We normally have our ‘uchiage/hanseikai’ party right after our softball tournament ends, but this time because of scheduling issues, we waited a few weeks. I was supposed to be in Fort Worth with Ty for a wrestling tournament but when that plan got cancelled, I was free to go to this dinner with my softball team afterall! I always look forward to not only eating at Izakaya Wa, but also being able to chat with my fellow moms and teammates. It’s funny that everyone on our team brought their sons so there were our 3, the Asanos 2, the Tanakas 2, and the Osakos 2… 9 boys at their own table, that was actually more than the moms table! We chatted over our recent news, reviewed what happened at our last softball game, and enjoyed all our favorite items on the menu. Its always helpful when the owners are at your table! Thank you, Asano family for a great meal and hope our Team Izakaya Wa can do better next year!
Did you know that The National Association of Realtors is the largest trade association in the United States, representing the interests of 1.5 million agents, brokers, appraisers, property managers, and other real estate professionals? One of the biggest and most important role NAR plays is their advocacy for issues important to the real estate industry. Having the annual May meeting in Washington DC gives realtors the chance to visit the Capitol to meet their elected officials. Susan and Mariko attended these meetings and got to actually meet with their Congressman, Brian Babin, with a group of realtors from Houston! Aside from that, Susan attended the CIPS Advisory Group meeting and made some recommendations to change the current CIPS curriculum. It is in these settings and in these committee meetings that changes like these can be discussed and realized. In the off hours, Susan spent time with her HAR Executive Team, visiting the White House on a short tour and sharing meals at different local restaurants. Before the conference started, Susan arrived a couple days early to attend her second in person NARLA (NAR Leadership Academy) session.The week ended with a short Board of Directors meeting, attended by over 900 realtors representing local associations from all over America. It was Susan’s first time to represent HAR and Texas Realtors as an NAR director! All in all, it was a very eventful week and we were happy to spend time with so many colleagues both new and old from all across the United States and some from other countries.
The U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) Board of Directors selected Audrey Yamamoto to be the Council’s next president and chief executive officer. Before coming into this position, Audrey was the COO of The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Audrey will lead USJC’s staff in the U.S. and Japan, and will work closely with the Council’s boards in both countries in carrying out the Council’s mission of developing and connecting diverse leaders to strengthen the bilateral relationship.
The USJC Houston chapter was excited to meet Audrey on April 20, when she stopped by Houston and had dinner with us! We look forward to her leadership and seeing her again later this year in Tokyo, when the 2024 USJC Conference moves to Japan at the end of October.
April 8 was a special day in Texas as most major cities were able to experience the solar eclipse. CCISD was actually off from school so Ty hit the road to Austin with his friends, while Susan and Zach stayed home to watch it from our front yard. We dragged out our zero gravity chairs, mixed some cocktails (non-alcohol for him of course), fixed some snacks, and reclined all the way back. Although it was pretty cloudy, we were able to catch the entire show, on and off through the clouds, and with and without our eclipse glasses. Some places in Texas were fortunate to have good weather and got to see the very rare total solar eclipse and the famous ring of fire. I am so glad I was able to experience the eclipse with Zach this time, because the next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the United States will be August 23, 2044, which is over 20 years from now. I hope that Zach and I will be able to see it again together. He’ll be 31 and yikes, I’ll be 72!
We have some super exciting Annoura Family news to report, finally!! Our middle son Ty, found out last week that he was admitted to the United States Naval Academy!! This was his #1 choice for college and we are super, super proud of him. We are so thankful to Senator Cruz for his nomination, to all of his teachers and coaches for their recommendation letters, his boy scout Troop 1513, his Clear Lake High School teachers, his Gateway Community Church leaders, and the moral support and prayers of his friends and family! Before we found out, we planned a trip to Boston and Cleveland to visit Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Case Western Reserve University, two universities Ty was considering going to, to wrestle on their wrestling teams. Over 55 hours, Susan and Ty flew through 5 different cities and met the coaches and teammates for both schools last weekend. They then learned Ty was accepted to the Naval Academy! On the other side of the world, Koh spent a couple weeks in Korea and Japan and returned home last Wednesday. In Korea, he did his time trials for the upcoming Keirin racing league, Derby Wheel and did great! In Japan, he met with his parents and the builder of our new home. Joe came back to Houston, but only to grab his snowboarding stuff, and to head to Bush Airport. One of his fraternity brothers has a house in Park City, Utah, so lucky Joe got to go snowboarding with a small group of friends. Susan spent a couple of days in Galveston as part of HAR’s executive committee, supporting the next group of HAR leaders on their TRLP journey. This week, she is in Scottsdale, AZ for her first T3 Summit (www.t3summit.com), also with her HAR EC. It’s going to be a busy next few weeks because Koh takes off for Belgium this weekend to coach his paracyclist athlete on another European racing tour! As if this isn’t enough Annoura traveling, Ty will also hit the road. He heads to Las Vegas tomorrow to compete in a national wrestling tournament with his club coach. A special thanks to Sue’s parents who will watch Zach while everyone is hustling around!