Has it been that long?

Hi everyone. Sorry it's been some time. While summer is guaranteed up to be a busy, I've found it just as busy this spring as well. We had quite a few things on the go the past month or so, mostly preparing for the arrival of the new baby in August. Conan seems to be eagerly awaiting the baby, and we've spent a lot of time talk to him about it. We are also gearing up for taking some of the top people in our town (the mayor, BOE Director among others) on a tour of Canada in September. We'll play tour guide for the Niagara, Toronto and Hockley Valley areas, then they will head off to Banff and Vancouver on their own (with a Japanese tour guide). We'll stay in Ontaro for another 10 days or so visiting with family and friends. We're really looking forward to the trip, although it will be fast-paced at the beginning. On an unrelated note, a few weeks ago we went to Tokyo. Junko and Conan went to visit Junko's sister, and I spent the weekend in meetings and a series of training sessions at the Canadian Embassy. I've been asked to act as a warden for Northern Japan and act as a go-between between the embassy and Canadians living my area should the need arise in emergency situations (ie. natural disasters) and ensure that their needs are met. Chances are we won't be needed, but it's still a good network to have set up. The weekend meeting was a nice chance to get together with other Canadians from around Japan and have a nice evening reception of Niagara wine and smoked salmon; all with your tax dollars, of course. ;)

Here's a picture of me and the consular first secretary during the presentation of my certificate of appointment.