He's Back!!!

Well Zack has safely returned from Japan! We are so happy to have him home with us, even if he did leave behind some really beautiful places. Here are some more pictures that I failed to put on before of his stay in Japan. It really does look like such a gorgeous place! Maybe he will take us back someday with him now that he's practically a native!





Zen Garden
Zack eating a little Tofu lunch at a nice restaurant.
View from their table. No wonder it's a popular place to eat!
Outside view from the restaurant. How beautiful.
Zack trying to blend in by acting like he knows how to use a cell phone!


Not sure what Zack was doing in the Geisha district?
This picture is to prove that Zack actually did do some semblance of work while in Japan, it wasn't all fun and games!!

Karaoke Anyone???

So for Zack's farewell party, the other grad students had a night of Karaoke!! I'm pretty sure that was Zack's idea! (Ha, ha) I guess it's a must in Japan. To my surprise, Zack managed to do several musical numbers both as duets and solos! Oh how I wish I had some video of this. His set list consisted of:

Welcome to the Jungle- a duet with Tomo (I think)

Yellow Submarine- solo

Octopus Garden- solo

Some Unknown Monkey song- a duet

Free Bird- Solo (a long solo)

and the piece de resistance

Ice Ice Baby- Solo

I think he had a lot of fun, and he said it was such a funny thing to be there listening to everyone really get into it. In fact the Professor that he worked with while he has been there did some numbers where he has taken a popular song and made his own Psychology related lyrics to go with them. I'm not sure how these went over, nerdy comes to mind, but then I'm not a part of the psychology world! What Zack found very interesting was that there were about 30 rooms for people to sing with their groups and when they were walking by, there were people that had a room all alone. Hmmm.....interesting. And then he said there were quite a few rooms with only 2 people in them. Talk about an awkward first date!! Solo anyone? Anyway, enjoy the pics......

A little G-N-R duet! Welcome to the Jungle!
A Little "Free Bird" by Lynard Skynard. I mean you can't do Karaoke in Japan and not do Free Bird! It's a must.
I don't know that I've ever seen someone sitting down to Karaoke! But who am I to judge?
Ice, Ice, Zacky! Apparently this one brought the house down! He had the whole group rockin' to Ice Ice Baby. He said he did the dance moves and all! I have to say, this is a new side to Zack that I guess the Japanese have been able to draw out!
I'm sure this is the other students cheering on "Vanilla!"

Japan/Zack Update by picture

As you can see, Zack's research trip to Japan has been just awful! Just slaving away in a foreign land!
When in Japan.....



Which of these things is not like the other??
Zack eating at a Korean restaurant. He had many interesting things like intestines, liver, heart, and tongue. He was a little scared at first, but said it was all really good! Here he is cutting up some beef.
Apparently the Japanese are very hospitable! Here Tatsuya is cleaning off Zack's shirt for him. I thought only I could do that! ha, ha.

More pictures to come.....

Some pics from our Utah trip!

Playing blocks w/ Grandpa D
The Three Amigos at Cafe Rio
Giddy Up Cowboy!
Seafood anyone?
Oliver and Granpa B

Fishing in Provo Canyon
Cousin Gage and Oliver

Just a little golfing out on the green!
Grandpa's Caddy!

Some pictures of the Golden Temple in Kyoto

 

 

 

 

A True American!!

Happy 4th of July to all! I just wanted to share some patriotic tidbits that Oliver has expressed recently to kick off your holiday: While in Utah he must have been struck by all the republican talk radio that my mom listens to each day. So we were at the post office waiting for my mom to mail something inside and he saw the flag outside waving in the breeze and said, "Mommy is that the American flag?" I said, "Yes it is." Then a few minutes later he said, "Mommy is that Barack Obama's flag?" Laughing, I said, "Well I guess it is!" It was truly funny, and I'm not really even sure how he remembered Obama's name, but none the less, he feels he is a True American! Eat your heart out Glenn Beck! Then a week or so later, Oliver and I were driving in the car to Zack's parents house. Oliver was telling me he wanted a present because we had wrapped one to give to Grandpa. So I had been telling him that he would get a present when it was his birthday and then I asked him what he would like for his birthday. He thought for a minute and then said, "Ummmm......maybe a Statue of Liberty toy? And a McQueen car, no 3 McQueen cars!" Where he got the idea for a Statue of Liberty toy I have no idea, and I really have no idea what a Statue of Liberty toy would do, but he wants one none the less......I guess it just shows how patriotic our son is. What can we say, he loves his country! So may you all strive to be as into America as Oliver is on this great day!! :)

Sidenote: Apparently Zack has taken our camera cord with him to Japan, therefore I can not download any pictures from the camera to our computer even now that I am home. Sigh. Thus I only had an old picture to put on this, but Oliver is wearing red! Errrr....Zack, you are totally busted!

He's off to JAPAN!! Our Happy Daddy!

Well no pictures because I'm still at my parents house and don't know how to get around their computer well, so pictures will have to wait. But in other news, Zack is now in JAPAN!! On his summer of research! So far he has been delayed by a Volcano, refused tea, coffee, and beer, taken a Japanese bath (I haven't found out exactly what that entails yet!), almost been inducted into some kind of cult, left jilted by his host family at a tea ceremony, and to his pure joy discovered that he could get normal icecream and coke there. And he's only been there a WEEK!! Imagine what can happen in the next 6-8 weeks! So far, so good. He's had many a discussion about mormons already, I told him he needed to find some missionaries there and get himself a stack of Books of Mormon and just start doling them out! :)

And while Zack is in Japan, we have continued to enjoy or last few weeks in Utah with our family and friends. I feel like I have grown a belly to rival Santa Claus in the time we have been here. And I think Oliver has grown a foot taller! (Ok, not really, but he is getting tall!)
Mostly I just wanted to tell Zack that we hope he had a good Father's Day!!! We love and miss him. (I say it in past tense since he's already onto Monday in Japan now.) Singing "Halloween Cat" just isn't the same without you!