August 11 '11 Ty's Golden Birthday!

Sister Watabe and I are visiting teachers for a family whose Dad has been in Afghanistan this past year. They are in the States for the summer and he was coming home to an empty house. He was able to come home a bit early and spend some time with them in the US. Sister Watabe has been watering their plants all summer. We went in and turned on the air condition and put food in the fridge for him. Our RS president made this cute sign for the door. The missionaries have started a J-Kaiwa (Japanese conversation) class. They had a little party on Tuesday night. Here is a popular part - making origami items. He is making a crane.

And he made a samurai star.

Some missionaries came for lunch after they attended the temple.

Sister Hooker and Sister Finlainson (sp?) - I gave them each a little purse that I had made. One is leaving and one is just beginning her mission.

I made a lot of these - gave one to each of the senior sisters. They loved them!

This was my first one - Sister Donahoe chose it.

Sister Karine Havard models the blouse that we made together. She wanted to copy one that she had. Looks pretty good for not having a pattern.

Naoko models the birthday apron that I made and had people sign for her.

Sister Ericson and her first kimono square for our friendship quilt. She did very well for the first time.

Sister Chipman shows her two squares. There is a story behind each one! (Lots of frustration because there was not quite enough fabric - but they turned out so nice!)

The Shiznos drove some of us over to a little shop in a Japanese home to look at yukatas and other items that they sell. The owner is the mother of one of the temple secretaries. It was a wonderful, unique experience.

This is the owner and her home/shop. She was so nice to us - served us water and a treat before we started to look at the items. She actually makes kimono and teaches it at a junior high school. It is quite an art.

This is a poster from the subway but shows various types of yukatas (lighter weight for summer wear).

Footwear ...

Such a nice lady! We made it worth her while to keep her shop open in the evening. I think we all bought something.

The Havard family invited us over for a Sunday meal. They are from France and we had delicious food. The girls are adorable.

This is a McDonalds worker. Love the beret!

Summer wear for men - cool and comfy. Dad has two sets but never wears the shorts and only wears the top as a pj top.

The head scarf is to catch the sweat. Towels worn around the neck are also handy to keep the sweat from running down your neck and to wipe your face.

Sweet Sisters giving us a lesson after a meal. They are very comfortable on the floor.

These are just some of the summer activities we have been involved in lately. What a variety of experiences we are having!