Weekly Update

Don't have too much fun at Newport Beach without us. If I know Scotty like I think I know Scotty, he's probably setting all-time super high scores at the karaoke game right now. Take it easy on the girls, Scotty.

Meg and I had a wild week. On Thursday, we went to Disney Sea (not to be confused with Disneyland) after work. It's located right next to Tokyo Disneyland but it's target audience is teenagers and adults. We bought an "After 6 Passport" so we had 4 hours to check things out. Disney Sea is more focused on shows, so there are only 12 or so rides in the whole park. Notwithstanding, we were able to get on 5 or 6 including "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," and everyone's favorite "Indiana Jones." We also ate some Mexican food that was overpriced and undersized, but hey, what can you expect at Disneyland in Japan? On Saturday, we went to a shrine by our house called Jindaiji. One of the big draws to Jindaiji is the soba shops. There are probably around a dozen soba shops lining the streets and each one has the soba-making room brought to the front of the restaurant and surrounded by glass so that people can watch how the noodles are made. We also took a stroll through a Botanical Garden near Jindaiji. Later that day we both felt a fairly strong earthquake. It was the first earthquake Meghan's ever felt. I didn't think it was super strong, but we found out later that the impact in the heart of Tokyo was somewhat significant. All trains stopped and when they started releasing them an hour or so later, they only sent out one at a time. At night, Meg and I went and watched the annual Koganei city "Awa Odori." The "Awa Odori" is a dance that takes place in the middle of August in a place called Kagoshima. Apparently a bunch of people got drunk one time and then went out in the city and started to dance through the streets. From those humble beginnings it is now a famous dance nationwide and millions of people go to Kagoshima each year to watch this spectacle. For some reason unknown to me, the community we live in also holds an annual 'Awa odori' and that's what Meg and I watched. Don't worry, I've got some footage.

Hope all is well with everyone. I'm excited to see and hear from the rest of the family in the near future. Take care.

Disturbing pattern

There is a disturbing pattern beginning to emerge on the Salmon family blog, namely that I am the only person participating. Now I know that I enjoy doing some things by myself (using the bathroom, making macaroni & cheese, checking out the latest sports news on espn.com, even watching an occasional tear-jerker like "Brian's Song" when Meg is out-of-town for the weekend) but communicating with myself through a family website is not one of them. It's time to put all of your technological savvy to the test and show me what you've got. Good luck signing up and I hope to hear from all of you soon!

Brad

Picture from Japan

Here's my first attempt at posting a picture. If the picture is saved on the computer or your memory card is connected to the computer, all you do is click on the picture icon in the create a post section and select the picture from your computer.
Not bad, huh?

Update for the Miner Family

Here's a quick update on the Miner family:

Meg and I are enjoying our time over here in Japan. We didn’t get to celebrate the 4th of July so we’re looking forward to getting this upcoming Monday off for “Umi no Hi” or “Ocean Day.” Meghan gets to go to the grocery store nearly everyday seeing as how our refrigerator is somewhat smallish. Grocery shopping has almost turned into a hobby for her. She enjoys the whole experience, everything from bringing her own grocery bags, not being able to read any of the food labels, bagging her own groceries, and riding home with groceries in hand weaving in and out of traffic on her sweet bike. I honestly have to say that Meg has been a good sport and has really adapted well to the culture over here. I’ve enjoyed my internship thus far overall. However, the last week and a half have been somewhat of a drag because my supervisor has been out of town. He’s back now and I’m hoping things pick up again in the next few days. Meg and I have assimilated ourselves into the ward enough to receive callings: I’m a ward missionary and Meg is (drumroll, please!)…the Primary chorister. We’re both excited about our callings. We attend the missionary Family Home Evening every week and may start attending the English classes as part of my calling. Meg is ready to roll with the primary songs. We’re in good health and looking forward to more excitement over here in Japan.

We look forward to hearing from all members of the family so don’t be shy and give it a try (not a bad rhyme if I do say so myself).

Love,
Brad & Meg

Welcome, Salmon Family

Welcome to the Salmon Family blog!! Meg and I thought this would be a fun and easy way to communicate with everyone as we get spread out across the wild, wild west. Posting blogs and pictures is pretty self-explanatory, but if you have any questions feel free to send me an email. Hope all is well. Good luck and let's stay in touch (via this website, preferably).

Brad & Meg