Hakuba

I'm watching a movie called "Easy Virtue" right now with Jessica Biel. And, the dog in the movie looks like a smaller version of Skittle. Now I'm all sad and stuff.

Onto more exciting topics, we've been doing great here in Japan. We've settled back in, and so far we've had a lot of fun. Having an oven has made me so much happier. The only problem is that I keep baking, which means I keep eating. I'm going to have to figure out how to bake and then get rid of all of the goods as soon as possible. Perhaps it's time to meet the neighbors?

Last weekend we headed with a couple of friends to Hakuba. You might remember that we went there last summer, too. It's where the 1998 Winter Olympics were held, and it's just beautiful there. I really can't get enough of the place. I hate cold weather, but at least when there are gorgeous mountains to look at and hot springs to enjoy, it's worth it. And, there's also an amazing Mexican restaurant in Hakuba. I miss Mexican food more than anything so it's such a treat to eat it there.

Last year I tried snowboarding for the first time, and I was pretty terrible. I decided midway through the season to try skiing. And, I was pretty awful at that, too. So, last weekend I decided to give snowboarding another whirl, and to my surprise, I had improved! I can now successfully get up on the snowboard every time I try, and I can make it down the mountainside with no falls. Unfortunately, the flatter spots kill me, and I still can't turn. But, not falling every ten seconds definitely makes the sport more enjoyable.

Here we are with the entire group.

When I saw this snowboard in the rental shop, I just couldn't pass it up. I was quite amused by it.

It is such a beautiful place.

We booked a hostel for the night, and we weren't expecting luxury. But, we also weren't expecting what we got. Ha! Fortunately, the boys weren't scared to sleep on the drool-stained pillows so Megan and I could have semi-clean ones. It really wasn't too bad, but it was pretty amusing. And, thankfully the fumes from the heater didn't kill us in our sleep.

Last weekend's trip was the first of several. We already have plans to head back to Hakuba twice in the next month. So, expect some more snowy pictures. Until then, keep it real!