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.