Emailing in Kanji and Measuring the Luggage

So here's an email I sent to one of Japanese friends: 日本語お学びます。漢字は難しいです！頑張っていきたいと思います。Jodyわかりますか？ Sent from my iPhone

My sentences aren't rocket science or anything, but I kind of can't believe I figured out the Japanese keyboard all by myself! Two of three alphabets are listed there! He replied to this saying he can understand my Japanese and that the Kanji is good. We'll see how well I do in actual conversation after decades have passed with little to no practice. At least my husband should be impressed.

A friend is also vacationing abroad for Spring Break. She's packing 5 outfits for 12 days. I'm packing 3 outfits for 9 days. My friends have washing machines, so it should all work out.

Our first hosts asked us how big our suitcases are. They feel like their Prius is pretty big, but wanted to make sure we could actually fit everything in their car. So we measured: length x width x height. I took him seriously by answering the question, because our other hostess, who owns a Corolla, got into my Corolla last time she was here and said, "Okii!!" I laughed. She said, "SO BIG!!" If she thinks MY Corolla is spacious...then we may have to adjust our thinking about the cars and how much they can hold. Hence, we measured the luggage! In centimeters.

How do you prepare for your trips?

Omiyage and Futon Surfing

Because we have excellent house sitters, several kind neighbors, a new alarm system, and a guard dog, I'm going to announce that we will soon be Futon Surfing! Yes! We're headed to Japan and it will be my first time back since my mission. K had a really hard time making this decision because he's slightly terrified about several things: being too tall for things, not being able to sleep comfortably, not knowing the language, and not liking foods such as seaweed, fish, and tofu. For Family Home Evening last week, we looked through photos and read through letters from my mission. When he heard my stories, saw my happy tears, felt the depth of my testimony of the Gospel as well as my passion for the people of Japan, he realized that we should have made this trip sooner.

And so...this brings up the whole topic of OMIYAGE. The Japanese are incredibly kind, thoughtful, and hospitable. They really roll out the red carpet when you visit. They sacrifice and treat you like royalty. It shames me to think how unhospitable I've probably been, all while thinking I was being a pretty good hostess. They give gifts (always with two hands and a slight bow) as a way of remembering you. Therefore, we are loaded up with gifts for the people we will be seeing, hoping they are decent enough. After consulting actual live Japanese people who live here as well as there, and looking around on the internet, we've done what we've been advised to do and we've gone against what we we've been advised to do. For example, Japanese people are not fond of too many American sweets because they are much too sweet. It makes them feel sick. They also have a hard time with brightly colored food dye. I don't know, it screams cancer at them or something...it's so foreign compared to the natural, beautiful way they prepare foods such as fruits and vegetables. They do like a little chocolate (like See's), however. So surprisingly, a couple of friends over there requested specific flavors of Jell-O and Hershey's mint chocolate cookie candy bar. Did not see that coming.

We managed to convince some of our friends to go against everything in their Japanese hearts and just come out and tell us directly what they'd really like to see us bring over! It makes the shopping so much easier. So, some of the things they are hankering for include: Levi's, Bath and Body Works lotions and hand creams ("hand creamy" they call it), dried fruits like blueberries and cranberries, taco seasoning, church materials such as stickers, New Testament coloring books, a toy replica of the Liahona, and temple recommend holders with colorful pictures of Christ. We threw in some cute chick and bunny Easter chocolate as well. Some of these friends say, "Bring the receipt and I'll pay you back." Whatever. We already know you are going to let us stay in your home for 2-4 nights and you are going to drive us around and show us around and feed us...whatever. There is no way you are going to reimburse us!

Here's what K doesn't realize (so please don't mention it to him)--we're not going to give everything away! Some of these items are actually for HIM! This guy HATES to fly on airplanes. He literally does turn green; I've seen it several times. I've also felt the hard hand squeezes when we take off, land, or whenever there's any turbulence. He recently went to the doctor for a prescription for these long flights because Dramamine doesn't do much at all for him. We've been to Hawai'i twice, so that's when and how I learned that purchasing some surprises for him to comfort him mid-flight is not a bad idea! He is tall, so the leg room thing is always an issue (we purchased more leg room this time). His heart melts a little when I pull something out of my bag like...Ghirardelli chocolate! So he thinks we're giving everything away, but the Chicken in a Biscuit crackers and some of the chocolate is really for him to carry around in his backpack or eat on the plane in case the whole Japanese food scene isn't working out for him (though I'm confident it will...they eat chickens and pigs too...and K likes ramen). I must say, we've been to quite a few Japanese restaurants, and he has tried and liked some things that actually have fish sauce in them, but I've, of course, never told him there's fish sauce in it, because that would ruin it for him. And you'd better not tell him either!

