Halloween 2009

Sakura and Larissa

Japanese Nationals waiting to be checked into the base

These kids love the opportunity of coming on base for Halloween

Pumpkin Carving at Mikes house

Groovy Mama

Nuri-san (my students mother)

Making smores at Ann's house

Our Saturday was filled with busyness.  Rene and I woke up and joined the 6:00 am running buddies for an 8 mile run followed by our usual routine of a great breakfast with the group.  It was an overwhelming day with parties, and cooking.  I picked up my student and her mother around 4 pm.  The rest of the kids I was suppose to host came down with the flu.  We then headed to Mike's house for Chili and lots of other goodies followed by an evening of walking and collecting candies.  Renie's plans included attending his Homecoming dance which I was not able to capture by camera.  We topped off the night with drinks and smores over at my co-workers home.  By 11:30 pm, I was wiped.   Groovy!

Panther Homecoming

That is Renie on the corner

Coach speaks of having a good year

The sophomore float, Renie and his class worked hard on this last weekend.

Homecoming was a success, but the Panthers lost both games.  JV score was 14 to 21, but the boys had a good game.  This was our last game.  The varsity will go on to Okinawa for the Far East Championships.  Tomorrow will be a busy day with Halloween.  I was suppose to host 7 Japanese nationals, but 2 kids caught the flu, so I will only be hosting 4.  We are having a chili Halloween party at our friends house, so it should be fun.  Halloween here at Yokota is a busy night with so many JN's coming on base for some American Trick-or-Treat fun.

Saenz News Feed

Today is Sunday morning and we are spending a nice quite day at home. The cold weather has finally arrived and this calls for some hot chocolate and marshmallows. Overall, this has been an unproductive week in the area of sight seeing. I am beginning to feel some home sickness coming on. If I don't stay busy, I think of home. Luckily for us, that will come soon. Normally, at this time of the year I am putting my Christmas list together, but this time I think I will just wait until I get to Texas. This will save me some money on mail outs. We are all looking forward to our trip home. I have been surfing the Internet for a nice dress.

Renie will be headed to Camp Fuji for two days with JROTC for a navigation skill assessment. You guessed it, the boys will be dropped off in the middle of nowhere and have to navigate their way back to camp. Renie is pretty excited. Camp Fuji is a Marine base by Mt. Fuji. It will be a busy week for him with homecoming events and assignments. He did really good this Friday and was able to play most of the game. The JV Panthers beat the Misawa Eagles 48-16. He is happy to now be wearing #24.

Larissa continues on with dance and extra curricular clubs after school.

We are planning a Thanksgiving trip to Osaka. Our running group ran 8 miles yesterday followed by a nice breakfast at the E-club. Both Rene and I finished all 8 miles. My legs are beginning to shape up quite nicely, LOL.....

Go LITE Team

Yesterday, our running group the Striders LITE ran 7 miles. Next week the group goes up to 8 miles on Saturday long runs. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday's, we run 4 miles. They are an awesome group of fun people. More runners showed up but were already done when this photo was taken. After the run, we eat breakfast and chat. The Striders running club is a great club that raises money by having two big races a year on base for the Japanese. They provide scholarships and help out the base community with other donations. It is well organized and I am happy to be part of such a club. Many of our fellow running buddies are pregnant, so they do the walk while we run. It is always a lively atmosphere. Many of the runners are training for their second or third marathon.

Popcorn Treats

Larissa and I took part in a popcorn ball making project for her field trip tomorrow to a Japanese school.  It seems that the Japanese school kids have a fascination with American popcorn balls.  Larissa is looking forward to having lunch with the kids and taking a trip to the zoo.  

Tama Fun

Tama River (about a mile from our home)

Play time

The path was full of bikers and walkers out for a cool morning walk.

Larissa soothing her feet.

