The Jennifer Blogs

I can't believe that in a little over a month, it'll all be over in Tokyo and I'll be on to the next adventure -- Singapore. So many things to look forward to!



I've had tons of fun exploring Japan, and I'm very excited about what kinds of things lie ahead for me in Singapore. Mostly, I'm excited that I'll have 2 1/2 years there to do whatever it is I will do. So what will I do?



Well, for one thing, there's a group of women there -- the ExxonMobil Expats -- that meet regularly for everything from Starbucks coffee and movies to game night and tours. Lots of opportunities to meet new friends and get out and see the country.



I'm also excited about our apartment. We haven't picked one out yet, but we do have a few requirements. It must have a gym and a pool. And it must be near Starbucks. Funny how my priorities have changed in this short time since leaving the US. I'm not nearly as picky about square footage or countertops. Now I just want a gym to work out in and a pool to cool off in. And coffee. Is that too much to ask for?



Singapore is also a great place to shop! While I can't afford most of what they're selling on Orchard Road, I love to look at all those gowns in the windows at Louis Vuitton and the shoes at Jimmy Choo. And who knows, maybe I'll catch a great sale!



Our friends from Louisiana -- Chad & Shea -- are also considering an opportunity in Singapore. I'm excited about the chance to live near them again. Their daughter and D'Ette are great friends. Their son Kade is always great for laughs! And they've got a new baby for me to love on! Oh, and of course we just adore Chad and Shea!



I've also thought about going back to school. I'm not sure yet what for. I've toyed around with massage therapy for a long time. If I'm going to become a licensed massage therapist, where better to learn than Asia? I've also toyed around with a degree in religion.



Lastly -- I believe that we're going to have fantastic opportunities to serve our community when we get to our next stop on the Asian Tour. We've already begun the search for a church that we feel would be a perfect fit.



Just the fact that I have so many opportunities within reach is exciting. I'm still not sure exactly what I'm going to do, but am definitely open to whatever God has for me, and whatever THAT is -- I can't wait to blog about it!

Oh boy, did I learn the hard way to double-check my words!



This afternoon I took my mom and the kids to Asakusa. We had a great time and we were tired, but before going home I wanted to go to Akihabara to Tower Records to pick up Tristan Prettyman's new CD. 



I was in Asakusa Station staring at my map trying to figure out the best route when a young Japanese man stopped to help me. Typically when this happens it means that the person stopping to help you speaks a decent amount of English. In this case, he spoke none. But he figured out where I wanted to go and TOOK ME THERE.

No kidding! Mom, D'Ette, Jean-Luc and I followed this guy onto the train and let him take us from Asakusa Station onto the JR line, and then on to Akihabara. I have no clue where he was headed, but this kindness was greatly appreciated.



After he left, my mom said to me, "Jen, it's a good thing you're married! He's hot!" I couldn't believe my 70-year-old mother calling this guy hot! Then D'Ette echoed the sentiments, "Really, Mom! I was thinking the same thing!" I told D'Ette, "Your daddy is all I need." D'Ette was singing in the background, "Can I have TWO daddies?" Then she told me, "Maybe we'd better not tell Daddy about this. He was hitting on you." I tried to explain that people here are always very helpful and that he did it because he was kind. Not because he was hitting on me.



I got his business card and wrote him a thank you email this evening. I wanted to thank him for his kindness and asked for an address where I could send a gift of appreciation. Then I thought how nice it would be if I would translate it for him. So I used Google to find a page that translates text. I typed in my text and voila - there it was - in Japanese! How cool is THAT? So I typed up the email to this guy - first pasting the Japanese text, followed by the English text below it. Then I hit SEND. 



You'd think I'd have these great ideas BEFORE hitting the SEND button. Nope! I decided AFTER I sent it to translate it back to English. So I copied the Japanese text and pasted it into the box and clicked TRANSLATE from Japanese to English. 



Oh boy! That isn't really at all what I wanted to say! Too late now. Next time Ueda-san opens his email he will see that please I want to send you something, and that I signed my letter AFFECTIONATELY, Jen. What th'??? I did NOT sign it that way!!! I hope he finds someone to translate the original for him. LOL



Now this guy will think I am stalking him, for sure. Oh well. You live, you learn. And if he replies now, should I be worried?

