Japan Trip 2010-Part 1 (2 1/2 months later...) Brace Yourselves!

Ready, Set, Go...

Day 1 (June 8)... I left bright and early from Salt Lake International Airport bound for Los Angeles. From there it was a 10.5 hour flight to Tokyo. It didn't matter how long the flight was, I was happy to be headed West!

Day 2 (June 9)...Arrived in Tokyo and took a train to Elder and Sister Stevenson's apartment. This is the view from the Stevenson's roof. That is the spire of the Tokyo Temple.

An evening view of downtown Tokyo. It was a clear evening (very rare) so we could see most of the city.

Day 3 (June 10)...Mt. Fuji on a basically clear morning. It is very, very rare to see all of Mt. Fuji. Within an hour of taking this picture the top was covered in clouds.

We went to Fuji-Q Highland, an amusement park close to the base of Mt. Fuji. This roller coaster is called Fujiyama (meaning Mt. Fuji). The entire ride lasts 3 minutes+ and the height of the coaster is 83 meters. Let me just say it was an incredible coaster!

This is Ee janai ka? This roller coaster turns you upside down 14 times... Yes, you read that right 14 TIMES! Definitely the best roller coaster I have EVER been on.

Day 4 (June 11)... I went over to the area office to see Elder Stevenson's office and meet everyone over there. This is Elder Nishihara, he was one of my dad's mission companions.

Sister Stevenson, Me, Elder Stevenson. I love these two!

Day 5 (June 12)... Okazaki. This is me and the Iwase Family at a park in Okazaki. They are an incredible family!

Yoshiki and Me!

Yuka Sugiura and me at the park.

Maria Anan and me at Nagoya Castle. She had a stake assignment for Church the next day and knew she wouldn't get to see me, so we went to Nagoya to do some sightseeing and visiting. Maria is an incredible member of the Church!

Day 6 (June 13)... Church in Okazaki. This is me and Brother Miura. He is holding some pictures that Lester Lee gave me to give to the members. I used to work with Lester at the High School. Brother Miura is an amazing priesthood holder and leader in Okazaki.

Sister Kamoshita, she is incredible and always so willing to help out. When I was a missionary she would do anything to help us in any way.

Day 7 (June 14)... This is me and Sister Morigami with her 4 week old son Tairo. Last time I went to Japan I stayed with her family. The Morigami's are an incredible family.

Day 8 (June 15)... Kyoto, I went to Fushimi Inari Taisha. There is a trail here that is about 2 miles long that goes up the mountain and there are these orange Torii gates all along the trail that families have placed there to honor their deceased family members. Fushimi Inari is a beautiful place.

Things I've Done...

Things you have done during your lifetime:

(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Donated Blood
(X) Skipped school
(X) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
(  ) Been to Hawaii
(X) Been on a plane
(  ) Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost
(X) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Hugged a homeless person (I may or may not have already known them)
(X) Swam in the ocean
(  ) Swam with Stingrays
(X) Been sailing in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Ran a marathon (Lower-case x because I've run a half marathon...)
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Volunteered at a soup kitchen
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
(  ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
( ) Seen the Northern Lights
( ) Been Parasailing
(X) Been on TV
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) Made prank phone calls
(  ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Fed an elephant
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Fired a gun
(X) Been to the Opera
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Serenaded someone
(X) Seen a U.S.President in person
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(  ) Driven a race car
(X) Been to a National Museum
(X) Been to a Wax Museum
(X) Eaten caviar
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
(X) Been deep sea fishing
(X) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
(X) Gone snowmobiling
(X) Lived in more than one country
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish
(X) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(X) Seen the Grand Canyon
(X) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
(X) Traveled by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
(X) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
(X) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
(X) Been in a rain forest
(X) Seen whales in the ocean
(X) Been to Niagara Falls
(X) Ridden on an elephant
(  ) Swam with dolphins
(X) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
(X) Been water-skiing
(X) Been snow-skiing
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
(X) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
( ) Swam with sharks
(X) Been White Water Rafting
( ) Written a book or screen play

MBA

psychology.uwo.ca

As a matter of great rejoicing throughout the land (okay, just me, myself, and I)... I passed Statistics II. No, it was not the best grade I have ever received in a class. Yes, it was a tougher class. No, I did not like the course one bit. But... I PASSED. I never have to take statistics again in this round of college studies. I just find it kind of funny that I can get A's and B's in my MBA courses yet I struggle with and undergraduate Statistics course. Just sayin'.

