Happy Birthday "Shout Out" to Blake

Happy First Birthday Blake! It seems like we've barely blinked and time has gone by! For such a small guy, you've had quite an impact on our family!

You were born one year ago today in San Diego, California (or "Paradise", as we like to refer to it...if it's not Paradise, we're sure it has the same zip code.) If your dad had his way, your name would be "Diego". Lucky for you, your mom talked him out of it. Your parents had a hard time agreeing on a name, but once they thought of "Blake", it just felt right. (Although, a blue eyed, blonde haired Diego would have been a good conversation piece.)
You always have a smile on your face and make people want to pick you up and give you a big hug! Your smile can light up a room! You even smile when you have a severe ear infection. Hopefully those are gone for good! What a great year it has been...we've loved every minute you've been with us. There is a part of our hearts that is reserved just for you...we love you Blake.

So, How Was Your Weekend?

Elder Michael Teh, Bob, President Tipps, Pres. Newsome, Elder Tingey

We didn't know any of these men, except Gary Newsome, until yesterday. Interesting how fast you can make friends in the Church.

President Johnson 1st counselor, President Tipps, President Newsome 2nd counselor

(These men will be seeing a lot of each other over the next 10 years)

So...how was your weekend? I'm sure many of you will return to work tomorrow and be asked this question. Perhaps you may be the one to inquire. Whatever the case may be, you can ususally rely on a typical response such as "it was too short", or "it was a pretty good one". I'm wondering how Bob will respond tomorrow to such an inquiry (since none of his co-workers belong to the Church). He is sure to get little or no response from an answer like, "I was called to serve in the newly formed Nashville stake presidency". The explanation may take more energy than he will have left by tomorrow morning, so I think he'll stick with the typical response. Now we just need to hope they don't ask how he's sleeping at night. His response may be similar to that spoken of by Elder Tingey today where he told of a newly called stake president being asked how he slept the night before being sustained and his response was "I slept like a baby....I woke up every hour crying!"

My Sister

My sister Penni and her husband Rick came to visit for the Memorial Day weekend. Rick had to be in Tampa the following week, so they traveled through Nashville to spend some time with us. We had a great time together.

On our way to downtown Franklin, we stopped to show them the Nashville Temple. We hurried and took some pictures outside the temple as there were several wedding parties coming outside. The grounds are very small so there are very few places to take photos...so we hurried and took a few pictures and got ourselves out of the way.

It was fun showing them around the Brentwood and Franklin areas. We went to the famous Puckett's Grocery and Restaurant for lunch, visited some fun shops in Franklin, went to the movies, hung out with some friends in the ward on Memorial Day...in general, we just played all weekend. Bob was still suffering from a little jet lag, but we didn't let him get any rest. On Friday night, just after they arrived, we drove to the Bluebird Cafe for dinner and the show. We ended up at a table for six and sat with a couple from Tennessee. They were a nice couple who were on a date together and had never been to the Bluebird. The lady was quick to let us know that her husband had died several months ago and that this WAS NOT her husband. We were able to have some light conversation before the show began which led to all the questions about where everyone was from. Penni and Rick mentioned that they were from Murray Utah, which I found interesting to hear them say Murray instead of Salt Lake. I'm sure this couple had no idea where Murray Utah was...but the Utah part was totally understandable. (It's like us saying we moved from Orange County and not saying Placentia.) Penni then asked the girl where she was from. She said "Columbia". I could see the look of surprise on both Penni and Rick's faces as they both asked questions such as "What took you to Columbia?" and "How long did you live there?" The girl didn't think anything of it answering their questions with simple answers like..."Work"...and "Until my husband died." I figured out what they were thinking by where their questions were leading and figured I should pipe in with something that would let Penni and Rick know that there is a Columbia in Tennessee. I said..."I think I saw a sign on the freeway to Columbia when we drove to Lewisburg." This stopped Penni and Rick's quesitons in their tracks. I believe the next few questions may have been something like..."Do you speak Spanish?"...or..."Is that where your husband died?"...or..."Were you part of the drug cartel?". We laughed about it all weekend.

