Getting Fat

I have told many of you over the past while that I would send pictures as I grew, so, I am finally putting that into action. I had Hyatt take a quick picture of me last night before we went out, because my outfit was one that particularly showed my growing belly. I apologize for the background, although it does give you a glimpse of where we have been living for the last 4 weeks. So, for that reason I did not crop the background out of the picture. Ah, yes, the Misawa Inn. Only 4 more days and counting:)

New Friends & Vending Machines

One of the fun and fascinating aspects to our stay in Japan has been the exploration of the Japanese Vending Machine. Whether you want a hot or a cold drink, french fries or a hot dog, or, dare I say, even a beer, you can buy it all from one of these amazing machines. A red or a blue background on the price indicates whether a drink is served hot or cold. The other day we ventured to taste test a few of these drinks, including hot cocoa (which tasted off, although we could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong about it), hot corn juice (just the the juice you would drain out of a can of corn, except hot, and with a few random kernels left in for good measure), cold C.C. Lemon (which boasted the vitamin C of 50 lemons or something like that - and it tasted just like my favourite British drink, Bitter Lemon, which is essentially carbonated lemonade), and another cold fruit drink (the fruit is still unidentified).

With the plethora of drinks to choose from, as well as the meals these machines can provide, the one surprising characteristic of the Japanese vending machine is that they do not sell candy, nor do they sell chips. I am rather disheartened by the thought of having to always go into a store to buy my treats, although my body (and blood sugar level) are grateful for this deterrant to my candy tendancy. I suppose we could now make the hypothesis that Japanese people must consume less sugar from candy and chips than Americans (or Canadians), on average.

While I sit at my computer, I also wanted to take this opportunity to introduce my friends and family back home to a few of our new friends here in Misawa.


In this picture, you will see us girls (L to R: Abi, Tiffany, Ellie, and I) after our Cranium victory. Granted, this is one of few (maybe even one of one, come to think of it) victories for the girls, so do not feel too sorry for the boys (shown below L to R: Brett, Hyatt, Brian, and Christopher).

Thank you for your prayers

I just wanted to pass a quick update to everyone to let you know that both Nicole and baby are okay. The doctor gave us a call late this afternoon to let us know that they had reviewed the ultrasound and that everything looked fine, and that the cause for alarm was a result of things that were still within normal parameters (i.e. nothing to worry about).

Thank you for your prayers. God is good, and we are glad to have such wonderful and supportive friends and family too.

It's a girl!

Well, if it is not a girl then we'll have one prude baby on our hands come June 4, 2007 (give or take 10 days :o)

Baby Murky is now a Murkette, or perhaps just Murki with an "i". For those who have asked, Murki is just the name we have been using for fun for our baby since we didn't know their gender. I suppose now we'll have to actually undertake finding her a more suitable female name, which certainly is not an easy task as there are so many females in the family who already have such good names.

Nicole was having difficulty at first transitioning to the realization that we will be having a girl join our family next and not a boy. However, I did find her shopping online for baby girl clothes just a little while ago, and am pretty sure that she is adjusting just fine now.

I'd like to show you our first picture of little Murki (we'll find a new name, I promise). It looked like she was picking her nose. However, we have no scanner with us, so we'll have to post it later.

Despite all of the fun news, the only reason we have this new is because of some complications that came up yesterday which brought about the ultasound ahead of schedule. We were not able to get the results back today, but should know more tomorrow. The baby looks fine and is developing normally, however there could be some difficulty in the pregnancy depending on the outcome of the results. I know everything is in God's hands. He has been so good to us and I believe that we will see his healing hand here as well. I appreciate your prayers for Nicole and Murki that Nicole will be at peace and be able to rest well and that Murki will continue to be fearfully and wonderfully made.

Blessings to you all.
hyatt iv

A Day in Hachinohe

First, I have to correct our post from last time - apparently Brian and Ellie took us to Towada, NOT Aomori... so, we have yet to see what is in Aomori. And some of you have been wondering when I am due, and why I'm not showing too much yet. Well, I'm due May 28, and I am starting to show, but you still have to see me in a more fitted shirt in order to be able to tell. And, since we are in cold Japan, and wearing big sweaters and puffy jackets, that means that most people still can't tell from just looking.

Now, to tell you about yesterday's adventure! We went with the Schulz's to the closest city to Misawa, which is approximately half and hour away from here (maybe slightly less using the toll road to get there, and more when you do not use the toll road). The name of the city is Hachinohe, and this was my first experience in a Japanese mall (where I purchased a cute babydoll dress that I wore to church this morning, and Hyatt says I look like one of the locals now). We also drove by the seashore here, and it was incredibly beautiful. It reminded Hyatt and I both of Monterey, except for the snow.

First Days in Japan

Well, Hyatt and I arrived in Misawa, Japan a little over a week ago, and it has been quite the adventure since we arrived. We have not yet found a place to live, but we did venture on an exciting jaunt with Brian and Ellie (and Sadie) yesterday to a town an hour and a half west of here called Aomori. Brian's ever positive description was that it was "like Lake Tahoe"... and of, course, me, wondering if Brian has ever been to Lake Tahoe, was exceedingly curious as to what his impression of Lake Tahoe was. So, we drove (and drove some more) up a mountain road towards this Japanese Lake Tahoe. I was excited when we passed the waterfalls , but even more amazed once we came upon the lake. Maybe it wasn't Lake Tahoe, but it was sure beautiful.