Sweet Home

Just a little update on jobs and school...

I was offered and accepted a job in the Sweet Home School District. I'll be working half time as a extended day Kindergarten teacher and half time as a Reading Specialist in Sweet Home and Foster starting at the end of August. I will have a wee little commute of 45 miles each way, but am hoping to carpool with another teacher to make it a little more bearable. Neither kindergarten, being a Reading Specialist, or spending half my paycheck on gas is what I had in mind for the coming school year, but I felt strongly that Sweet Home was where I should be. So, here's to a year of blowing noses,teaching phonics, and singing in the car! Jake and I are definitely excited about the prospect of an income and health insurance, and I know that it won't take me too long to fall in love with my new little kiddos.

Jake is plugging away at school. He is really enjoying his Law class- especially all of the reading he has to do every night. Who doesn't love to read page after page of law jargon on a nice summer evening? At least by the end of the class, he will know exactly how to get sued as a teacher. If that doesn't get you ready to be a teacher, I'm not sure what will. He is also taking a very "informative" computer class that teaches him all about Googling and the who, what, when, where, and why of research. So if any of you are confused about how to use the Google bar, or have forgotten the 5 "w's", let him know. Can you believe he has to PAY to take a class on this?! Okay, there might be more to the class, but that's all I've heard him talk about. :)

Hope everyone is doing well!

366 Days and Counting...

It doesn't seem quite right that we are already celebrating our first anniversary. It seems as if it were only a short while ago we were two happy newlyweds who were suddenly thrown out on the streets in a foreign country with no job and no where to lay their slightly large blond heads. But, nope, that was way back on Day 112. Today is Day 366*.

We have definitely had an interesting first year- one that will be difficult to ever forget. As we have said many times before, Japan was a wonderful, crazy and at times very challenging experience for the two of us. While we loved the opportunities living abroad gave us, we are excited to see how year two shapes up for us as we try to settle into a more normal life in Eugene.

We are partially moved into our duplex. The shower head has not yet been fixed, but Jake has informed me that it works out okay if you shower while on your knees. We'll probably both need knee replacements by the end of the year.

I put together a quick slide show of our first year together. There's no music, but feel free to imagine my voice singing your favorite song while you watch it.



*Thanks to Becca for pointing out that we really have been married 366 days and not 365. Way to be on top of things.

Our new place

Here's a picture of the shower in our new duplex. It's a little too low for our liking. In fact, I do believe that the shower head in our Japanese apartment was a bit higher than this one.

We start moving in tomorrow, but will be up in Tualatin until next week when Jake starts school. Anyone who wants to visit the fine city of Eugene is welcome to stay with us, but it is a BYOB situation- as in Bring Your Own Bed. Unless, you like the floor. If that is the case, then just bring yourself. :)

And yes, Bernie and Mindy are bursting with joy at the thought of regaining their attic, garage, office, and spare bedroom.

One thing we have loved about being back in Oregon, is being surrounded by so much green! And, since we were away for most of the year, we get to enjoy the green without enduring all the rain that brought it. It works out quite nicely for us. These pictures were taken over Memorial Day. We took advantage of the one day of nice weather and went hiking (or leisurely strolling) through the West Hills.
















In other news...

Jake is once again teaching Jill how to drive the Honda. For anyone keeping track, this is summer number three of lessons. We seem to have a problem practicing after Jill has figured out how to start the car without killing it. Hopefully, Jill will soon be able to drive without supervision.

We went to Eugene today in search of the perfect place to live. By perfect, we of course, mean cheap and not in a trashy neighborhood. The first three places definitely did not fit the bill, but a quiet little duplex gave us hope. We're keeping our fingers crossed that our charming personalities were enough to win the landlords over. If not, we may have to reconsider the small apartment in the dark alley way where crime thrives, or the concrete trailer-esque apartment that is about to fall apart. :)

Mr.Basketball

Lately, Jake has been desperate for basketball. The Spokane Hoopfest is quickly approaching and fears of inadequacy grow by the day. Will this be the year when his legs, knees, back, or shoulder choose to fail? Will he still be able to hoop it up like he did back in his glory days?

With June 27th just around the corner, Jake set out to sharpen his skills at the nearby Lafky Park. Here, he dazzled the crowd (one seven year old boy, one high school kid, and one overweight and graying father) with dunk after dunk of raw talent. At times it appeared as if his feet never even left the ground.

Tomorrow he hopes to have the same success at the local elementary school.

Somethings Never Change...

Well, we have been home for just over two weeks now. It soon became apparent that life for Jill and Jake in America would not be so different than life for Jill and Jake in Japan. While Jill rises early to bring home money for the family, Jake snoozes the morning away. America has brought Jake a new sleeping companion- Chloe, and a slightly bigger bed...

Sayonara Nippon

The time has come for us to say goodbye! We have had an amazing eight months here in Japan. We definitely came across a few obstacles along they way, but I don't think anyone has ever said living in a foreign country was easy. We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to live abroad- especially after NOVA went bankrupt. Thank you for all your care packages, emails and prayers for our well-being. We look forward to sharing all of our Japan stories with you.

We'll continue to post when we get back home. Jake received a "too good to give up" scholarship to the University of Oregon, so it looks like we will soon be heading to the Eugene area. I think we all know how Jill feels about Eugene, but she promises to mourn for only a few more days and then will get "on-board" with the idea of not living in Portland-especially since it's only for another year. :)

Love you all!

J and J