I have noticed that I was supposed to finish the requirement Continuous Education (CEs) to renew my state license of insurance agent. I purchased the online Continuous Education courses and started studying. At first glance, I felt overwhelmed the volume of the study material. But on my second thought, I know I will be able to go through. I just need to commit myself to make the time to sit down and study every day. Then, eventually it will be done.

My husband and daughter went to the archery field for exercise. The massage therapist in Japan strongly suggested my daughter to start some exercise and keep it constantly. She said that my daughter has originally good muscle but has not used it properly. In order to maintain the good posture and muscle, she mentioned the constant exercise will be beneficial for my daughter. It was her very first time to try the archery, but she did well and enjoyed doing it.

After the archery, they had lunch at the steak restaurant.

I stayed behind at home and started tackling at the to-do-lit items that I had missed while in Japan. While in home, my friend stopped by at my house and delivered her sewing machine gift to my daughter. She added some more bland new items that are needed for sewing projects such as threads, a pair of scissors, and a how-to-book for a sewing beginner. Since she was interested in Japanese foods, I showed her my traditional Japanese foods such as homemade miso, mirin, and some other homemade spices with fermented rice (koji).

In the late afternoon, after my family came back home, we all visited my new friend’s house. She purchase her house one year ago and made the house to be a relaxing and cozy place.

I still feel sleepy and tired due to jet lag. I have many seminars and lectures that I have to catch up with. I still haven’t unpacked the items that we have brought back from Japan.

In the afternoon, I talked with my mom-in-law. She told me that she and our chihuahua dog have been missing us and they want us to visit them as soon as possible. I was happy to hear that, but I told her my daughter and I would be super occupied for the upcoming 2 months with school works. I promised her that we will visit them at the end of May.

I was planning to get up in the morning, but due to the jet lag, I couldn’t wake up in the morning. Today is the Day-2 and not bad as yesterday, but still, I had slept for 12 hours or so.

I run into my neighbor friend. I could not tell her of our trip to Japan in advance. She has noticed that we had been gone somewhere, so I mentioned that we had been gone to Japan for the past 3 weeks. She was happy for me that I could go through the long hour flights and enjoy the stay there.

During our conversation, I mentioned about my sewing machine. I purchased my sewing machine in 2012 or so, when my daughter was going to the preschool. I had used my sewing machine for many years, but now it does not work properly. My daughter wanted to use a sewing machine and so, we have planned to purchase a new sewing machine after we come back from the trip. My friend told us it was a great timing to hear about a sewing machine. She purchased a new sewing machine but could not use it and gave up on using it. Now her bland new sewing machine has been just sitting at her house without being used. She offered us to hand it down to us. It was a nice offer that she made.

I usually don’t like to receive any items including clothes from somebody as a second hand, but in this case, she told me her sewing machine is almost bland new. And so, I decided to accept her nice offering.

Last night, I went to bed around 10 p.m. I woke up with an alarm at 6:30 a.m. and took out the trash bin to the street. I knew I should have stayed up to deal with jet lag, but I was so tired and sleepy that I went back to bed. The next moment I woke up was 4 p.m. in the evening. I had slept for 18 hours.

In the evening we went to the grocery store. Our refrigerator was almost empty.

I cooked healthy meal for all of us with vegetables and rice. Now I feel at home and comfortable.

It was our last day of our trip. I woke up at 6 a.m. and enjoyed a nice and hot bath. I was planning to have the curry at our favorite café for lunch, but they only open at 11:30 a.m., and we could not make it.

We left the mansion around 11 a.m. and headed to the airport limousine bus stop. The weather report showed 100% rain, but I prayed to hold on the rain until we get on the bus. The spirits listened my wish. The sky was full of clouds but it was not raining. We walked about 10 minutes to the bus stop without rain. Once we got on the bus and the bus started, it started raining hard. It was amazing that the spirits always take care of us and protect us.

Our 2 flights departed and arrived on time. We safely came back home. I had a good sleep in my own bed at my own house in America.

My day started by taking out the garbage at the trash station. It was our last trash day of this trip.

While my daughter was still sleeping, I walked to the orthopedics clinic. Last night while I was receiving a massage, the massage therapist strongly suggested me to go see a doctor and have the diagnosis of my back and the right foot pain. She introduced me to one orthopedics doctor whom most of her clients recommend and the clinic was just a 5-minute walk from my mansion. This clinic accepts the reception of the patients at 8 a.m. in the morning. I received a number 5, that means I was the fifth patient to registered for the evening. Then the nurse told me to come back to the clinic at 5 p.m.    

In the early afternoon, while we were walking the downtown shopping area, we found a kimono store. There the elderly couple was the store owner. With the wife’s support, we purchased a set of yukatas, which was our last shopping items. We were glad that we could purchase yukata at the last minute of our trip.

At 5 p.m. in the evening, I went back to the clinic by myself. I had an MRI test for the very first time in my life. I thought the MRI was just 3 minutes or so, but the nurse told me I have to lay down inside the MRI equipment for 20 minutes. I felt scared inside the MRI dome. While I was inside, I shed lots of tears. I prayed to my family spirits with me, so they did. I felt their existence to calm me down and supported me.

With the MRI’s detailed results, the doctor told me that I can rest assured and that my spines are all fine. He was thoughtful and nice to me. He said he had the same experience as I had with the severe pain from sciatica when he was in his 30s, but he naturally healed just like I did. Since then, he has not had sciatica anymore. All his encouragements and diagnoses cheered me up and made me feel relieved. Even though I paid the full amount for the doctor’s visit without the health insurance, all the payment was not expensive at all, compared with the medical fee in America. I appreciate the massage therapist to suggest me to go see this doctor. And I appreciate my daughter for her support to go see this doctor as well.

In the evening, we went to the lymph massage. This was our third time to have a massage from the same massage therapist. The massage therapist was very nice and kind, and good at massage. During reconvening massage, I was snoring that I could hear my snoring by myself while sleeping. 

In the morning, we went to the DYI store which has become my daughter’s favorite store. While we were walking down the shopping street, she found a dress shop where they had lots of her favorite designed clothing. She purchased several dresses, blouses, and skirts.

In the evening, we went to the planetarium and watched the show of western horoscope.

We woke up early and went to the hot spring close to our mansion. I mistakenly chose the wrong shuttle bus and arrived at a wrong destination, so that we needed to take a taxi to the hot spring facility. Other than that, the hot spiring experience itself was great. There were not many visitors there and we took out time to enjoy the natural hot spring.

Our departure day is coming closer. I brought one of my suitcase to the closest shipping office and sent it to the airport.