Denise’s long summer vacation has finally come to an end. After something like 48 days of being abroad in California and Washington D.C., she is now settling back into Japanese mode here in Kyoto, Japan. Today, Mia and Noah had their first day of school. We did a rush job on their summer projects last night only to find out that they don’t have to have them in today. Tomorrow is okay, too. Well, now they are done, so we can give their projects a polish and still have them in on time. Mia did a purse with Auntie Kazuko. She cut up a pair of old jeans and made them into a very stylish purse....

It wasn’t ideal, because my wife wasn’t with us the entire time, but it was great nonetheless. Denise spent much of her time down at her mom’s in Monrovia and her brother’s place in Rancho Cucamonga. Currently, she is in DC with her mom and sister-in-law visiting the capital for her first time seeing the sites, monuments, museums and so forth. From her pictures on Facebook, she seems to be having a lot of fun, and it is only her first day there. Mia and Noah spent this summer hanging out with their cuzzies, playing games (lots of Playstation with Josh and Jordan), wrestling,...

Arrived yesterday in California. Will be here for the next 3 weeks doing our annual homestay program for Japanese kids. Going to enjoy the next 3 weeks also spending time with family, mine and my wife’s, seeing friends and soaking up California and American lifestyle.