Month: December 2023

More fun in Japan, Team Lab Museum and Hang Time with Ammon and Clarissa

Lily, Lydia and Mary are still absolutely loving Japan. They started the day by visiting this museum:

  • This is a Persimmons Bonsai tree. I love persimmons, and I love Banzai! Lily knew I would love this picture. The fruit are so cute!

Then it appears they had tea and went on a nature walk. I think these experiences were at the location of the museum they just saw, but I’m not sure:

This appears to be a gift shop for the museum they just saw:

Here are more scenes of their adventures before going to the next museum:

Then they went to another museum. Here are the pictures:

Then they had fun at Shibuya Crossing which reminds me of Time Square:

Here is more content from their adventures that evening:

So many vending machines!

Check out their sleep pods!!!

The next day for them (but still the same day for us), they went to the Team Lab Museum. Lily said it was one of the most amazing experiences of her entire life. They girls also loved it immensely. Lily described it as “euphoria”. I don’t know exactly how it all worked, but I know they downloaded an app, and the exhibits were highly digital, but also included natural elements like water. In one exhibit, you walk through water, and when you touch fish (digital), they turn into flowers. It was incredibly immersive, and it was a major life highlight for the three of them. There is one in Miami we are excited to all go to as a family. Here are the pictures and videos from their time there:

This next part had the water and fish that turned into flowers:

https://youtu.be/8OnVEXahWFQ

Meanwhile, I was having fun and Ammon and Clarissa at Hang-Time (at literally the exact same time Lily and the girls were in the Team Labs museum):

  • There were handles for standing up on the zip-line. I know now it’s not meant for standing. The carabiner hit my head when I hit the stopper.


Still Loving Japan

This was day 2 or 3 for Lily, Lydia and Mary in Japan. It’s hard to keep track especially since with the timezone changes I’m probably mixing up their days a little. For example, in my Google photos I think some of the below pictures are in Kyoto, but I thought their Kyoto day was yesterday. Then again, it probably was both yesterday and today here because of how the timezones work. Anyhoo, here are some more pictures of all the fun they have been having, including a veritable crab feast which they all truly loved:

I believe this was their crab feast

Nothing too much to report back at home. I’m working like a devil in all directions and started meeting with the new managers I’ll be working with. We also got our new oven today (we switched out the last one when we didn’t like how it looked). Also, the picture on the right made me chuckle. I’m not sure if someone arranged the coffee beans and reindeer intentionally this way, or not, but it made me laugh.

Here are Ammon and Clarissa eating in our Christmas home. We miss you Lily, Lydia and Mary!

Mary gets lost, Japan rocks, and I’m very busy.

I did not have too much to report from my side today, so let’s dive right into Lily, Lydia and Mary’s first day in Japan!

[Writing this from the next day] Yesterday I talked to Lily right after my massage and learned that they took a bullet train to Kyoto, and Mary fell asleep on the train. Lydia moved from being next to Mary over to sitting by Lily, and when the train stopped and Mary had awoken, she didn’t see anyone, thought Lily and Lydia had gotten off the train, and so she got off too. Lily and Lydia continued on 89 miles to Kyoto and when they were going to exit they realized Mary was not on the train! Lily was panicked, but not for long, because the train station officials were quickly able to help her (after navigating the language barrier and possibly never fully understanding why Mary was 89 miles away from Lydia and Lily). They called the station where Mary got off, located Mary and brought her to Lily and Lydia. We were worried that Mary would have been very afraid and sad, but actually she was just fine. She found an official, and they sorted out the situation, and then Mary talked to a lady who spoke English about nails and was shortly reunited with the family.

Lily, Lydia and Mary were already in-love with the city, but this incident just drove home the point. Japan is so safe, so organized and so helpful. It is literally one of the only places in the world where this type of situation could have gone so smoothly.

The language barrier is intense (even more intense than Hong Kong because even fewer people speak English), but everything is safe, clean and organized, and the people are wonderful. Lily did tell me it was hard at times to eat though as you aren’t allowed to eat on the streets, and places close promptly after lunch time, and don’t open up for afternoon tea until later, so if you are looking for food in the wrong time window it can be difficult. Food is also expensive and Lily has been stressed about that, but I hope she stops worrying. I think Japan is just a little more expensive of a place to be. They loved the iconic scenes that they saw both in Tokyo and Kyoto. Here are some pictures and a video of them at the dog cafe!

  • I assume this is what we are seeing in this gallery, but not sure

Kom Tong Hall and Still Loving Hong Kong

Lily, Lydia and Mary went to Tong Hall today. They are still loving Hong Kong. The Kom Tong Hall used to be a building for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but now is a museum of sorts for Chinese Nationalism. Lily said it was full of propaganda, yet she had such a powerful peaceful feeling come over her that she said he had a profound spiritual experience.

Here are other scenes from the day:

Then it was time for Lily, Lydia and Mary to pack up from Hong Kong and head to Japan.

