The Great White North

Hi everyone!

This week Josh and I are vacationing, and just got back from part one of our trip. On Friday we left Tokyo and took a bullet train and some other trains north to the island of Hokkaido. On the way up there we stopped by the seaside for a while, and then took a very small (1 car) local train through the middle of nowhere to the resort where we were going snowboarding. Upon arrival, the owner of our lodge (an austrailian) picked us up from the station, and really went the extra mile to make us feel comfortable and give us helpful advice. The first thing we noticed about Hokkaido was the vast amounts of snow! I don't think I have ever seen it to these epic proportions! In some places the snow was banked up 10 feel on either side of the road, and I saw several old buildings that had simply collapsed under the load.

The next morning our host dropped us off at the foot of the lift, and our amazing day began. Unfortunately the snow was not fresh, but because of the fact that we had a pass that allowed us to board 3 different connected ski areas we soon found some great, relatively fresh runs through the trees. Towards the end of the day we went to the board park and watched part of a slopestyle competition, which was pretty impressive. When we got back, our host and 5 other austrailian guests invited us to go out for supper with them, which we really enjoyed. They were a super fun group. And as we had the night before, we enjoyed our favorite part of Japan, the hot springs.

In the last little while I have been having a bit of a tough time, but I am learning that Got loves me so much, he is bigger than my problems, and He loves to give good gifts. When we were at the ski hill we prayed for snow, in the morning we got a dump, then we prayed for clear skies so we could enjoy the view, He also gave us that. I am also so thankful that I am surrounded by great people, My great friend Josh, Cliff and Marg, and the other great people I have met along the way. Well tomorrow it's off to Hiroshima, and then Nagasaki, so until next time!

Sayonara!
-Flo