Trip Update (Sorry, no pictures)

Okay, so it's not even really an update. I just want to let you all know that I am having an absolutely incredible time and I am not really wanting to go home. This vacation is exactly what I needed right now. I promise a full posting with pictures, etc. sometime shortly after I return home. Until then, Ja mata ne!

Leavin' On a Jet Plane...

In case any of you didn't already know, in about 8 hours I will be boarding a plane headed West to the "Land of the Rising Sun." I will be spending 15 GLORIOUS days in the beautiful country of Japan. Visiting the incredible people I met when I served my full-time mission there 5 years ago. This trip has been a long time coming and I can't believe that departure day is already here. So for now I bid you all sayonara! See you in a few weeks :)

Love, Rachel

Utah Weather: AKA Snowing on May 24th

Warning, this is a bit of a venting session...

Dear Utahns,
You live in Utah, most of you have lived here for many years, and yet you act shocked, surprised, and startled by the drastic swings in Utah's weather. Yes, today is the latest day that recordable amounts of snow have been recorded at the airport, but come on... we live in UTAH, wait five minutes, it'll change.
As for me, I don't mind the rain and snow up until the last day of school. The cooler weather keeps my students a little less antsy, and more willing to focus on school. If I had it my way it would rain/snow every day until the end of the school year! Hate me for it, but it makes teaching so much better.
Plus, I really enjoy having plenty of drinking water, bathing water, and even water to keep our lawns green in August and September. We have to get our water somewhere, and last I checked this is how Utah gets most of it's water.
Finally, history has proven that the cooler and wetter our Spring is the cooler our Summer is. I personally am not a huge fan of 100+ degree days all Summer long, so I am more than willing to deal with Snow/Rain when I am cooped up at work.
Most of those complaining about the snow and rain now are likely the ones that will complain that it is too hot come summer, anyway!
So, for now, Bring on the Rain!

Spring Break-Better Late than Never!

As a teacher in the district I work in I was very, very, very grateful for the week-long Spring Break this year. It couldn't have come at a better time and with my Grandmother struggling with Alzheimer's it was a good chance to go back East and visit some family. I hadn't been back East since 2002, so it was about time I took a trip.

Monday night of Spring Break I had a college class. When I went in the wind was blowing and it was still somewhat warm, when I came out of class it was a white-out, blizzard-like storm. I was driving home, on the freeway, going 20 miles an hour, IN APRIL! I left the following morning and it was 30 degrees at home, with 8-10 inches of snow on the ground.

I landed in Atlanta and could immediately tell the difference in temperature. It was 90 degrees and I was in jeans and a sweatshirt! I went straight to the bathroom to put on a pair of shorts.

Haley, Emma, and Me at the Braves Game

I decided to spend the first part of my trip in Atlanta visiting my cousin and her family. She has a 4 year old daughter and twin 2 year old boys. It had been a while since I had seen her, at least 2 years because I had never met her boys. We just stayed around the house, ran errands, and did a lot of visiting. The second evening we took a girl's trip to the Braves Game. For those of you that know me you know that I have been an Atlanta Braves fan for 20 years. (For those of you that are lost, the Braves are a professional baseball team.:)) It was fun to get out to the ballpark, eat my once a year hotdog, and just enjoy an evening watching a game.

The next day I left for Tennessee to visit my mom's parents and her siblings. All of her siblings and her parents live within 1 hour of each other, except for us a few thousand miles away. My grandparents live on a 55 acre wooded lot with trails throughout the property. One of the things I wanted to do while I was there was get on the tractor and just drive around their farm. This city girl sure does enjoy trips out to the farm! My grandfather built their house and my grandmother has always loved her flower bed out front!

While there we also took a trip to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. It is always fun to spend time with my grandparents.

My Uncle Ken (we always called him Uncle Buh)

My Grandparents (my mom's parents)

My Uncle John and Aunt Ruth (She is a police officer)

On Saturday my Aunt Ruth asked me if I wanted to go out on patrol with her for the day. I had never been out on patrol, so I of course took her up on the offer. It was a pretty slow day, but it was good to spend the day with her. I always love getting to spend time with Ruth.

Saturday night I drove back to Atlanta to stay at Haley's house and go to Church with her family Sunday morning. It was a wonderful day and I am so grateful for her hospitality. I definitely need to get back to visit sooner rather than later.

Now the countdown is on to the end of the school year!!!