Greetings From Yokohama part two

Good morning to all y'all back in the United States. I thought you might like to see a few more pictures from Japan. I'm starting with the important things first. This just so happens to be the toilet in my hotel room. I happen to be staying in one of the nicer hotels here in town. The 70 foot tower is the tallest building in Japan. It also happens to have toilets in each room with a bun warming seat. A fan that turns on when you sit down. The capability to wash when you finish doing what you normally do when sitting on the toilet. Yes, I do enjoy having this feature. Diane and I should talk about having one of these babies installed in our bathroom at home. Those cold winter mornings would certainly be nice when you have to sit down for a short break.

In my last blog I mentioned i had the opportunity to observe a wedding taking place. This is the bride on the left and the groom on the right. This shrine type place is right out in the open where everyone can see. The other wedding party we saw had the bride dressed in white. As I mentioned earlier, I felt funny standing and watching the ceremony. Out of view of the camera is a group playing traditional Japanese music. Also there is a young girl doing a very somber ceremonial dance. Fun for us Gaijin to see, but maybe a little annoying for the girl knowing the world is watching her wedding.

This is a picture from the Shinto Shrine we visited on Saturday. These basket type devices were used for special ceremonies. Our Japanese tour guide didn't provide a lot of details for these units. To me they look like someone would sit inside and be carried by the big Sumo wrestler type Samurai.

This is me on Tuesday morning taking the train to our destination. This happened to be a little less crowded than we experienced some mornings. On occassion the trains were packed. When you get on and they keep coming, you inhale so you can reserve all the space possible.

This was a picture of a crowded train. An interesting note of train riding is the number of people sleeping either sitting down or standing up. I have no idea how they know when to wake up. One morning a young boy was out cold. I wondered if he even knew when his stop came up. I'm guessing they have kids come late to school due to sleeping on the train. As I have said on more than one occasion, you have approximately 1/2 the population of the United States living in the state of California. It's very crowded to say the least.

This picture was taken from my hotel window Sunday Morning. The only time I have ever seen Mount Fuji is early in the morning before any haze rolls in. It is a spectacular sight. The Japanese think it is a special occasion when they see Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji is to the west of Yokohama.

The trip is going well. I'm ready to come home and eat regular food that I know what it is. I've been a good boy and haven't eaten any sashimi or sushi. I like my food cooked a little more than this. The Japanese staff has been incredibly good to us. I tried to find a special gift for Nagahama-san at the department store near the Yokohama train station. No such luck. He went above and beyond the call of duty taking us sight seeing on Saturday.

Today I gave out a Japanese pass along card to Shibukawa-san. Yesterday I was able to teach about the Word of Wisdom at lunch time. This came about after I told the group I attended a LDS church on Sunday. They thought this interesting I would do this. Shibukawa-san told me he really likes the Bible (Book of Mormon) I gave to Ogawa-san last summer. I'll send him another copy when I get home.

I hope all of you are doing well. I miss you and can't wait to be in the same or similar time zones.

Have a great day.

Bob-san

Diane - ILYSM

Greetings from Yokohama, Japan

OK, I'm now an official blogger. Diane kept telling me to add a few of the pictures I've taken while being in Japan so here we go. Actually Diane let me bring her new camera with me to Japan so I have some good shots. As Diane mentioned in her blog, I had a heck of a time getting out of Nashville so I could make my connecting flight in Chicago. You know you look harried when the girl at the news stand asks you if you are having a bad day. I made it to Tokyo and met my co-worker at the airport. It all turned out all right. My pictures are a little out of order as I'm new at adding pictures. I've found you start adding the last picture first and the first picture last. This first picture is me with Nagahama-san on the island of Enoshima. This is south and east of Yokohama near Fujisawa. We hiked to the top of the island today to see what we could see. As you can tell it was a beautiful day. This morning we thought it might rain on us, but it held off. Enoshima is a beautiful island that is all of 4 kilomters around. I think we hiked all 4 kilometers. Part of the island has an escalator to go up and part has stairs. One section of stairs we counted 250 steps. I think I lost a few pounds hiking today. I don't know exactly how much we walked, but I'm guessing it was a good 5 miles. The air temperature was around 80 degrees, with the humidity high enough to work up a sweat while climbing the steps.
This picture was taken at the entrance to the island. Nagahama-san couldn't read the konji. He said it was an ancient text.

