Our Lucky Day

We were able to attend church in Aizu. It was a nice little building, and the people were very friendly. There weren't many members and although it is nice to experience such a small close nit ward, it makes me appreciate our buildings and large number of members in our area. Mark and my parents were asked to come up and say a few words (Mark did his part in both Japanese and English and interpreted for my parents.) It was great and not just because Justin and I got away scott-free. :)
Right before church, just outside of the meeting house, my dad found this 4-leaf clover. After Church, our great friends, Chizuko and Ami, took us to the castle (crap, can't remember the name. I'll look it up and add it later.)
I saw some of the funniest looking masks I've ever seen!

This is the view from the castle. We were there during the rainy season, so it rained a lot. Luckily it was mostly just a drizzle. An upside was that we got to see some really cool misty clouds all over.

My mom and Chizuko...don't know what we would have done without her. :)

Unfortunately, the outside of the castle was under construction...so it just looked like a regular building with everything built around it to enable the work to be done. The inside was neat and full of info....

...but the best part was the grounds...they were beautiful. The only thing that would have made them better, was if the cherry blossoms were in bloom.

LOVE these fences:

Mark, Haru, & Ami

After our tour of the castle, we had to leave Aizu. We got on a train and headed for Aomori. Our friends walked us to our stop and waved as we left.

I love this picture of Mark waving goodbye. Hopefully this isn't the last he ever sees of these people.