I have to say, I am loving the fall here in Japan.  As much as I love running, there are days where I have to give up the running shoes and take the bike out for a spin.  This morning Rene, Larissa, and I got the bikes out for a spin to the Tama River.  It was a glorious morning for a bike ride.   Everyone seemed to have had the same thought.  Our pedal pushing activity must have provided quite a calorie burn for us.  I was surprised Larissa did not complain about how tired she was.  Getting to the river with Larissa made me a little nervous, but here in Japan bikes always have the right away and she did great.  

The Chili's Experience

It's the start of Culture Group season and we are looking forward to a great year of Japanese experiences.  Yesterday we hosted our friends to lunch at Chili's and bowling.  They truly enjoyed the fajitas, chips and appetizers.  

Last night Rene and I drove to ASIJ (American School in Japan) where our Panthers played the Mustangs.  We were so impressed with this International school.  Tucked away in the middle of Toyko is this school where all Embassy kids and wealthy Japanese kids attend.  We were in Ah, by the artificial turf field, guarded gated entrance and high security cameras.  It was evident by the appearance of the parents that this was an affluent bunch.  The school was top notch with lush grounds.  These employees get a hefty housing and school allowance.  Many of these employees are also Rene's patients.  They drive all the way to Yokota to get their dental work.  Rene says they are an interesting group of people.  He was greeted by several during the game.  

Happy 76th Birthday

Wishing my father a very Happy Birthday today. May the lord bless my parents with many more healthy years. Love you Mom & Dad. Have a great day dad. Love, Ronda, Rene and the kids.

Aftermath

The storm has come and gone, we had rain most of the night.  I think we must have caught the outer bands because it was a very sunny, but windy day.  It is calm now, but we are still in TCCOR 1 recovery, which means we have to stay put until the all clear is sent out.  Larissa and I got bored and decided to clean up.  Our corner lot was full of branches.  Overall, the storm had definitely weakened, so we are all back to normal.  Lucky for me, I get a five day weekend.

Typhoon Melor

We have secured all outside equipment, chairs and bikes and are now awaiting Typhoon Melor. On the radar, this looks like a massive storm, however they have predicted 60-70 mile per hour winds. Nevertheless, the base is not taking any chances. They are moving to TCCOR 1 which means all base departments and schools will close after 8:00 p.m. For the kids, this means a day of lounging around and eating snacks all day. As for Rene and I, we are going to relax, drink tea, and read. Oh, did I mention I will also be baking chocolate chips cookies, brownies, and my grandma's strawberry pudding cake. I did mention the goodies were all for the kids right? Our last experience of a typhoon was 2007 when we had just arrived on base. I remember the winds being very strong and we lost power for around 3-4 hours. This time we are prepared with games, movies, and flashlights. I will give you the all clear when this is done and over with. The storm should approach us around three in the morning. Our house is pure concrete and I predict it can withstand some damn heavy winds.

The Soup Nazi

Ok, blog fans don't freak out.  I am not converting my blog into a health and wellness lecture, but I just wanted to share some of my expertise in the area of nutrition.  We all know the American Heart Association recommends more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  We Americans are just not getting it.  Heart disease is still the number one killer of women as a result of increasing waistlines.  On that note I thought I would share a great food preference I discovered not to long ago.  I used to slave in the kitchen for over two hours making my very favorite tortilla soup.  Not any more, now I buy Campbell's Healthy Request tortilla soup made with brown rice.  It is tasty, filling, convenient and hmmm good.  In ten minutes, I can cook me up a bowl of soup topped with baked tortilla chips and healthy avocado.  The next best thing every created were the Skinny Cow's, a 150 calorie guilt free nutty buddy.  Unfortunately, healthy food choices are limited here at Yokota, but I am happy to have my Skinny Cow's.  So when you are feeling like a soup day, grab a can of Campbell's.  

We are having a quite weekend mostly in part to the rainy forcast and a very important base inpection Rene will have to be around for.  Renie has an away game in Camp Zama tonight and tomorrow we will try to attend a Yokota Block party in hopes of coming home with a nice door prize.