Takin' Care of Busyness

I'm sorry it's been a while since my last update. A lot has changed since my last life update, so here's a quick rundown of what has been consuming my time these days:

1. Work

Planning is the key to success

My shiftwork started almost two months ago so I've been working odd hours for a while now. This has its perks as I only work about half of the days of each month, I have my 'weekends' in the middle of the week - which makes it easy to play tourist since there are never crowds when I go exploring, and the work schedule comes out a month in advance giving me time to plan for any trips I might want to take. The disadvantages are, of course, the constant readjusting of my body clock so I feel like I'm in a constant state of jet lag, and the odd hours make it a little difficult to have a social life.

The work itself isn't always easy, but I enjoy what I do and am learning more each day about my line of work in the military. I'm grateful for this job that keeps me busy and continues to challenge me.

2. Church

Our musical Street Team

When my work allows, my evenings are typically reserved by my involvement in this great church God's given me. Every Monday and Thursday night, a group of us set up a mic stand and small amplifier and play music for the passersby. Each night we'll get a few who gather around us either interested in the music or curious as to why a bunch of white people are hanging around the station. We've met a lot of current church members through this street ministry, which makes this outreach team an exciting opportunity to be a part of; it's also really fun meeting random people on the street! Many Japanese nationals are a little too bashful with their English to speak with me, but a few really enjoy practicing their English with me and talking about American things, like 'Obama', 'Justin Bieber', listing random city names, and, for whatever reason, JFK International Airport has come-up more than once in conversation. I've met people from every continent at this point, too, (excepting Antartica) which always makes for interesting conversation.

I've also been pretty active with the church's worship team. Our church is filled with talented musicians who are a true joy to play with during our services. Our worship pastor really pushed me to get up on stage to sing and play, perhaps faster than I was ready for, but I get more comfortable each time I help lead. I've even been able to play violin a few times!

Singing/playing my electric fiddle to our arrangement of 'Build Your Kingdom Here' by the Rend Collective Experiment

3. Girl

So I met this girl named Sakino who takes up whatever time I have left. We met at church (naturally) and I noticed her for 1. her beauty, as is shown above, and 2. the fact that she pretty much shut me down the first time we talked. We were mingling after the service one Sunday and I wasn't doing a great job of keeping up decent conversation, which was evident to the both of us, so she said, "Okay, well I'll talk to you later" and walked away.

So I decided I should ask her out.

After a few weeks, the opportunity arose for me to pose the invite and she agreed to meet me for coffee. Our date was enjoyable enough that she agreed to another date...then another...and another...until I asked her out for a nice dinner and we kicked off our relationship. She's a wonderful girl: very smart, multi-talented, shares similar values with myself, and very easy to get along with. She plays multiple instruments, enjoys traveling, and after spending a few years in the U.S. (a year of which was spent near my hometown in Texas!) speaks good-enough English to engage in meaningful conversation.

Since we started dating, she's switched jobs from marketing to a job-placement company, which has her working long hours - typical for most Japanese people (they're very industrious on this side of the world) - but is much more enjoyable work for her than her last job. So between her long hours and my odd hours, we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like; however, our time together is treasured and more valuable with each moment.

That's all I have for now. I'm taking a trip pretty soon so I'll hopefully have some good pictures and experiences to share with you in a short time. Until then, here are a few recent adventures:

At the Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo. It's one of the most popular temples in the area.

At the Senkeien Gardens in the Autumn. The fall foliage was gorgeous that day. Unfortunately, this picture was the only one that even came close to doing justice to the gardens.

Sakino at the start of our day hike. Japan has some incredible and serene hiking trails, which makes me love Japan all the more.

Enoshima illumination. The Japanese have truly perfected the art of Christmas lighting. Once again, my cell phone camera couldn't capture the beauty of the illuminations this season. Maybe I'll get a better camera for next season.

I found this park in a small district in Tokyo called Yanaka. With over 30 temples/shrines in the tiny district, this park well-represents the scenic and ancient appearance of this small town hidden in the middle of the bustling metropolis.