Tokyo

Nichy had a week off for The Holidays and we decided to go to Tokyo. We caught the bullet train and left on Tuesday. We stayed in Shibuya district and couldn't believe all the people! I researched Tokyo a lot before we went and had all the addresses of sites to see. Unfortunately, that list got left at home! When we got off the train we spotted a Sabarros pizza place. This was are first stop in Tokyo and the beginning of our eating spree! Gabriela did well and had a good time. At times she got tired of walking. We laughed, because at one point when she was walking she said, "I am ready to go back to our Japan home." This little girl had no idea how lucky she was to be in Tokyo! All she knew was her Christmas toys were in Otsu, and that is where she wanted to be!

My favorite sight was the Tokyo Tower. The view of the city and buildings was amazing. There was also a really cool play area for kids. I felt like each district we went to had a different vibe. Shibuya was very loud, crowed, and had a little bit of everything. Ginza district had the ritzy vibe with a lot of people. We also made it to the famous Kiddy Land store. This was three levels of toys! Gabriela was a happy and picked out a Hello Kitty toy. We are so glad we got a chance to go to Tokyo and hopefully next time I won't eat so much:)

Christmas Pics!

Decorating the Christmas Tree! I let Gabriela pick out all of the ornaments and decorations.

Santa Clause came and gave all the kids from the basketball team presents at the party. They were so excited and he was the hit of the party!

 Gabriela on her way to the game with her sack of candy canes!! I think at this point she had only eaten one! Every time I looked at her at the game she had one in her mouth.

Gabriela giving a candy cane to Hina. A few people had not seen candy canes before.

Before Nichys basketball game. They lost on New Years Eve but won the next day on Christmas!!

Christmas In Japan

I anticipated Christmas being hard this year being in a Buddhist country and away from family. The team and our friends did a good job helping us celebrate! We started celebrating with buying a Christmas tree and decorating it. This year I really tried to focus on teaching Gabriela what Christmas is truly about and its just not about getting gifts! We would read the Christmas story and she would also look at the pictures and recite the story.
She was also very concerned how Santa would get in the apartment in Japan with out a chimney! Nichy told her Santa had "magic keys." She wrote a few letters to Santa this year and would give them to Nichy to send. Christmas Eve Nichy had a basketball game. Gabriela wore her Christmas dress and passed out candy canes. She also ate a few! Before the game she decided she wanted a present for her friend Frari. I gave her something I had put away and she loved wrapping the gift with Daddy.
Christmas Eve night we sang songs, read the Christmas Story, left cookies and milk for Santa, and lettuce for the reindeer's! It was very hard to get her to fall asleep. The next morning when she woke up she ran to check if Santa had eaten the cookies and the reindeer got the lettuce. She loved her presents and her barbie dolls. Santa sent her on a scavenger hunt for a gingerbread house and she was beyond excited! I love Christmas and traditions. This was are first year making a gingerbread house. Daddy did most of the work and Gabriela and I decorated it. We are trying to figure out how to get rid of it now!

Sushi

Its funny a couple day ago I was having a tough day and missing the U.S. Everything changed today! I am so grateful for being here, and learning about this country. We went to Michis house today, and learned how to cook sushi and another Japanese dish.  After we got done cooking sushi we went into her dining room. There was a small table on the floor with big pillows and cushions surrounding it. We sat there and ate our sushi. On the center of the table was a big skillet where she prepared the other dish. Everything was so good! She also gave us sake to drink with little gold flakes in it!

When we were finished with everything she presented us with bags. In the bags were all the ingredients for everything we had learned to cook! I can't wait to try and cook the sushi again. She laughed when I asked about putting avocado in it!

Mondays

Each Monday Nichy has the day off. We love this day together as a family and also enjoy going to knew places. Last week we went to Osaka and walked the streets for 6 hours! We couldn't believe how well Gabriela did. Its funny I will take her on a five minute walk and she wants to be held. However, when Daddy is around she does much better! This week we stayed in Otsu and walked around. We laughed that even though we didn't travel anywhere we still managed to do the usual 6 hour outing! Poor Nichy never gets to rest on his day off!

We love going to Nichys games and they have been winning! He has been playing great. After every game Gabriela runs on the court with him. Then she complains how he got her sweaty! Last game Gabriela took her braid out of her hair. When I asked her why she did that her response was "I want my hair like the cheerleaders." She is fascinated by them and I think we are in trouble!!

