Privacy

After much deliberation, we have decided to make our blog private.  I love that people enjoy reading our stories and learning about our expat life in Japan. Currently there are 32,597 total pageviews! 168 readers just yesterday! But as much as I enjoy sharing, we've decided that it's time to only allow close family and friends to read it.

Our blog has become our life journal, and because of that it's very personal. We also need to think about our sweet little girl, who we no longer want to broadcast over the internet for the whole world to see.

So what does this mean for you?

Basically, we are going to password protect the blog. So every time you want to access the page, you will be required to enter the password. If you want to continue reading the blog, please email us at joe.emily.schreurs@gmail.com so that we can send you the password.

We're sorry for the inconvenience, but we hope you understand that privacy is important!

Also, just a heads up that we will also be adding privacy settings to our shutterfly site. We will most likely use the same privacy settings, so you will be required to enter a password to view the pictures.

This will go into effect in one week!!!

Guam - Day 5, Our Last Day!!

I'm sad to report that Guam day #5 was a wet one. There was a tropical storm heading in our direction, and a typhoon warning was being broadcasted. So unfortunately our last day was a rainy and windy one, but luckily we got out of there before the storm actually hit.

As soon as there was a break in the rain, we headed out to enjoy some last minute beach time. Of course this only lasted a short while before it started to downpour and we had to pack up and run inside.

 

Soooo we had to find some things to do to occupy our time in the hotel room... like napping, ordering pizza, and playing with daddy's hair. ;)

 

Overall, we had a great little vacation! We enjoyed relaxing and spending stress-free time together. Guam's coastline is beautiful and I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to visit the island.

Pictures are uploaded on shutterfly: Guam Album

Guam - Day 4

On Day #4, we spent the day doing some touristy sight-seeing.

We started our day at Fish Eye Marine Park, which is an underwater observatory located in the center of the famous "Piti Bomb Hole." You walk out on a boardwalk from the shore to the observatory, and then head down a spiral staircase that leads you to the underwater observatory. It's like being in an aquarium, except you actually get to see fish in their natural habitat.

The boardwalk leading to the underwater observatory.

View from the underwater observatory.

Next we headed over to the cliffside known as Two Lover's Point. Legend goes that the daughter of a wealthy Spanish family was arranged to be married to a powerful Spanish captain. When discovering this news, the girl was so distraught that she ran to the northern shore, where she met and fell in love with a local Chamorro warrior. Her father attempted to put an end to their love affair and force his daughter to marry the Spanish captain. The lovers ran to this point, where they tied their long hair into a single knot, kissed one last time, and then jumped over the long cliff into the waters below. This cliff remains a symbol of true love, and is known as Two Lovers Point.

Distant view of Two Lovers Point cliff.

The lookout point.

View of Tumon Bay from the lookout

Two Lover's Point. :)

We kind of felt like these were big tourist traps, as loads of tour buses were dropping people off at each of these places. But overall, we're glad we both of them.  It was neat to see fish in their natural habitat, which also staying dry! And the view from Two Lover's Point was pretty spectacular.

Guam - Day 3

Day 3 was a busy one! We started our morning at the beach and lounging by the pool. Then we hopped in the car and drove to the opposite side of the island for some yummy food at Jeff's Pirate Cove. From there, we continued driving around the entire island.

Checking out the ocean water with Mom.

Splashing in the ocean - she loved it!

Lounging in the pool with Dad.

It took us about a half an hour to drive to Jeff's Pirate Cove. My friend Stephanie, who was stationed in Guam when she was in the Air Force, recommended that we check this place out. I'm so glad we went - not only was the view from this side of the island gorgeous, but we also got to indulge in Jeff's 1/2 lb. famous cheeseburger - YUMMM!! A short walk from the restaurant, we were also able to check out an actual WWII bunker.

Jeff's Pirate Cove for lunch.

"Argh, Matey!"

Actual WWII bunker on the beach.

From here, we continued on to drive around the entire island. Guam is a small island, only about 30 miles long by about 4-12 miles wide. But it actually took us longer than I thought to drive around it, probably because the speed limit was only 35mph the entire way.

Beach area where the locals hang out.

Mountains near the coast line.

More mountains and coastline. In the distance you can see Cocos Island.

Watching the sunset on our balcony at the hotel.

Day 3 was a really fun day! We greatly enjoyed driving around the island - it gave us a better perspective of what Guam is like. I was actually surprised to see quite a bit of poverty on the other side of the island... numerous shacks and poor living conditions. Actually, we were surprised to see quite a lot of run-down and crummy buildings all over Guam. There are numerous vacant buildings with graffiti all over them. And the buildings which do have businesses in them are still really run-down and not well maintained whatsoever.

