Flashback Friday

Monday will be one year since my Grandma Nori passed away and went home to be with Jesus. It's hard to believe that it has been that long. I have a special bond with each of my grandparents and losing two of the three within 6 months of each other was very difficult for me.

I hold one large regret with regard to my Grandma Nori, I never got to interview her the way I had done with my other grandparents. I actually had planned on doing it when we went to California to visit in July 2007, but my grandpa suffered a heart attack and passed away 3 days before we were to make that trip and those plans were put aside. I then resolved to do it when we returned to California for Christmas a few months later, but that was not to be either.

Just a few months after losing my grandpa, my grandma was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer that had spread to her brain. She deteriorated so quickly that by the time we got to California in December, she was in a nursing home and barely hanging on. I'll never forget when my mom took me to see her in the nursing home for the first time. She directed me to the room she shared with another woman. I walked in and looked at each of the women. My grandma was not in there. I backed out and looked at the names listed outside the door and one was clearly marked "Noriko Ishikawa". I walked back in confused. My mother walked toward the first bed and the woman opened her eyes and smiled at me. It was my grandmother, but I had not recognized her. Her hair had fallen out from the chemotherapy and her face had become round from the high calorie meals they were giving her to keep up her weight which had always been 100lbs or less even before the cancer. I smiled and went to her bedside trying to be upbeat, but I wanted to cry. I was devestated by her condition and the realization that she would not live to see Rachel be born. I had only found out I was pregnant weeks before my grandpa passed away and now here was another of my beloved grandparents that would not live to see her bright eyes and beautiful smile.

My grandma was so proud of my and my growing family. I see so much of her in Joshua. He has her nose and silly personality. When referring to my husband Brian, she would always ask "How is your beloved?" She knew I had been waiting for him a long time and rejoiced with us at our wedding.

She would call and leave voicemails asking how I was doing and if I needed any money. She lived on the thinnest budget, but would always try to slip money into my pocket when no one was looking. I always slipped it back when she wasn't looking.

I miss my grandma dearly and I'm crying while writing this post, but at least I have hope in knowing we will be reunited again. She is safe in the arms of our Savior Jesus Christ and finally at peace. She had such a hard life and I'm glad she is now in a place where she can experience true rest.

I honor her by keeping the memories alive in this digital age of technology. Please share these memories with me.

Here she is in the 1970's - check out her friend with the 'fro!

My grandma Nori always wore the most outrageous outfits.

I smile when I think about that.

Here we are in the 1980's - check out the

size of the tape players we had!


This was as taken in the late 1990's.
Heather was pregnant with Tyler at the time
and one of her relatives was visiting from Japan.

This is all three of my grandparents visiting Heather
in the hospital after Tyler was born in November 1999.


This was at a Japanese restaurant for her birthday.
She was upset because the chef was Korean and not Japanese.

This is me with my grandma at Heather's civil wedding ceremony in July of 2001.

This is us at my wedding in May 2004.


Here she is with her great-grandson Joshua after
we came home from the hospital in March of 2006.

Here we are after my grandpa's funeral in July 2007.

My dad with his mom.

Me with my first born son and her with hers.

Happy and smiling with all her great-grandchildren.

Thank you grandma Nori for being a true survivor and

teaching me to enjoy my children and embrace the silliness.

I am in love...

with my new toys! You can call them late Christmas presents, but I call them both great deals! I've been saving up for a little while and finally got a new (sort of) vacuum and camera. My vacuum is the Consumer Guide #1 rated Kenmore Progressive that I got on eBay. It is so cool! It has IntelliClean technology that lights up when there is more dirt in an area that it is picking up so you know to keep vacuuming until it's all gone. My carpets have never been cleaner. Except when they were new and before we had kids. But you know what I mean.

And my other new (sort of) toy is my Canon Rebel XTi

with Sigma 18-125mm lens. I also got this on eBay for a steal!

It was still expensive of course, which is why I had to save up.

Here are some of the amazing pictures I've taken

while I'm still learning to use it.

Praying for our President

Today is Inaguration Day and now more than ever, America needs your prayers. The Bible says that we should pray for our leaders and those placed in authority over us. Please take a few minutes (preferably with your spouse and/or children) to pray for Barack Obama, his incoming cabinet members and this great nation. Also, please head over to this website to register your name and commit to pray for our new president and our country.

God Bless America!

Flashback Friday

Since most of the country is freezing cold I thought

I'd post some pictures from my honeymoon in Hawaii.

Here we are at Waimea Canyon, dubbed the

"Grand Canyon of the Pacific" by Mark Twain

This is us at Fern Grotto where Elvis filmed "Blue Hawaii"

Here we are at our luau. The food was delicious!

And so were the Mai Tai's!
Our helicopter ride. It was scary, but super fun
and a must-do if you ever visit Kauai.
Actual pictures we took from the helicopter.

Our last day in Kauai.
Our last sunset on Barking Sands beach.

Flashback Friday

Since Rachel has been sprouting new teeth this past week, lets go back in time.

Here's a picture of Joshua showing off his new teeth from 2 years ago.

No More Yard Sales?

I just found out some disturbing news. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is set to go into effect February 10, 2009. Here is some facts that I learned from Liz:

• Any item being made for anyone 12 and under must go through third party testing to test for the presence of lead
• Any item being made for anyone 3 and under must also go through third party testing for the presence of phthalates
• ALL products being sold after February 10, 2009 must meet these standards and be labeled as such
• This includes ALL items manufactured prior to February 10, 2009
• Regardless of testing of item components the FINAL product must also be tested
• This will include any items sold at thrift store, consignment stores, ebay, craigslist, etsy, and yard/tag sales
• Millions of items will have to be cleared from the shelves of stores and sent to the landfill, as they will not be allowed to donate these goods either
• Thousands of stores and small business will close shop
• The price of clothing and toys (new) for children will go up, but there will be no where to buy anything used, at least not for a significant period of time
• There has been no attempt to make testing accessible for small businesses and manufacturers who wish to be compliant
• There has been no clear communication with regards to what is really required, by whom and when

I do understand the intent of this law/act is to protect our children, but sadly it is horribly short sighted.

I have already written my local congressman and encourage you to do the same. Please get the word out because this will negatively affect our economy and those less fortunate than us who depend on thrift stores for their children's clothing. Here is a link to find out who your congressman is.

Stellan Is Home!

Stellan has been given a clean bill of health and discharged from the hospital! Thank you to all the prayer warriors out there!

Flashback Friday

This is a picture from New Year's 2001.

It's crazy to think that it was 8 years ago!

From left to right are: My mom, me, Jenna, my sister Heather & my sister Beth.

Congratulations to Beth and Hal who got engaged on December 30th!

May everyone have a wonderful and blessed 2009!