Yeah, I know I said I’d get better about blogging.

(By the way, this is (almost) exactly how I start almost EVERY hand-written journal entry.)

But the truth is, life has been happening. 🙂 Just in the past two months there have been memories made, growth, joy, and tears.

And there is a growing guilt. I’m wanting to document it all, so I can remember it for always. But the more I get behind, taking pictures, printing pictures, scrapbooking, journaling….etc etc, the more overwhelmed I feel. It’s the “type A” in me. It is very hard for me to start a movie and not finish it, or jump into the middle of a tv series without watching the preceding episodes first.

So let me start by writing about a few things I’d put off writing about:

*Kotooshu (co-toh-oh-shoo), one of my favorite sumo wrestlers, suddenly retired in the middle of the May tournament. It came as a much bigger blow that I thought it would. It’s been 10 years since my first visit to Japan, when I “met” this Bulgarian on the Trim’s t.v. set. And I think his retirement is just a reminder that I am growing older and getting farther away from my time in Japan. Which is sad. I mourned sumo’s loss…. and sumo changing…. and injuries…. And my love for Japan increased. (Man, I can’t wait to complete THAT scrapbook! Which is somewhere in a storage box downstairs.)

*I had my first “roadside experience”, after my radiator hose burst – leaving a 3 inch hole. By the grace of God, I was able to pull into a safe rest area in the “Middle of Nowhere” Texas. And while USAA roadside assistance was useless… Darling Husband came to my rescue finding an amazing tow/repair guy from Quannah, Texas. (Which I guess, is where I WAS.) Girlie was a trooper and had no idea how dire the circumstance was at one point. She enjoyed the white butterflies covering a lavender bush, the bright green caterpillar inching along the sidewalk, and the birds next to the small pond. (This was a quality rest area!) The Lord took care of us and we had a safe place to sleep, repairs were made (by the self proclaimed “Last honest tow-truck guy in America”), repair costs were very reasonable, and no one went hungry. 🙂 But I wouldn’t wish that situation on ANYONE.

*My first high school band director (because I went to two different high schools) passed away at 67 years old. He was a great man and I can’t even begin to describe how he impacted my music journey. I desperately wanted to go to the funeral, but wasn’t able to. I found comfort in contacting old band members via facebook. (Who also weren’t able to go.) We remembered our Texas State championship glory days, and all things that go along with the Texas heat and wool marching band uniforms. (Seriously, you haven’t sweated till you’ve worn t-shirt, shorts, BLACK socks, all UNDER the suspender-ed woolen pants – that come up to your chest, and a shoulder-pad-filled, double lined top that has an additional front flap, with a stiff priest-like collar and a fashionable leather, plumed hat with a plastic chin strap…. all in 100 degree heat and 90% humidity.) Yes… lifetime bonds were forged in those conditions. 🙂

And there are more things I’ll have to share another time… because Girlie is about to wake up from her nap and want lunch.