End of the Birthdays

We were very lucky last weekend to have three of our friends who are JETs come stay with us. On Saturday Melanie, Bernard, and Jody came to celebrate our birthdays with us. That night we went to an izakaya with them and 4 other people from Kure. We had a great dinner and then went to a local bar. When we got back we put in a movie and had some time just to hang out.
Sunday, Scott and Bernard had to play Madden. Afterward we all went bowling here in town. It was our first time bowling here in Japan. Our biggest surprise was Japanese bowling shoes. In America we always complain about bowling shoes, but we will never complain again. All the bowling shoes were white with neon pink and purple detailing, with velcro. It was hilarious seeing the guys put them on! Of course I took pictures.
On my birthday, Tuesday, Scott and I went out for dinner at a new restaurant here in town. It is called a garlic restaurant, but it had a variety of foods. It was very good. Then we came back to our apartment, watched a movie, and hung out. It was a nice, relaxing evening. And also the night before my birthday Scott got us American pizza, which is always something to write about!

The month of birthdays

Well, it has been 2 weeks since our last blog and I felt it was about time I sat down and wrote. It has been pretty quite around here for us. We are getting back into a teaching routine at work and in our lives after the holidays.
January 16th was Scott's birthday. I decorated the house with balloons and banners. I bought some muffins (since Scott doesn't like cake) and put some candles in them. Then I took him out to dinner at one of our favorite Itailian restaurants. It wasn't much, but we had a nice evening.
Then yesterday, we went to the US base here in Kure because they had an R&B singer there (no one famous, but she was still very good). We had a lot of fun dancing and hanging out with our friends.
There are a few big things that have happened this month that I wanted to write about as well. After the holidays Scott and I bought plane tickets to America for spring vacation. We will be in Chicago from March 17-22 and Iowa from March 23-27. It's not a long trip, but we are already looking forward to it. Also, I just handed in my papers today stating that we will not be re-contracting for another year. Scott and I have loved our time in Japan, but after a year we will be ready to return to America and begin our lives there.
Well, as some of you know next week, January 24th, is my birthday. So we will write again shortly and let you know how we spent it. Thanks for all the birthday cards/e-mails that have been sent!

New Years!

A day earlier than all of our American family and friends we entered 2006. We had a great year and a great night and hope all of you did as well.
We started our night off at the small American Army base outside of Kure. There are only about 12 soldiers stationed at this particular ammunition depot, but it does have its own little bar and restaurant, and between the soldiers and the approximately 15 or so civilians there, we had a great start to our night. Its nice to go there, because its like being in America (kinda). American music, American prices, and we even paid in American money. At midnight we all went out on the deck of the bar where in the Kure Port bay, all of the submarines, battleships, and cargo ships blasted there horns, it was really cool. After ringing in the new year there, we headed back into Kure to a club called Jammin. We partied there for another few hours and then finally hit the bed. The night was a lot of fun and the only way it could have been better is if we'd had some of our friends and family from home here to spend it with us. Dale, Vicky's father was still here with us, so he did get to join in the festivities with us, and we were thankful for that.
So after New Years Eve, Dale was here a few more days, in which we visited Hiroshima City and the Peace Park, and also went to a museum here in Kure. One of the coolest things we did was go up to the observatory on a mountain that overlooks Kure, the view was amazing. One of the pictures I've posted is a panorama view from the top of the mountain looking down on our city, its actually five pictures that have been put together with a computer program we have.
We hope you all have a wonderful New Year, and we think about you all very much, thanks for the emails and comments!