Birthdays are the best

I'm a little behind since my birthday was at the end of March, but it was so great that I have to tell you about it. I received lots of nice cards and gifts in the mail from friends and family back home, which made me feel so special. Sometimes it's hard being away from home on your birthday because you feel forgotten, but I certainly didn't feel that way! So many of you called me, too. Thank you so much for that! It meant so much.

On my actual birthday, I had to work late. But, when I got home Travis had sweetly prepared me a dinner of delicious Thai green curry. It was so good. And, he pulled a beautiful cake out of the closet! It was beyond delicious, and I helped myself to two pieces that night, one for breakfast the next morning and more for dinner the next night. It didn't last long!

The following Friday Travis arranged a big dinner with several of our friends at one of my favorite restaurants. It was so much fun, and we followed it up with some karaoke, which was a blast. It was one of my favorite nights.

Here are the girls. We had such a great time singing Black Eyed Peas and No Doubt. These girls are so much fun to be around! Our boys were there, too. But, I think they were too busy rapping Gin and Juice to pause for a picture.

The next day, Travis took me to Kyoto for the weekend. We had the best time there, and it was undoubtedly one of the most memorable weekends of my life. Travis made reservations for me at a photo studio where I was able to dress like a maiko, an apprentice geisha.

The process began with a full makeover. My makeup was done in the traditional style, and then I chose a kimono and wig. Afterwards, I headed to the studio to have professional photos taken.

Travis took a shot of me during the photoshoot. It was so much fun!! I was actually really surprised by the photos. They turned out wonderfully, and I'll try to share some once I receive the finished pictures.

After the photoshoot, I took a stroll near Kyomizudera. At first, I was so embarrassed because everyone stopped to stare and point. After a little while, it became kind of fun. Travis kept going to the other side of the street so he could watch all of the people marvel at the super-tall-foreign-looking geisha. As you can imagine, many funny comments were made (at my expense), too.

Lots of tourists, like the Chinese family pictured above, asked to take pictures with me. I wonder if they felt cheated.

After my short career as a geisha ended, we grabbed lunch at a local restaurant and headed out for some sightseeing. Kyoto was incredibly crowded, since we went on the peak weekend to view the cherry blossoms, but battling the crowded sidewalks and traffic was well worth the effort.

Travis booked a ryokan for us to stay in. It was a beautiful place tucked in the side of a mountain right outside of the city. We were able to enjoy a couple of onsens there, and the food was incredible. Some of the cuisine was a challenge, but it was so beautifully presented.

This picture is of the walkway to our ryokan. It was very quaint and picturesque there.

The next day, we headed to Kyoto again and explored a few different areas. We did a little bit of shopping and enjoyed snapping pictures of the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

We stopped to take a picture underneath a walkway canopied by cherry blossoms. It was incredibly beautiful, and I felt like I was in some sort of wonderland.

Speaking of cherry blossom wonderlands, they are almost gone. We were able to spend a few days in parks enjoying them, but now it's cold and since it rained almost all day yesterday, very few are left. I am really going to miss them next year.

This last photo is a tribute to the cherry blossom. They come and go so quickly. Reminds me of a little thing called life...

I heart Japan.

I've got some catching up to do. We've been quite busy these last couple of months, but we've been having a really great time. With only about three months left, we're trying to seize every opportunity.

Late last month, we headed to Hakuba for one last ski trip. We celebrated Ayako's birthday, and we had a wonderful time. Things didn't exactly go as planned when it took us almost two hours to rent all of our gear, but we still managed to enjoy a fabulous half-day on the slopes. I even learned how to turn both directions on a snowboard. I still have a long ways to go, but I have fallen in love with it. It's so much fun! I can't wait to head out to Colorado and try it in the U.S. I'm going to miss the Japanese Alps so much, though!

This picture is of the four of us in our Passo. We actually traveled with a really large group, and we had a hard time finding space for all of our gear. I can't remember the exact totals, but we fit something like six snowboards, four pairs of skis and ski poles, four persons worth of luggage, boots, three Americans and one Japanese all in our little car! It was pretty hilarious.

I told you we went with a large group! Seventeen of us slept in the same room, too. I'm telling you, we have to bring the slumber parties back to the U.S. It's always such a fun time.

This picture was taken after an afternoon of bowling with our Japanese family (as I like to call them). They really do feel like aunts, uncles and cousins to us. I beat Travis in both games of bowling, which I don't think has ever happened before. Then, we pigged out on some yakiniku together. I can't believe how much food we ate!

