Our new normal.
My husband is officially a resident of Japan. He has the work visa and address to prove it. My breath is coming a little easier now that I know he's arrived safe and sound.
Very early yesterday morning, the children and I loaded up my car and drove him to the airport.
Looking over our pictures as they were taken, I figured they seemed blurry since I was teary-eyed. But no. Upon later inspection it was diagnosed as "shaky hand syndrome". I couldn't hold the darn camera straight when I tried to capture a moment.
The morning hit us all pretty hard.
As you can see before dropping eldest off at school, the young ones seem to be doing allright now that their Daddy is gone.
This next week it will set in and I anticipate eldest will have a few rough days as she re-adjusts once again. But we'll get through it.
We're all in the "gone for two weeks" mindset. It's going to be much longer than that, but since a separation spanning that length of time is so foreign to us, that's how eldest and I have decided to deal with it.
Two weeks at a time.
I am going to sorely miss my best friend, my love, my confidant, my advisor and partner in crime. He who I can be so extraordinarily ridiculous and silly with that I almost feel as if a part of me is going to be missing until Christmas.
Thank goodness for the children!
We'll whether this new chapter in our adventure called life together. And we'll be loving and silly, capturing every moment as we do so. We'll also spend many moments thinking and praying for husband and ourselves.
In the meantime, I'm going to reflect on our last few days together, whichw ere also spent with my parents. Our home was brimming with the love of family, and even though it's now half as full, I can still feel them with me.
We spent the last weekend gathering some of husband's necessities. There were the crisp, starched white shirts from Brooks Brothers.
Am I a complete nerd for loving neatly stacked work shirts? My husband knows the way to my heart in spades!
There were lovely new merino wool socks, plenty of toiletries, a Sony Digital Reader, his PS3, and Tony Sachere's seasonings that joined my husbands three hefty suitcases that were overflowing with clothes.
Before they were very nicely packed away, they made wonderfully soft mountains for the children to enjoy. Both spent tons of time playing near and in them.
Despite the fact that we were running around for his return to Tokyo-and squeezed in not one, but two date nights-our days together were still fairly laid back. We were able to spend time as an entire family and that warms my heart.
So did this.
We are very blessed to have so many who care and look out for us. I'll write more about my parents visit in the next few days, though for right now I'm going to take some extra time for myself and my children-starting with preparing some delicious pumpkin bread with the wee one after taking eldest to school.
There are many little projects around the house that need to be taken care of, but they're going to have to wait a few days since one of my dearest friends and sorority sister's is coming for a visit!
I think it will make the transition into our new normal a little easier than it's been in the past. Plus? We're going to have lots of good old-fashioned fun. We always do!
Be back soon, all. Enjoy the rest of your week.
Saturday night my husband and I went to a get together at the house of one of his firm's partners. It was a nice chance to go out together and see some friendly faces.
We had a wonderful evening. Thank you Rob and Liz for always thinking of us and inviting us to share in the fun! As always, the food and drinks were delicious, the musician was very entertaining, and everyone was kind as could be.
My husband spent the evening talking with his co-workers, getting to spend time with them before returning to Tokyo. He also introduced me to some of the nicest people. Understand, all I know are names, so to put faces with them is terrific.
Now for the shout-outs...
Lauren and Lisa~ I had the nicest time talking with you two! Whether it was about the girl in the crazy fur boots or trying the "yellow drink", it was a treat to meet you both. We'll definitely have to get together sometime soon.
Michelle~It was great to finally meet you. You had the most wonderful energy-I couldn't help but be moved by it (did I mention I also loved your dress? No? Well, it was fantastic!) You, Casey, and I are going to have to get together as well. Maybe I should organize a girls night in?
Jason~Thanks for the head's-up on my husband's departure. Ha! You really are in the loop and that's something I'm going to have to remember. It was great to talk to another former Memphian-even if the subject was about "Mayor" Willy.
Walt and Megan-It's great to have you both back in Charlotte! I know you can't wait for little Jackson's arrival. Just remember, my offer stands. If you need anything, please let me know.
Chris~ Another Louisiana native-we're such rare, unique individuals. Ha! It was very nice to meet you. Enjoy Charlotte and your work with the firm.