When I was growing up my mom would always try to tell me how it was when she was my age. She warned me against doing certain things, or encouraged me to try something else. But often when I was a teenager I would snap back at her, "you got to learn by making your mistakes. Let me make mine!" I never realized how much there was to be learned by someone who had "been there, done that."



Now that I'm older and I see what other people go through, I can take something from that and apply it to my own life. I guess that's what's called wisdom.



My father-in-law is dying. We got a call at 7:00 this morning, and Marso had to get on the first international flight he could so he could make it home, and hopefully say goodbye to his daddy.



About a week ago when Marso was on the phone with his dad, his dad said to him, "I made a lot of mistakes. I have a lot of regrets in life." What a sad, but profound statement. How many times have you heard that you should "live each day to its fullest," or as Tim McGraw so eloquently puts it, "live like you were dyin'."



The point isn't to go out there and have a party every night. But you should definitely chase your dreams. I believe that if there's something you've always wanted to do that you should do it. Stop wondering, "what if" and just go see for yourself first-hand! What's the worst that can happen? You realize that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be? Okay. So you tried, right? Go skydiving. Apply for college. Ask her out! Send in your resume! Don't leave things left unsaid. If you owe someone an apology, make it. Ask for forgiveness if you haven't yet done that. Make things right. Say "I love you." 



Marso's daddy retired early. He was 55 1/2 when he quit working. He's now in his 80s. So for the past 25+ years, he's been retired. To him, retirement meant going out for coffee every morning with the guys, going to the library in the afternoon, and hanging out with the guys again after lunch. Sundays he spent with his wife at the mall. Every week. Week in, week out. They couldn't take vacations and travel because on his retirement and social security they could barely make ends meet. They couldn't even run the air conditioning or the dryer. She had to hang her clothes out to dry. They had to keep the shades drawn and the windows open for a breeze. There was never any extra money left over. 

I think if Bobby had it to do over again, he'd have worked a little longer, saved more money and enjoyed what he *did* have. He'd have spent more time with his children. He'd have spent less time complaining about the things that really don't matter. He'd have said more kind words and less unkind ones.



Bobby was an only child and he always got his way. So when he got married, he expected his needs to be met. Period. And that's the way it was his whole life. Bobby was always right. Everyone else was wrong. He became unapproachable and hard to get along with. And it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago when Marso led his daddy to Christ over the phone that Marso told his daddy, "you are unapproachable." His daddy had asked, "why didn't you do this with me sooner?" He agreed that he had built up a wall that made him difficult to talk to. And he agreed that he would never have listened until this point in his life. I think if Bobby could live that part of his life over again, he would. He'd be more approachable. He'd be more open to other people's thoughts, suggestions, ideas, and opinions. Especially when they came - in love - from people who cared about him.



Maybe this will spark something in you. Maybe it's just another testimony of how you should "live each day to its fullest," but it's definitely a wake-up call for me, so if I say something to you that seems "out of the blue" or if I seem a little different, you'll know why. I don't want to waste one more minute.

On the eve of my 36th birthday I got a much-needed ego boost!



Tonight on my way home from coffee with Beth, I stepped on the escalator behind a pretty good-looking guy. He didn't look Japanese, but I can't really tell you where he was from. He greeted me, but I didn't hear what he said. He said something else to me, but I couldn't hear him over the background noise, and I had to tilt up the front of my hat to see his face better, hoping that by reading his lips at the same time or judging his facial expressions I could learn more.



He had a very big smile on his face and was asking me questions I didn't know how to answer. At the top of the escalator, he kept talking to me. We stopped and he started saying, "France? Germany?" I finally figured out he was trying to ask me where I was from. I told him, "America." He smiled and repeated me, "Ahhh, America!" Then he put his hand to his face (to let me know he was talking about my face) and told me, "You are very beautiful." 



We went in opposite directions at Urayasu Station, and I walked off with a huge grin on my face.



All week I've been saying, "I can't believe I'm almost 40." Not that 40 is so bad, and not that I'm turning 40 tomorrow, but I am turning 36 tomorrow and that's more than halfway between 30 and 40. Thirty-five was halfway between and I was fine with that. But tomorrow means I'm closer to 40 than I am to 30. That's a hard pill to swallow.



Next time I attempt to talk myself back into that "I'm almost 40" self-pity, I'll remind myself that I got hit on! All the young, attractive, skimpy-dressed Asian women surrounding me, and this guy (who was attractive himself) hit on *me*!