On one rainy Saturday afternoon, Travis suggested we visit the Toyota Commemorative Museum, which has been on our to-do list for a while. It is a very nice and well-done museum in Nagoya. It explains the entire history of Toyota, and it's very interactive. I really enjoyed it for the first hour and a half, but I was losing patience for the last sixty minutes. As you can imagine, Travis loved it and could have spent the entire day there!

The picture above is of me with a huge loom machine of some sort. Toyota's initial endeavor was looming.
Here's Travis in some sort of futuristic chair thingy. Unfortunately, it was disabled so we could only take pictures in it.

Another evening, we went to dinner with Travis' close friend and Japanese tutor. He suggested a himono restaurant.

It's basically sun-dried fish. It reminded me of jerky. It was much better than I expected, but it did taste extra fishy.

We also attended a huge flower expo at the Nagoya Dome, which is where the Chunichi Dragons play baseball. I won some free tickets so we decided to check it out.

We had a nice time scoping out all sorts of flowers from around the world. There were especially lots of beautiful orchids to view.
Several days later, a friend of mine invited me to take an English tour of Yagoto Temple. It's funny that I never even realized a five story pagoda existed in Nagoya! The temple tour was really interesting, and we were able to take part in a traditional tea ceremony afterwards. I enjoyed it but had a little trouble understanding some of the worship styles explained. For instance, within the temple, individuals can get a stamp card. If an individual goes to the temple to pray seven times for seven months (once a month), they have their card stamped each time. After accumulating seven stamps, one is assured to have a long and prosperous life. Really?! A point card for prayers?

Last weekend, Travis and I took a day trip to Ise, also on our list of places to visit before we leave Japan. In Ise, we visited Mikimoto Pearl Island. We were able to tour the museum, see lady pearl divers and of course see some gorgeous jewelry.

Here we are at the entrance. We had a great day!

At Mikimoto Pearl Island, you can watch lady pearl divers called ama dive hourly. They wear no scuba gear and must have been freezing!

How's this for the cheesiest photo of the year? We actually learned a lot about how Mikimoto pearls are cultured. Did you know that inside every Mikimoto pearl is the shell of a mussel from the Mississippi River? Yep.

We also visited Meota Iwa, known as the sacred rocks of marriage. The larger rock represents a husband and the smaller, a wife.

See, I said we've been busy! And, I didn't even include everything. We're so excited to be moving back home, and we look forward to catching up with all of our friends and family. The move will be bittersweet as it represents the closing of a unique and exciting chapter in our lives. This is experience has far exceeded all of my expectations, and not a day goes by that I don't thank God for this amazing opportunity.

Only a life lived for others is worth living

Upon our return from Hawaii (in the airport actually), we learned that one of our good friends, Dan Shinozaki, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. We were, of course, completely shocked and devastated by the news and immediately began praying for him. We began thinking of ways we could be good friends to him during his battle and began making plans to visit him in the hospital. He was staying in a hospital nearly seven hours away so a quick trip wasn't feasible. Exactly one week and one day after we found out he had been diagnosed with cancer, Dan passed away. As you can imagine, we have been trying to cope with the loss of our friend ever since.

We were able to attend his funeral service at his family's home in Japan. I am so glad we were able to go to the service because it was wonderful to meet his parents and brother and sister. After meeting them and being in their home, it was so easy to see why Dan was such an amazing and kind person. He was the type of person that immediately put you at ease. He always listened attentively and showed genuine interest in others. He was such a kind and caring person, and he's already missed so much. He had a magnet featuring, "Only a life lived for others is worth living," a quote by Albert Einstein. Dan lived those words.

This picture was taken after the 5K last year. Dan is in the middle holding #547. He was planning to run the 5K race with us again this year. We will run it in his honor instead.

I don't know what else to say. I will never understand why things like this happen in life, but I have already learned so much.

You have no guaranteed tomorrow.

Dan would have been 28 this coming Friday.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" Psalm 91:1-2

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Kauai...can I go back yet?

It's difficult to express our Hawaii trip in a blog post, but I'll do my best to hit some of the high points of our vacation. I'll start by saying that our trip to Kauai was my favorite vacation to date. It really couldn't have gone better. The weather was great. It was relaxing, and everything fell into place. Travis and I had a great time together, and we were surrounded by the most gorgeous setting I have ever experienced. I'm not sure I've ever felt so strongly about a vacation destination before, but I must say, I don't think it can get any better than Kauai. It's such a unique place. Kauai has gorgeous mountains, canyons, lush green forests, gorgeous beaches and beautiful rivers. You look one direction and you see desert and then turn your head to see the most lush and greenest fields you've ever laid eyes upon. It's just incredible. Mountains to one side and white sandy beaches to the other. I know you think I'm probably exaggerating or getting some sort of a kickback from a tourism association or something, but I really did love it that much.