The tricky thing about Omiyage is we are taking some fairly small luggage because we won't be with friends the whole time. We'll be traveling by ourselves using our JR Rail Passes and hauling our suitcases with us, so we'll just be wearing a lot of the same clothing over and over again. Which is fine. And hopefully we'll find something fun, Omiyage, to bring back. We happen to have a missionary from Japan serving in our ward at the moment and so I asked him if we could bring something back for him. He asked for ramen. He declared the ramen here in the US is..."interesting." He is really craving instant, dried, real, Japanese ramen. "I don't care what kind! ANY kind!" We can do that!

One Hundred Scout Trainings

It all began on 6 November 2013 when I took my first Youth Protection Training for my BSA (Boy Scouts of America) registration. Little did I know...

Today I completed my one hundredth Scout training (Journey to Excellence). Some trainings have been online and some have been face-to-face. I've attended University of Scouting twice and I have a Bachelor's Degree in Commissioner Service. But you know what? There are so, So, SO many people who have waaaaaay more training than I. They may be obsessed.

This is why I think I keep training. I am imperfect. And I work with a lot of imperfect people in Scouting. They whine and cry that they "didn't know" and whatever, and then they can't recharter. The only thing I have to do with rechartering is getting the Journey to Excellence form turned it. The rest of it is OUT of my hands. I'm not even allowed to touch the packet. Who knows where that thing ended up because one of my packs STILL isn't chartered! Dropped balls.

After dutifully driving to the council office the other day to pick up no less than 2,307 Scouting for Food Door Hangers for the Cub Scouts to hand out...and counting them out according to the number of front doors in each ward (which took time and plenty of phone calls to ascertain), the older Boy Scouts did NOT pick up the donated food today! I got three phone calls about that! "Who picks up the food?!?" And all the Boy Scout leaders are like, "I never heard/knew about this." Really? You didn't go to Roundtable? You didn't get three emails about it? You haven't taken your Leader Specific Training? You didn't get a door hanger? Really? Can you sense my frustration today?

Boy would I like to clean house. But that's not my job in Scouting. It's not really my job to tell people off, tell them to find a little grit, and tell them to do the online training. THEN you will KNOW, people! You will have a CLEAR understanding of your Scouting duties! You will stop passing the buck.

So I just take all the training and print out my little certificates. That way I can look my Committee Chairs in the eye and say, "Not only have I taken all of the training for MY position as Unit Commissioner, but I have ALSO taken ALL of the training for YOUR position." Same for Cub Masters. Same for Den Leaders. Do not try to tell me you're too busy.

I just asked my husband to check the front door to see if our donated Scouting for Food had been picked up today. The food I packed up this morning with happy thoughts. The chicken, the tuna, the Spam, and other things that could keep someone full of protein and whatever else. Nope. It was never picked up. So he put it back in the pantry and said, "Good effort, Jody."

I'm a terrible leader. If I were a better leader, folks would do their training.

I Wanted to Name Her Ruby

Some friends just had their third child and they named her Ruby. Ruby is the name we discussed should we have had a daughter (4 miscarriages). Ruby because it's two syllables ending in a "y" like Jody. Ruby because she would have been the most precious thing...even more precious than rubies. Ruby was my grandma's sister's name. And Ruby because those four letters are embedded in what would have been her last name, Kyburz (Ruby is spelled backward in Kyburz). Ruby Kyburz would probably have had brown eyes since we both do, and brown is dominate. But maybe not. I'm happy for these friends and they are wonderful parents. I'm glad they get to have their Ruby. It just reminds me that we don't. So there's a little mother secret leaking from my heart. That's all.

My Snowshoes Have Seen Some Trail

Because yesterday was Professional Development, I was done with school at 3:00 pm instead of 4:00 pm and that made all the difference. I went home and donned my snowshoeing clothes so the Mr. and I could head up the canyon and hike up the Mill Canyon trail. It was a beautiful afternoon and I'm so grateful that in spite of my foot and knee surgeries, I am still able to enjoy these little treks. I'm shocked at how young and happy I feel out there in the snow, one with nature, compared to how old I'm looking in my photos these days, but so goes the way of things.

My snowshoes turned 19 years old in January and they are still in great shape! I have never had a single problem with the bindings. Go Tubbs! They were some of the best money I ever spent! I have hiked so many miles on those snowshoes and have created a lot of great memories first with friends, and then with my Darling Ken. My snowshoes have seen some trail!

The Way We Think

I'm constantly fretting about being a better housewife/domestic goddess/whatever, even though my husband could care less and never says a word. My life seems to take place mostly out of the home and it's really too bad I don't get any points for my desires to improve things in the home, but that's really tough to do when you're never there.

So the other morning before school, after my husband left for work, I thought, "I can at least do something. I can do one little thing. I know! I will clear off the kitchen table and make it all pretty for dinner tonight."

