This and That

Beaver's preschool had a field trip to the Kobe Winery last week.  You know, to do a little wine-tasting.

Just kidding.  Actually, they have a pottery shop there and they took the kids to make pottery.  It was really fun.  For me.  Beaver actually didn't care that much about making the pottery, but I've never done it before and I thought it was great.  I want to go back and take Bear.  I think he would love it.

Bear and Mr. Mike went on a Father/Son campout Friday night.  It was the last cub scout activity of the year.  

You might know that, unfortunately, I harbor a wee bit of bitterness in my heart toward scouting.  Throughout my first difficult years in Illinois, I felt like scouting was continually taking Mike away.  I spent a lot of time alone with my toddler - him missing his dad, and me missing my husband.  When I saw this picture, however, with both of them in their scout uniforms, camping out together, I finally felt happy about scouting.

Last night our branch had a farewell party for two families that will be leaving this summer.

My dear friend, Kim, who is moving to the UK in about three weeks.  Sniff.

Our friends that hosted the party have karaoke, which turned an ordinary branch activity into something truly memorable!

My friend, Quinn, and I singing "Bobby McGee" - a song of which I learned that I only know the chorus.

I was having a great time, and then I sang John Denver's "Country Roads" and got the lowest score of the night.  I thought I was doing great, so now I have a karaoke complex.

It was a fabulous evening, and we will miss the departing families terribly.  Included in those families is more than half of the primary, the branch president, the primary president, and the 2nd counselor in the branch presidency.  With such a small branch, we became very close, and every Sunday really felt like going to church with family.  Our Japanese church experience is likely to be very different after this summer, but we will always treasure the memories of this first year!