Steve turns 40!

 

Unbelievable, but another one of my friends has turned 40. Steve waved goodbye to his 30s and welcomed the 40s. We had a BBQ at his home - good food, and good company. See below for pics.

 

Greg, the grillmaster

 

Greg was in the wrong place at the wrong time...he became the master chef.

Isn't she the cutest?

 

This is my goddaughter - Sophia.

 

Al, Curt & Dave

 

Me, Genie & Eric

 

Mackie-Dog

 

Still plugging away even without Aisla.

Eric & Sophia

 

Kathy gets married!

 

This really was such a wonderful weekend. One of the happiest moments was attending the wedding of a college friend. Kathy has known Rob for several years now and their relationship developed from friends to now wedded couple. It really was a beautiful wedding. It was also a good time to catch up with people I hadn't seen in years. See below.

Marilyn & Rod

 

In college, Marilyn cut my hair. She was the one who gave me the infamous asymetrical haircut which I can't live down. Pictured with Marilyn is her husband, Rod, who also attended NU.

Matron of Honor

 

Debbie served as the matron of honor. Debbie and I also attended school together and we are now colleagues as we are associated with the same institution even though she lives in Oregon.

Kevin & Rhonda

 

I haven't seen Kevin & Rhonda in decades! I probably last saw them at their graduation. They are now pastoring out in Oregon and have two kids.

Alan & the Kids

 

Here's Alan w/ his adorable kids. They were so social - very cute. I missed out on a pic with his wife, Joanne. I think she was socializing somewhere.

Tony

 

This is Tony - another friend from college. As a student, I enlisted Tony's help in picking me up from the airport on my many travels to and from Honolulu. He was a doll and always helped out. Today Tony is an alternative high school teacher in the area.

Dinner w/ Susan and La Familia

 

So after the Consul General's shindig, I headed out to dinner w/ my good friend, Susan, and her family. Her brother Marc was visiting from Minneapolis. We went to the family's favorite dining spot: Mi Tierra.

Me & Mark

 

Sunshine, Friends, and Farewells...

 

Every year I have a wonderful opportunity to meet with new teachers who are departing for Japan. The teachers are part of the JET program and will be teaching in public schools for the next year. It becomes even more special when one of my students is selected and can take part in the program. This was one of those years. Joe, pictured here with Consul General Namba, will be leaving for Hokkaido tomorrow morning. His wife, Kellyn, will be joining him in a week when they can begin this wonderful new adventure. It was a good day - lots of sun, meeting friends, and wishing a former student (now friend) a fond farewell.

A great blog pic...

 

Amy and I goofing off. Read about Amy below.

Dale

 

This is my friend Dale who works at a university in Seattle. We first met when I started helping out at the Japanese Consulate. Since then, we've become good buddies. Dale can ALWAYS make me laugh.

Me & Amy

 

This is my friend, Amy. We've had an interesting friendship as our paths have crossed several times both in Japan and in the US. I first met Amy when we were both employed by the same company in Japan. I was Amy's trainer. In my training session I told Amy about a school I attended in Seattle which she eventually went to. I left Japan and went to grad school and then settled in Seattle. I took on a job at a school where Amy became my trainer. Then Amy left to teach in Germany, Turkey and back to Japan. When she left Japan, I helped her land a job where I was doing some contract work. Now we both do a bit with the Japanese Consulate. I think we were meant to be friends.

Dale & Amy

 

Pigs in a pen

 

So on my last day in Hawaii my brother and I went to get our hair cut. We went to a gal that my brother and SIL have been going to for years. She has a studio/salon in her home. After the haircut, my brother says he's going around back to look at the pigs. PIGS? Really? So I walk around and sure enough, there's a small pen with 4 baby pigs in it. These are wild pigs which were caught on weekend hunting trips. I'm not sure what the family is going to do with the pigs since they are limited on space, but they sure were cute little buggers.

Pigs in a pen II

 

'08 Luau

 

Before I left, Auntie Queenie called me asked if I wanted to go to a luau. My answer: of course! The luau was for a friend's daughter who graduated from high school. There was live entertainment and delicious food. The best part: I got to hang out with my auntie, and cousins. A good way to spend a Saturday.