Time to smile :)

It's the moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for all week... here's my smile list this week!! :)

-having a productive day

-cool but bright and sunny fall days

-a friends' suggestion to name our "Friday Night" plans to go for a hike on Monday "Monday Morning"!

-the boy that comes to Sunday School every week...he's just so sweet! and being able to 'make conversation' in Japanese with him made me smile too!

-a picnic on the beach including McDonalds chicken nuggets and a mint oreo McFlurry :)

-Grandma Okamoto :) this week she made me laugh when she responded to Bob when he asked her what she thought of the cake I made... we're not sure what she said exactly because she is really hard to understand (she has no teeth!), but she intentionally covered her mouth so that I couldn't see what she was saying and wispered something to him... we got the feeling she didn't like it!

-Japanese kids

-a nice hot shower on a chilly morning!

-Fall :)

-a man practicing his golf swing while waiting in line at a restaurant

-Bobby getting an extra stamp on his point card at the restraurant because the lady thought he was cute!

-gifts from an American including cake and brownie mixes, a Sidekick and even Reese's Peanut Butter cups!

-students acting out words like "busy, tired, hungry, etc.." as their partner asks "are you tired?" etc.... One student was acting out "busy" and her partner asked her if she needed to use the bathroom!!

-my ever quirky students!

-a picture of one of my student's brand new nephew... and getting to meet him when he was 6 days old!

-making plans with one of my students to have her practice her gel nail skills on me!

-hearing the mail man slip something into my mail slot... expecting it to be a bill, but finding out it was a post card from my sister! :)

-the irony of having a class be cancelled due to a possible typhoon... only to wake up to a bright sunny day!

-Bobby's correction on his quote from last week: "I think my exact words were 'throw up'. " :P

-other people's smile lists... and being part of their list!

-messages from my friend written in Japanese characters, but pronounced into English words! (I think that one only makes sense to me!)

-an e-mail from a friend that was so full of encouragement it made me cry!

-friends that care about you enough to help you with your Japanese homework! (and lovingly correct you... and make you repeat an activity several times so that you aren't just randomly choosing particles, but really understanding the activity!)

-long, long e-mails back and forth with someone I've been friends with for 14 years... hmm I'm beginning to sense that friends are a huge part of my life!

-hearing about one of my students going on a moonlit walk along the beach with his wife when there was a full moon last week :)

-One of my students went to an 'Ecuadorian Festival' and brought us some brochures. We were looking at them when another student came in late... I told him as a joke that this student "went to Ecuador" and everyone laughed. The student who came in late got very excited and said in Japanese "OH! Ecuador!! WOW....... where is Ecuador?" (maybe this is one of those 'you had to be there moments?!)

-making plans for a class trip to Maryland to visit Bobby when he's on furlough

-hearing snippets of the new Christmas CD's from Chris Tomlin and Downhere!

-my parents :)

-going shopping with one of my students and enjoying the "marching band music" playing in one of the stores we were in!

-watching a brand new mother and father (and grandfather, grandmother, and aunt) just stare at their new baby in awe... it almost made me cry!

-getting compliments from Japanese people on my chopstick skills! :)

-early morning fog hovering on the mountains

-watching one of my students try to keep her mother awake during the Bible lesson in my kids' English class this morning!


I know I say this every week, but that's ok... I am just SO blessed and I absolutely love making these lists! It's so good to reflect on what God has given me to put a smile on my face... and make others smile when I do it! Every week I start off thinking that my list will be short, but by Saturday I start worrying that I'm going to bore everyone because I've got such a long list!

God is so good, isn't He?! :)