We stayed in a small condo owned by a couple from Indiana, and it turned out to be the perfect place. We were able to save some serious cash by cooking almost all of our own meals and packing lunches. It was especially fun to finally grill some enormous steaks, too. Staying in a condo was so convenient and far less of a hassle than staying in a hotel. We didn't have to worry about someone cleaning our room everyday, and we had so much more room. It was really great to have a fully supplied kitchen, and we didn't have to constantly think about where we would go for our next meal. I would highly recommend going that route if you want to stick to a budget.

Travis and I enjoyed several different transportation methods on our trip. We traveled by plane (obviously), sailboat, teeny tiny plane, Harley and Chevy Cobalt. Quite a variety, huh?

This is a picture of us with our friendly pilot. We toured the entire island of Kauai by air, and it was breathtaking. I was a little nervous at first, but once we were in the air, I relaxed and had a great time. I think it's worth noting how cute Travis looks in this picture, too. :)

This is a shot of the Napali Coast taken from the airplane. We later were able to see it from a sailboat, too.

One day we rented a Harley to tour the northern part of the island. I'm sure you can imagine whose idea that was. ;) I was pretty terrified for the first hour and did nothing but pray, but after that I relaxed a bit and even had fun. We rode the bike for almost the entire day but had to cut it a little short because of rain. Of course we didn't have any rain gear so we just tried to pretend it wasn't raining. By the way, if you're in a car and you see someone riding a motorcycle in the rain, it's not polite to point and laugh.

One afternoon, we took a sunset cruise down the Napali Coast. We had a wonderful time despite my very poor wardrobe choice. I'm not sure why I thought a short sundress made of lightweight fabric would be a good choice for a cruise along the water. Let's just say our fellow passengers almost got a different kind of whale show. Speaking of whales, though. We saw soo many! It was just amazing. We were close enough to hear them "talking," and we could hear their blowholes. It was just the coolest. They were popping up out of the water all over the place and pulling out their fins to slap the water. It almost looked like they were trying to high five each other. I was too emotional to take any pictures. I refused to take my eyes away from the water so you'll just have to imagine it. It was a dream come true for me.

We also did a lot of hiking during our trip. We didn't tackle any major hikes, but it was a great way to get some exercise and to experience Hawaii. Plus, I was super excited that there are no snakes in Hawaii! It really is heaven on earth.

We spent our last day in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. We flew into Honolulu and met up with one of my friends from high school and his wife. He was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and to drop us back off. We found out the night before that the airport was sold out of rental cars, and if we were able to track one down, it was going to cost $170 for one day! Yikes!

Our first stop in Honolulu was Diamond Head. We climbed to the top of it and enjoyed a great view of Honolulu. There was an impressive mix of cultures there, too. We saw people from all over the world. And, in some cultures, it's apparently okay to take your shirt off when you're hot even if you're only wearing a lacy bra underneath.

We went to Pearl Harbor and climbed around on the U.S.S. Missouri. Since Remington (my high school friend) and his wife, Olga, are both in the Army we were also able to go on a couple of the bases there. It was so interesting, and I think I must have driven them crazy with all of my questions.

To end our vacation, we headed to Waikiki for dinner. We ate at a place called Tiki's. I had some crab and goat cheese macaroni and cheese, and it was scrumptious.

Overall, I'd have to say our trip to Kauai was a perfect vacation. In fact, I think I'm now suffering from some sort of post-Hawaii depression, and I'm worried that the only cure might be more Hawaii!

* I forgot to mention that we celebrated 11 years together on our trip. Isn't that just crazy?

Snow last weekend, sand this weekend!

It seems excessive, and maybe it is, but we're heading to Hawaii today! I found a really good deal a while back, and we're able to use miles for our flight. We're heading to the smallest island, Kauai, and I can hardly wait. I have always wanted to go to Hawaii, and I'm so excited I'm able to have the opportunity. We woke up to snow in Nagoya today so it seems like the timing couldn't be more perfect. And, I've always dreamt of seeing a humpback whale in the wild so please, please, please let that happen! I'll be sure to post pictures soon.

Hakuba again

The alarm went off at 3:40 a.m. on Saturday morning so we could hit the road early with a couple of friends. Off to Hakuba we went! We met a group of about 10 others there for a fun day in the snow. We spent the entire day snowboarding on Saturday. Travis went for a half day again on Sunday, too. I opted out of day two and read a book and magazine in the lodge instead. It was quite relaxing.

Hakuba is so beautiful. I'm pretty sure it's one of my favorite places on the planet.

