Getting together

Yesterday turned out differently than we'd planned. (How often do I say this?)

All day Saturday Tetsu and I had worked on the "Nightingale room" and thus we'd unplugged the computer and the telephone. Around 6:00 I plugged everything back in and checked e-mail. Leiya had written to say that her host father "would be" in our city on a business trip. She sent the hotel address and telephone number but didn't say when he'd be here. I wrote back immediately to ask when. Yesterday morning at 6:30 after our morning walk I checked the e-mail again. Mail from both Leiya and Scott! He is here! Scott was trying to get in touch with us but the telephone wasn't working (Because we'd disconnected it all day!) So even though it was before 7:00 am. I called the hotel and made contact with him. Since he is in Japan on business he didn't really have much time for visiting, but he did have yesterday free so of course we were bound and determined to see him!

Problem. The house was in shambles from the day before. (We had been too tired to clean before going to bed.) One or both of us had to leave the house in about an hour in order to pick Scott up and go with him to church. Leiya needed some stuff from the computer put on a disc. So...I took off for the hotel about an hour away and Tetsu cleaned house and played with the computer! (Which, by the way we couldn't figure out so Leiya didn't get her stuff)

What a wonderful reunion with Scott! I talk to him occasionally when I call Leiya in Ohio but hadn't seen him in nearly 2 years. He had two business associates with him and the four of us went to church at the church where our family had first met Scott's family 6 or 7 years ago. It was good to see old friends (even for me) and everyone welcomed Scott like a long lost family member (which of course he is, in the family of God!) I got back into my mode of translating which means scribbling the sermon into English as fast as I can. My head doesn't work as fast as it used to and my handwriting hasn't gotten any better. I don't know if any of the three Americans could make heads or tails of what the pastor was saying even after reading my translation!

After church we headed back to Nikko where Tetsu was waiting, the house clean! My husband is so good about cleaning. I was amazed at how good he could get the place looking in just a few hours! He even put down left over carpet tiles in the kitchen! A quick look around and then we headed out to lunch.

A quick aside. Tetsu and I both drive moderate-sized cars. Not vans or SUVs but certainly not little compact cars either. At least for Japan they are medium size. But all three of the American guys were big and squeezing them into my car was painful to see. Knees up around their ears. Neck twisted to one side or the other because they couldn't sit up straight! Poor guys! We went in two cars to lunch but even so, I felt sorry for them as they folded and unfolded themselves when getting in and out of the cars.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time with Scott and his friends and covered many topics of conversation. Not too much said about Leiya except that she is studying very hard and doing well in school (Scott's observation) and our repeated thank yous for giving her the opportunity to study in the States. It was a great day!