Winter Wonderland!

Words can hardly describe how much I love this snow! I am so thankful I came back to the States last week in time for this… Probably most of the world has heard on the news how the nation’s capital got it’s biggest December snow in history this weekend. We ended up with close to 20 inches – not too shabby! J I know those of you up north think we are wimps, though J But it is so beautiful, so I thought I would take some pictures of my parents’ house and my grandfather’s farm and post them for the whole world to see… So beautiful! I just love it.

 

And, of course, Merry Christmas to you all! The One who came as a babe to bring us salvation has also washed us that we would be whiter than snow. Enjoy it today!

Just like old times...

I have so much to be thankful for! Seriously, sometimes I just stop and wonder why God has blessed me so much… certainly I have done nothing to deserve it.

First, before leaving Japan…

We went bowling with some friends and it was so much fun! And, I won. J Hillary’s bragging made me smile, too. Then we got to see Masuyuki’s iphone… and the Star Wars application he had on it. You swing it around and it makes a light saber noise. Oh, and you can turn it into a piano or drum set… I was trying to have a serious conversation, and Masuyuki was just beating away on the drums… I couldn’t help but laugh.

Another great thing was having everyone send me off, and them all sharing some very nice things about me. It was really touching to have so many nice things said J

Christmas presents make me smile too – socks and truffles and a CD, and other stuff too. And little notes to let you know someone cares. Ahhh…

 

Coming back to America, there have been tons of unexpected things to make me smile… Many of them having to do with the familiarity of returning to my parents’ farm…

On that first morning, after only 3 hours of sleep, I was wide awake and got to see the sunrise light up the leafless trees in the forest behind the open field. There were a couple of bluebirds that were just so beautiful, and then some squirrels play fighting on the porch out back. I have missed the squirrels, and snow, in Japan.

But tomorrow we get SNOW! We are supposed to get a whole foot, and I am super thrilled… My first snow in 4 years… ah, I love it!

More smiling stuff… I came across some old picture albums and was reminded of many fun times with good friends from high school and college. Sometimes a bit sad too that I’ve lost contact with some of them too, though.

 

Today at the hospital my brother Randy decided that since he’s going to lose his hair anyway, he would go ahead and cut it off. But not all of it… J The result – his very first Mohawk. Amazing. The best part… his boss was visiting and joined in the fun, and got his own hair cut into a Mohawk. And his hair isn’t going to fall out in the next few weeks! What love…

 

Finally, a special verse from a special friend… Psalm 16:8 – I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand I will not be shaken.

 

Please let me know what has made you smile this week J

Another two weeks have passed...

Does anyone else find the security words (that aren’t quite real words) that you have to type in to post comments on blogger amusing? Sometimes I look at it and just sort of wonder what word ‘they’ were actually thinking of…

 

Had a really fun night tonight bowling and at yakuniku (the kind of place where you cook your own meet). Really liked the cow tongue, and tried intestines for the first time. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad. Wouldn’t want it every day though! Bowling was fun too, but we could only get in one game before we got kicked out because the lanes were reserved for some kind of tournament or something. It was fun though. Oh yeah, and I won.

 

Yesterday was great too! Hillary and I went shopping (not too successful) and saw some Christmas lights at the station, did a few random things and then in the evening had a little surprise fondue party. So yummy – big smiles there… and lots of fun talking and playing Dutch Blitz with the Reisters, too.

 

Dutch Blitz and Spoons and other card games and ‘family’ games definitely make my ‘smile list’… Fun times with friends is always good.

People asking for help makes me smile, too (usually!)…

We all passed our Japanese tests… that gets a big smile!

Other smiles include…

A student playing on his iphone touch (or whatever that’s called) during English class. He’s 35.

Thinking about spending the first Christmas in 4 years with my family!

Warm hugs and warm drinks (it’s cold out!)…

Crossing things off the to-do list.

Friends who make to-do lists of things they’ve already done just so they can cross them all off. I wonder, do you put ‘cross of my to-do list’ on your to-do list??

Students interacting and listening well during our Bible studies. And taking books out of the church library.

 

I’ll be heading back to MD in… 10 days! Excited to spend Christmas at with my family, at the same time sad to leave people here at my second home. December 15^th is the day! I arrive at Dulles at 11:59pm! J

Hopefully I’ll see many of you soon after…

Bobby