I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so.

GASP. I left the country. For the first time. No, I didn't start small by going to Canada, Mexico or even Europe. I went to JAPAN. The French family (friends of mine from Maryland) are currently stationed in Misawa (north of Tokyo) and I had the amazing opportunity to spend a couple of weeks with them. If it weren't so far away, I would move there in an instant. The culture suits me-they are very hardworking, tedious and meticulous. They believe in obeying laws and customs and treat everyone with manners and respect. FINALLY! I found my Utopia! I brought home numerous souvenirs, including real kimonos. It was such a great trip, but my Japanese was basically limited to 'Domo arrogato' (no, I didn't add the 'Mr. Roboto), which means 'thank you.' We hiked the lush countryside, admired cultural icons and I even did a Japanese session in the Tokyo LDS temple. The Japanese love Americans, particularly blonde ones-we were stared at and admired. It was almost like being a celebrity! The plane ride is a killer, but I'd go again in a heartbeat. Forget I HEART NY. Tokyo is where its at.

Growing up and shipping out.

AGH. Nothing like the graduation of one of the girls I used to nanny to make me feel OLD. But to be fair, I've been keeping up with the 'young' lingo (such as FAIL or EPIC, used to insult somebody when they make a mistake or do something dumb...) Grace says that to me quite a bit. Sigh. Guess I'm not as cool as I used to be :( My little Julie is a high school graduate, and ready to compete in the equestrian circuit. She's then headed to St. Mary's College. I'm so proud of her and all she's accomplished. When she mentioned me in her graduation speech, and her voice wavered, I sniffled back my own tears. I love that family. It was then time for me to move on in my life...from my nanny job with the Cogar family in Falls Church to...a condo in Falls Church! I literally moved 1.5 miles away and now share a condo with my friend Maggie. It has been a whilrlwind of 'newness' these past 8 weeks. New job. New place to live. And, soon, a new singles ward. So maybe that will mean new dating potential :) And I recently completed a new experience-traveling overseas. I just returned from Japan (which will definitely be a seperate, more detailed post, coming soon). Gotta run, but here's a few pictures of the goodbyes and hellos of the month of June.

YOU-TAW!

I needed a break from my insane job (read on for exciting developments on that topic) so I expanded west to Salt Lake City. It was SUCH a great trip-I got to see my brother on his mission, my good friend Tess (ex-DC nanny), the Gibbs and Heatons from my days in Baltimore, and I got to be the escort for my girlfriend Teshia, in the Draper temple. I did a session in the Bountiful temple as well. Not to mention plenty of shopping (I HEART QUILTED BEAR...not to mention Deseret Book, Cafe Rio, Sonic, and any Target and Wal-Mart out there). I felt renewed, refreshed...happy. Hmm. I haven't felt that way in a while. So I thought...I should MOVE out there! But...I don't have a job. The economy is not great. I'm getting old and I would mostly only get to pick from divorced guys...then, lo and behold I got a job interview back here in northern Virginia. And I GOT THE JOB. Come fall, I am teaching 16 5th graders English and Social Studies and I get to coach field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. I get PAID to do this. HOW COOL IS THAT? I'm so excited, and although I'll miss the dry climate and gorgeous mountains, I will be back Utah...oh yes, I will be back.

I'm such a slacker sometimes...but I have fun.

Yikes! I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. SO MUCH has happened. I got to meet Jen Lancaster, author of 4 books ("Bitter is the New Black," "Bright Lights, Big Ass," "Such a Pretty Fat," and "Pretty in Plaid"). I HIGHLY recommend all of them, in order. You'll laugh your a** off. Which would be good if you're like her and me, and you have a big one! lol Maggie and I checked out Clemonjontri Park (which is the COOLEST (free) kids park EVER! Yeah, I think some of the parents were giving us wierd looks-it's not everyday you see two grown women on the seesaw trying to feel weightless. I also checked out the Faerie Festival in Maryland (and made my own snazzy garland head thing-y). Note-HENNA is a much better idea than a TATTOO. Other than it raining RIDICULOUS amounts this spring, I've had a good time :)

Beetles, Bighams and Bonnie!

I took a trip out to the VW headquarters in Herndon and I wanted to kick that snotty male receptionist right out of his ergonomic, artistic chair. I want to work there! The facility is gorgeous. And filled with yuppie engineers walking around in their shaggy haircuts, soho glasses and hemp pants. I didn't waste too much time, because I had a lacrosse game to watch. I went all the way to the girls' school, and unfortunately, the game was cancelled at the last minute. I still had a lot of fun hanging out with the lacrosse crew, and we of course topped the night off with dinner at Outback. Grace became acquainted with Woody. I got to see my favorite sausage that afternoon, who gave me kisses. If you're not Julie or Grace, the previous two sentences don't carry suggestive undertones. I miss my big hams.

Virginia-Wild and Wonderful.

Over spring break, Maggie and I headed to southern Virginia. We hiked around the Natural Bridge area, visited the Safari Park and meditated at Foamhenge. After a long, enjoyable day we turned in...on the floor of my dead grandfather's house. Which then cost me 48 hours of intense pain and $30 at the chiropractor's office. I think I should have just paid the $89 for a hotel room. One of the elks kicked my car, and I have a nice scuff mark on my pretty, red paint job. It's all in the name of a good time. Sigh. I'm going to go lay down with the electric massager now. Good times!

Blossoms and Bottle Caps.

A tourist in my own town. I'm extremely embarassed at how little I've done in DC. But the blossoms were worth the trip this year-they were GORGEOUS. Maggie was extremely patient with me as I changed lenses, changed directions and changed my mind with almost every picture. During one of my lens changes, I dropped my water bottle cap into the Potomac, and had a wet backapack the rest of the day, as the water sloshed up and out with every step we took. Not even that could dampen my spirits. It was a great day.

The Madness is Over.

It's spring, which means basketball is coming to an end and baseball season is starting-BLAH! Baseball doesn't do it for me. March was a great month-our ward basketball team made it to the championship game, but sadly we lost by 3 points. We still had a great time, in our dashing, matching t-shirts! I think I spent 3 straight days working on them. I showed Maggie the Maryland campus, and we watched the womens lacrosse team spank Boston College. March wasn't that 'mad' but it left us seeing RED.

It's that time again!

General Conference! A time of renewal, re-commitment and guilt. Well, a good type of guilt-the kind that gets me off my butt to do the things I should be doing! Feeding the missionaries, magnifying my callings, and just being a more Christ-like person. I need to be reminded of that more often than I should :-{ I love President Monson! He has such a special spirit. Elder Peer wrote home and told us he gets to attend the Saturday morning session-we're so excited for him! I hope you enjoy the weekend-I really loved Elder Hales' talk this morning! For more information, go to http://www.lds.org/.

My fuzzy, chubby bunny.

Bonnie doesn't 'technically' live with me, and she's not 'technically' my dog, but I raised her from puppydom for five years and taught her all the tricks she knows. Therefore, she will forever be 'my dog.' She greets me with yippity yelps everytime I come back to visit. She rescued me from a world of not knowing how much joy dogs can bring-we've walked together, eaten together and pooped together. Okay, not so much on that last one-she pooped and shot me dirty looks until I turned away, while I stood at the other end of her leash. There isn't anything this dog wouldn't eat, including a 1-pound chocolate bar. And she's lived through every chocolate binge to date, even though a couple of them induced doggie hallucinations. I love my Bonnie-my Bean, Beanie Weenie, Bean-dog, Fattie-Wattie, Pup-a-potamus, Sausage, Beanus, Beanus Weanus, Fatness and Fluff-a-nutter. Happy Easter! Some bunny loves me.