the countdown's on!

not only is it new year's eve here, we also have an official countdown to when we leave japan!

in case you didn't see the one over on the side, here's a new ticker i made just for fun: (feeling a little pirate-ish today i guess?!)




in some ways it's hard to believe it's been almost 3 years since we moved here! and even though it's a little overwhelming to think about, we're very much looking forward to the new adventures we'll get to experience in 2010. =)


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

christmas break!

i'm officially on break from school right now, and have been working on keeping the house cleaner (at least trying to!) :), making cards for an order, making christmas cookies, checking things off my to-do list, and trying to enjoy a little down time! sadly ben still has to work this week and next, but he's been getting out pretty decent times the last few days, and although he does have duty (sleeping on the ship) christmas eve, i'll get to pick him up christmas morning and spend the day with my sweetie! :) so i really can't complain. and it's our last christmas to be spent in japan away from our families, so we're glad about that too.

times have been a little crazy as we are ending up our time here. we'll be moving back in just a couple of months, and we are experiencing all the emotions that come along with a big change such as that! (scared, excited, nervous, overwhelmed...) we are trusting God to direct and guide us into this next chapter of our married life, and if you think about it, please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for our big cross-country move back to the US! :) hopefully we can see much more of all of you in 2010.

merry christmas from the graves!

it's beginning to look...

a lot like christmas!

ben and i have enjoyed our break from work and set up the christmas tree yesterday, made christmas cookies and decorated them today. =) (yum!)



it seems crazy to me that it's almost december! hope you're all enjoying your weekends and recovering from your turkey comas! hehe

happy thanksgiving!

we had ours yesterday, you're having yours today :)
a few things i'm thankful for this year:

-ben is HOME! he made it home a few days ago, and we got to spend thanksgiving together for the first time since we moved here! =) it's so nice to have him around, and it won't be much longer til he won't have to leave for months at a time anymore! WOO HOO!! =)

-this is our last thanksgiving in japan! it hasn't really felt like thanksgiving to me, all 3 years we've been here and away from family and friends, and we're looking forward to being in the states next year to celebrate =) this year, though - we were invited over by some very nice friends we've made here and were able to eat turkey with them, and we're thankful for that as well!

-God is good all the time. we are fast approaching the end of our time in Japan, and while we're so thankful for this, there are a lot of unknowns as well - but we are thankful that God is faithful and we continue to trust in Him.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING friends! we love you! <3