Dec. 4th

Wow, is it really December already? o_0. I guess time flies when you're having fun :). I decided to post a pic of the Christmas Tree Braden and I bought. It was just a small cheap tree, but I think it turned out really cute :). We haven't been able to afford any other decorations beside the tree :P. Oh well, the tree's one of the most important decorations anyway, right? Course, having a nativity would be nice too, but I can't find one anywhere! No surprise there :P. Alot of Japanese people celebrate Christmas, but just the gift giving part of it, and they eat Christmas Cake (a fancy white cake that usually has strawberries on top. They're always really pretty). Except for Christian Japanese (most being Shinto or Buddhist) there is no mention of the religious side of Christmas. I guess I'll have to make my own Nativity. That might be kinda fun actually. This week for a Relief Society Activity (Relief Society activities are when all the ladies from church get together and do stuff) we are having a flower arranging lesson, and we're going to do a Christmas arrangement, that should be fun. For Christmas Braden and I will probably stay in Matsue and maybe get together with some friends, then for New Years we're going to take a bus to Shiga and celebrate it with a friend over there. I'm looking forward to it, despite it being a long bus ride away. The sun is shining today, its nice, especially after the weather yesterday. It was rainy, windy, and there was lots of thunder and lightning 0_o. Today is much nicer :). We haven't seen any snow yet, we probably won't see any till January or February. In other news, Braden and I are not going to be able to go to the Kyokushin Dojo here anymore, we decided that we simply can't afford it right now, especially after having to pay CWU back for a previous grant mistake that they made :P. Plus, I thought that we were getting a check in January (like we did earlier this year while Braden was at CWU) but I guess this time we're on a two semester payment system and we don't get any more money till April, so we gotta make what we have last. Thankfully I did find a part time job (as an english tutor), and although right now I only have one student (so I'm being paid very little) I may get more students as time goes by and earn more money. So, yeah, that's what's going on with us lately :P. Anyway, hope everyone else is doing well. We love you and miss you all!!!