Elevators

I really want to talk about something else tonight, but it will have to wait because I am too tired and it is long! I am excited to share that thankful point soon.

I only have a picture looking down.  I don't have any pictures
of my building from down below looking up!

Tonight as I was coming up to my apartment in the elevator, I thought, "I am thankful for this elevator."

First of all, I am thankful for the elevator because it means I do not have to climb 9 flights of stairs to get to my apartment.  (I only have to climb one.  The elevator doesn't stop on every floor so I get out on the 8th floor and climb up to the ninth.  I don't know; I didn't design it, I just live here!)

Second, I am thankful for the elevator because it fulfills a childhood dream to live in an apartment building where I have to go up to my apartment in an elevator.  I am not kidding!  When I was a kid and we watched the Jeffersons, I always secretly wished I lived in a building with an elevator.  (We didn't watch it often because we had a limited TV viewing allowance/week and had to rotate between favorite shows.)

In fact, when I was in about second grade, I used my birthday money to buy a Barbie house, the one with the elevator, and I was jealous of Barbie getting to have an elevator.

I was raised in a small town in South Dakota.  There are not many buildings with elevators there.  I don't know where I thought I was going to live, but maybe I always knew I was not going to live there when I grew up.

Every place I have lived has had great points, but one of top points of this place for me is the elevator.

There I said it.  Now you have proof that I am just a little bit wacky!

Accomplished

The view from my veranda on a clear day

Mondays are my day off.  I often get together with friends or go downtown or go ride roller coasters or sometimes have meetings.

Today I had the day to myself.  I talked to three people and probably said a total of 50 words.  It was lovely!

I spent the morning cleaning my veranda, the one that runs the width of my apartment and is where I hang my laundry, watch the trains go by, and sit for quiet time sometimes.  I scrubbed and scrubbed and may have even gotten a little sun.

As I finished up the last corner and turned to look at the results of my work, I had a thought.  I enjoyed cleaning today.  One of the reasons, besides the fact that I don't have to worry about dropping my clean clothes in the dirt, is I could SEE what I had accomplished.  The results were obvious and fairly quick.

Ministry is very different.  I often don't see what is being accomplished.  What I think should be happening is often not happening, or at least in the time frame I think it should happen.  The results are often very different from what I expected or thought I was working toward.

So, every once in a while it is nice to have a day where I can see what was accomplished.  I feel successful.

Then God sits down with me for dinner and reminds me what true success is.  I will keep having my days of obsessive cleaning, however, I think I will stick with God's idea of success.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, with all your mind.  Love your neighbor as yourself.

A bit obsessed

I have become a bit obsessed with seeing the sunrise.  As I have written before, I get out of bed, stop in the washroom(as my Canadian friends say:)), grab my camera and Bible and go out onto the veranda.  I read and watch the sky.  When the sun is just ready to appear, I start snapping pictures.  I cannot stop!  I am completely obsessed.  It has nothing to do with getting the right picture.  It has become a special time when God rains down His love.  I literally can't wait to get up in the morning to watch the sunrise. Tomorrow morning is supposed to be rainy, but I will get up with anticipation because maybe I will get to see the sunrise between rain showers like I did last week!

Today's sunrise

Yesterday's sunrise

Between the rain showers

Sunrise

Now that the sun is rising a little later these days, I actually get to see it!  In fact, it is what gets me out of bed most mornings now.  I literally walk straight from the bedroom to my veranda in the living room.  It is an amazing way to start the day!
Here are some pictures taken recently, including a couple from Ise Bay the day after the recent typhoon while I was in Tsu.

A Month of Thanks, Day 20

I am thankful for a warm home. Today it has been ridiculously windy. As I blew in after church, it was nice to open the door, feel the warmth and smell the soup I had made for lunch.

It is such a blessing to have this place to live. I suspect my neighbors wonder what I do with all of this space. I know the apartments above and below me each have 4 people living in them. I look forward to having my parents here and finding out what it is like to live here with a family! (smile)

Although we don't have central air and heat here, my apartment stays nice and warm on sunny, winter days because I have sun shining in my living/dining room all day. This is an added blessing of living here!

Also, since I live on the 9th floor and there are no tall buildings in front of ours, I can see the mountains!

Come visit anytime!

Beauty in the Rain

The other day I got home just before it started raining like crazy. I was sitting at the table working on the computer and noticed the sun starting to shine. But, when I looked outside it was still raining across the street. I found that one of my favorite restaurants is at the end of the rainbow!

Housewarming Party

Last Friday my Jasmine Tea Party friends came over for a housewarming party. They were my first lunch guests in my new condo. Everyone brought something to eat which turned out to be more food than we needed for two days! But, it was all delicious so we just kept eating. (I think the little bit of potato salad I still have left in the fridge will need to be thrown out. I am not sure I want to make myself sick!)


Here are a few pictures from the afternoon...


The table filled with food.



Kan-chan and Miki-chan



with Anne

Parking Fun

I live in a crowded country. It is not like South Dakota where everyone has plenty of space to park their several cars. Amazingly, at my condo each unit is allowed a parking spot. My spot is underground and has a height limit of 150cm, 25 cm shorter than I am.

And, how does this underground parking work? Remember those square plastic puzzles we used to do? They had a picture or lines that you had to put together by sliding tiles around until everything was in the right order. That is kind of the way my parking garage works.

In a space where we would park five cars in SD, or maybe less because we would have more space between the cars, in my parking garage, 14 cars are able to park!

I have to back onto my rack, like I am going to get my oil changed, except there is a floor between the tire tracks. But, in order to get my rack, #69, I have to open the control box, put in my key and press #69. Then the fun begins! It depends on who left last as to what happens next, but usually one of the upper racks goes up. Then racks slide to one side or the other and my space is exposed. Finally, my rack climbs up from below the surface and the gate opens. I can now back in or drive out.

I don't have a video of this yet, but here are a couple of pictures of my car emerging from the depths of the garage...

Unfortunately, there the two racks on the right side are empty so you can't see how close together we park, but here is my car emerging.



Here the car has reached the ground level and the gate is going up. In this picture you can see one of the cars which has an upper rack sitting, waiting to be let down.

Welcome

Welcome to my new place! This is the entrance, just waiting for your arrival.

I have already been blessed by my new place. Every morning I sit and look out the windows at the mountains as I talk to God and have breakfast. Being on the 9th floor has its advantages!

A couple of days ago I met a lady who lives in my building. She and her family lived in NJ for five years and just returned last summer. Her daughter is in 6th grade. Mrs. Sasaki is excited to introduce me to her daughter. She is also looking forward to having lunch together. She said that when she saw my name on my post box she was wondering how she could meet me!

On my floor in my section of the building there are three units. The family in 901 seems very nice. Every time I see Mrs. Tanaka she tells me to ring the bell and come in for tea any time. I am looking forward to doing that soon!

This week Melissa and I took a road trip to Ikea. We had a good time looking at dining room tables and trying out the chairs. I found a table and chairs I liked. I went with the mix and match set:)

So, now that all the boxes are put away and I have a table, when do you want to come visit?