magic

::: today i turned a year older, my age now being the same as the number worn by one of my all-time favorite players (magic johnson)...

[image source: rick stewart/allsport/www.cnnsi.com]

...by God's grace, i'm looking forward to a magical year (sorry for being soooo cheezy)...

...after sunday worship service, my church family at gakuentoshi chapel surprised (then showered) me with a heart-warming celebration and time of encouragement, preceded by the unveiling of this awesome, creative cake...

...using spaghetti for strings, chocolate bars for the fretboard, and pocky sticks for frets, claire and i gave two big thumbs up for form and function...

...thanks, mikiko, for the awesome guitar cake!...

...to accompany the guitar cake was a great homemade birthday card filled with birthday messages from all the church members...made to look like a music book (thanks kotomi)...

...though we dearly miss our family and friends back home and wish we could celebrate with you (thanks everyone for your birthday wishes!), we thank God for the family and friends we have in japan with whom to celebrate! :::