It just doesn't get better than this...

This week was packed with fun stuff. Usually we would post a bunch of pictures from all the different activities that have taken place this week, but we had too much fun and forgot to take pictures. Well, we didn't forget entirely, so I do have a few photos to share.


This was my last week of teaching for the school year. I was asked at one of my schools to prepare speeches for each of the three classes I was teaching that day. I thought to myself, what part of my sagacity could I possibly share with people who were maybe only 10 years younger than me. I thought back to a quote that I have always kept close to me, a sort of motto. "It's choice - not chance - that determines your future." Instead of "future," the real quote by Jean Nidetch, uses "destiny." However, I like using future better. I don't want to bore anyone with the details, so I'll sum it up as this... I used this quote as a basis for my speech to simply explain that the things we choose to do in this life shape our own future. 

Right before I left, the teachers had a special meeting where they gave me this bouquet of flowers to take home on the bus. Unfortunately, I will not be going back to this school to teach. I had such a blast at the Aizu Bange 2nd Junior High School!

On Tuesday, we had another holiday (I really love Japan for the amount of holidays we have), and took a branch trip down to the Tokyo Temple. It was our first time to do baptisms for the dead there and had a very nice time. We went home with the Takahashi family in our branch and stopped at Costco on the way. Although we had the usual fun of looking around at everything, but the most enjoyable part was sitting down and eating Costco pizza and ice cream. Yummy!!! 

This is a picture of some of the boys I taught after their graduation celebration. Once again, I found myself with a few tears despite trying to quell my emotions. So sad to see them go, but they can't stay in 6th grade forever!

Now that the school year is over and kids have started their spring breaks, Emily and I get to start our spring breaks too. Well, actually, Emily still has to go to work every day. I have to keep myself busy by finding fun things to do for the next 3 weeks. :D It's actually time for me start studying for reals for the GRE. Exciting? I suppose. After spring break ends, then we'll be taking our vacation down south to Fukuoka, so I'll be doing some planning for that as well.

Emily went to a Relief Society activity at church where they made these cute little key chains. Emily said although it was fun, it was a LOT of work and her fingers are still sore.

This is the Relief Society after church holding a party to celebrate the Relief Society's 70th birthday.

All in all, the week was a lot of fun, mostly because of the trip down to the temple and Costco. Now it's time for me to kick back, relax, and enjoy the next few weeks off... And of course by that I mean, time to start studying! We love you lots and wish you the best of weeks!