NYEve eve dinner

Kids making sushi.

My year in a nut shell! (courtesy of internet)

January - Took new scarf back to store because it was too tight.

February - Fired from pharmacy job for failing to print labels.....Helllloooo!!!.....bottles won't fit in typewriter!!!

March - Got really excited.....finished jigsaw puzzle in 6 months....box said "2-4 years!"

April - Trapped on escalator for hours.....power went out!!!

May - Tried to make Kool Aid....! .Wrong instructions....8 cups of water won't fit into those little packets!!!

June - Tried to go water skiing.....couldn't find a lake with a slope.

July - Lost breast stroke swimming competition.....learned later, the other swimmers cheated, they used their arms!!!

August - Got locked out of my car in rain storm.....car swamped because soft-top was open.

September - The capital of California is "C".....isn't it???

October - Hate M &M's.....they are so hard to peel.

November - Baked turkey for 4 1/2 days. Instructions said 1 hour per pound and I weigh 108!!!

December - Couldn't call 911....."duh".....there's no "eleven" button on the stupid phone!!! What a year!!

Christmas Day

the finished product

We sort of gauded out our tree with all the ornaments we could find. And we actually put presents under the tree this year. Usually we're too busy for that & do our present buying at New Year holidays.
Kiki wrapped Caroles hula-hoop in blue tinsel.

Our tree

Here are the girls decorating our new tree. (We finally bought a big one, it's not real, but you can't really get a real one here unless you are prepared to trade your arms & legs & internal organs for one, or you drive about 10 hours to Niigata & chop one down hoping you won't get arrested.)

Merry Christmas All

Wishing you all a happy christmas.

Thanks guys

Thanks everyone for the cards, emails, presents & calls on my birthday.
I love you!
I had a good birthday dinner with Mac & the girls. We ate in because Leila came down with C. Pox that evening.
Our birthday family tradition is pizza & sushi. This time Mac also bought dessert pastries.
It feels kinda weird turning 30 when you are a girl, but it was bound to happen one day.

Backstage pics of the girls

Until I get some photos of the kids on stage here are some I took backstage.

Where can a buy a youth potion?

So everyone, today I am 30, wondering what kind of age defying stunts I can pull to prove to myself that I'm still 18:
Pigtails?
Mini skirts?
Stay up all night talking & drinking?
But no. I will get ready for work trying to find an outfit that hides the curves I have accumulated, work, have dinner with the kids, & go to bed early smearing on the anti-wrinkle eye cream I have fallen in love with. Ah.
And maybe one day I will say with a toothless grin, "Gee, I was so young & beautiful when I was 30".

Chicken Pox girl.

Kiki came down with Chicken Pox last week & has been resting at home. She had a very mild case with no fever or cold. She & Leila have been playing all day in their PJ's & having a good time.
As you can see Kiki doesn't look very sick & has been eating & playing all day. The doctor said she can go back to school tomorrow. Argh! I was just enjoying not having to go out in the early mornings.

Dad's Birthday soon

I know D doesn't even read this blog but anyway I can't just not write anything about his birthday. It's on the 3rd but I'll be working so I'm posting this early.
It was great having D & M over for a visit earlier this year. I was touched that D played with the kids so much.
Anyway, hope Dad has a nice birthday. rar! (Inside joke)

We love you, Grandpa Buddy.

Carole's 7th Birthday.

Carole invited her whole class to her party at our house. Surprisingly most of them showed up, some even with their little brothers & sisters.
I was glad we had bought a huge cake from COSTCO or we wouldn't have had enough.
The kids all brought lots of cute little presents & Carole was busy helping to serve everyone. The kids had fun decorating their own cake slices with toppings & sprinkles, chocolates, etc.
Here is Carole's new bike that Daddy got for her birthday.

Pictures of Carole

A little flash back....

Today is Carole's birthday so I thought I'd write about the day she was born.

Julie had arrived from Europe a few days before my due date to help me with the baby. And "why", you may ask, "does a new mom need help with a baby when it's her first child"? Well, the reason is the band volunteered me to sing for the many booked Christmas shows knowing full well that I would still be a post pardum mom. (--And they were cunning too because I had no experience with this, & couldn't flatly refuse like I would have if I'd had a baby before. "What!!! You want me to sing a rock song while I'm wearing a dozen 'napkins' & my face is still puffy & none of mine or even my husband's clothes fit me? Are you out of your mind?")

Anyway come my due date, I hadn't started any contractions & I was determined to not have an overdue baby (impatience being my middle name). SOLUTION: Being the true women we are, Juls & I hit the town for a full day of shopping. We got stuff for the baby, but not really because I didn't know if it was going to be a girl or a boy, & we got stuff for us & a few warm clothes for Julie. I remember being kind of worried that I would suddenly give birth on the bus or at the mall having not really noticed that I was having contractions for all the strenuous walking we were doing.