Kimono Dresses

The first day I was here in Japan Nichy brought two presents home for Gabriela and I. A lady named Miche game them to him for us. Attached was a note that said enjoy Japan. I thought that was so sweet, and it was the first time I received a gift before meeting someone. We met Miche and love her!! She is truly a genuine nice person and makes me want to do for others as she does. Last week she took us on a river boat ride. After the boat ride she fit us for Japanese Kimono dresses and gave them to us! Gabriela loves hers and wants to wear it everyday! I love this picture of Gabriela. It also reminds me of how lucky this little 3 year old is!

When Nichy got home from practice we were in our dresses and surprised him! Some of the players were with him! I think they all got a good laugh.

Lake Shiga and New Friends!

 This area if right across the street from our apartment. It is a great walking path and view. We walk this way on the way to school and on our daily walks. The first week we were able to have snack time on the rocks. Now the weather is getting colder and we need to keep moving to keep warm!

This picture is the side street that our apartment is on. We walk on this street to go to the store.

Here is Gabriela at the park.

Friends always make a new city feel like home. Hina is one of the Japanese players daughter, and Frarai is one of the Americans daughter. They are all close in age and get together often. This is the first time we have had an American friend for Gabriela on the team. Frarai lives two floors above us and comes over to play often.  Hina does not speak English but she learns a lot from the girls.

Hinas Mom has been great and shows us where all the cool spots are! Once a week we go to an indoor play area. It has lots of indoor toys, and learning games. I love the creativity of all the things they have for kids. I also have a mini preschool session for the group once a week. Between play dates, and teaching preschool we have been busy! Gabriela is already doing the peace in pictures!

Kyoto

Monday we went to Kyoto for the first time. Gabriela had her first train ride in Japan. Kyoto is only a 10 minute train ride from Shiga. It is known for having many Temples. We only made it to one, and Gabriela fell asleep on the way! I was glad Nichy was there and could carry her. This is the first year I have not brought a stroller for her. Still deciding if it was a good idea or not. I got sick of always having it last year,  and she never wanted to use it.

She woke up in time to see her first Temple! We went inside of one and they had a choir of guys singing. Actually, not sure if it was singing, humming, or what it was! Everyone was quiet and of course Gabriela was asking a lot of questions!! We only stayed inside for about 2 mins. After getting a few stares we decided to leave.

 

We love the atmosphere in Kyoto. The streets are busier and it is more livelier than Shiga. Hopefully, if it does not get too cold we will go their once a week.

Getting Settled

We are finally on a good sleeping schedule! The first week was hard, and now we are settled in! Gabriela started preschool this week and has a great teacher..me!! I am working a few days a week at a English preschool and get to take Gabriela with me. Everything is really different here and could not be more opposite than living in a Latin country. So far here is the good and the bad list!

Good
 Safe: I don't have to worry about Gabriela, or hold my purse tight when I walk. It is very safe here and the crime low.
Clean: I don't think I have seen a single piece of trash on the ground!
The Lake: We live across the street from the lake. It is a great view and awesome for walking/running.
The People: Everyone is really nice and leaves you alone. They really keep to themselves here which is good but also makes it hard to meet people.
The gym: There is a really nice workout facility.
Kyotoe: We are only a 10 minute train ride from Kyoto. This Monday we are planning on going.
Food: So far we like the food! Nichy is loving eating rice with every meal.

Bad:
Language: Not much English.
Shoes off: Shoes off everywhere is nice at houses but at the gym and other public places is kinda annoying when you have a three year old!
Cost: Everything is really expensive here!
No Car: We don't have a car. We bike it or walk everywhere. Not bad now, but dreading the cold!
Apartment: Tiny kitchen, tiny rooms and tiny bathroom! Only plus is not much to clean!!
Oven: We don't have one:)

*A couple funny things. Gabriela said "Mom we should of brought our car to Japan." This was said after a long walk to the store!
*Today we had a play date with a Japanese wife. Gabriela got in the car and all the kids had to take their shoes off. Between going to a play area, their house, and the car ride. Gabriela had to take her boots off and on 10 times!! I have learned not to put her in easy shoes!!
*