Travis has been so patient with me while I continue to try to snowboard. I've really started enjoying it, but as you might expect, I'm a slow learner. He never makes me feel bad for being slow or for needing to take breaks to enjoy the scenery.

Travis' face in this picture shows how he was really feeling. We chose a difficult and speedier course, and we decided we should stop and snap a few photos because they might be our last. We had both just endured a couple of pretty nasty wipeouts before these pictures, and people were zipping past us at incredible speeds. Ahhh!!!!

The mountains are just amazing. I can't believe how small I feel next to them. Being amongst them is such a humbling experience, and I'm so grateful I get to enjoy them.

This picture cracks me up because I definitely look pregnant. And, I'm pretty sure snowboarding when you're pregnant is a really bad idea. Rest easy, I am not. I was actually working so hard that I started sweating terribly. I had to take off a layer, roll it up and stuff it in my jacket. Aren't you glad I shared that with you?

After snowboarding all day, we headed to an onsen with some friends and then went back to our cottage for dinner. After dinner, someone had the great idea to build human pyramids. It was so fun! I ripped these pictures off of facebook. Hope my friends don't mind.

Here's the girls' pyramid. Only one hand!

And, the entire group! What a fun picture. We couldn't quite pull off the top, but we got pretty darn close. Lorie (the topper) had to push all the camera timers and then try to climb to the top really fast. Needless to say, it took us a few tries.

This weekend was a lot of fun, and I felt like a kid all over again. I mean, how often do you get to have a big slumber party with all of your friends? I don't know why we don't do it more often. When I get home, I'm totally throwing a slumber party. Who's in?

Running, out of milk

I don't really have a lot to say, but I'm home alone and waiting for my dinner to cool. Just thought I'd share a little bit with you before we head out of town again this weekend. I'm a bit tired so this may not make any sense at all. Props to you if you actually read it!

Things are going quite well in Japan, but we've been extremely busy lately. It seems like we have something going on every single night! It's certainly nice, but it leaves me a bit exhausted . For instance, tonight was a little bit tiring. Travis and I haven't had a whole lot of time to hang out with each other so I was really looking forward to heading home after work to have dinner with him. So much so that I planned everything out just so. You see, I had to work at a location about 45 minutes away from our house by train. Getting there requires me to first take the subway, and then I switch to a different train line and go from there. Once I arrived at my final destination, I put in some extra effort so I could get home as soon after work as possible. I went ahead and purchased my return ticket to avoid any extra stops on my way back home. I finished work at 6:16 p.m., and the train I was hoping to catch back to Nagoya was set to leave at 6:24 p.m. If I missed this train, I'd have to wait 30 min. in the freezing cold. My job is about a ten minute walk from the station. So, I decided to sprint the entire way, which is about a half a mile or so. I was also wearing dress clothes. I looked like a huge dork, but I was determined. I finally arrived at the station with about five minutes to spare. I was so relieved and excited. I was already dreaming about the delicious dinner I was going to make and was so excited that I'd be home earlier than I originally thought. I was breathing hard, but I decided to call Travis to tell him about my incredible feat. When I opened my phone, I saw that I had a voice message from him. It said he was going to have dinner with a colleague since it was his final night in Japan. What?!! All that work for nothing? Of course I didn't mind. It was just quite funny and kind of a slap in the face. All that running for nothing!

I HATE going to the grocery store. I feel bad even saying that since I am constantly thinking about all of the individuals suffering in Haiti. I can't imagine how excited they would be to even get to eat a hot meal right now. And, I'm complaining about going to the store. But, I still don't like it. In fact, when we lived in the U.S., I sometimes did not enter a grocery store for three to four weeks. It's not something I'm proud of, and I've improved drastically. The whole "lack of a full-time job thing" really doesn't leave me with a good excuse for not going. Anyway, tonight I kept debating on whether or not I should go. It is cold, and I didn't feel like it. Plus, I have to carry my groceries up two enormous flights of stairs. But, we were out of milk. So, I started thinking about Travis and about him making oatmeal in the morning. He'd have to use water instead of milk...So, I convinced myself it would be worth it. I walk in the store, pick up a few other random items and head for the milk. And, no milk. There was milk, but not the milk that I ALWAYS buy. The only milk available was the heavy cream kind. I have to wear a swimsuit soon so I don't really need anything extra sticking to my thighs. Ugh. So, we still don't have any milk.

Props for making it through my rant! We're heading to Hakuba on Saturday, so I promise a post with lots of pictures is soon to come! Oh, and the weekend after this one, we're heading to somewhere AMAZING. Can't wait to share it with you!