When I go home and hear of people who often check my blog for updates, I feel a bit guilty when I don't update very often. Nothing too much new here, but I'll give you a few happenings.
We got a new little car to replace the old one that I wrecked. We like it and it gets twice the gas mileage as our van. With gas prices reaching about $6 per gallon (and you think your $4 is bad!) and with all of the miles that we drive each week to church and to work several hours away a few times a week, we decided to get a car that was a little bigger than the previous one so that it would be safe and stable on the highway. Akihiro also researched and found an inexpensive GPS navigation system that speaks English! Yippee! It can even be used on a bicycle or on foot! The map still has things in Japanese, but it is a very big improvement--I don't just push buttons until I get to the screen I want!
I had an invasion of ants in my kitchen and it took almost a week for me to figure out where they were coming from. I am happy to report, though, that they have been found, and the problem rectified! Akihiro thought I was getting a little out of hand when I was saying, "Ah, I see you...prepare to meet thy death!" "Ah, your seconds are numbered, you little booger!", etc. as I smashed them. I also found out that a shot of bleach kills them pretty much instantly--a good thing with a metal countertop and sink area. I did think, though of how the Bible says to observe the ant. They sure are busy little fellers!
I've turned my bathtub into a wash station for some big organizational boxes that I found at our new old house and am getting organized with the extra things I have found at the house. Feels good to have a little extra space.
Tomorrow we go to a showroom to start picking things out for our house--siding, shingles, counters, etc. Depending on how things go, we might not be moved in til next April.
We got word that our book will be in major bookstores in the middle of July! They are already wanting to talk to us about another book--this time a book to help Japanese give English presentations at conferences, etc. I'm not sure how Dr. Do-Something and Nurse Know-It-All will fit in with that, but we'll see.
This week should be pretty busy--babysitting, a Tokyo tour with the Klaus's helper, etc. Loren and Betsy Schrenk from St. Louis will be here this weekend, so we will be helping to take care of them some too.