Japan

We made it to Japan yesterday, and the traveling was hard. We left our house at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. At 2:40 we were on the flight set to take off,  and the plane had mechanical problems. We all had to get off the plane, and they cancelled the flight. After standing in line for two hours I got another flight going to Dallas and then L.A. We left Okc. at 7:00 for Dallas. We had a two hour layover in Dallas and arrived in L.A. at midnight 2:00 a.m.  Oklahoma time. We missed our flight to Japan, and the airlines got us a hotel in L.A. I got all four of our bags waited for about 20 mins for the hotel shuttle and finally got to bed around 3:30 a.m.
The next day we arrived at the airport around 9:30 a.m. for an 11:50 flight. When I got to the ticket counter of Asiana they told me I had to pay $620 a piece for missing my flight. I told them my flight was cancelled and I had been re booked. They told me I need a letter from American Airlines of proof that my flight was cancelled. I then had to walk about 20 mins. outside the airport holding Gabriela and all my carry ons trying to get to Americans terminal. I got there and could not find any help. Finally, a lady helped me and I received a letter stating my flight was cancelled. I walked back to Asiana and proudly handed the manager my letter. He looked at the letter and noticed my name was the only name on the letter. He said he needed Gabriela's name on it also. I then burst into tears and asked him "what do you want me to do walk all the way back." He then made some phone calls and got it fixed!
At 11:50 a.m. we started our 13 hour flight to Korea. Luckily we had a little girl in the aisle seats next to us. She played with Gabriela for a couple hours, Gabriela only watched t.v. for about an hour! I decided I am not bringing her dvd player anymore. Finally around 10:30 p.m. she fell asleep and we arrived in Korea at 3:00 a.m. We had an hour layover and then a hour and half flight to Osawak, Japan. One of our bags didn't make it and I am hoping it makes it in a couple days. Nichy was there to pick us up and we fell asleep in the car ride. At 6:00 a.m. we made it to the apartment!
We are so glad to be together as a family. Gabriela had a twinkle in her eye that I have never seen before on the way here. She was so excited to see Nichy. We are trying to adjust to the time difference. Gabriela seems to be adjusting better than me!

Halloween Fun

This was Gabrielas first Halloween in the U.S. I had no idea there would be week long festivities and you could literally celebrate all week! We started the Sunday before Halloween with a Tumbleville Express Party. I invited all of my kids and we had three buses, face painters, Princess Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Tinkerbell, Batman, and Captain American all there to celebrate! The party was a hit and I think it will be a yearly party. We had over 150 people there and the weather was great.

During the week we went to two carnivals, story time forest trick or treating, two partys at school, and Monday night trick or treating with the family! Next year if we are here I will buy two costumes. Gabriela was Strawberry Shortcake and then a genie Halloween night. We had to borrow a costume due to the other one being filthy! Gabriela loves candy and I had to regulate how much she could have. I figured out once she has one piece she wants more and more. I wonder where she gets that from?

Preparing To Travel

This week has been filled with errands every day!! My goal was to get everything ready by Thursday so I could have all weekend to relax and not worry. I went to the grocery store multiple times, bought new winter clothes, shoes, medicine, hats, gloves, cooking spices and the list goes on!! We have not had a winter in three years and I had a lot of catching up to do!

Wednesday was Gabriela's last day of Music Preschool. We have been talking about going to Japan a lot lately and how she will get to see Daddy and meet new friends. When she saw me at the door of her school she would not come. I went in to get her and she ran away. The look in her eyes was heart breaking. Her lip was quivering and she starting crying. It was awful. The teacher came over to give her a hug, and she was bawling in her arms. Then I started to cry, and I think the teacher's got teary eyed too! I never thought I would be sad about taking my child out of pre-school. It was a lot harder than I expected.

We leave Sunday and I am excited but also nervous. I have no idea what to expect, and I know it will be a huge culture shock for me. We will have a house sitter while we are gone. It worked out that one of my friends is getting ready to go back to school and move home. I offered our house and she gladly took me up on the offer!

Updates

It has been a long time since I have blogged! Where do I begin? We had a great relaxing summer and did not go anywhere!! It is funny but sometimes vacation for us is being in our home together!! Gabriela started Cochran's Music School this summer. My proud Mommy moment was she got a solo at her recital!! Who knew I had a singer on my hands? Nichy and I were so proud and we both cried!! Gabriela's first solo was Keys To The Kingdom. It is a Disney Princess Auroa song. Nichy found out she was getting a solo and went shopping the same day for a microphone. I had to talk him out of buying a $150.00 karaoke machine. We settled for a $15 microphone to practice with. I think we have a stage Daddy on our hands!!

Big changes have happend in the basketball life. Nichy signed a contract to play in Japan. He is there, and we will be leaving in a month. He had an offer early on and decided to go for it! Of course afterwards, he had a couple great offers from Argentina and cities we would of loved to live in. That is how it always works!! I am grateful we get to experience a new country and culture. However, I am also sad to leave Argentina and all of our friends. We truly thought we would be returning to Santiago Del Estero for a third season. A few players did not get resigned and others got released. We all found out on the internet. Amazing how your life can change in one day!!