Guam - Day 2

Day #2 we spent enjoying the view, soaking up the sun, and lounging in the pool.

"I'm ready for the beach, Mom & Dad!"

Discovering sand for the first time.

"Ahhh, I could get use to this life."

Exhausted!! Taking a pool-side nap.

Dinner at Italian restaurant, Capricciosa.

This post might as well be titled, "Elodie in Guam!"... considering that it's all about her. That seems to be the story of our lives now, since everything always revolves around her. Love that girl! It's so fun to watch her learn and discover new things.

Guam - Day 1

I've decided to go day-by-day as I write this series of Guam blog posts. We stayed at the Marriott, located on the popular beachfront of Tumon Bay. I don't like to brag, but I'm totally going to when I tell you that we got upgraded to a junior suite, on the top floor, with the best view you could possibly get. This is one of those times where our racked up Marriott points got us some major perks, as we seriously had the best room in the hotel (thanks Boeing!). On top of that, we got to enjoy a gourmet breakfast buffet ever morning, compliments of Joe's elite Marriott status. :)

View of Tumon Bay from our room.

We walked down the beach to the Hard Rock Cafe on our first night.

Enjoyed the beautiful sunset on our way.

My favorite dessert: Hard Rock apple cobbler!!!

Considering that we didn't even arrive until late afternoon on Day #1, I'd say we did pretty good! Loving every minute of our Guam beach vacation so far.

Arashiyama, Kyoto

Arashiyama is a beautiful little town near Kyoto. The Togetsukyo Bridge and nearby bamboo forest are Arashiyama's well known landmarks. We spent a full day here, although we could have spent even longer - since we ended up cramming everything in! Here's a quick glimpse of our day in Arashiyama...

The Togetsukyo Bridge or "Moon Crossing Bridge," is Arashiyama's most well-known landmark. It dates back to 794 and makes for a nice picture spot since it sits nestled between the mountains.

Togetsukyo Bridge, Arashiyama

Next we headed to Arashiyama's famous bamboo forest. The path that cut through the bamboo groves made for a gorgeous walk. I read that this bamboo has been used to manufacture various products, such as baskets, cups, boxes, and mats at local shops for centuries.

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

After the bamboo forest, we ventured even deeper into the woods to see a few temples. Gio-ji Temple is nestled way back in the forest, and is known for its bright green moss garden. The temple and main gate both have thatched roofs. The main building enshrines the statue of Budha Dainichi, who symbolizes oneness with the universe. There are also 4 statues of nuns, including one of Gio herself.

Gio-ji Temple, Arashiyama

Nison-in Temple sits on top of a hill and has beautiful views of the city. The graves of many historic figures are located here. It was somewhat eerie walking through the graveyard, but the sites from the top were really pretty, as were many of the buildings.

One of the buildings inside the Nison-in Temple complex.

We saved the biggest temple for last! One of the major temples in this area, Tenryu-ji, was built in 1339. It's ranked among Kyoto's 5 great Zen temples and is the largest temple in Arashiyama. This temple and surrounding gardens are a World Heritage Site.

One of the buildings of Tenryu-ji, overlooking the pond and gardens.

One of the rooms inside Tenryu-ji Temple.

We also took the Saga Scenic Railway, otherwise known as "Sagano Romantic Train," which is a sight-seeing train that runs 7-km from the town of Arashiyama to nearby Kameoka. The route runs through the mountains down the beautiful Hozugawa River. The train only goes about 25km/hr, so we were able to enjoy the scenery. I'm told that the most popular time to visit is in the fall, during the autumn color season in mid-November. We might have to make the journey back for this!

On the Saga Scenic Railway journey.

Elodie enjoyed the ride, too!

It was a very fun, but busy day! It was really nice to get out of the city and spend some time breathing fresh air, walking through the forest, and sight-seeing. I get so wrapped up in wanting to travel and see the world that I often forget that I LIVE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY!! This weekend was the perfect reminder to enjoy every second that we have the opportunity to live here. We had a great time being complete tourists this weekend... and we're looking forward to seeing much more of Japan throughout the rest of this year.

Fushimi-Inari Shrine

Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.

Fushimi Inari Shrine is located in southern Kyoto and is famous for the thousands of orange torii (sacred gate) gates, which straddle a few trails through the wooded forest up Mount Inari.

It is one of Kyoto's oldest shrines, founded in 711AD. The shrine draws thousands of businessmen and tradespeople seeking blessings for their enterprises, especially during the New Year holiday.

According to the information brochure given to us at the entrance, "The deities worshiped here are regarded as the fundamental ancestral deities who protect the necessities of human life, clothing, food, and housing. There are more than 10,000,000 worshipers, high and low, rich and poor, paying visits annually at this shrine."

Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, so there are several fox statues throughout the shrine grounds.  The bushy tails of the fox symbolize fruitful years of rice, and the precious stone held in his mouth symbolizes the spirit of the deities.

The vermilion lacquer of shrines and Torii are very impressive! The color is regarded as symbolizing peace and good harvest.

As with most temples/shrines in Japan, you can pay to write a prayer/wish and then hang it on a gate near the temple for good luck. Here, we bought a "Senbon Torii" for Elodie - you write down your name and wish on the Torii gate, hang it on the orange fence behind the main shrine, and then hopefully your wish will come true. :)

Shrine entrance

Hanging Elodie's Senbon Torii wish for 'Love, Happiness, & Health' on the gate.

At the very back of the shrine's main grounds is the entrance to the torii gate hiking trail, called Senbon Torii ("thousands of torii gates"). The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies - you will see the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. The cost starts around 400,000yen ($5,000) for a small sized gate and goes up to 1,300,000 yen for larger ones ($16,000). The painted wooden gates are replaced every 10 years.

Entrance to Senbon Torii hiking trail

This is the real highlight of the shrine! The 4-km maze of paths wind their way up through the forest to the summit of the mountain. More than 10,000 orange torii gates frame the paths, forming a tunnel that in some places cuts out most light. The hike to the top of the mountain took us about 2 hours.

It was a beautiful hike through the woods and beneath the bright orange torii gates. There are several shrine/worship stops along the way with hundreds of thousands of miniature wooden gates hanging from every available space. There are also a couple of tiny restaurants and shops where you can stop for tea or enjoy rice balls.

Elodie at the very top of the mountain!

View of Kyoto from about half way up the mountain.

Family photo!

Fushimi-Inari shrine has been on the top of my Japan to-do list for quite a while. I'm so glad we finally took a weekend trip to Kyoto to see the shrine and hike up the mountain. The thousands of bright orange torii gates were quite impressive, and the overall hike up the mountain was absolutely beautiful. A definite MUST SEE in Japan!!!  As always, Elodie was a rockstar for the entire journey. She did great in our new backpack - and Joe was a trooper carrying her the entire way!

Poses

As previously mentioned in my last blog post, Elodie has two new poses...

"The Cheeser"

"Muscle Girl" or as Joe says, "Stiff as a board!"

We love this funny little happy girl! :)

8 Months

Happy 8 Months to our little princess! This month she's developed quite the cute little personality. From being shy in Michigan, to making a complete fake"cheeser" smile and "muscle pose" where she straightens out her entire body while laying down and holding her breath. She's so funny! She even started making fake coughing noises to get the attention of Grandma & Grandpa and have little coughing conversations.

Elodie had her 7-month checkup where she received her next round of immunizations. She's still holding steady in the 75th percentile for height, and about the 65th percentile for weight.

It was really fun to be in Michigan for 2-weeks during this time in her development and watch her interact with family and friends. She certainly loves her Grandmas and Grandpas, as well as Aunts and Uncles!! She was spoiled and had her first taste of vanilla ice cream with Grandpa-A, as well as a tiny sample of cookie dough with Grandpa-S.

This past month she learned how to wave and do hi-5's, which is super cute. :)  She also learned how to drink from a straw, and has mastered the sippy cup - yippee! Right now her favorite things are books - she loves being read to, singing silly songs, jumping, walking around in her walker, skyping, being naked, eating/sucking tags and stringy objects such as hoody drawstrings, and swimming. Things she dislikes: green beans, noisy high-pitched Japanese school girls in her face, her walking/grunting panda toy, and the sun in her eyes.

I know I say this every month, but I really can't believe she's 8 months already. Time goes by so fast! I added a few photos from our 8-month photo shoot to the Shutterfly album Watch Me Grow.

Kakuozan Nittai-ji Temple

Kakuozan Nittai-ji Temple is only a few subway stops away from downtown. Nittai-ji means "Japan Thailand Temple," which stands for 'auspicious king' in honor of Buddha and Japan-Thai for the friendly relations between the two nations.

It was constructed in 1904, and then Nagoya was chosen as the location to bestow a Buddha relic and 1000 year old Buddha statue. I read that the temple was built as a repository for the true thumb bone of Buddha Sakyamuni, which was a gift from King Chulalongkorn, who was then a King of Siam (present Thailand). It was rebuilt in 1984. Thai royalty continue to visit here on trips to Japan.

5-storey pagoda next to the temple.

The entrance gate to the temple.

The main temple.

Inside the temple. Daily Buddhist worship is held at 12:30.

Priests chant sutras every day during the daily worship time.

Pretty neat that we live downtown, but yet can experience something like this only 15 minutes away.