I WAS WRONG!!! When labor starts, YOU REALLY KNOW. A contraction is definitely an unmistakable thing.
I started my contractions early the next morning at around 5:00am. I guess we ended up at the clinic at around 2pm with A.Claire & my friend Sunny who was there to "assist" with the birth.
Sunny shows up with a nice little lunch bag (for her) with all these goodies like Camembert cheese & crackers & juices & sat there eating them talking about how delicious they were while I was starving (because you can't eat when you're in labor or YOU WILL THROW UP!!) & I was staring at all the little dots on the ceiling going "fhu, fhu, fhu, fhu, fhuuuuuuuuuu (repeat ad nauseam)" or what ever kind of breathing came to mind.

Sunny was quite talkative it kept my mind off of the hours & hours of labor & in retrospect, I think it is better having a very talkative friend with you that no one at all, like with Leila's birth. I especially appreciate her perfect comment about my thigh's --what every fat (pregnant) mom loves to hear--" WOW! Your legs really got huge, didn't they?" HAHA! (Sunny knows I love her.)

Anyway, Julie & Mac came later, they had to bring some things I needed from the house & my pillow because I'm sorry but I do not like Japanese bean pillows. When they finally arrived I was almost a ready to push. When Mac came in I was so embarrassed about the physical "state" I was in & the strange screams coming out of my mouth so I told him to wait in the hall. Julie was there & it must've been pretty traumatizing because afterward she said she didn't really want to have a baby for a long time.

Baby was coming out but the doctor wasn't around & the nurse had to have him present for the delivery of the head because of some law or something. She kept ringing him to get his arse up stairs & was actually holding the baby's head in while we waited. Finally he casually strolls in & out comes the baby GIRL!
Mac came in & looked at the baby while the placenta came out after which Mac loudly said "liver, anyone?" Eyuw!
She was so cute, & her eyes reminded me of Mac's & she was so quiet & still. She looked around all evening & the rest of the night too, not sleeping much.

A few days later we brought her home & she was our little Christmas bundle of Love & we were so mushy & googoogaga over her.

Janis Joplin?

We found Leila dressed like this one day while playing.

Halloween

Carole as Pocahontas, Leila as a princess & Kiki as Snow White

Happy Birthday Ambie

Ok, so I'm glad I'm all the way in Japan & she's all the way over in Texas so I won't be killed for posting this picture.

There's this huge mall by Disney Land & this poster of Ambie is up all over the place advertising their wedding dresses & stuff. I could only take a quick shot with my mobile & there's a glare from the glass frame, but she looks quite pretty.

Anyway, I just wanted to say happy birthday to a wonderful friend, photographer, singer & artist.
Hope you are happy & have a cool year.

I've had nothing to write about in my blog. Everything's been normal, slow, predictable. I've been realizing that I actually hate cleaning my house. I put it off until I can't stand the mess any longer & by then, it's huge deal to clean up. Or worse, I wait until Mac can't stand the mess & then he cleans it up with a big high horse attitude. Hehe. (Poor guy!)
I don't want to make schedules or lists because it reminds me of when we were growing up, you know, the "JJT" chart. Do grown-ups actually need lists. (Me being the grown-up in this case.)
Mom loves 'em & I know several people who have to write everything down & have tons of lists or they forget everything. I wonder if dependence on lists makes your memory even worse than it already is.

Kiki's modeling job

I forgot to tell you all that Kiki had her first job filming on location for 2 days up in the mountains. The video will be shown at a fashion show at the beginning of a collection. I'll post some photos when we get them. She was very good on camera & even though the shoots were in the middle of the night in the freezing cold, she was fine & everyone was real impressed.
Daddy was there & they stayed at a inn in the mountains. The crew gave her lots of presents & candy & she got a little spoiled.
Kiki said she wants to spend her money on going to Disney Land. The rest we will put into the kids school fund. (For College)

Oldness

You can tell you are getting old when you wake up in the morning & can't even bend over & put on your socks without feeling it in your back. When you body hurts not because you did something strenuous but because you are just living & then it takes weeks to get over those body pains like a sore neck from singing. Argh! --I will be an invalid at 40.
I started yoga. Actually I only did it once --yesterday-- & it felt good but it was kind of boring. You can also tell you're getting old when you have to exercise to survive. Whoops, I'm missing yoga just to write this & it's only on TV twice a day & the first time is six am. (No thank you)
So Namaste to you all. I can't believe I actually have to exercise now that I'm an old lady.