The business is doing great and we have decided to offer character parties. I am in the process of getting it all started now. This weekend we had our first Princess Party. After I booked it I realized all the Princesses were in Dallas for the Ou/Texas game! I put on a blond wig, lots of makeup, a pink dress, and hosted my first Princess Party!! It was fun and I continue to learn a lot. Gabriela is loving having all the costumes at the house and watching Mommy dress up like a Princess.

Summer

I love summer and love being home! This weekend we celebrated Father's Day and my Grandpa's 86th birthday. We had a cookout last night and Nichy smoked brisket. My Grandpa gave us a smoker and Nichy started smoking the brisket at 5:00 in the morning! Everyone loved it and had a great time. It is so fun to watch Jude and Gabriela run around and play. They are starting to play really well together, but I still have to break up a few fights!!

This is the first summer we have all came home to our house. It is so nice to FINALLY have a house!! We are trying to decide if we are going to take a vacation. I wanted to take Gabriela to Sea World but it is getting so hot. Honestly, just being home in a house feels like vacation!

Gabriela started music school a couple days a week and loves it. I picked her up last week and her teacher said she loves singing in the microphone. Last night after we all sang happy birthday to Grandpa she sang a solo in Spanish! He loved it and it was the highlight of his night!! He is so proud she speaks Spanish! My Grandparents bought us patio furniture because they said out of all the grandkids I call them the most! I love them so much and treasure the days we spend with them. We are so lucky to have them and glad they are getting to see their great grandchildren!

The Little Things

Every year when I am preparing to leave a city I always thing about memories or things Gabriela did. A lot of times its the little things we always miss.

*Gabriela always hearing the keys in the door when Daddy is coming home and either running to greet him or running to hide!

*After games Gabriela running on the court playing and always trying to get in the locker room to see her Papi.

*Going to the park to feed the homeless dogs!

*Walking home from preschool and Gabriela always wanting to give money to a blind man on the street.

*Eating Palito de aguas after school on our walk home.

*Playing peek a boo with the lady who is ALWAYS downstairs our apartment!

*Everyday after school Gabriela telling me how Mateo(a kid in class) behaved!

*Walking to the basketball games together.

*Running circles in Paula's store.

*Reading her daily devotional everyday and she always ask "whats today night"..meaning date!!

*Asking for Daddy to take her to school everyday.

Semi-Finals

This is a post I never thought I would be writing. Last night Quimsa finished their series 3-1 and advanced to the semi-finals! All year this team has struggled and never really clicked. When playoffs started they just clicked and everyone is playing great! We are the Cinderella team of the playoffs. We beat the number one seed and now are playing in the semis! The bad news is Gabriela and I are leaving next week. I am not ready to go home without Nichy, but need to be home for the business. I get teary eyed everytime I think about leaving, because we are so comfortable here. Nichy does not have a contract for next season. This time of year I also start to worry about where we will be next season. For the past two years we have been in Santiago. This is a good group of players and we have enjoyed the family atmosphere here. We have celebrated many birthdays together, and watched our kids grow. Last night I said bye to Ceci and Abril. Abril was Gabriela's first Argentina friend, and they always played great together. Hopefully we will see them again!

Birthday Party

All the Quimsa players and their kids came to celebrate Gabriela's Princess Party!!

Ingrid one of the players wife made the cake for Gabriela. She loved the dolls she put on top and has been playing with them at home. Daddy has had to glue them back together a few times!

When Gabriela blew out her candles all 22 kids and parents gathered around the table! This years she really knew what was going on and blew them out really well! Below is a picture of Gabriela's friend Amber. They are in the same pre-school class and have become great friends!

Gabriela had so much fun. They danced, played games, and had a pinata. She loved hitting the pinata and even got a piece of candy down! When we got home she played with all her presents and did not want to go to bed!

Happy Birthday Gabriela!!

Gabriela is three today! Last night we had a party and celebrated with all her friends! These last three years have gone so fast. It feels like yesterday I was planning her 2nd birthday! We are so glad God blessed us with Gabriela. Watching her grown and learn has been an amazing experience. Everyday is something new and so much fun! Gabriela is full of energy, a girly girl, loves to dance and sing, has no fear, confident, loves meeting new people, very outgoing, enjoys reading her books, telling stories, and cuddling with Mommy and Daddy!

