God had a purpose...

10 years ago, as we stood by a young Japanese girls hospital bedside we could have never guessed the deep and meaningful relationship that God had in store for us. Over the years that young girl, Reiko, became like a daughter to us! We watched as she studied the Word and with persistence was allowed to become a Christian, she was there soon after Stone was born and when we tearfully returned to the states from Japan, we joyfully welcomed her as she began her studies at OC, and we now had the privilege to be part of the next stage of her life; her wedding. Lj had the honor of walking the bride down the aisle while I got to share with her many special moments of the week leading up to her big day. Reiko is very dear to us and it was such a pleasure to be so involved in her special day. It has been such a wonderful blessing and experience to watch her grow into such a beautiful christian woman.

Reiko and I hanging out before the wedding!

Reiko pinning a rose on Lj; he had the honor of walking her down the aisle!

High fives for the "kids".

A family shot before the wedding.

Family shot after the wedding with the newlyweds!

The big family shot; American family, Japanese family and the new in-laws!

Japan Connections!

Group pictures are a must for Japan... so of course there had to be one at Reiko's wedding. Everyone that had some sort of connection with Japan (AET, missionary, Study abroad) all got into a group picture. Lesley Proctor (proctorspics) did a great job capturing the moment!

Day 95- Lj's Photo Tour of Japan?

Well, since Lj was the one who was in Japan the pictures are lacking... he only took 41 pictures in 8 days... I think I took over 200 the last time we went for 8 days!  So, without further ado...

Anpan Man arrived safely at Narita... it was a tiring flight but Anpan Man and Lj had 5 seats between them... so no complaints! 

Anpan Man got to hang out at IC in 5100 for a day or two... 

The main reason Lj went to Japan was to have meeting with IC... everything went well but the highlight of the trip was hanging out with Pat and Yumi

Lj got to meet baby Ayano and Maki... Maki was a lifesaver to us when we lived in Japan and I am so happy she has a sweet little baby now... she is just so precious! 

Yamato and his family visited Lj in the Hotel one morning.. it was an arranged meeting for a gift exchange hand off... Yamato keeps Stone up-to-date on all the new fun stuff out in Japan  while Stone keeps Yamato up-to-date on all the fun holiday stuff here!

Lj stayed at a hotel right outside the Southside exit of Mito station... It has changed so much since when we first moved to Japan... this is a hopping little station now!  Lj showed us this view every morning and night... Stone now understands that when we are awake Japan is sleeping and vise versa- gotta love technology so we can concretely teach him concepts that are hard for even adults to grasp.  

Daytime

Nighttime

Another view

Lj's last day in Japan was spent at Mito Churches 60th anniversary celebration... these ladies are an anchor of the church in Japan.  

Day 94- Friends

Since Lj did not want to sit in sardine class from Dallas to Oklahoma City; Arianne, Stone and I made the trek to Dallas to pick him up.  Of course, a trip to Dallas means a stop at Ikea, World Market, and time spent with friends!  We got to spend a fun filled evening with the Herndons; who originally they were going to be out of town as we crashed at their house but their plans changed we got to enjoy time with them.  It is such a wonderful blessing to be with those who God placed in our lives while we were in Japan... Kelsey and Lisa helped us out in so many ways our first year there that we can not even begin to repay the blessings! 

Stone loved playing with Kaylen and Ezra... they had so many fun toys!  

Day 81- 34 Candles!

We celebrated Lj's 34th birthday with a potluck.  We had a bunch of friends over and it was so much fun... each person at some point had some impact on our life and Japan together... from Johnny O. offering us a position and Angi telling Lj he was stupid not to go to Yu Kun who is an OC student and dating one of the young girls (who is now an OSU grad student) that came to church with her mom.    It was such a fun evening and a great way to reconnect with people who had such an influence in our lives for so long. God definitely blessed us richly thorough our time in Japan!

