We're Moving!!!!

We are finally packing up to move back home to the USA! But first, I want to fill you in on some of the activities that have gone on in the past few days.

Last Friday, Avery and I went to a park with some friends (Irina & Polina) as a good-bye play date. This park was HUGE! It had everything from playgrounds (multiple playgrounds...that wasn't a typo), to a petting zoo, to a dairy farm, to an amusement park, to.....you name it and it had it. We made a picnic lunch and just spent the day having fun.

"Miss Hollywood" striking a pose on the zip line.

This slide was at least a quarter mile long and in place of being a solid slide, you sat on rollers and rolled down. Hmmmm, then is it really a "slide"?

Avery LOVED the petting zoo. I couldn't hardly get her out to go see other things. This is her and a guinea pig. One of MANY that she HAD to hold....not to mention all the rabbits!

Of course, you can't NOT do the pony ride! She absolutely LOVED this. She now wants a horse.

I can't pass up the donkey! He really liked having his ears scratched. I guess they have a hard time reaching those.

Who would have thought that donkeys really like ice cream cones!

This is "Bessie" from the dairy farm. She was lined up with all the other cows getting ready to get milked.

This was an ice cream sundae, compliments of "Bessie", that Avery and I got to enjoy at the end of the day. This ice cream is made on site from the cows....Thank you "Bessie"!

MMMMMMmmmmmmmm!!!! GOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!

On Thursday this week, a couple of my Japanese friends made me and Avery Japanese curry and rice and gyoza as a going away lunch. It was VERY good!

Thank you Mayumi and Naomi! You are so sweet!

Doesn't that look wonderful! Oh...don't worry....I have learned how to make this meal!

This is a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of flowers that were given to us by some of Curtis's co-workers on Friday...too bad I couldn't enjoy them longer.

This is Avery sporting the Hello Kitty watch that Curtis's co-workers gave to her. They were so generous in giving us many gifts. I couldn't even post them all.

I am now blogging from our hotel room in the Royal Park Hotel which is in the famous Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Japan. The building is 70 floors tall and our room is on the 64th floor. We have a FANTASTIC view. Below are some pictures...which doesn't do it justice.

The famous Landmark Tower pictured above.

Our room..... The comforters on the beds are goose down comforters that serve as the blankets.

The bathroom pictured above and below. They even have speakers in the bathroom that plays what ever is on TV. They have a channel with relaxing music and sounds that I took full advantage of during my peaceful shower on the first day. Maybe I can install one of those in my bathroom....hmmmmm.

This is the view from our room at night (above) and our view in the morning (below). Can you see Mt Fuji sitting pretty as you please in the background?

Then this morning, the chaos really began! At first I was pretty stressed out trying to get everyone on the right track. But then something amazing happened....I got to sit back, relax, and read the news paper while the workers took care of everything. It helped that the same crew that moved us in is also moving us out.

A friend of ours, Aurora, came and got Avery...took her to church, fed her lunch, and tended to her until 5:00 this evening while the movers were there. Thank you Aurora....you are a gift from God. Avery had already started getting bored when she showed up...so Avery was MORE than happy to leave us.

Avery's room almost complete in this picture....but it is now empty.

This is one of the movers CREATING a "box" for our couch.

Can you recognize the shape of these boxes? They are the Rubbermaid storage containers that they again "created" a box for.

And yes, this is our bike...again....crated a box for. Gotta love the Japanese for the care they give your stuff. Our guys in the US didn't do any of these things. Our shoes....dumped in a box in the US. In Japan, each shoe is wrapped individually in paper, then placed in a box. LOVE IT!!!

Stay tuned for more adventures.....