Japan Trip Part 1 - The Journey

Ok, I am jet lagged so I am going to spend my time more worthwhile rather than tossing and turning on the bed! 

Saya and I went on a trip to Japan on Oct 11 through Oct 25 and we had the best time.  We did a lot of things and I will write it in several parts to avoid writing a novel on a single post.

The Journey to Japan:

It began about a month before the departure.  I wanted to be well prepared for this trip because it was my first trip in six years to visit my home country.  Having four children and two with special needs, it was something impossible -- it felt like it even this time -- to be excused from my role as a primary caretaker of my children even for a short while.  It was not easy to take the plunge and it indeed took some efforts to secure manageable schedules for everyone that remained in the U.S.  I put Noah in an all day therapy preschool instead of sending him to the public school etc... and without the help from my wonderful mother-in-law and amazing husband, it wasn't possible.  When everything was finally arranged, I felt a lot lighter and my emotion was elevated everyday. 

Then there was another concern, a small one but it preoccupied me.  The last time I flew with Sean to Japan when he was 9 months old, he screamed the entire flight.  Saya is three and as much as I logically explained myself that would not happen, I was traumatized by the experience!  I ran to several stores to stock up on entertainment items for her on the plane and I even bought a multi-regional portable DVD player, external battery in case the main battery runs out, iPhone external battery in case she preferred playing games, and a gigantic Patagonia backpack to accommodate everything.  I looked like I am on an expedition to Everest when all packed up! 

To my surprise though, she did great on the plane.  She didn't sleep even for a second, but she didn't scream or cry (cried just once when she bit her finger by accident while eating a snack).  I kept her busy and that was exhausting, pulling out different toys and snacks on rotation for 11 hours, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.  Towards the end of the fourth movie when I finally saw Japan floating on the ocean far below, I got teary.  It was so beautiful - I was finally home!  Saya obviously was not as excited as I was to see Japan but as she started seeing more land, she talked about Osaka and how Grandma's home is there.  I was smiling so big when we touched down.  Now I get to enjoy spending time with Alyson, my family and friends, and of course the food! 

We walked out the exit out of custom area and before I stepped out, I saw my Dad walking by. I waited for the sliding door to open again and there they were! My Dad and Alyson! She was beaming, much taller than last time I saw her and beautiful. Saya ran to her exclaiming "Aly!!" and they held hand together and didn't let go. We were all smiling and it was a happy moment for all of us. She acted a little shy towards me and I know a lot of emotion was running inside her. I gave her a big hug and she was a little stiff. Soon enough, Saya and Aly were running holding hands towards the parking building. I could tell they felt good to be together again. It was a very special moment for all of us.

Pumpkin Patch

 

Puget Sound had a ever lasting summer this year and we had the record breaking weather of continuous sunshine for 80 days since July until early October.  It felt like summer even at the end of September wearing T-shirts, which excited all of us around here since T-shirt wearing season is much too short for the money we spend on them!  We said good bye to the local farmer's market on Oct 2 and I stocked up on fresh potatoes and apples.  The autumn was steadily transforming the surroundings but I did not notice them.  It really didn't feel like a pumpkin patch season yet even on the second weekend of October, but I penciled in the visit to the farm.

This has been our third year visiting the same pumpkin patch.  We have been lucky to visit it in glorious blue sky and cheerful sunshine every time and I have been able to take awesome pictures there.  The kids are more purposeful every year and more focused on picking up the right pumpkin for us.   Sean and Saya walked around scanning through pumpkins saying "what about that one?" and gave his or her opinion on what they thought.  Sean chose the biggest pumpkin he could find and that we could not grant.  It was grossly gigantic.  He tried to pick it up and then Saya, too, but they couldn't even wrap their arms around it.  Mike picked it up since his manly voice told him to do it just because.  Noah got to walk around a little, too.  He is still a major escape artist and so quick to disappear.  I would so much love to sell the BOB double stroller but I cannot since he still would impulsively run away!  He enjoyed patting the scare craw and touching some pumpkins.

We wished Alyson were with us, in fact, Sean said we need Aly to go with us before we left.  We talk about Alyson everyday and we all miss her a lot.  I've never grown up having a sibling, so it is so neat to see the bond between them.  Luckily, Saya and I were able to see her in Japan and I will write about it in my next blog :-)

Mommy Potluck and 5K Race

I looked at my age category and it said 40 to 44.  I was in shock!! Can't be!!

The beautiful peach mousse cake Yukie made. 

My amazing friends!

Last Sunday was a busy one for us since Mike and I raced 5k in Issaquah in the morning and then I had a Mommy potluck party to attend right afterwards.  I prepared the food the night before so all I had to do was stick it in the oven in the morning.  I was pretty relaxed about the race even though I hadn't trained for it at all.  5K is a distance easy enough for my out of shape body to pull through.  The challenge this time though was running side by side with Mike who is training for his marathon in November.  He said he would go easy, but I knew it wouldn't be the same definition for me.  I felt great the first half with all the excitement and was running much faster pace than anticipated.  As a result though, I slowed down in the second half.  I was aiming to pass an older lady running in front of me, but she got away from me.  Mike and I talked about holding hands at the finish line and crossing it together, however have completely forgotten to do so.  I was tired but sprinting towards the goal because I wanted to make it under 30 minutes.  And I did it!  I crossed at 29 minutes and 50 seconds - my personal best.  If I had done it without training then I might have a lot of potential for improvement!  So, I've been running almost everyday ever since in the evenings.  It feels good to run again.  I hope to continue it as long as I can.

Mommy potluck was a lot of fun as usual.  It is so important to chat away with girl friends and laugh!  Yukie again brought amazing dessert - peach cream mousse cake with wine pouched white peaches on top.   Yummy!!  She inspires me to be better at baking.  I am very lucky to have friends who are smart, unique and funny.  It is not always easy to live overseas without your family nearby.  Succeeding in college took extra effort because of language barrier and being a parent and navigating through American system is the same.  I am glad I have my friends to give me advice and support me.  I value my friendship with amazing women I met here like my family!

So, I would say I had a good weekend~ 

Mommy's New Hobby

I made a pot of sweet azuki beans to put in the buns.  It was very good!!

I decided to bake my kids' favorite characters from their show.  I thought they looked terrible, but the kids and my friends thought they are pretty cool.

I don't know where the force came from.  Suddenly, I wanted to bake Japanese style breads.  Maybe it's because I was talking to my friend Yukie who is a master baker.  She bakes amazing sweet breads and cakes.  I am usually not the one to follow step by step directions.  I do not like reading instruction manuals and if I try to, my eyes starts to skip lines then pages.  Within a minute, I am tossing the silly booklet and on to discover the how to myself.  I must admit though, there is certain calming effect to following the steps precisely and baking requires a lot of it.  I pulled out the digital scale and spooned on the ingredients carefully.  It's quiet, it's night time, everyone is asleep and it's just me and baking.  My bread machine click and clacks while I get the cookie sheets ready.  I pull the dough out and shape them - they are soft as babies' ear lobes.  My kids love chocolate chip buns so I mix in chocolate chips into the soft dough.  I wait another 20 minutes or so to let it rise some more.  When things happen as it should be, it gives me a great satisfaction.  With children, it happens 30% of the time and baking 80%.  Maybe that is why I love baking now.  When the buns look irresistibly adorable in the oven, it's time for them to come out.  I imagine the happy faces of my children in the morning and smile.  For the next 24 hours, I am guaranteed to feel like I am a very good Mom.  Yep, it's addictive!!