The second place we visited today was Kamakura Daibatsu at the Kotoku-in Temple. This is a 37 foot high bronze Buddha and is the second largest in Japan. The statue was built approximately 1258 AD. When you first see the statue, it takes your breath away at its enormous size.

This is a shot of John Buskey and myself in front of the Buddha. I find it interesting the crow decided to stay atop the statue for quite a while.

Another shrine we visited in Kamakura had several weddings taking place today. We watched part of the ceremony for one couple. I felt out of place watching this couple getting married. Everyone around the couple were taking pictures of the entire event. I wonder if they have a good photographer. I'm sure the pictures I took with Diane's new camera would look good in their photo album of their wedding.

This is the hotel I'm staying in. I took this standing below the hotel. This is the Landmark Plaza with the hotel called Yokohama Royal Park Hotel. The building is 70 stories high with the hotel occupying floors 49 to 67. Floors 68 and 70 are restaurants. The 69th floor is an observation deck. For Japan this is a very nice hotel, with a nice size room. Friday morning I could see Mount Fuji from my window on the 53rd floor. Unfortunately I did not take a picture of the mountain. In case you wanted to know, it's still snow covered.

The following picture is myself with the Japanese staff. From left to right, Shibukowa-san, Nagahama-san, myself, Reiko-san, and Kaneko-san.

In case you might be wondering why I'm in Japan. I'm here to learn first hand about the G37 Coupe and a new Nissan model called the Rogue. Once I return home I start developing training on both vehicles. I always enjoy coming here. Maybe next time Diane will come with me. This picture is of our group in Japan with the Japanese staff. We have myself and John Buskey in the back. Yang-san from Korea, Chang-san from Taiwan, Steve Comacho from Guam. I took this picture in the mall attached to the hotel. These two girls work at the information booth. Both John and I thought their uniforms made them look like they were out of a Audrey Hepburn movie. Little did they know they would make it into a blog.

A Week With my Boy the Ambassador

As Michael walked down the terminal, I'm sure he was a little embarrassed to see his parents waiting with a camera. His plane was late, so this picture was taken a little past 11:30 p.m. in the Nashville airport. We were excited to have him come and spend some time with us, and enjoyed hearing all about his visit to Honduras. Evidently he is now an Ambassador for Honduras and will be working to coordinate efforts to alleviate poverty conditions in the country. One of the first efforts being made is to supply a hospital with a mammogram machine. I don't fully understand it, but it sounds like a wonderful opportunity. Leave it to Michael!

Since we only had him for a week, we tried to pack a lot into his time here. We went out to dinner with a family in our ward on Friday and then went back to their house to watch the movie "Music and Lyrics". I wish I had a picture of their theater room, or their house for that matter...it was amazing! It was a lot of fun. I think Michael had second thoughts about spending his summer in Provo after Ross extended an invitation to shadow him at work. (He's a cardiac anesthesiologist.) He'll have to take him up on his offer when he visits next time.

On Saturday night we went to the Bluebird Cafe to see the third annual "Mamapalooza". (It's their Mother's Day show.) The songwriters performing were Sue Fabisch, Jacqueline Jacquman, Kim McLean, and Hometown News. They were really fun to see. Luckily we were able to get reservations! We had our picture taken with Kim McLean before the show...she and Hometown News were our favorites. (Michael has the picture on his camera, so maybe he'll post it onto his blog.)

Bob barbequed for Mother's Day and invited a few of our friends over. It was a fun time and Bob's cooking was great!

Michael had this picture framed and presented it to me for Mother's day. Doesn't it look like it has been photoshopped with that background? They took this picture when they were all together in San Diego. Thanks kids...I love it!