Chenea~I hate that we didn't catch each other until we were preparing to leave, but I'm glad we were still able to have a quick chat. You looked great-thanks for the Forever 21 tip. Again, I'm with you: when in doubt, belt it!
Edin~As always, it was wonderful to see you again. Thanks for the re-fill and the delicious meat! I can't believe you smoked it yourself.
It was so good to see and meet everyone, especially since I hear your names used with such frequency. The night was filled with so many introductions, I apologize if I missed anyone. My husband has nothing but the nicest things to say about the people he works with, so I consider him very blessed to be surrounded by such good men and women.
It's going to be hard to see him leave tomorrow-for all of us. Thank you to everyone who has watched over my husband and reminded us that with the help of Skype (please let it work on his work computer!)we're only the click of a button away.
I cannot wait to see you all again. Thanks and enjoy your week ahead!
It's wonderful to have husband home. But do you want a hint as to what we've been doing since he returned Saturday afternoon?
Here's another hint, just in case you need one.
Leaving some of his things behind in Tokyo, my husband carried twenty pounds worth of furniture catalogues for us to go through.
Twenty pounds.
Each book is more amazing than the next. Some are out of the stratosphere with their concepts, but that's what makes it fun to flip through the pages. The Japanese are heavy on clean lines and modern touches in their furnishings, though, so we've had to look really carefully at our new pieces via the internet or the catalogues. It's been a little tricky.
To make it a little easier, we neatly stacked our catalogues along the length of our island. It's our own little furniture library.
We've examined the bodies, materials, and in some cases colors of wood on our possible furnishings. Each time we've made a comparison I-more often than my husband-compared it to the colors in our living areas. We don't want to turn our new home into a place that could be easily confused with the set of Star Trek, right?
So far we've found some pieces that we love and husband has been calculating how they figure into our allocated budget. There are a few things we're willing to bend on, but not so much on others.
Like this gorgeous couch that could pass for a Restoration Hardware double. I pretty much swooned, drooled, and panted over this one.
Actually, the one I swooned, drooled, panted over was white and was a three-cushioned sofa with brass wrapped around the legs,but I couldn't get it to scan properly. The two-cushioned is just as lovely, though, as is the name: "Cozy Bois".
It sounds cozy.
We have the option to buy at the end of my husband's "tour" at a low cost, so we're trying to make sure the pieces we rent now are ones we'd want to bring home with us. For the most part, picking out the things we'd like has been fairly easy. On the other hand, when there are color options involved, we just can't make up our minds.
See?
These are our potential dining room chairs and we're currently stuck between a vibrant orange and a softer green. My husband suggested picking out four of one color and two of another-just to add some visual interest. It could be very cool.
Just another thing to consider. Tough choices, I know. It's just too bad the children and I won't be able to enjoy these new furnishings for several more months, but such is life.
I'll get back to you a little later in the week, update you as things progress.
Until then, I'm going to be busy readying the homestead for my parents arrival on Wednesday. Yay! Also, the wee one has a bit of a runny nose, so I'm hoping it doesn't develop into anything else.
Keep your fingers crossed on all fronts!
I'll see y'all soon.
It is a very good day. Eldest has the day off and husband is returning home TOMORROW!!!
Can you sense the excitement in my voice? Erm...typing? We are thrilled to bits. You'll understand if I take a mini-blog vacation, won't you? There's lots of catching up, snuggling, kissing, and stories to hear. And of course, there will be plenty of shop talk as well.
Blah.
To tide you over until this Southern Lady returns next week, I'll "leaf" you with the first installment of our fall decorations. We've been working away at celebrating this season when there's free time. Eldest has dubbed the series: The Autumn House.
So enjoy!
Using a combination of Target and Wal-Mart bought pumpkins (some real, others not so much), we clumped them together in a simple arrangement atop our buffet in the dining room.
You can tell which is which when you get up close, but they still look really nice together. The rich oranges, the warm whites, and then my absolute favorites-
the Tiger Stripes pumpkins. I've never seen them before, but Wal-Mart was selling an entire crate full. They're just gorgeous!
The mottling of the white on orange mixed with green hues...nature at its best. And of course, eldest loves anything to do with tigers, so it was a given that we had to get a few.
As October gets a little closer and Halloween beckons I was thinking about adding moss inbetween the little pumpkins-dress it up a little. But for now,
simplicity reigns supreme! Stay tuned for Part Two of The Autumn House: Outdoor Decor.
