Michael

 Today is Michael's birthday.  He is now 30!!!!  

I'm really proud of the young man he has become.  Hisao passed away just 3 weeks before Mikey's 21st birthday.   I remember wondering how I was going to carry on, how to help David, Christopher and Hannah navigate the public school system, how to grow our business.  So many things that Hisao did for us that now feel to me.  But Mikey stepped up, put his dreams on hold and managed all the things that needed to do.  He has been teaching English since he was 18, helping out a lot.  He is now a known as a caring, fun teacher who has helped scores of kids get their first taste of learning English in a positive way.  He has built up a good following at the local community centers, he gets called to do magic shows for different events (at least until covid hit!), the staff trust him to take of the kids.  He also has regular classes that he volunteers for, we get a lot of paying students from those classes.  He is well known in our little city!

2020 was supposed to be the start of his magic career but that has been put back, he is hoping that this summer he will make his debut.  Let's hope the pandemic will have calmed down by then!

Few photos of Mikey through the years.

About a month old

First visit to UK

Starting nursery

UK 2003

Messing around

Who has the biggest ice cream?

3 boys!

teaching

Balloon art

Teaching at a community center

Last visit to UK, 5 years ago.

Wearing the other kids glasses

with Dad

???????

12 years ago

graduating junior high school

With Lou, our first dog

Sorry the photos aren't in order!  I have to go and start the lasagna, Mikey's request for his birthday dinner!