Life!

Category: Pondering (Page 3 of 3)

Trucking

October 11, 2010 / / 0 Comments

When I was attending university people would often say “Keep on Trucking.” It was on bumper stickers, hats etc. It was the same as saying, “Hang in there” or in Japan we would say, Ganbatte.” The image on the bumper sticker was of a man leaning way back and really stretching his leg out to take a huge step. The artist made the foot in front much larger proportionally to emphasize the big step. My friends and I would often “truck” across campus, taking huge steps to see if that got us places faster. It usually did.

We saw this statue in Taipei and it reminded me of “trucking.” The alarming part for me is that he is missing his head. I wonder what that means?

Psychology of a workout

September 15, 2010 / / 1 Comment

6:00 am-wake up, LATE. Freak out because the sidewalks and streets will be crowded on my bike ride.

6:05am- remember about decision to leave at 7:45am and ride bike to the American Club to use elliptical

6:10am- calm down and get up and dress in workout clothes.

6:45am- think about not going to the gym and just riding bike

6:46am-think about staying home and not doing anything

7:40am- put on shoes and get gear for bike ride

7:45am-leave building and head in the direction of club

7:50am-still riding to club, decide to ride there and back home skipping the gym

8:00am-decide to go to club, park my bike and see how crowded the gym is.

8:15am-two people in gym, decide to get a locker card

8:20am- on elliptical set time for 10 minutes

8:45am- finish 25 minutes on elliptical

8:55am-back on bike and plan this blog post while riding home. Decide to take a picture of a big hill on the way home for post and talk about how sometimes a workout is like climbing this hill. Picture of hill doesn’t look so steep. Why do I allow this to go on in my brain??????

Just a small town girl…

September 13, 2010 / / 4 Comments

Yep, that’s me. Although, I always thought of myself as a city girl. As far as cities go Salt Lake wasn’t that big and we moved to a small town when I was in junior high. Houston was is a big sprawling city, but my life there was in master planned suburbia. Even when we lived in the San Francisco area, my life was still in suburbia. It wasn’t until we moved to London in 2001 that I truly became a city girl. I love the city, the noise, the sirens, the people, public transportation… I have continued to love being a city girl in Singapore and now Tokyo.

Anyway my point is that this “small town girl” has been a lot more places than she ever expected when she was living back in her small town. (I still love visiting that small town).

Today is a bittersweet day for me. I went to the American Embassy this morning with my passport (the one I’ve had for over 9 1/2 years), a passport application with two photos attached and a bright pink post-it note that read, “Requesting a 52 page passport and $110.  My passport doesn’t expire until February 2011, but it has become a problem. Many countries won’t allow you to travel there unless you have 6 months remaining on your passport. For example, US citizens don’t need a visa to travel to Taiwan, but if you have less than 6 months left on your passport you are required to pay over $150 for a visa.

I have become attached to this passport for several reasons. First, I actually like the photo. Second, I have the 9 digit number memorized, which comes in handy if you travel as much as I do and have to fill out forms before entering each country. Finally, it is like a journal of my life and the places I have been in the past 9 1/2 years. It is filled with visas and resident permits.

I have had two additional sets of pages added (hence the request for the XL size passport this morning). It is quite thick.

This morning before I left I flipped through it and was amazed at how abnormal my normal life is. Since 2001 I have been to Mexico, UK, The Netherlands, France, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Egypt, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Bali, Viet Nam, Philippines, China, India, Australia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Denmark, Greece and Turkey. Wow!

The “sweet” part of the bittersweet is that I do like getting new things and I do like a fresh start. Just a small town girl…..

Life

January 13, 2010 / / 2 Comments

Utah

I still keep in touch with my college roommate, Susan.  These days we email a few times a year and a few months ago we chatted on the phone.  Each time I hear from her she asks me where I am.  She seems to be under the impression that I live quite an exotic life, jetting all over the world.  I have tried to convince her and others that my life is like everyone else my age in that I travel to be present at special events in the lives of my children, grandchildren and other family members.  I was convinced that the only difference is that I have to travel a little further to get there.  I think that is still mostly true.

With Rosie Girl at Seaworld
With Rosie Girl at Seaworld

Last year, I traveled to see my mother, my sister, all of my children and grandchildren, my niece and her family.  That involved visiting the following places: Bountiful, Centerville, Provo, and St. George, Utah; London, England; Kingwood, Texas; Sugar Grove, North Carolina; Boston, Massachusetts and Pocatello, Idaho.  Normal places…well maybe London and Sugar Grove are a bit exotic.  I also spent time home in Tokyo.  I love all these places because they are where the people I love most live.

With the Sphinx

Maddie in London

Ally and Izzie

At Walden Pond

Aimee’s Baptism

North Carolina

Caitlin and me
Caitlin and Me

Jan

Holli
Holli

David and HolliLainey

Lately, I am thinking Susan might be right about my exotic life.  Besides these places I also traveled to Egypt in April, Australia in September and Cambodia just a couple weeks ago.  Egypt and Cambodia are definitely exotic.  The long flights don’t bother me much any more.  The people at Singapore Airlines in the Los Angeles know me by name…this is not normal and yet it is!!!!

So, what is coming up?  I leave Monday for a whirlwind wedding shopping and planning trip to the US, including stops in Utah and Texas.  In February, we are going to India.  April takes us back to Texas for Kristina’s wedding and I’ll be passing through Utah both directions to visit my mom and sister.  After that, who knows?

I know that we are supposed to be living in Tokyo and because of that I am grateful that I can travel and be a part of my family’s lives.  Rick is truly wonderful and generous.  I am also blessed to be able to travel to “exotic” places, experience different cultures and see this amazing world we live in.  My life is full.

I think I need to stop trying to convince people that the life I live is just like everyone else’s.  It’s not, but it’s my life and I am so grateful for it.

Christmas 2009

LOVE

November 22, 2009 / / 4 Comments

In October Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder David A. Bednar said that we should “become more diligent and concerned at home by telling the people we love that we love them.”  He quotes President Thomas S. Monson, “Often we assume that [the people around us] must know how much we love them.  But we should never assume; we should let them know…We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown.  Rather our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.”

Most of the time, I think I am good (not perfect) about telling my family members how much I love them.  However, I don’t think that I am very good at letting dear friends know how much I love them.  During the summer of 1990 we moved back to Kingwood, Texas from Saudi Arabia.  Many other new families moved into our ward that same year and we all became close as we raised our children together.  One friend often called me for what she called a “reality check” to see if what she was doing with her children made sense or was way off base.  Many times, as we said good bye I felt like saying, “I love you” but I never did, fearing it would sound strange to her.

Earlier this year, two of those dear friends from our time in Kingwood, the Scoffield’s, moved to Tokyo.  Jo was my Relief Society President and Kelly was our Bishop for a time.  Our oldest daughter, Allyson, cared for their three girls from time to time.  Andrew and their daughter, Teigan were good friends and Jo became Kristina’s Young Women leader.  So, we were very excited to see them again and to have them in our Tokyo Ward.

Last month, my friend Jo had a heart attack and spent almost the entire month in the hospital.  After my first hospital visit, I realized that it was important for her to know that I loved her and so I told her.  I told her each time that I visited her.  Since then, I have wondered why I am not better at letting people outside of my family know that I love them.  I think it’s because I worry about what they will think.  From now on, I am going to follow President Monson’s  advice and express my love and not assume that they know how I feel.  I don’t want to have any regrets.

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