Some pictures from the other day

Nothing

And Another Birthday Girl...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LIZA.
Thanks for your friendship & for calling me the other day. I miss you & hope to see you sometime in the near future.

Love you.

Happy Birthday Angie

Angie is so pretty. I love this picture because it captures Angie's beautiful soft side.
Happy Birthday Ang, I love you & wish you a happy year.

Take care of yourself,

And express yourself.

Keep singing writing & learning.

I'm like DEAD!!!

Well we did our show the other day. About 15,000 people. Uh-huh. I kid you not. I managed to sing ok but not perfect, of course, because I was a little nervous & because I'm me & I don't do perfect. But anyway, it was cool singing lead with "True Spirit", a group of four African American singers, as backing vocalists (Amazing voices. Jeal Jeal). Sorry I don't have pictures, mom, & as it turned out I didn't have to sing the Anthem, so I got off that hook.
Anyway the day after the show I sang at weddings & then went straight to Michael's to sing for his CD project. I was away from the kids for four days.
And now I'm home & I'm like I said, --Dead! And drinking ginger tea.

Photo shoot

Here are the girls getting ready for photo taking. Carole is pretending to be Jafar from "Aladdin" in the top photo. But that's how she looks when she's mad at me.

Rehearsal Day

Today we rehearsed for the BIG show tomorrow. This is definitely the biggest stage & arena I've ever sang at. It has the capacity for 17,000 people. I tried to take a photo but the place was huge. Anyway all that to say sound check sounded like mush. All the other singers were complaining about the sound except for me because I know it's useless to try & get a good sound because of the size of the room. (Me & my vast experience.)
Anyway, here is the website of the actual arena where we are singing tomorrow.
http://www.yokohama-arena.co.jp/english/index.html
I'll try to take pictures of all of us tomorrow.

Ok, guys, cross your fingers & toes for me

I have HUGE show coming up & I feel too "small" for it. Lately I've had stage fright & it's really annoying. Anyway, pray or wish me luck: no voice cracks or frog notes please & no rapid heart activity (nervousness), TYVM!!!

La la la la la la la la................................Croak. NOT!

I Survived

Yes, we made it through 9 days without Daddy. Leila had a high fever for a day until I forced her to take kids buferin. I had to wrap her up like a little (big) baby in the stroller & take her to pick up the kids at school. She was a cuddly little thing all day.
So Daddy is back & sleeping all day. I think he only managed a few hours of sleep a night. I managed lots of sleep each night, no one to watch movies with, but I like going to bed early.
I've been collecting singers & trying to get a vocal group together to do a presentation for possible jobs. I hope this works out & I get lots of work. That would be cool to have so much work I have to bring Angie over to help me out with singing. (wish wish)
Anyway, I have nothing major happening so I'll go now.

In the words of PINK

I'll keep you locked in my head until we meet again.

I won't forget you my friend,

What happened?

I love that song!!! Leila does too.

Well that's all I have to say about today.

10 days alone.....

Daddy is gone again for another sound engineering job. So far we have survived the first 4 days. I have nothing to write about in my blog lately. Nothing's been happening except I got hooked up to skype & talked to my brother Tom for the first time in about 4 years. I'm not very good on the phone but it was great to talk.
It's been raining like crazy for a few days & the kids have had to stay home with baby sitters while I worked on the weekends, I guess summer is leaving us.
Has anyone heard from Marisa lately? I just realized it's been months since she wrote me an email. If anyone knows how she's doing, let me know.
Anyways, this is turning into blathering so I'll go now.
Cheers.

Ambie is staying at our place before her trip. Here she is trying to look all pretty for me. hehehe. No, she's going out to visit a friend.
Ambie was so sweet & watched the kids for me while I worked & while Mac & I went out on our anniversary.

Hope you have a nice trip. It was fun having you over. The kids had lots of fun playing with Jude too.

(This is a few days old: I called her on skype & she arrived in one piece.)

Happy Anniversary!!!

Today is our 7th anniversary.
I love you, Mac, & you are perfect in every way (except being too picky about the car, hehe).
Thanks for taking care of us & putting up with me.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!

More Amusement Park Pics

Amusement Park

Today we went to an amusement park & pool. We went swimming when we got there & after that spent the rest of the day going on all the rides. Leila was so brave even on the scary rides.
We ordered a huge ramen (noodles) for us all to share. Here's Mac pretending that he ate the whole thing by himself.

Fishing

Today we went to a BBQ with friends near a big river. Carole enjoyed fishing so much & caught 2 huge fish. We let them go after we caught them.

One more week to go

Summer holidays are over in a week. We're are enjoying the last few days of rest.
Carole lost both her front teeth, she looks so cute. Here are some recent pictures.