Have a lovely weekend, all. My reunited family most certainly will.
Unbeknownst to me-and probably my husband-our realtor in Tokyo had arranged for several other apartments to be shown before we decided on our new home. If you remember the post I did on the Izumi Tower apartment, you'll recall how nice it was.
My husband found one that was nicer.
True, it doesn't have the hardwoods (and with the wee one this may be a good thing), but it's still very lovely, had radiant heated floors, a very modern kitchen-something the last apartment was lacking, and an up close and personal view of Tokyo's own Eiffel Tower, also known as the Tokyo Tower.
It's not the most original name, but do you believe the view? That's the actual scene from our living room.
Another plus? This apartment is bigger. I believe around 1600 square feet. To Americans it sounds tiny, and to us, it's a serious downsize. But you have to understand one thing: 1600 square feet is a bigger living space than what the average Japanese family lives in. It's enormous by Japanese standards.
My husband and I tossed our thoughts around via text and brief phone conversations, trying to decide about the convenience, closeness to eldest's school, and the like. In the end, we decided the extra space was important and as walking is the norm for getting to the market and other stores, what's the big deal with a little traveling by foot?
If it gets a little old, we can always do as many a Japanese and ride a bike!
But enough about that. Without further ado, I give you our second home in Azubu Tower, the new, uber lovely Chez Quon Part Deux.
First, a look at our galley kitchen. It's tiny, but very pretty. It has sleek cherry cabinets, modern pulls, and a soft, cream marble backsplash and granite countertops.
The appliances are small. It's something we'll have to adjust to, but as we're only going to be there for a short while, I'm not going to sweat "the small stuff". Ha!
Next is the furnished living room. This is our actual apartment. The furniture is going to be moved out, and that's terrific. For the most part, it's a bit too contemporary for us (though I really like that lamp! Check out that cool base. And do you see those striped panels behind the sofa? Subtle, but great.).
To give you an idea of what it looks like unfurnished, here's the living room of the exact floor plan but in another location.
As you can see, we will have a blank canvas to work with. Husband and I are very, very excited.
The bedrooms are, as expected, small (especially the children's), but again it's only temporary. We can deal in these little spaces with awesome views.
This is the master,
and this is the second smallest, which will be eldest's room. Don't be fooled by the angle of the picture. It's not that small. My husband was simply capturing the space for her new twin bed.
And so concludes our tour of our Far Eastern digs. Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions for sprucing up our tiny abode?
You should know that since I began working on this latest Tokyo update we've made further progress on our swank new pad. It seems everything in Tokyo is negotiable-they're very big on customer satisfaction.
There was a tiny little dent in the wall of the master bedroom. As we were on our way to putting a hold on the apartment for our family of four, to make up for this flaw in our apartment they're negotiating to get us the sofa in the picture above, and have thrown in a refrigerator and parking space.
Not that we have a car to use, but I hear parking spaces are very hard to come by. So why not?
We're not paying for any of this in the first place-my husband's firm is. But we do have a furniture allowance given to us by the firm. If we can get several key piece negotiated into the price of our new digs, then it's something we don't have to spend our allowance on and that is fantastic.
We can find some other fun, new pieces instead.
Have I mentioned my husband discovered Ikea in Tokyo?
Fun times, friends, they are ahead! Have a wonderful day!
Using a corner for time-out will never work.
Stinker loves snuggling up into small spaces for fun. Good thing our new Tokyo apartment has plenty of them right? Hmmm. At least I have a while longer to figure this one out.
This past Saturday was eldest's first soccer game with her new team. It was also the first time we'd get a true taste of what our new "normal" will be like.
In a word, it was hard.
Last year I took both children to games that my husband wasn't able to attend. But the wee one wasn't quite mobile, least of all ambulatory.
He is now and it has definitely added a new twist to our soccer days.
As most of you know, he doesn't stand still for more than a few moments. So imagine this first game, on a day that decided to become unexpectedly hot, where we were late (more on that another time) and providing the snack for, and as the only parent there to cheer on my child in a group of parents who have no idea who she is, my voice was seldom heard as the entire hour was spent chasing the little guy.