All Start Weekend

We went to Cordoba for All Star Weekend. Nichy was in the dunk contest and did great! He was a few points short of taking home the grand prize! This was my first time in Cordoba and we had a blast. Cordoba is a lot like Buenas Aires, but isn't as big. I prefer this city over Buenas Aires because traffic is not as bad!

We went to Cartoon Network and Gabriela got to play all of her favorite games. Daddy was working with her on her shot!

Happy Birthday Nichy

The first picture is Nichy's first year in the U.S. The second picture is the reunion with the guys from Panama! They all grew up in the same neighborhood and still keep in touch.

April is the birthday month in the Gomez family. Nichy's is the 7th, Gabriela's 19th, and mine is the 26th! Unfortunatley, Nichy is out of town for his b-day. When he returns we will celebrate. Nichy is 31, and we have known each other for a almost twelve years. I am so proud of my husband and have loved watching him grow into a wonderful husband, father, and provider of this family. It is amazing to me to think of everything he has accomplished, and I know his family is proud also!

Missionaires found Nichy in Panama and asked him if he wanted to come play basketball in the U.S. He had no desire to leave his family, friends, and country. He politely declined, but Mama had other plans! She took out a loan to get Nichy a plane ticket and ensured him this was best for his future!! Mama's always know best!!

Culture Differences

Argentina has many Culture differences. Some of these we have learned to love and others not so much. Siesta: Nichy loves the siesta time and will try to take one in the U.S. I don't like to take one and usually go to the gym during that time. Eating Late: In Argentina we don't have a choice because restaurants don't open until 9:30. Nichy also does not get home from practice until 10:00. Dinner in Argentina is usually 10:00-10:30. When we are home we eat around 7:30, which is late compared to some of our family or friends. Hugs and Besos: Everytime you see a friend here you greet them with a hug and beso. I have grown accustomed to this and will usually give people hugs in the U.S. also. This summer I saw a girl I went to highschool with, and we greeted each other. I went in for the hug and she wasn't trying to hug me. She was surprised and it was kinda awkward! Drinking after people: We all disagree with this! Nichy has to fight to get his own water bottle during games. Anytime Gabriela has an outing I always bring her own water bottle. Majority of the time I don't drink after people. When my friends ask for a drink of my water, I usually just give it to them. Gabriela and I went on a field trip with her pre-school. After looking at the farm animals in the hot sun. The teacher brought out two plastic cups and one water botttle. She gave all the kids in the class water from only two glasses! Again, I was prepared with Gabriela's water bottle! Sunday rest day: Everything is closed in are town on Sundays. People usually eat Asado with families and rest all day. In the U.S. we got to church on Sundays and then usually go out to eat. I would love to try and stay home all day. However, it seems like something always comes up.

Children's Birthday Parties: The parties here are usually 3-4 hours. They are a blast and the kids are entertained with games, puppet shows, magic shows, and dancing the entire party. However, in the U. S. I will stick to a two hour party for Gabriela.

When you arrive at the b-day parties you give the child the gift and they open it then. I like this because it doesn't put as much presure on kids to buy an expensive gift. I went to a big b-day party this summer where the little girl took almost an hour to open all her gifts! Before the dollar treep opened I would spend around $5.00 on a bag and tissue paper. Here they keep the presents in the sack from the store. The first time I bought a present for someone, the store clerk asked if it was for a present. I said yes and was expecting gift wrapped! She stapled the bag and put a tag on it to write Happy Birthday and your name!! Its not that cute, but you save money!! Children drinking cokes: I have seen babies, toddlers, and children of all ages drink cokes with meals and snacks! We are are the minority here because we don't let our child drink coke. Everytime she is offered and we tell them no "she doesn't drink coke." We get the looks of "ooohhhh you are the weird parents." This is something I have never budged on, and Nichy and I have left asados, birthday parties, or other events to go buy her more water or juice. Walking: I walk 15-20 mins. everyday to take Gabriela to preschool. Even though in the U.S. I could walk somewhere in 10 mins we always take a car. I like walking here, but there are times I wish I could just get in the car and park front row and walk in!!

Great News

I received an e/mail this week that Gregs tumor is gone!! I couldn't believe it and read the email a few times. Witnessing a miracle from God is truly the best experience. Brad e/mailed that after hearing the news they had a party at the house with 142 people. All came to celebrate the life of Greg!! He still has the disease medulloblastma, and the chance of a tumor reoccuring. However, he was basically given a few "good" months to live and now his tumor is gone!!! Thank you to all our friend and family who have been praying and donated money for Greg's travels!!