Last week my Opa (grandpa) took a turn for the worse.  On Tuesday he was so bad hopice was called, and they didn’t think he had much longer on this earth.  I didn’t find out about a lot this until last weekend, mostly because I’m 6,000 miles away.

 Although I knew in the back of my mind that Opa wouldn’t live forever, I never really thought about him dying.  When I was a little kid he was like a superhero: this huge man that would play any sport with my brother and I.  We’re not little kids anymore and he’s not his former superhero self anymore.  Even as the years passed and his Parkinson’s and heart problems worsened, I always viewed him as this incredibly strong guy who would never give in.  The reality is everyone has to give in, it’s part of the plan.

The best thing about all this is that I know Opa knows and loves the Lord.  He’s been a God-fearing Lutheran for decades before I was even thought of, and I have no doubt in my mind that when he’s finally called home, he’ll be going to the welcoming arms of Jesus.  In that respect I’m almost jealous, because I can’t wait for that day myself.

Of course, he’s impacted all of our hearts so much.  When he actually does leave us, there’s going to be this Opa-sized (and that’s not small) void in all our hearts for a long time.

If you could please join me in praying for my Opa I’m sure he and our family would really appreciate it. 

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On a happier note, I had the day off Monday and went to west Tokyo to see Sara and her mom.  We had a great sushi lunch, and then Sara and I went to a nearby park to check out the plum blossoms.  You can check out all the pictures on flickr.  I even used one of the images to replace the header image on this site.  Is it wrong that I’m completely and totally obsessed with taking pictures of Sara?  She’s so expressive, it’s different every time the shutter closes.

Sorry folks, but I haven’t really been feeling the whole posting thing lately.  I’ve had a lot on my plate, and when I got the spare time I’d always rather sleep than post.

I’ve moved back up to the Public Affairs Office, and it was a swift kick to the teeth type of re-initiation.  We’re preparing for possibly the most important person ever to visit our ship to visit this week, and we’ve had to jump through hoops getting things ready.  I’m already ready for this VIP to leave!  I can’t believe any one person could require so much preparation.

I had a great weekend of nothing, which was exactly what I needed.  My friend Sheila came over from Yokota Air Base and we pretty much ate home-cooked meals compliments of Sara, went to a Braddigan concert, and went to church this evening.  The rest of the time we sat around watching movies and catching up.  Perfect weekend if you ask me.  As always, check out the new pictures on my flickr site.

Next weekend I’m going on my second snowboarding trip of the year and I’m totally stoked!  I signed up by myself, and now the trip is full, but I think I’ll have an awesome time on my own.  I usually spend a lot of time waiting for buddies coming down the mountain, and by myself, my only limitation is how many times I can go down before my legs give out.

Since coming to Yokosuka I haven’t taken a single day of leave.  In the two and a half remaining months before we go out to sea, I’ll take a total of 30 days.  That’s half!  I’m really excited to show my dad this awesome country.  I had the opportunity to show my brother around when he came two years ago, and now it’s dad’s turn.

I’m still here!  A big project has come up at work, and it has eaten up a lot of my time.  Fear not, it should be done in about a week.  In the meantime, enjoy some new photos and check out the links on the sidebar.

Happy Valentine’s everybody!

As I pulled into my impossibly tiny parking lot today, a Japanese guy was finishing the wax job on his van. I would’ve been upset, but he was really nice about getting out of the way, and he had a surf board rack on top of his van. He’s actually a surfer/tour guide specializing in the Izu peninsula - a beautiful area I’ve been to twice (Ken - if you’re reading this - that’s where we went when you came to visit). He seems legit too. Here’s his website. We communicated well enough with his broken English and my broken Japanese, and soon he was showing me his house (which was about 10 feet away). He was really proud of his board collection and pizza oven. In addition to making at least two trips a month to Izu, he also has get together and cooks pizza. I’m really looking forward to that. This month one of his surfing trips falls between my two snowboarding trips, so I’m thinking about going. How’s that for why I love Japan? Surfing and snowboarding in the same month. Booya! Now I just gotta try and not hurt myself.

Funny observation: As I am writing this, the propane man just drove down my street. If you didn’t know any better you’d think this guy had ice cream, but in Japan when you hear music coming from a truck, he’s either peddling propane or sweet potatoes. Both look pretty dangerous - one’s pumping flammable fuel, the other has a fire going in the back of his truck to keep the potatoes warm. Also, I haven’t heard them here, but by the lighthouse there are guys who walk up and down the street at night chanting and banging wood together. Apparently it’s to remind you to turn off your heaters before sleeping. I love this country.