If any of you recall the dilemna I had about whether or not to go to Japan with Bob...well...as it turns out, it was a good decision not to go. When Bob got to the airport early on Monday morning, his flight to Chicago had been cancelled due to mechanical problems. This created a nightmare morning for him as he had to scramble to get to Chicago and then to Japan. Without going into the details..."Mr. cool calm and collected"...almost lost his cool! We all know that it takes a lot to ruffle Bob's feathers!! If I had been along...it would have been much more complicated. Good thing I didn't go.

I'm glad Michael was here to keep me company; we had a great time together. I got us lost trying to find Puckett's Grocery and Restaurant in Franklin. We finally found it after venturing as far as Leapers Fork (and that was with the navigation system). Then we walked around the quaint, historic downtown Franklin. Tuesday we went to the Opry Mills factory outlet stores and did a little shopping after having lunch at the Macaroni Grill. Wednesday we got our culture in by going to the FRIST museum to see Matisse, Picasso, and the school of Paris, after eating lunch at Demo's in downtown Nashville. Thursday before heading to the airport, we drove out to the Loveless Cafe for breakfast. It sounds like everything we did was centered around eating! You'd think that was our favorite thing to do! That could explain the "Tennessee Ten" that I seem to have put on. I'll have to work on that later!

Happy Birthday "Shout Out" to Parker

Just one year ago, we were anticipating the arrival of our sweet Parker baby. I can't believe Robyn's tummy could have ever been this big! (I hope she doesn't mind my posting this picture.) We were all ready to get this thing over with...especially Robyn. Even the castor oil didn't hurry things up. It did send her to the hospital, however, only to be sent home. Good things come to those who wait! Parker was sure worth the wait!This is proof that the infamous swaddling proceedure worked. We all laughed about it, but it worked every time...especially when Joe did it.
Blessing day was a special day. Parker looked so cute in his little white suit wrapped up in his white blanket.

Time goes by so fast! We can't imagine our life without Parker in it!! We love you Parker! Here's your happy birthday "shout out" from Nannu and Papa J.

Happiness is....

How's this for a blast from the past!! I have finally given in to the pressure and am posting a blog explaining my blog title "Happiness is...Bob and Diane". Bob and I had our picture taken at the state fair one year and had this cute little button made. Judging by the length of my hair, this was taken after high school. (I cut my long hair after graduation.) For years I would come across this button and would debate whether or not to throw it away. I never could quite bring myself to part with it, even though I really never liked the picture. Years past by, and after surviving several moves, the button found itself stashed in our junk drawer in the kitchen. One day my son-in-law Devon found it and pinned it to his shirt. I tried to take it from him to save myself the embarrassment of having him walk around all day with it on, but he refused to take it off. His uncontrolled laughter was an indication how much he loved it! (I think he has even worn it out to dinner with us.) Before leaving, he always made sure to put it safely away. This, of course, was always my chance to throw it away....but I couldn't do it. When Robyn married Joe, Devon made sure to inform him about the sacred button. He has joined in the ranks as a dutiful brother in law and sees to it that he finds it and wears it when he comes over. I think Michael has even joined them in their taunting! It has now become somewhat of a family tradition. The first one of my three sons to make it to the drawer gets the privelege of wearing the "Happiness is..." pin. Thus it seemed only fitting to name my blog..."Happiness is...Bob and Diane"!

Old Hickory Youth

How's that for a ward name..."Old Hickory"! You see that name a lot around here. It's confusing because, as we figured out, Old Hickory Blvd. circles the entire city, so you run into it wherever you are in the city. You also see the name "Hermitage" a lot. Old Hickory being his nick name, and Hermitage being the place he lived, Andrew Jackson is a key figure in Tennessee state history and they don't want you to forget it!I have been involved with the youth for many years now and have found it interesting that they are the same no matter where you live. Our combined activity on Tuesday was a skit night where the youth were divided into groups, given props and costumes, and told to make up a skit with a theme given to them from The Strength of Youth pamphlet. They had a good time making up their skits and performing them for each other. They are a great group of kids who really have to stand up for what they believe here in the "Bible Belt" of America. (Or as it was pointed out to me....the "BUCKLE" of the Bible Belt.)

