Suitengu Shrine

Suitengu Shrine, is dedicated to safe delivery and childbirth.   Yes, a shrine solely for this purpose, which is not surprising in Japan.

As our quiet weekends are coming to an end, Mike and I decided to go and check it out.   It never hurts to have multiple religion praying for you, so why not.   It is basically like visiting any other shrine: you ring the bell, throw some coins in, pray, and then clap twice.

This weekend also happens to be a celebration of 7-5-3, where you bring your 7/3 yr. old daughters and 5yr sons to the shrine to be blessed.  Its a big deal, as you can see below, everyone gets dressed up.   I though she was super cute

30 weeks...

and counting until the arrival of Swimmy.   We have about 7-10 weeks left, YIKES.   j/k.

Mike and I are as prepared as we are going to be.  All the clothes, blankets, etc, we have thus far are washed and put away ready for the arrival.   I'm still in search of a bassinet/moses basket, but I am sure I'll find one before the time is actually here.   Baby shipment should arrive by early December and just in time.

As you all know, I'm not a belly picture person, but figured I would share as people have been asking.  Plus from what everyone tells me here, I'm pretty small, though I dont' feel that way most days.

September in the States

The entire month was spent in the states, hopping around to see people and celebrate many occasions.   We started in STL to see the family and surprise them with the news of the Swimmy (aka baby Miles).   Little did we know that the secret had already been let out of the bag, which means we learned our lesson for next time!   Golf, lots of golf, and celebrating Swimmy were on the agenda.

I headed to El Paso for 2 weeks, which was great to celebrate my mom and Swimmy again.   I spent alot of time with lil Gabe and Ella, and sister.   It was hard to leave as I really do miss them.
On to Houston to see friends and shop for a few days.   I ended my stay in Tulsa to see a good friend of mine, Ashley get married.  All in all, it was a good trip, but quite exhausting in the end.  I was ready to come home to sleep in my own bed!

Here's a few pictures.   I completely forgot the camera charger, so no camera for the whole month!

Weekend Getaway in Karuizawa

Mike and I have tried to schedule a weekend away, just to get out of the city, but its been difficult.   Thankfully, my friend, Hiroko and her husband, invited us to join them at their summer house in Karuizawa.   She's asked me several times, but timing didn't work out, so I was glad it did this time.   Last weekend, we boarded the shinkansen and left the city.

Karuizawa is about 1 hour westish from Tokyo and in the mountains, so the temperature is much cooler.   It is a popular summer spot for the Japanese due to the temperatures.   We stayed at their house, which was beautiful, nestled among the trees and near a creek, which you could hear flowing every morning.   There were no plans for this trip, just relaxation, which was easy to do.
Mike did golf, with Toshio, on Saturday, while Hiroko showed me the city.   We had breakfast on the terrace, lounged around as the rain fell, read books, smelled the fresh air and enjoyed peaceful bliss.

Here are a few pictures

 Maru-chan, their dog, who also enjoyed nature and lounging/sun bathing on the balcony

Mike and I at the top of a trail, with view of several mountains...the overcast day prevented the views.  Like my shoes!

 Shiraito Falls, famous area to see while in town....the water comes from the Asama Mt, and takes 6 years to reach this point.  Crazy, huh?

We came back to Tokyo late Sunday night, got off the train to the stench of the city and knew our mini vacation was over.   If only we could have stayed in nature bliss!

Last Fireworks in Tokyo

Summer is a time for celebration and in Japan, that is done by huge firework display shows that last about 1.5 hours.   Literally, 1.5 hours of fireworks.   On Wednesday, I met Mike down in Yokohama, where he works, to see the firework display.   It was a company sponsored event and quite fun.  We got  prime seating on the 2nd floor of a building, complete with drinks and food.   Perfect way to spend the evening even though it was a bit hot.   Mike and I stayed for about 45-50 minutes after the fireworks started and then headed for the train.   As we were walking to the station, we managed to see the finale, which was great, but getting to the train before thousands of people, was preferred.

This first picture was taken from the 2nd floor of the building we were in.  See all the people, its only a fraction of the number of people that were there.   So now imagine the trains when it was completely over

Midtown Laser/Water show

Summer is officially upon us in Tokyo.  You're probably thinking, what, but yes it is true.   Our hot summer arrived late, about 2 weeks ago, but I'm not complaining.   In true summer fashion, there are lots of events to see around the city  Our friends Jennifer and Dave, invited us to picnic with them at Midtown to see the laser/water show this past weekend.

It was actually a perfect night to picnic as it wasn't that hot or humid.   It also helped that mist from the set-up was blowing in our direction to keep us cool.    The show only lasted about 10 minutes or so, but was really neat.   We were at the very back to avoid being soaked, can't say the same for those in front.

Here's some pictures...

This event reminds me of being home and going to the Miller outdoor theatre.   Too bad Tokyo doesn't have move outdoor fun events  :(

Peacock Quilt

From the previous post, you know that I was hosting a baby shower back in June.   It was for a good friend of mine, Jennifer Peacock, who was having a baby.   She and her husband told us they were expecting in January and I was super excited.   Since I started my sewing adventures, I figured I needed to make her something and what better thing than a baby quilt.    Turns out I found the perfect pattern, a baby peacock in the middle with elephants along the top and bottom.   Peacock for their name and elephants as her baby room theme

As this was my first quilt, it took me some time to get it together, especially the 3D ears on the elephants.   However, after many hours, it was complete and Jennifer was so excited to receive it.   Baby Peacock, who arrived on June 19th, is a lovely girl named Grace, who has a peacock quilt hanging over her bed to watch over her.

Here's the finished product, which would have been up sooner, but remember, my computer is dead and I'm on a learning curve with the MAC

Now to start on the next baby quilt!