So I gathered my sweaters hanging over the chairs and the pile of mail we finally picked up and my church bag from Sunday. I put the box tops in their special place and returned the pen to it's little basket. I carried the water bottle to the sink and hauled the newly acquired books back to my TBR pile in the bedroom. Oh, and that wedding announcement from a former student...took care of that too. I was so pleased with myself. I washed the table well, refilled the napkin holder, set out a couple of place mats, arranged the salt and pepper shakers just so, and pushed in all the chairs so that everything look tidied and clean and ready for dinner.

When I got home in the late afternoon, a pit stop between school and church meetings, my darling was cooking dinner. He hadn't mentioned anything, so I thought I would ask, "Did you notice the elves visited our house and cleaned up the whole kitchen table for us?" I was surprised at what he said.

"I like it when your stuff is spread all over the table. It makes the house feel less empty. When I got home and saw the table I thought to myself, 'Jody's not here.'"

Such a doll! I don't deserve him! Who would have thunk it?

Two Letters in Two Days

Last week I received two letters in two days, both from former students. Both are female. One is 20, a newlywed, and stepmother to a five year old...all while working and going to school. The other is 30, an artist, and expecting their third child in a month. I post these letters so I can remember. I need to remember these on the days that are mostly cheerless and without validation or compliment of any kind. Not all days are cheerless, but I worry SO much about the progress of my little flock.

You were one of the most influential people to me as a kid and the lessons you taught have stuck with me ever since. You were one of the people and encouraged me to write, you were part of this story, and I got an A in this class for this paper. Thank you for everything, I’m so blessed to know you!

The Power of Words When I was eleven years old I sat in the back of my fifth grade classroom with a pencil and paper and I’d write. I’d write all day. Stories and ideas and poems and anything interesting that popped into my head. I’d write because my grandma had told me that words were powerful and the more I used my words the more powerful I’d be. My grandma was the smartest, kindest, loveliest lady I’d ever met and she encouraged me to write, so I would. One day my grandma passed away and my world was shattered. So I’d sit in the back of class with a pencil and paper and write. I wrote stories and ideas and poems and anything interesting that popped into my head. My teacher, who once loved to read what I was writing, began to worry. My stories and poems and ideas were no longer happy and joyful, but had turned dark and sorrowful. I felt as if the words in my head were only coming out in the form of the pain I felt from the loss of my hero. My teacher pulled me aside one day and she asked why I loved to write. I told her my grandma had said it would make me powerful; I could express whatever I felt through my writing. My teacher then told me that she believed in me and the words she had read throughout the last year had in fact, been powerful, and she wanted me to keep writing; but she wanted me to write on the good days, the bad days, and the days in between. She told me not to only dwell on the ugly, negative words going through my head, but to also find the positive, beautiful ones. So with that I went to the back of the classroom and with my pencil and paper and I wrote.

Hi Jody! (It's weird for me to call you that because you are forever Miss Fassett in my memory, ha ha.) I've thought of you recently, about how kind you were to me. You were patient and never made me feel stupid when I would get behind in school. Perhaps you knew there were a lot of stressful things going on at home that were out of my control...perhaps you didn't. Anyway, I will forever feel grateful for that compassion you showed me. You also helped send me to the BYU Young Writer's Conference for a poem I wrote and that was one of the best experiences I ever had in elementary school. It was dreamy to go spend the day there. Did I already tell you about that? Whether I did or didn't, thank you! Also, I loved the pen-pal program you put together between our class and another class in Japan. That was so fun! I kept in touch with my pen-pal, Keiko Tsukada, for about 2 years beyond your class, and then I lost her contact info during one of my family's moves. It was so fun while it lasted. Sometimes I wonder if you still know the teacher of the class we wrote and if she would still be in contact with her former student Keiko. It would be fun to reconnect, but I also realize that is a loooong shot. :) You had a very positive impact on my life when I was in your class. I think I remember that play we did...was it Follow the Drinking Gourd? Maybe I'm thinking of a different one than you. It's funny the things we hold onto and remember, and how our memory of something can vary so much from someone else's about the same memory, right? I totally went to Clear Creek! That was a fun and (in hindsight, beautifully) awkward coming-of-age experience for me; I'm so glad I got to go. Yeah, I most definitely think my mom couldn't afford it at the time. I had no idea you had a hand in helping me go until I learned about it and it made me emotional. Thank you immensely for your kindness. That means the world to me! Are you still teaching fifth grade?!! If so, where do you teach? Your students are lucky to have you!!! Please make no doubt about the fact that you DEFINITELY made a difference in my life, and I'm grateful and happy to have been in your class. Genuinely. Much Love,

I hope I can be a great teacher tomorrow! Every day is a new chance to get better.