we are moved OUT of the sharehouse and INto an apartment. we've been here about three weeks now. i couldn't be happier. the area we chose is absolutely wonderful! dubbed "tokyo's wooden wonderland" by japan-talk.com, it's full tiny wooden building built one right next to the other and tons of side streets and tiny shops that sell everything from food to clothes to appliances. many of the stores only sell one kind of thing, like fruit, meat, or vegetables.  (there is notebook store near our house. they only sell a few notebooks and writing utensils and it's roughly the size of a large closet. how they stay in business is beyond me...).

we live off of a tram (no longer a proper train line) and that is super fun. it's a tiny, two car affair that runs on tracks but still has to stop at red lights like cars. it's a cross between a bus and a train. very crowded in the morning and evening, but nice because it only takes 3 minutes to get to the bigger station where we transfer to head into the heart of the city.

our apartment is HUGE compared to what we've been living in since we got married. We have a bedroom completely set off from the other two rooms that make up the our living space--one living room type space and a room with a kitchen unit and dining table. there is an adequately sized shower/bath room and of course a toilet. we bought a used washing machine that was delivered last night that fits neatly into a corner of the shower/toilet area (a quick word about buying things for cheap on craigslist/gaijinpot type sights! the less money you pay, the less you can expect--like lint catchers FULL of mildew and 100 year old lint and a vacuum cleaner bag so full stuff is coming out the hole where the pipe connects...but i am not complaining! no more hauling laundry down the street to the little wooden laundromat for me! bleach, peroxide, vinegar and baking soda kill a multitude of nastiness.). we paid very little for the washer, a vacuum cleaner and a fan (much needed since we are without air conditioners for the time being), and the person was nice enough to arrange delivery. i am sooooo grateful!

moving in was an (expensive!) adventure. there were no air conditioners, which sonny was aware of, and there were no light fixtures, which neither of us were aware of! so we lived by the lamp of the stove and sink for the first couple of days with only our phones to guide us in the bedroom after the sun went down. luckily there were lights in the toilet and shower so we didn't have to take flashlights to go pee. :) we went to ikea (thank you jesus for ikea!!!!) and i picked out lighting for the first time in my life. lots of fun! i also chose curtains and have been working on getting all of that squared away. they are still not hemmed, but they are hung!

i am still working out how to manage a full time job, house hold stuff like keeping the house clean, managing meals, budgeting, etc. and finding ways to be involved at church. i find myself asking at times the age old housewife/working woman question, "how am i supposed to get it all done?!"

more posts about that later.

there are a thousand other things i want to say, but i will stop for now. i will try to get pictures up soon!