reminded of the parable of the prodigal son and the commandment to write in your journal. i'm really bad at writing in my journal, and i could definitely compare some of my behaviors to the prodigal son...except eating from the pig trough thing...

so, i decided i would do better. that is, not be so wasteful. one of the first things that i am going to do is get better at writing in my journal. even if it just a little bit at a time. one of the greatest things about having blogs is that this sort of counts too. but...what would happen if i didn't have a computer anymore? i would always have a piece of paper or something else i could write on. tablets? maybe.

one more in japan

here you go. more. and....i'm spent.

with sara and jasutoin

i'm not computer savvy enough to get more pictures on this darned thing. most of these pics were around marugame, where sarah and justin live, and nearby islands. i have more. i guess i just need to post them somewhere else. yeah. maybe.

a few more around tokyo

sorry if any of this are sideways. whatever.

these are some of my favorites from when i was hanging with ikumi in tokyo. i regret to say i looked sick (but not in a good way) in some of the pics, so i am keeping those out. overall, tokyo is really like any big city but condensed into a smaller area. it's crowded and busy and exhausting all at the same time. i am impressed and freaked out by it. if anything, ikumi was my favorite part of tokyo...

best part of japan

i know, i know. food (this is why i am so much fatter now). the sights and the stuff was cool, but i think the food was my favorite. i don't know if it was because i sort of knew a little of what to expect (in the country) or if i set myself up to be indifferent (about the country). who knows? i do know i wished my husband was with me the whole time. i missed him a lot, and i said almost everytime i stopped to eat that "pete would like this food/this place."

i appreciate ikumi, justin and sarah, and kelsey for entertaining me while i was there. also the free lodging and travel (in gem skool's car) with justin and sarah. thanks yo!