I'm back, but still weary. Here's the scoop.
Okay, two life issues I've been dealing with. Number one, a little girl in the Philippines that my wife and I consider our adoptive daughter. Number two, nasty health problems.
On the nasty health problems front (I have both Crohn's Disease and Fibromyalgia) I am doing a lot better. Or at least, I'm flat on my back a lot less. Starting to get caught up at work, too. Some medicine changes seem to finally be improving things.
On the adoption front. To explain, there is a seven-year-old girl in the Philippines who is my wife's younger brother's illegitimate daughter. We support her, because her mother basically abandoned her. When my wife isn't over there, my sister in laws take care of her. Basically, she's our daughter except in the legal sense. Anyway, we've been trying to get the court in Olangapo City to recognize her as our daughter so we can formally get her a passport and bring her home. So, I had to go to the Philippines to appear before the judge for a recent hearing.
My wife and I decided to stop in Japan on the way out so we could sight-see, because breaking the trip into two segments would make it a lot less wearying for me, and because she has a cousin there she hasn't seen in years. That was a real blast.
My little girl Aila (Mikaila):
Me, Aila and my wife Lita. (The redness in my face is dermatitis. One of my wonderful symptoms I have to deal with.)
Aila in school uni, coming home for lunch. (In the Phils, school kids take an hour and a half off in the middle of the day so they can go eat at home, then go back for afternoon classes.)
At the Yakiniku restaurant with my wife's cousin and family. (Kohji, their little boy, is a riot).
My wife in front of the statue of Hachiko, at Shibuya station. (Whether you know it or not, you've seen this statue at least a dozen times while watching anime. They sneak it in all the time.)
I swear, my wife took this picture. She was waiting to take a picture of me with the statue. Honest!
