Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone, Sorry it has been so long since the last time I wrote... A lot has happened but I haven't had much time, nor have I felt like writing, recently. Today I feel better than I have in days... Last Saturday when Jenna and Melanie were here, they seemed to be suffering from a mild cold.  Then on Monday I started feeling like I was getting a minor cold. After that it developed in to what felt more like the flu! Thankfully I only felt really, really bad for one day. After that I started feeling a little better very gradually. By Thursday I still wasn't feeling great. But God gave me the strength to help prepare for our Thanksgiving meal with friends, and allowed me to really enjoy the holiday. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday anyway, so I'm immeasurably glad that I felt well enough to enjoy the time!


 On  last Saturday I went to Chiba for the CCSI school bazaar. It was really amazing! I enjoyed it a lot. I bought a really cute white coat for the equivalent of $0.50! I also bought a hat that goes with it for $0.10! I found lots of great books as well. For instance, I now own the first two books in the Lord of the Rings series and paid $1.00 for both of them! I was so happy when I saw them! I had actually gone into the book room looking for books by Tolkien, but hadn't expected to find any. So you can imagine my elation when I stumbled upon the first two in the series (which have become my favorite books for the present)!


 Monday night was the victory part for Abi's soccer team, as they had won their tournament the previous week. So we prepared a meal for the entire team, and had them over. It really was lots of fun! I enjoyed meeting and talking to her team mates. I had so much food! I couldn't have held another bite, and the ladies were still urging Jenna, Melanie, and me to try this or that native delicacy. Later that night Roger went to pick up two musicians who graduated from Julliard. One is an organist, and the other a violinist. While they were settling in and unpacking, the girls and I went down the street to buy Dr. Pepper (since it just so happens that that's our favorite soft drink). After that we watched Ponyo. It was the first time I'd ever seen it.. It was very good, but I think I still like Princess Mononoke better. Perhaps I'd like Ponyo better if it were in Japanese, but it just doesn't seem right to see the film, and hear English...don't ask me why...


 I don't remember much of what happened on Tuesday, since I wasn't feeling great by that point. I do, however, remember Wednesday!!! On Wednesday Abi, the boys and I went to Chiba for the concert of prayer and the team Thanksgiving dinner. I got to see Melanie and Jenna that day too, and watch a Japanese lady instruct her students in the art of one of the Japanese dances. It was interesting to see how she moved, held her fan, and even the way she was looking seemed important. Then we had the team dinner. After that Jenna, Melanie, Micah and Seth (two of the missionary family's children), several of the school students and I went back to the school building and played hide and seek in the dark. It was so much fun!


 I already gave you a snippet of Thursday. What I didn't say was that several families we know came over to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. One family from church came, and then two families who have a child going to each of the boy's schools. Also a Taiwanese couple, friends of Roger, came. The two musicians played some for us. They played several Japanese folk songs, a Taiwanese folk song, a hymn medley, and some good old fiddle tunes. It was really enjoyable.


 Friday was a little different for me... I woke up feeling just awful (partially due to the fact that I wasn't able to go to bed until after midnight the night before, and partially because of my cold). So after I helped everyone who had to leave, leave, I went back to bed. :) I slept for nearly four hours, and woke up a different person. I felt 97% better than I had that morning. I guess all my body needed to help fight off this cold was a little more sleep. After that I was able to do some reading with the boys after they got home from school, and I even washed a few dishes for the first time since the Sunday before. (Oh. I didn't mention that.... On Sunday I nearly chopped off the end of my thumb. :) I was chopping carrots for fried rice, and chopped a large gash in the end of my right thumb... It really hurt, but is doing a whole lot better now... :) )


 So yesterday, Saturday, was lots of fun too. I was able to sleep relatively late (8:15), and then go to Chiba to help with the school work day. We ended up finishing by noon, so I went back to the team leader's house with Jenna and Melanie, since that's where they live. We had lunch there, and had lots of fun together. After a while Micah, Jenna, and I made chocolate chip cookies and shared them with everyone... Then last night we girls came back to Tsukishima, got hamburgers from MosBurger, and watched The Emperor's New Groove together. About half way through it, Melanie made us some hot chocolate from the instant mix her mother sent her. It was very good! I enjoyed our day together!


Today was good as well. Coen actually fell asleep on my shoulder and slept most of the way through church! He hasn't done that in a very long time... Then after church the girls and I went back to LaLaport since we all had a specific gift to buy for someone... (Mostly family back home..) So now, I think I'll pop me a bag of popcorn, and watch The Dick Van Dyke Show before it gets too late... :)


Good night, Happy Thanksgiving, and Merry Christmas!!!!! :)


All my love,
Hannah