I couldn't blame him. It's what little ones do. He's curious and wanted to explore, but my conscience was feeling guilty since following him around is primarily what I spent the time doing.
When eldest was on the field, I tried to make sure she heard me, but if I turned around for too long to watch her play, the wee one was halfway across another field. When she was off the field, she was so tired, so hot, she just wanted to drink her water and rest.
Instead of being able to sit with her and tell her what a great job she was doing, words came out in a rush as I was chasing after he who is now called "the bottle snatcher".
I did my best to be encouraging, hug her, get pictures of her return to the field.
Even though I was running after her little brother, it was important to let her know that I was there to see her and was still her biggest cheerleader.
Personally, I think she was okay. See her smile?
But I wasn't. My feathers were a little ruffled by this new challenge. Was it met head on? Yes. But I definitely thought it could have gone better. In some ways I felt as if I'd dropped the ball that morning.
My mind knows that I did everything I've done in the past, there were no details or family members neglected. It was the pace that made everything seem off. Everything was frenetic and seemed rushed.
Eldest's needs were attended to, and even though I didn't have lingering moments with her when she was off the field, she heard me and knew I was there.
She was happy, and even had some fun of her own with the butter bean during her halftime.
It's funny how what I was thinking and worrying over seem to be the opposite of what was truly happening. The pictures helped. Even though I still feel as if maybe I could have done a little more for her, these images did put things into perspective.
I've been offering little prayers for a while, but if you all could, please say a little prayer for our family as we enter into these uncharted territories. Most things I don't fret over. These unexpected moments though, if we could manage them with grace, calm, and understanding, it would make this transition much easier.
Many Thanks.
As I've mentioned, oh, once or twice, it really feels like Fall. I know it's not for another week or two, but I'll tell you something. Sometimes a date is just a date. In the interest of saving myself from being repetitive any further, I'm just going to pretend it is and enjoy it.
All the signs are here: cooler weather, Fall sports, leaves drifting from tress, the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte to Starbucks.
This past week eldest returned to her eighth season of soccer.
She was dressed in these the entire day.
That's how excited she was to return to her favorite sport.
Last year she'd advanced to Challenge League, a big step up from where she played with Charlotte Junior. But as we thought we'd be moving this summer, she chose not to try out again.
Honestly, it was for the best. Challenge wasn't everything we'd hoped it would be for her. We're all happier to be returning to Charlotte Junior.
As you can tell, eldest is especially glad. For her, there's something about running around a field kicking a soccer ball that brings complete and utter joy. I love to see that smile on her face, to feel that enthusiasm.
Soccer is a genuine passion for our daughter, and for that, I am very glad.
Because her new coach? He likes to run lots of drills and make them do laps.
Coach Gardner is fantastic, and has the girls coming together quickly-which is great considering their first game is this Saturday. Nothing like a game to get your juices flowing.
Or maybe that's what the laps are for. I here they get the juices going, too!
So what was our little butter bean up to while eldest was running laps and doing drills?
Walking across every other soccer field with his friend "shova", the shovel.
He was a bit of a stinker, though. He kept trying to walk off with Coach Gardner's practice cones, so I had to relocate him very quickly. Naturally, he attracted the attention of another sibling.
Sweet Lilly played with him for a good while, though he really didn't know what to make of her.
Can you see how he was reaching for his Mommy? He loves attention, especially from other children, but I think at this point he was done for the day.
We returned to the car so he could have more quiet play while eldest practiced. But I noticed she was a little distracted. So were some of the other girls.
I was curious as to what caught their attention, and my gaze followed theirs to this:
The young men's soccer league. Hmmm. Is my daughter starting to become a girl on me? Or were she and the other girls simply impressed with their much more advanced athletic ability? I'm not going to wonder over this one too much, but it was kind of funny.
It was also short-lived. Soon enough everyone was back to paying attention to their coach again.
Not long after practice ended and the girls signed what would be the first of the awarded team balls.
One ball will be given at the end of every game to a girl for her efforts. It's a terrific idea, and will give each player the opportunity to bring one home. If that, plus a fantastic practice wasn't enough to put a smile onto eldest's face, her little brother greeting her after a good, hard practice was.
Did she have a good practice? How happy is she that soccer has started once again?
What do you all think?
She may be exhausted, but this picture seems to say a thousand words.
