66 days

I’ve been meaning to update this thing for a while now–my last post was pretty dinky. It’s been harder to update than I thought it would be. Initially I set out to blog about my experience in quitting my job and moving to Japan, but not much has really happened since I quit. I’ve just been taking Japanese lessons, meeting up with people, and taking care of other miscellanies (like getting my wisdom teeth pulled).

I thought I wouldn’t have anything to post for a while, but today it hit me that I really don’t have a whole lot of time left before the big move.

Sixty six days means ten Saturdays left. Of those ten Saturdays, between birthdays, bridal showers, weddings, family trips and other things, I have four free Saturdays. For some reason, this fact is making me feel a bit melancholy. I don’t quite know what it is, but I guess it makes it seem like my time left is even more limited.

I’ve been counting down a lot in these last few months. My last day of work was April 12th, and now my last day in the States will be August 25th. I realize it’s only two events I’ve been counting down toward…but they were and will be big events.

April 12th marked the end of six years working at my first job, and it also meant I was finally moving on from UCI after seven and a half years.

August 25th will be the first time in my memory that I’m moving any more than thirty miles away from what I’ve grown to call “home.”

This whole thing has definitely been putting me through an emotional roller coaster. I’m excited about moving and acclimating to some place new, but then I’m nervous about leaving things and especially people behind. Then I remember that it’s only going to be a year and a half, and I feel a bit silly for being so dramatic about this all.

I don’t know what my point was supposed to be in rambling all this here. I guess I’m just now beginning to wrap my mind around moving, and this is part of the process of preparing for Japan. It’s also been serving as a huge reminder that my true and final home and resting place is not going to be anywhere we can travel by car or plane. Wherever I travel, I will always be a stranger and I should live in accordance with my heavenly citizenship. I hope and pray that I can love and minister to those around me wherever I am as is most glorifying to God.

On a different note, my husband and I will be going on a home-hunting trip to Japan soon. I don’t know if I’ll update again before then, but I’ll be sure to update once we come back 🙂

And as always, because blogs are always more interesting with photos…Here’s a collage I posted on Instagram/Facebook on the day I got my teeth removed.

I promise the next time I update I’ll have nicer pictures…