Lily told me there was some drama at the airport. Lily accidentally timed things wrong and got to the airport late and there was a huge line. Lily asked an airport worker for help, and the worker said Lily was too late and that her ticket had already been given away. Somehow she knew that without knowing any information about Lily or her ticket it seems. Then Lily explained she was traveling with two kids, and the worker declared that surely she still had her tickets and they weren’t given away and that person fast tracked her through the line and Lily, Lydia and Mary caught their flight. Due to this drama Lily planned on doing things differently in Tokyo (her next flight) and going to the airport at night and resting in the airport before her early morning flight. Sounds exhausting!

In other news, the kids wanted to go to Burger King and I obliged. I completely forgot about how much I love their impossible whoppers (I got another one the next day for myself as well), and we all enjoyed dinner. Clarissa cracks me up with these videos Ammon recorded of her. I walk to Burger King…..

Falling in Love with Hong Kong: Cable Car, and Big Buddha

Today was a turning point for Lily in Hong Kong. After going to Disneyland (not sure if it was the same day or not), they rode what Lily describes as the most amazing cable car she’d ever ridden. Here are pictures:

Here is what Lily told me over text days later: “That is the glass bottom cable car on the way to the big Buddha. It goes a long long way over forests and over the bay. Over hills of jungle. Leading up to the big Buddha. This was the turning point for me. I loved it! And then Hong Kong became more manageable. Because we figured out the subway. Which is the nicest subway I have ever been on. In some ways nicer than Japan even.”

I was so glad that Lily truly fell in love with Hong Kong. By the end of her time there she was raving about it even though the beginning started out rocky. Here are pictures from their visit to the Big Buddha:

More fun

And lots and lots of pictures of Lydia and Mary having fun at their meal:

Cable ride back:

Shopping:

Eating:

Being cute:

Disneyland Hong Kong and Finding Renters

Today was a very exciting day for everyone.

For Lily, Lydia and Mary, it was exciting because they went to Disneyland Hong Kong! They loved it!. They said that Frozen land was amazing. Here are some pictures!

  • I think they said mostly all the food in the theme park was Chinese food
  • They recreated Yellowstone and a geyser!

We also had a super eventful day back at home. The day started with a yummy and fun breakfast with Todd, Casey and Kora joining us at Maggelby’s. I love Maggelby’s!

Then we went home and I took Ammon to and from math class. For the rest of the day until 3PM, I was racing around the house getting it ready for potential renters to look at, and loading some boxes into our packrat container while I was at it. The house was in great shape a week ago when we got the photos taken, but it took a solid five hours to get things sparkling and tidy for the walkthroughs (while also getting some packing done for moving).

The walkthroughs went so well. Both Lily and Charity (our property manager) have been amazing. They drove everything to get our house posted online to drive applications. And we were so fortunate because for the first people who looked at our home, it was a perfect fit. Their family needs were a perfect fit for our home. By the next day I had spun up contracts (with the help of Derrek, our friend/lawyer/ and Charity her husband TJ) and we had signatures. I couldn’t believe how fortunate we were!

After all the showings, we took Georgia to the Olive Garden. It was so nice to see her. We had a great connection over dinner and I really enjoyed seeing her. What a great day it was!

Once again, Ammon and Clarissa were such champs. After their big breakfast at Maggelby’s they had almost no food the rest of the day. I was paranoid about even a crumb getting out of place with the rental showings coming up, so I mandated no food until dinner. They only whined a little (and understandably so), and then they were rewarded with a great dinner at Olive Garden and Menchies once again. What great kids they have been! This has been an unusually busy and intense time for me, and Ammon and Clarissa have been understanding, self-sufficient, creative, and kind. They have been so helpful.

Also, we got to catch up with Lily, Lydia and Mary, while we were driving around. Lily commented on how beautiful Clarissa was and took a picture of the Facetime screen from their conversation together.

They played outside today
Menchies

More Hong Kong

Lily, Lydia and Mary did more site seeing today. I think Lily said a lot of museum placards were not in English so that could have been better at one of the museums they went to (maybe the one featured below? maybe all the museums?)

Cute turtles!

I don’t know where these pictures were taken, but I’m loving these duo shots of Lydia and Mary! Two peas on a pod!

This appears to be a second museum they saw today.

I don’t know what the building below is.

In other news, Ammon and Clarissa built a fort that they were incredibly proud of today. They really wanted to keep it up an extra day, so I let them. They have been playing remarkably well together. I have been disappearing for hours on end for work, and all the other stuff going on in our lives, and they just play endlessly together. Sure they find their way to some screens and treats, but overall, they are mostly just playing endlessly together and behaving perfectly. I even found Ammon making Clarissa a meal. He put two pieces of toast in the same slot and was so excited at his secret. The bread toasts on one side, but the side pointing in, and next to the other piece of toast stays soft and warm. He was so excited by his creation, and he’s been so helpful in feeding Clarissa when I’m not there. They have truly been the best crew to parent!

