Hey! We are still among the living!

Hi everyone! Sorry we are so behind. But I was in Texas, then Kansas, and Texas again from October until January 6th for the holidays and to help Jenny and Jason with the girls while Jen had the new baby - Sammy.

As you can see I was in Tx for Halloween.

Pirates, Vampires, and Dorothy (of Oz) were running rampant. I was terrified and charmed at the same time!

Sammy arrived just before Thanksgiving
and Granddaddy a week later so of
course he had to introduce him to the
Christmas tree.

We are so excited because he's healthy and mom is healthy and the girls are going to be GREAT big sisters : ). Jason is a great dad and soon to finish his studies. Way to go Jason!

Zoe and Addie had great fun helping Mom and Dad with the tree.

Ryan and his kids are doing well and Granddaddy and I loved the visit we had with them. Cade, Colton, and Kennedy are growing and beautiful. We miss you guys but had a lot of fun with you all.

Colton and Cade love taking pictures with my camera, here's one.
I think you can find the other.

Granbury is growing and my how we stayed busy while there. We bought some land and hope to modernize our old home some and then, in about 1-2 years, sell it and build a new one.

We will still be in Granbury but we'll be in a small development and further out from town. We will be close to friends and family. Todd is really looking forward to all of the work it will take to prepare the land though I am not looking forward to getting rid of the snakes! No kids allowed until we get some clearing done : )

A Big thanks to my children for putting up with me for the time I was there, thanks Jay, I know your mother in law for a month is every man's nightmare! Ryan thanks for the disruption in your home!

I missed seeing some of my friends but that doesn't mean I don't think about you all, I do and I miss you.

I won't be home again until June and I hope to catch up some then, make way Jason and Ryan!

Well our friends Jim and Cathy are here and we are going to be out "playing" alot so if you call and don't get an answer that's why!
We hope our families are well and know we are thinking about them. Please know that we love ya!
Grandchildren - Nana and Grandaddy love you bunches.!!XXOO!!
More later!

P.S. Sam L. we are praying for you and Leanne. We'll be in touch with the kids Friday.

Ryan, Toni, Cade, Colton, and Kennedy's visit!

Ryan and family came to Nagoya on June 26th which is my birthday and their wedding anniversary. What a way to celebrate! We met at the airport and what a site for sore eyes they were.



The kids did well on the plane and didn't seem to be too tired as we made the trip home.


We had a party with some of Todd's co-workers and their families on the weekend and the children all got along very well.
The Japanese love the Texas food, especially Johnsonville Brats! and ribs. They are always the first to go! The ladies mostly don't speak english so they visited with each other and the husbands and children.

We went to the Monkey Park which has monkeys and a small zoo but also many park rides. Ryan enjoyed the signs, and the kids enjoyed the rides. Well at least they did as long as the men would let the kids ride, as you can see Toni had to ride some of the rides and Kennedy, well she charmed a little fellow into letting her ride the same ride 3 times but no one else would let her. So she was very unhappy and mad at mom when that happened!

We went to Kyoto on the bullet train and the kids thought it was fun to go so fast. We saw the Golden palace and rode the public bus. But Kennedy had a tummy bug and so we cut some sites short and made it back to the train for home.


Nana got to visit one on one with the babies as Ryan, Toni, and Todd went to a local restaurant we like and then to a "western" bar for some fun.



We also had the neighbors children over for a swim party!




The boys in front of a temple sign in Kyoto.

Colton insisted

we take this picture and I'm so glad I did! A temple in Kyoto.

Todd left with the family on July 4th for Texas and business meetings. I stayed home and thought about how lucky I am to have 4 beautiful children and 5 beautiful grandchildren! Oh and a gorgeous husband too!

Love you all and hope you enjoy these pics!

thanks everyone!

Well it has been a busy month in May and I am just now seeing my "comments from friends"! I will learn how this works.

Sorry for the delay but we are very happy that you all have seen our blog and let us know you did.

Jeff - Hi! How are things? To our Lichte families we say hi too and we'll do our best with this spot for all of the kiddos : ).

Karen L visited this month and I think I wore her out! We went sight seeing and shopping on Sunday. Then we spent two days in Kyoto. We rode the subway to the Nagoya station then the Bullet train (Shinkansen) to Kyoto. What usually takes 2 -3 hours or so by car took 45 minutes by train. What a way to travel. We saw many temples and an Imperial Palace (the photo with the three students below, were taken there) and 2 geishas below, (Maiko - younger geisha)were taken at the Gion district where Geisha live and learn. When we got home to Nagoya, after a nights rest we went to Noritake to take in the tour and look at the china. Karen was very brave and ate lots of things that neither of us really know what were. Todd took off Thursday and we went into the mountains and visited two very old villages, Tsumago and Magome (Tsoo ma go and Ma go may). There we traipsed up the steeply inclining walk, passing beautiful flowering bushes and large old water wheels which kept the water flowing in the drainage ditches on the sides of the side walk, and lots of shops. The air was fresh and the day just comfortable. We ate a lunch of mountain vegetable soup, greens, rice, and some kind of fish, (I didn't eat the fish!)

Friday Karen and I finished up shopping and replaced her damaged suitcase (airlines!) so that she could get packed. And Saturday we had to say a fond farewell! So you can see that I tend to go overboard- beware!

We love you all and will let you know what is going on from time to time. Let us hear from you all,

Todd and Sue

Hi guys, Here we were taking pics at Inuyama Castle in Japan. It's beautiful. This was taken in the fall of 2007.
We are living here in japan just finishing up our second year. Whew! has time flown.
We travel and explore, get lost, get found, and generally put ourselves in God's hands. We have great fun together and laugh a lot. We think of you, our family and friends and wish you were here with us.
Japan is a vastly different culture from that of the U.S. We think because they dress the same (generally) and use gadgets and gizmos as soon as they're invented, that they are like "us" but the facts are they are very little like "us" in many ways. Yes they still want the big house and they still want prosperity and health but the way they go about getting these things is different.
They marry for different reasons, many still unclear to me. They sometimes live in different cities from each other. They work so many hours the men don't seem to know their children let alone their wives. They seem to have no "real" faith, but are willing to latch on to that of others. They eat and drink things so repulsive to the western eye and palate - even their own, but "it's good for you!" they say and chug it down! They go on vacation to places because they have famous sites or famous foods. If you're there you of course must eat the food, even if it's food you don't like!
The Japanese people are taught to be very polite but hurry past you on the subway or elevator and honk at you if you slow your car at parks (watching for children I have known to run into the street without looking). Every thing truly has a season here, a season to turn off the heat, a season to turn on the air conditioning, a rainy season, a typhoon season and so on. These things only start when the calendar says so. If it's 100 degrees outside but the calendar has not yet reached the day for the season to begin for air conditioning, then you swealter. If rainy season is over by the calendar and it's raining outside the next day, well it's not because it's the rainy season, it's just raining!
So here are our head shaking moments, but some are funny, some are confusing, and some uncomfortable but one deals with them as best one can. Challenging, rewarding, and enlightening all these things we try to absorb.
See you soon I hope! Karen from Texas is coming tomorrow, Ryan and family in June, can't wait! We'll be home in November for the new baby!!! We are her until November of 2009 for those of you who don't know.
Love you our families and friends, We do think about you all daily.
God Bless,
Todd and Sue