by Jen Costanzo | Jul 24, 2010 | Moving
We’re back–finally! We are very, very grateful to God who took good care of us on our 900-mile trip back home to Maryland. There was initially a great deal of doubt that everything would actually fit in our moving truck, especially after acquiring an...
by Jen Costanzo | Dec 14, 2008 | Artwork, Jen
This is my Christmas gift for Grandmom. Shhh… don’t tell! She asked me to make her a set of handmade stationery. I put together 20 cards for her & chose the theme for the stationery as being “Purple flowers” (iris, lilac, thistle,...
by Jen Costanzo | Dec 3, 2008 | Artwork, Jen
by Jen Costanzo | Jul 22, 2008 | Friends, Moving
It’s hard to believe we’ve been in our new home for over a week now! It’s about time to get some pictures from our moving van-loading party up on our blog! Here’s Mike at the beginning of the day — the truck’s still pretty empty,...
by Jen Costanzo | Jun 14, 2008 | Extended Family, Friends, Travel
We arrived back in America on April 1st. The month was full of lots of really good reunions! Family & friends welcomed us back with… … flowers & balloons …cake …and with their charming company! Some special highlights were Jen getting...
by Jen Costanzo | Mar 8, 2008 | Business/Professional, Graphic Design, Web Design
Those of you who aren’t on our email list have probably been wondering, “What on earth happened to Mike and Jen? Where did they go?” Well, we’re leaving Funehiki and retuning home to the States in April so that Mike can start graduate...
by Jen Costanzo | Jan 6, 2008 | Jen, Vacation
Jen is happy to announce that over the winter vacation, she didn’t gain a single pound or kilogram — Yay!!! (As a little note, I was a little nervous that with all our holiday gatherings and travellings, I would put on the pounds. Now, all I have to do...
by Jen Costanzo | Jan 5, 2008 | Faith, Holidays/Special Events, Reflections, Travel
Over the course of our visits to the different temples in Kyoto, we had the opportunity to see a lot of people both worshiping at the temples as well as monks and nuns who work full-time at these sites. I kept thinking, “I’m so sorry for you!”...
by Jen Costanzo | Dec 8, 2007 | Holidays/Special Events, Missions
Today was the day of the big Kindergarten Christmas program — and my acting debut. :0) Our team mimed the picture book story “You Are Special” by author Max Lucado. Mike did the narration all in Japanese too. It went really well — Yay! Here...
by Jen Costanzo | Nov 18, 2007 | Audio, Jen
Yesterday evening was our first annual team talent show! We saw everything from handstands, to opera, to interpretive dance! There was even an impressive recitation of the entire periodic table of the elements by memory! One of Mike’s & my contributions to...
by Jen Costanzo | Oct 7, 2007 | Faith, Jen, Reflections
This is such a controversial issue among Christians today. I don’t want to get embroiled in the controversy, but I can’t help but talk about some of the areas of contemplation my brain has stumbled across after living in Japan for a year. I think...
by Jen Costanzo | Sep 29, 2007 | Japanese Food, Jen
“Have you lost weight recently?” I’ve been asked this question by about 10 different people over the past couple of months. And yes. I have! Starting this summer, I began some lifestyle changes that have resulted in me losing about 6 kilograms...
by Jen Costanzo | Sep 21, 2007 | Devotion, Japanese Food, Jen
Yesterday, I discovered a new piece of fruit at the grocery store. It has a beautiful periwinkle, lavender smooth skin. It has no smell. It tastes a little like watermelon — full of little seeds. But rather than being crisp and juicy, it’s slightly...
by Jen Costanzo | Aug 14, 2007 | Friends, Missions, Travel
We’re back from our whirlwind trip to Tokyo! It was a very full trip, and a lot of fun! We tried something new this time around and bought a special seasonal train pass called the “Seishun Jyuhachi Kippu.” It gave us 5 full-day passes to travel...
by Jen Costanzo | Aug 10, 2007 | Friends, Travel, Vacation
So just how have we been spending our summer vacation? Allow us to take you on a little tour of our summer break! Umi no hi (Marine Day) On Umi no hi (a National holiday in mid-July), we took off on a day-trip with the principal of one of the local elementary...
by Jen Costanzo | Apr 28, 2007 | Jen
I’ve always been a big fan of mysteries. I realized how much mysteries have been a part of my life just this morning, as I was thinking about being 33 years old. I was hit by a wave of nostalgia that took me back to my first crush on crime-solvers. I can...
by Jen Costanzo | Apr 25, 2007 | Culture, Jen, Misc
Recently, I rediscovered a favorite author of mine. I stumbled across her name in a magazine editorial, and it evoked memories of a powerful book I had read almost 15 years ago. The book was called “A Heart of Winter.” It was the story of the daughter of a...
by Jen Costanzo | Apr 3, 2007 | Friends, Wakakusa
About 7 months ago, we bade farewell to dear family and friends and travelled 6000 miles away. Since that time, God has brought many new friends into our lives. We wish we could have a big party and introduce all our friends to each other! However, in lieu of that,...
by Jen Costanzo | Mar 23, 2007 | Devotion, Faith, Jen
Being constant. Faithful in prayer. Expectant to see God’s answer. Hearing no news of change. But still praying. If I cannot catch “the sound of noise of rain” long before the rain falls, and, going to some hilltop of the spirit, as near...
by Jen Costanzo | Mar 22, 2007 | Teaching, Video, Wakakusa
This past Monday, the kindergarten where I sometimes teach English held their annual graduation ceremony. The day found me reflecting wistfully on my own childhood. My own Kindergarten photo is below. Can you tell where I am? (Incidentally, I think you can click on...
