A Taste of Home

Note to my readers....when I started this month's blog I had just returned to Tokyo from our Christmas holiday in Atlanta.
I decided not to delete the depressing beginning, as it clearly shows how miserable the beginning weeks of January were for me.  HOWEVER...it gets better!!!!...so keep reading to see what a difference 3 weeks can make!!!

THE GREAT DEPRESSION:

It is January...sorry, I have nothing very happy to say about that...

For me, a Tokyo January means (so far)...I am fat.

For me, a Tokyo January means it is SO COLD that I am not going outside unless my house is on fire,
so,..... I will REMAIN fat.

For me, a Tokyo January means, since I am housebound like a 95-year-old woman, I am pale...and ridiculously fat.

For me, a Tokyo January means that as I am writing this, we are COMPLETELY SNOWBOUND, with no school for two days, so now we are rationing groceries.  Just TRY riding a bike in the damn snow and you will understand.  Because I did....and I ran over a car.   Really.  A parked car...so I had no excuse.  The car won and looks way better that I do right now.  This food rationing may be the best news so far, because if I feed ALL the food to the kids, there is a chance that eventually I will not be fat.



I will tell you that I TRIED to go out in this miserable weather, because I THOUGHT I needed to go to work last Monday.   I walked for 55 minutes in nearly knee deep snow with the wrong shoes.  In my defense, when I left the house the snow seemed fun and harmless.  My walk was from home to the subway and then from the subway to TAC.


The normally 15- minute walk from my house took 25, but that did not deter me.  I am fearless, after all.  I was stunned, however, when I emerged from the subway tunnel at the other end and could not see the tops of any buildings.  I use the buildings everyday to navigate, so naturally (coming up like a meerkat from the wrong tunnel)  I turned the wrong way and walked 3 soggy blocks before realizing my mistake.  By the time I found TAC, I was soaked from head to toe.  It was only then that I learned it was a Japanese national holiday, which my new employer of course assumed I knew.
(Along with having no understandable news broadcast, we are in an American school so I honestly had no idea there was a Japanese holiday.)

View from the Tokyo American Club

Roppongi, Tokyo on a typical evening

So I put my wet coat and boots back on walked home.  As I said before, it will take a serious house-fire to get me out the front door again.

Since I have nothing nice to say about Tokyo right now, I will reminisce for a moment over my December holiday time in Georgia, where warm weather prevails!!!!!

CHRISTMAS IN ATLANTA

Our Christmas holiday was quite a whirlwind, especially with my extreme jet lag.  We landed in Atlanta six days before Christmas, arriving in a house with no food, no Christmas decorations, and nor even the first gift purchased.  For the first 3 days, the kids and I could not stay awake during the day, and were wide awake from 2:30 am until about 7:30 am.  We decided to go with that, and and on the first night we decorated the house while the city around us slept.

On the second night, I decorated my two favorite trees in my front yard (Japanese maples of course!) 

It did not snow while we were home this year...but I just love this picture...and on the right is one of my pretty Japanese maples covered in snow!

After that, I sat up all night addressing envelopes so I could get my Christmas cards in the mail.

This is the front of our 2012 Christmas card...photographed at the Tokyo Tower in August

Then we go back in the time machine....

Where does the time go? This is the card from the first Christmas with all four children.

This is the back of our 2012 card...showing Mark's parents, my parents, and my sweet new sister-in-law!

On the third night we decorated our tree, and finally on the fourth day, I started shopping for gifts!!!!


We were thrilled when my Dad arrived in Atlanta 2 days later!!  It had been 6 months since the children had seen him and we all missed him!!!!
Of course, he brought our dogs with him, and we were thrilled to be reunited with our poodle, Katherine, and Murray the Maltese.  Dad also brought John's schnauzer, Shultz, so the now the house was back to normal, full of chatter and feeling festive.

Katherine, Granbob and Murray

Shultz

On Christmas Eve, Mark drove to Augusta to get his parents and brought them to our house.  Also on Christmas Eve, John and his wife, Paula arrived, and following tradition, Paula and John stayed up into the wee hours to help me finish wrapping all the gifts.  THANK YOU!!!!!

On Christmas Day, my brother, Paul, arrived from Birmingham with his children, Callie and Rob.  A little later, my brother Glenn and his wife Carolyn arrived with Ross and Sarah, and we all sat down to a huge Christmas dinner.  I love having a full house!!!  And I love feeding people!!!!

I might have to brag a little....my pecan pie is amazing!

The cousins:  Alex (yes he was 6'2 here...already 6'3" now), Grant, Rob, Jane Ellis, Callie, Elizabeth, Sarah and Ross

The cousins...not so terribly long ago...Grant was a little peeved at Elizabeth.

Glenn, Carolyn, Granbob, Paul, Mark, Lynn, Paula and John

One more pose...with Mark's parents, Ed and Anne (seriously...Mark is on his toes)

Soooo, stress over, presents opened, and now, other than packing all the decorations back into storage,
I am finally enjoying a little calm after the storm.

We had the most amazing evening with friends, Susan and Jeff, at a new Sandy Springs restaurant called "Hammocks Trading Co."   The appetizers change monthly and we all devoured every morsel of the seared foie gras with pistachios in a campari reduction, as well as the country terrine with chanterelles and cranberries.  The chef is known for his perfectly seasoned fried catfish entree, but this time I enjoyed the roasted halibut with cauliflower, raisins and capers. Fantastic!!!  We will return!

Jeff...ROLL TIDE!!!...is my very Alabama tennis "husband, " having survived multiple seasons as my partner on the courts.  Susan is my darling and adored friend, and they both make dinners, drinks....just everything... more enjoyable.

Susan and Jeff

The most PERFECT gift from my ALABAMA tennis hubby!!!
Logan Turnpike Mill Grits squirreled into luggage to Tokyo!!!!

Of course, Sharon gave Jane Ellis her perfect bon voyage as well!!

It was Sharon's birthday, and the girls had a very special evening together with a birthday dinner and a fabulous trip to the Atlanta Zoo.

A beautiful birthday cake for my beautiful Sharon!

I'm still not sure how they found an elephant that uses giant chopsticks!

Sharon stayed with Jane Ellis right to the airport!!!  We miss you, my Sharona!!!

So, YES, I am in a better mood just going through my happy holiday thoughts... 

It was just SO nice being home, entertaining on a grand scale...cooking, and yes, even cleaning.

I miss the South...

I miss my dad and my brothers and their wives.

I miss our wonderful nieces and nephews and they are all growing up WAY too fast.

I miss my neighbors, my friends, my familiar places, my tennis....

So I will conquer my homesickness by continuing to conquer life in Tokyo, a little at a time.

I have a wonderful job now....

I also have a wonderful new onigiri making/Starbucks chatting/tennis playing/lunch sharing/city exploring/shopping partner!!!!
Victor, thank you for cheering me up, making me laugh, for dragging me back into my beloved tennis and, most of all, making me feel at home in Japan!!!!

Now, if you will all excuse me....my blanket needs me.