Hong Kong Adventures

I had no photos on my end today, but Lily, Lydia and Mary sure had a lot of adventures. Here are a lot of photos along with some narration which is me piecing things together the best I can based on what I learn when I catch up with Lily.

On Views: Lily, Lydia and Mary went to a viewpoint called the Peak. I think that might be the first three photos, but I’m not sure. They were blown away by the views of jungle meeting, and intermingling with sky-scrapers. It looks amazing!

On Textures: Lily knows I love textures and she told me that she took pictures of a lot of amazing textures that she knew I would love. Boy was she right!

I think this picture might be from a path in which Lily was not sure about directions, but Lydia and Mary just soldiered along at length, interested in their surroundings, without food or water and heavily jet lagged. If this path is not where that happened, just know it did, possibly multiple times. Lily has reported that Mary and Lydia have been the most amazing travel companions in the world! They roll with the punches, aren’t need, are excited by their surroundings and are just so great to travel with!

On Greenery: Hong Kong is so green! Just look at all this lush vegitation!

Boat tour:

Leadership Offsite and Lily, Lydia and Mary’s first day in Hong Kong

Today we had a Healthcare leadership offsite. Nick, our amazing leader, borrowed a Sprinter van, took everyone up to Sundance for the day to have activities and lunch and then we had a White Elephant gift exchange back at headquarters and heard from Brian Stucki. Then we all went to the Qualtrics suite for the Jazz. It was an incredible time. Here are some pictures:

  • Some made silver jewelry
  • some did pottery
  • I made soap
  • My soap (it’s supposed to look like a conifer tree)
  • My colleague’s soap. I thought it was beautiful.

While I was having my leadership offsite, my dad and Suzanne were taking care of Ammon and Clarissa. My dad found my old legos and a lot of the creations made decades ago were still intact. Ammon and Clarissa were so excited to show me my old creations and they had so much fun playing and building with the Legos.

Meanwhile, Lily, Lydia and Mary had their first day in Hong Kong. They were enthralled by the amazing views, and the contrast of jungle around and in a massive city with sky scrapers. They also had some difficult on their first couple of days. For example, Lily and the girls were incredibly jet lagged. The stopped at a park bench in a park, and Lydia and Mary played cards on the bench while Lily reclined a bit and fell asleep. A park guard then came over and kicked them out of the park! Lily asked why they were getting kicked out, and the man, who spoke with kindness, explained that no one is allowed to lie down on the benches. Lily was confused because she certainly was not lying down, and it felt very unfriendly, especially given how tired she was. She also had a hard experience at one of their Hong Kong Dinners (with language barrier and feeling no attempt to help her through the situation, I think the waiter even got in an argument with another staff member and then stopped waiting on Lily’s table), and an even harder experience at an Egg Waffle Place. The place sold egg waffles sandwiches which Lily did not want. She just wanted a plain [famous] egg waffle, so she said, “yes” when the worker asked if she wanted a waffle with nothing on it. When Lily got to the register and was given a plain American waffle (not an egg waffle), she tried to explain that she wanted an egg waffle. The worker got upset, gave her an egg waffle and then charged her two more times, again, with language being a barrier. Then the manager came out and got upset at Lily, but also refunded her some money since the other person over charged her. They made it very clear that they were upset, and Lily again felt like it was just difficult to be in Hong Kong. She was exhausted, struggling with the language barrier and just feeling generally like people weren’t out to help here. She also felt like transportation was super confusing, and she walked excessively with the girls because where they were staying was not close to the areas they wanted to be in (she thought it would be) and the transportation was confusion. I’m skipping ahead even into events that happened days later, but in summary, Lily really struggled with Hong Kong in the first few days. By the end though, Lily had Hong Kong figured out and she told me that she fell in love with it. I didn’t get as many details on why she ended it up loving it so much, but by the time she left, she reported how much she turned out to love it. All along the way the things they saw were amazing. Here are some pictures:

Lily, Lydia, and Mary leave to Asia.

This morning, Lily, Lydia and Mary left to Asia. They traveled for hours on end and took no photos.

Back at the house, we had a packed itinerary. After Ammon and Clarissa had school, I took Ammon to and from math tutoring (and got moving supplies with Clarissa in-between) and then I took them to the arcade with Todd, Casey and Kora, and then we went to a Christmas concert, and then we went to Menchies. It was a packed and fun-filled day!

Clarissa was adorable in Lowe’s and gravitated towards the pink bubble-wrap
Ammon and Clarissa loved this roller-coaster ride and did it over and over and over again.

Casey, Kora, Ammon and Clarissa had a blast playing Ninja Turtles and beat the entire game.

Our sweet neighbors invited us to this concert and it was very fun to attend. There was a song that really made me happy. It was called, “Grandma’s Killer Fruit Cake.” Here is a rendition of it:

Then we enjoyed Menchie’s afterwards: