30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 7

Day 7: My Favorite Movies
A Walk In The CloudsThe Mirror Has Two FacesStepmomPride and Prejudice
I enjoy movies that are superbly acted and tell a great story.  I'm sure there are more but these are the first ones that come to mind!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 6

Day 6 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge:  

A picture of something that makes me happy

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 5

Day 5: My Siblings
I am a...Middle Child. Need I say more?
Yes, most of the things they say about middle children are true with me. The following information comes from an article, Middle Children: Finding Their Own Pride of Place by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. 
Middle children. They often aren't the biggest and strongest, they aren't the babies who get away with murder, they aren't really anything special, at least in their own minds. Sometimes they feel invisible. But this uncomfortable feeling of not having a defined place in the family may actually turn out to be an advantage. Unlike first children, who often define success by their ability to meet their parents' expectations, middle children are more prone to rebel against the status quo. Another result of having a less well-defined place in the family is that middle children often reach outside the family for significant relationships. They make close circles of friends. As the underdogs themselves in many sibling conflicts, middle children often develop a fine sense of empathy with the downtrodden... Where first and last children may tend to be self-centered, middle children often take a genuine interest in getting to know other people. Being in the middle, they may find it easier to look at interpersonal situations from various points of view. 
The most revealing part of the article above for me was "not having a defined place in the family can turn out to be an advantage." Though I often felt lonely when my brother and sister conspired together, it taught me to stand alone and for myself. It enabled me to find my voice early in life and to depend on my inner resources of creativity, imagination, and sometimes sheer will to navigate through life, both in my younger years and even now as an adult. 
 I wrote the above about being the Middle Child a few years ago,but it's still very true today.That's all I can share about my siblings right now.

30 Blog Challenge: Day 4

Day 4: My Parents
This one promises to be an emotional post, so I'm going to dive right in.  What to share about my parents?
My Dad.One of the things I love to share about my Dad -it was very easy for me to view God as kind, loving, warm, and generousbecause of his example.
My Dad can't help himself.From the time I was little,if I asked him for a $1.00, he'd always give me $20.00.He has a giving heart. And he's kind, except when he's grumpy.  Ha ha, had to throw that in, Pops.I remember the first time I was in a car accident,my Dad rushed to the scene.I was slightly annoyedthat he was  joking with the officer (not about me).His easy-going manner probably helped me not get a ticket,and I never had to worry about my Dad being upset with me in crisis moments like that.He helped me see things in a better light.
When I told my Dad I was going to Africa,he just listened and asked when?And he dropped me off/picked me up at the airport,whatever the hour and wherever I was landing.There's a lot more I'd like to say and will in another post.More than anything,I want my Dad to know my heavenly Father.How about it, Pops?
My Mom.She went home to be with the Lord a little over 3 months ago.She was the fire to my Dad's water.She was vivacious, and lively, and expressive,and more talented that anyone I've ever met.
My Mom taught me courage and to never run from adversity.When a group of girls in 4th grade threatened to beat me up,rather than comforting me in my fear,she looked me in the eye and made clear that she expected me to face them.I was never to run or hide.Or I'd have to answer to her.
 A woman of strong convictions,she challenged my ideas in order to be sure they were my own.Whatever I believed or did,it had to be 100%. She didn't want me to be a blind or foolish followerbut to forge my own way instead.I realize now that she cried many tearswhenever I left to go on my adventures,but she hid her sorrow in order to not hold me back.
Like the positive charges of two magnets repelling each other,our similar temperaments and passionsoften clashed in dramatic fashion.I wish we could have gone beyond that to reveal our true hearts to one another.But when it really mattered,all that needed to be expressed and knowncame through in her final moments.More than anything,I want her to be proud of me.I want to carry her fire within me and, one day, burst into heaven,having lived my earthly adventure to the fullest.
I am my parents' daughter still writing my story.That I would take the best qualities of eachand live a life that honors them and the Lord.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 3

Day 3 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge hosted by Katie's Journey: Your First Love

I'm not trying to flex my "super spiritual" muscles here, 

but there's been no other love in my life like that of my Lord and Savior, 

Jesus Christ.  

Who first whispered His love and purpose to me at an early age, 

though I grew up in a non-religious home.  

Who made sure there was always someone in my life 

who gently pointed the way to me.  

Who enabled me to survive several tragic circumstances in my life, 

and literally lifted me out of the depths of despair more than once.

The Lover of my soul,

Whose stubborn passion for me won't let go,

no matter what.

He loves us.

Adores us, thinks about us.

Longs to be close to us.

He is kind, gentle, and funny too!

There is no other love quite like His.

  "For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, 

nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening,

 nor things to come, nor powers,

    Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation 

will be able to separate us 

from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39 (The Amplified Bible)

"I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—

nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, 

today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—

absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love 

because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us."

Romans 8:38-39 (The Message Bible) 

30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 2: The Meaning of My Blog's Name

Day 2 (of the 30 Day Blog Challenge, check it out here) 

is sharing the meaning behind my blog's name:

Beautiful Century, A Beautiful Life

One of the biggest blessings my mother gave me was my name.

Kind of like Joseph being given a special coat,

I am the only one with a Japanese name.

My father chose my siblings' names, 

but my mother was determined to give a Japanese name to one child.

And she chose this name for me.

In the formal written language, 

the meaning is formed with the specific combination

of the Japanese characters.

I have to share the meaning of the name 

in order for someone to be able to properly write it.

The characters that form my name, Miki,

translate to Beautiful Century.

My mother's hope that my life would be long and meaningful.

I am so glad that my mother taught me Japanese.

I miss chatting with her and teasing her in Japanese.

I thought I was doing so well with grieving her passing,

until it hit me that I wouldn't have anyone to speak Japanese with.

And that she wouldn't cook all the special dishes she loved making for me.

Since I was a child, I've always preferred Japanese food.

We enjoyed watching sumo together.

She was a professional dancer,

trained in traditional Japanese dance from the age of three.

I loved watching her dance.

I miss my mom.

Her legacy continues...

she helped me with the Japanese characters and the meaning 

of my youngest son's name.

My husband and I found the name Keizo.

Really felt strongly that it was the right name for him.

Then my mom told us about this honorable samurai in our family history.

The characters that form my son's name are the same as that ancestor.

Keizo means "God's grace, blessing, mercy and love."

His middle name Jun means pure.

My children are learning Japanese,

and they know just enough to be able to tease me.

My mother's influence and heritage lives on.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1

Inspired by Barbie from My Freshly Brewed Life, I decided to join the 30 Day Blog Challenge posted by Katie of Katie's Journey.

Day 1: Introduce yourself, post a recent picture, and list 15 interesting facts.
Hello there!  My name is Miki.

 I live in Colorado and am a homeschooling mom of three.  I am also a photographer and am training to run my 1st 5K on Thanksgiving Day.(Pray for me!)    Here are some "interesting" things about me:
1.  I grew up speaking English and Japanese fluently.  In fact, I didn't realize until my American grandmother pointed it out, when I was 7, that not everyone flipped back and forth between the 2 languages like we did in our home!2.   My ancestors include William Bradford, who came across on the Mayflower and was Governor of Plymouth Colony (on my father's side.)   3.  On my mother's side, I am a descendant of samurai.  My youngest son is named after a noble samurai in my family history.  4. I have travelled to 7 countries (Japan, United States, Kenya, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Holland, and Canada.)  Those don't include countries I've flown into or had to go into for a day for visa purposes.5.  I've been in a film, music video, stage play, morning tv talk show, and radio program at least once, some more than that. 6.  By the grace of God, I gave birth to my 3 kids naturally - the last one in a bathtub and I delivered him into my own hands!7.  I was a missionary in Ethiopia and was a licensed minister during that time.  It was surreal/wild getting correspondence with "Rev." written on the envelope.8.  Challenged to a race by an adult soccer player in Ethiopia, I twice beat him across the length of the pool.  Swimming has always been a strength of mine.  9.  My 1st week of waitressing, I waited on Charlie Sheen and the cast of "Navy Seals" (because everyone one else hid from the large party that came in right before closing.)  No one believed me when I said who I was waiting on (because everyone was off duty and in the back room) until the cast was leaving.  Even though I didn't know what I was doing, I managed to get everyone their food/drinks and got a very nice tip!10.  I am a middle child and proud of it!11. I've looked forward to turning 40 for most of my life - I've always thought of it as a very important, defining age for a woman, and that women just begin to hit the peak of their beauty at 40.  I can't believe it's 6 months away!!!12.  I have a severe dislike of clusters of holes.13.  The one body part I don't like are my ear lobes.  Weird, I know.14. Being bi-cultural and growing up in Japan (until 11), I had never seen anyone that looked like me, until I saw a picture of some ladies from India or Pakistan - then I thought, "There's my people!"  Even now, I have a fascination with the clothing/style of that region of the world.  15.  I almost always root for the underdog.
Link up your own posts and join the fun!