We have a theory about those who are called to work with the youth...it is that when you accept the calling there is a stamp put on your forehead that only the bishop can see. This way when you move from ward to ward you are easy to spot. (It's probably a question mark indicating that you really have no clue what the heck you are getting yourself into and that if they hurry and call you, you'll accept.) Maybe over a period of time it evolves into a lightbulb which would then indicate that the "light is on and someone is actually home". I do, however, enjoy the youth!! I am one of those strange people who actually loves teenagers, so I'll just enjoy it while it lasts!

When Bob's Away...

Last week Bob was out of town on a business trip to New Jersey. It seems he has been traveling quite a bit since we moved to Tennessee. We've decided I can't go somewhere every time he leaves town, and I have plenty of things to do around here to keep me busy, so I stayed home by myself. I know there are many of you who would love to have some alone time....but trust me....it does get old. Bob checks on me quite a bit to make sure I'm ok and is a bit like a "mother hen" at times asking me if I've locked the doors and turned on the alarm. I told him it would scare me to death if that thing went off in the middle of the night! Kimberly had a solution for me. She said that if the alarm went off, I could just hurry and lock my bedroom door...run in the bathroom...lock the bathroom door...then run in the closet and lock the door and wait for help. I'm thinking maybe I should just start the night in the closet! It turned out ok...I lived through the week! I kept myself pretty busy. Being in Young Women's always provides lots of opportunities to keep busy. We made laundry bags for all the graduating seniors in the ward. I took a picture them so you could see what they look like. My friend Michelle is the one holding the bags in the pictures. (She refused to show her face.) They turned out cuter (is that a word?) than they look in the picture. Each one had their name embroidered on the front of it with ribbon in blue and green for the boys and pink and green for the girls. We had a combined youth meeting yesterday where the parents of the graduating seniors spotlighted their son or daughter. At the conclusion of the meeting the bishop spoke to the youth and the presidency handed out the laundry bags that were wrapped up in clear plastic with a cute bow tied at the top. Looks like this will be a new tradition!

For mutual last week we had a combined young women's personal progress night. We were afraid we wouldn't have a very good turnout because when you say "personal progress" their eyes seem to glaze over. We didn't have very many girls show up, but it was a fun night. We all dressed in something that begins with a "P". We actually passed off one of the goals in the PP book and then had a relay race of homemaking skills (sorting clothes, sewing on a button, and folding towels). My part of the night was teaching the girls to make Aebleskivers. I don't have any pictures because I was busy trying to avoid any hot oil incidents. The girls actually caught on quite well and had fun making them. We survived without any casualties...thank goodness! We had enough to share with all the scouts and the bishopric. A few Excedrins and I felt like a new woman!

We also had an Open House for our new church building this week. We have been meeting in it for several months now and were beginning to think they were never going to have it dedicated. (You learn not to question anything when you move somewhere new.) You all know the saying...When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Well....When in Tennessee.....(you get the drift). I had signed up to bring two loaves of sweet bread for the Thursday night open house. Since it is quite a drive to get to the church, (about 30 min) I thought I'd be really smart and take my bread there in the morning, since I had to be there anyway to sit in the foyer while our LDS family services counselor met with someone. Several things happened that morning and by the time I needed to leave the house to be at the church on time, my bread was not baked. My friend Sheri had her bread baked and at my house by 9:30. I delivered her bread to the church and then sat with the counselor waiting for her appointment to arrive. After waiting for an hour, we decided he was not going to show up. So I left there and went to help make the laundry bags for the youth. By this time I had decided maybe I'd just forget about the bread. I thought to myself that they'd probably have plenty and wouldn't miss mine. Then when I got home, I had a message from our Relief Society President reminding me to have my bread there by 4:00. So I baked bread! Then I decided I'd see if there were others who needed their bread delivered thinking I might as well save someone else from the drive. As it turns out...a girl who lives nearby was actually going to the open house and offered to take my bread with her. It all turned out! You know, I never realized how lucky we've always been to live so near to the church. When you get to the church and realize you've forgotten something....you just do without it! I remember when we lived in Utah and could walk to church by going across the street and through our neighbors backyard. When we moved to California, we thought a 5 minute drive was far!