Kelsch Family Reunion . Dinosaur Museum and Provo Rec Center

Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum:

Provo Recreation Center:

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Andrew's Priesthood Ordination

Today was a very special day for Andrew because he received the Aaronic Priesthood. It was really nice that both sets of grandparents could be there for his special day. It’s amazing to me that Andrew is old enough to pass the sacrament in church. I know that he is excited to get back to our new ward in Colorado Springs so that he can officially pass the sacrament with the other boys his age. When I asked Andrew how he felt today he said that he felt good about his decision and really happy inside. I hope that he will always remember those good feelings because they willl come in handy later in his life. We are so proud of Andrew for making good choices in his life so that he can be worthy to hold the Priesthood.

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Hello Colorado

Things we are looking forward to in Colorado 

The comforts of American life 

Living in an insulated house with central AC, a garage, normal appliances, and in a great neighborhood 

 Soft green grass and a backyard for the kids to play in 

 Being close to the schools, shopping, and Target 

 Being able to understand everyone wherever you go 

Hiking, camping, and fishing in the mountains 

 Learning how to mountain bike 

 Teaching the kids how to ski 

 The view of Pike’s Peak from our living room window 

 New cars to drive

 A days drive away from Utah 

 Being closer to family and friends 

 Road trips to Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah 

 Being able to drive to and park at stores again 

 Living close enough but far enough away from the military post 

 Attending church in a real church building and not having to walk to church 

 Exploring all that Colorado Springs has to offer


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Goodbye Japan

Flashback to July 2010 when we moved to Japan:

Things we WILL miss about Japan 

Living in Shonantakatori next to the Murata family, the zipline and the swing park, the Seiyu, Oppama station, Mutsuura station, Mt. Takatori and it’s trails, the Lawsons, Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Umi no Koen, and Costco. 

Living close to the water near Sagami Bay and running along the boardwalk in Zushi and Kamakura and enjoying the beautiful view of Mt. Fuji from Tateishi beach in Hayama Running in the Shonan International Marathon, the 10K charity races at the Imperial Palace, running with the running club in Shibuya, and hiking Mt. Fuji 

Taking tennis lessons from Noguchi sensei and piano lessons from Hiroko 

Hanging out in Yokohama shopping at Landmark Tower, eating in the World Porters Buidlings and apple pie at Bubby’s, enjoying the beautiful skyline from Osanbashi Pier, and walking around Sankein gardens 

Going up to Tokyo, staying at the New Sanno Hotel and playing in the pool, visiting the LDS Temple, playing at Arisugawa park, eating Baskin Robbins ice-cream at National Azabu, walking through Shibuya crossing, walking along the streets in Harajuku, visiting Yoyogi koen and Meiji Shrine, walking around the shopping district in Ginza, having fun at the Lego Discovery museum in Odaiba, riding up to the top of Tokyo Tower, mexican food in Harajuku, eating at the New York Grill in Shinjuku, and wandering through the shopping malls and trains stations 

Enjoying all the beautiful cherry blossoms every spring Reuniting with Sara’s old family friends from her days as a youth in Tokyo 

Traveling all around Japan to some of our favorite places like Kamakura, Hakone, camping in Matsumoto, Takeyama, Shirakawa-go, Nagano and Nozawa Onsen, Shiraito Falls, Kurobe Gorge, the Japan Alps, Kamikoochi National Park, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Miya Jima Island, Iwakuni, and Sasebo 

Eating authentic Japanese, Indian and Thai food. We will miss the sushi bars, Go Go Curry’s and Moti’s Butter Chicken and Naan, Pad Thai at our Thai Restaurant across from Saikaya, Katsudon from the Katsudon Nazi right outside of base, and Ramen from the mom and pop noodle shop in Kamakura. We will also miss eating the french toast at Denny’s 

Riding the roller slides at Kinugasa and Kannonzaki Park and playing at the obstacle course playground at the Plum Park and eating picnic lunches there 

Going to Disneyland and Disney by the Sea at a moments notice because we lived less an hour away 

Skiing at Fujiten and Nozawa Onsen 

Being able to travel to other parts of the world like Hawaii, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand


Things we WON’T miss about Japan

The abundance of nasty insects like cockroaches, hairy spiders, centipedes, mosquitos, mukades, and gejigejis

The traffic on Rt. 16 heading south towards the Yokosuka base and the traffic on Shuto B heading into Tokyo

All the blasted toll roads and not being able to get an ETC card for discounted toll prices

The emergency announcements from the megaphone in our neighborhood

Poor insulation in our house, no central AC or heating, a dryer that took 3 hours to dry clothes, no food disposal, small oven anddishwasher, and having to dust almost everyday

Fish heads for breakfast and paying per person at the Japanese hotels

The Japanse monkeys with the red butts

Mayonnaise and corn on everything

Japanese girls in short skirts and net leggings with high heels all times of the year including the winter time

Dirty streets, concrete buildings, and no grass anywhere

Base dwellers

How expensive everything was

Perverted old men reading porn on the train

Sunrise at 4:30am

The hot and humid summers that seem to last forever

Being told we can’t eat somewhere because they don’t serve foreigners

Having to carry yen everywhere because most places didn’t accept credit cards

Driving in the narrow roads and having to pay to park everywhere

Squat toilets

Old people crossing the road wherever and whenever they wanted

No gargabe bins anywhere and having to recycle like a maniac everyday

The Japanese unwilling to bend the rules for anything

The VRO and LTO

Smoking in restaurants

Mysterious road signs and stairs that go on forever

The ridiculous face masks people wore all the time for colds and allergies

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Odawara Castle

On our list of things to do before leaving Japan was to visit Odawara Castle. When planning this little trip we realized that we had not taken our kids on the Shinkansen (bullet train) yet. Mike and I had been on the Shinkansen a few times over the last couple of years but our kids had completely missed out on this experience. Since Odawara was not too far away the tickets for the Shinkansen were not that expensive. At Yokohama Station we stopped at the Kiosk to get some treats for the train. Once aboard the Shinkansen we found two rows of three seats and turned one of the rows around so that we were facing each other. It was fun watching the kids faces as they realized how fast the train sped by all the houses and buildings outside. Once we reached our destination it was just a short 1/2 mile walk to the castle. It was hot and humid outside so we tried to walk fast to avoid being out in the humidity too long. Once at the castle grounds we hiked up a huge staircase to the main area. Odawara Castle was just as big as I imagined. We were able to walk up to the main entrance and take a tour inside. The inside of the castle was just like most of the other castles we had been to in Japan. I think the kids favorite part of the the day was getting ice-cream from the vending machines at the castle. Ice-cream was certainly a great way to cool down in the humid weather. On the way back to the station we stopped at Dunkin Donuts to get a donut and some ice cold water. All I could think about was how much I wasn't going to miss this humidity once we moved away from Japan.