Stone loved playing with Elijah and "my brothers" (aka Heath and Briar).  The boys were all born in May beginning with Elijah in 2003 and ending with Briar in 2006.  

Lj and his cake... Mariannes favorite kind... Carrot Cake!

Reiko got Lj a pedi egg... FYI: it works great!

Lj rockin' out to a musical card from Greg and Arianne! 

We had so much fun and it was such a blessing to fellowship with our friends again! 

Day 77- A Little Japanese Cowboy!

Stone is enjoying the best of both worlds today... Oklahoma and Japan.  Anpanman shirt and a stick pony what more does a boy need?!  

 

Day 63-A Familiar Face

We had the honor of having Chisato stay with us for the last 10 or so days.  Chisato is a beautiful christian woman from Japan who attended OC in the early 2000's.  Lj asked her to come back to do a little translating work for the International portion of the OC Website.  It was so fun to have her here and Stone adored having all the attention.  Stone took great care of Chi chan... he was concerned when she left for the day, asked her if she wanted to play with the toys, made sure she had a book to read before bed and even tried to help her pack by putting his toys in her suitcase :).  

This next year holds many new and exciting changes for her as she prepares to get married and move to Hokkaido.  I pray that God will continue to bless her in the same way she blesses everyone around her.  

Stone and Chi chan

 I got them both to smile by making them say Otoshidama!

Day 62- I (heart) 日本

God blessed us in so many ways while we were in Japan but one of His greatest blessings to us was relationships.  Our friends were so much like our family while we were in Japan and still continue to be here in the states.  I know we can call on any of them and know they will be there for us... that is an amazing comfort. 

Chisato, one of the young Christian girls, came to the states to do a little work for OC so we had a little reunion of sorts at a local restaurant... it is so good catching up with people and remembering some of the fun memories.  

         

Day 25- Communication at its best!

Lj always talks about how the world is getting smaller... I would have to agree!  Air travel and internet has pretty much cut any barriers that distance would place on a relationship.  

Last night, Stone and I got to skype with Yumiko and Yamato.  Stone and Yamato loved talking to each other and showing their favorite things.  Yamato spoke English and Stone got to try out his Nihongo!   Stone asked to talk to Yamato as soon as he woke up today!  We will have to schedule another "date".... SOON.

Day 23- Anpan Man Dance!

Our house is overrun with Anpan Man stuff... I spent way too much on fun Anpan Man stuff when we were in Japan in March... my argument is... watching and listening to it will help his Japanese.  

I caught him doing this dance one day... he knows it step by step... way too cute!  

Day 17- Potty Time

We have been encouraging Stone to use the big potty for a while now... he really has not shown so much interest in it until today!  He has been in undies and has told me when he needs to go.  Of course, he could just want to get the reward but he has been in undies since 8:30 this morning and no accidents... it would be just lovely to save $60.00 a month on diapers! 

This picture was taken a few weeks ago... he was just trying it out for fun! 

Day 5- Last Day of SONshine School

Today was the last day of SONshine school.  Stone has one year down and many more years of school to come!  He had a great year and enjoyed SONshine School so much... he loved his teachers, friends and driving the bus with mommy.  His teachers, Mrs. Nicole and Miss Chelsea, were great with him... they were patient as he adjusted to school in America and as he learned how to get along with his new friends.  It is such a blessing that he can attend school and I can work... it worked great for both of us!   

Stone on his first day of SONshine school

Stone with Miss Chelsea on her last day... she will go to Japan next fall on PacRim

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of Mrs. Nicole and Stone together.  

First night in Japan...

We tried to surprise Marianne and Holly... Port did a great job keeping it a secret but somehow Holly figured it out... Here she is telling them, "I told you so..."!  

It was so great to reconnect with them... and enjoy our first of many cups of Starbucks beverages in Japan together! 

Trip to Japan... Day 1

Stone knows how to make the most of a three hour layover in the Chicago airport... PLAY!