New Years cards!

I love getting New Years cards from Japan! Thanks Yuki!

Congrats Paul & Nancy!

In early November, we headed up to Annapolis to the wedding of our friends, Paul and Nancy. It was a beautiful event and SO SO much fun to catch up with all of our Japan friends that are spreadout over the east coast (and further).

The Naval Academy chapel is beautiful!

I guess when you get married over Veteran's day weekend (3 day weekend for Navy guys) and at the Naval Academy, you have enough sailors to do a sword arch. Not gonna lie, I was a bit jealous. We weren't able to do one at our wedding in Minnesota. Love the pictures though!

Japan reunion! Gizelle rode up with Glenn and I and the Rohrings drove up from Patuxent River, MD!

The beautiful bride!

Somehow, I managed to squeeze in to the same dress that I wore for Emily's wedding a year before! Although, it fits me slightly different now and boy was I happy to take it off at the end of the night!

We spent a lot of time catching up with our friends (and new baby friends) at the reception.

What a fun time! Congrats Paul and Nancy! Enjoy your honeymoon in a few weeks!

Bubble Tea!

While doing a little Christmas shopping on Saturday morning, I saw someone with a drink with black tapioca in the bottom and I had to hunt it down! I haven't had a bubble tea since Japan. When Hillary and I wet to Taiwan, we had at least one, usually two a day.

It has green tea in it otherwise I probably would have gotten a second. Next time I'm shopping though, I'm starting there!

Hi Gilbert Clan!

Our dear friends the Gilberts came to Virginia Beach to visit friends in the area since they lived here for 8+ years before Japan. It was wonderful to see them! We had a little Japan reunion on Friday before the HEGH ball. It was so nice to catch up with everyone.

We saw Rob & Christiana's baby for the first time as well. Aiden is such a little peanut still!

How cute are these little munchkins? Miss Cora, Miss Haley and Miss Addison were enjoying the watermelon. It was just too hot outside so we had to move the BBQ inside.

Thanks for coming friends. I love our Navy family!

Aurora Laura Rohring

While Glenn and I were in DC the other weekend, we got to catch up with our friends, the Rohrings. They were stationed with us in Japan and when they left, Angelica was pregnant. I finally got to meet Miss Charlotte Hana. She was a cutie and even let us enjoy our late lunch and chance to catch up! When we lived in Japan, Angelica joked that she was going to name her Aurora Laura Rohring. With the way that the Japanese mix up their Ls and Rs, it was pretty funny. Arora Rora Roring is how it would have ended up sounding. Charlotte Hana is a little bit better I suppose.

It seems now that we are back in the States, most "Navy" cities that we visit, we have a friends or two in that town that we have the chance to catch up with. Now if only my family and friends lived in these cities, we would be great.

Konichiwa and Gutentag, maybe...

A few weeks ago, some friends stopped by Norfolk enroute to tour the US visiting family before they moved to Germany. I'd almost forgotten about this picture until I've seen a few of their first pictures of Germany on Facebook! Mike and Toni were stationed with us in Japan and are doing another overseas tour. I'm a little jealous of their European tour. Maybe someday!

While they were in town we got together with a few other Norfolk Liberty Bells. It was fun to reminisce! Good luck in Germany Ross family!

Made my day!

I received a card and pictures in the mail from my Japanese friend Mayumi today and it just made me smile!

I miss Japan and my students so much!

Thanks Mayumi!

My last night in Japan!

I've finally uploaded the pictures from my camera! Since my farewell from Japan was moved up one week unexpectedly, my farewell party was the night before my 30 hour trip to America. I don't necessarily recommend a night of heavy drinking the night before flying around the world, but I would have missed one last night with all my girls (and Mike) for the world. So much fun.

We went to a yakiniku (Korean BBQ) restaurant in Yamato and enjoyed yummy food and a few mystery items, but it wouldn't be Japan if we didn't have some questionable item I figured.

How has it already been 6 weeks since I've seen some of my favorite people?! I miss you all!

My dear Japanese friend, Yuki, came too. And thank goodness because we needed her help with ordering! Thanks, Yuki!

I miss my Liberty Belles dearly and all my other friends from Atsugi. Everyone back here asks, "are you happy to be back?" "Do you miss it?". Yes and yes, but mostly, I miss my wonderful friends in Japan. It is such a wonderful community both military and the Japanese. I miss everyone terribly.

And of course, since it was my party after all, we ended up at the O'Club. I miss it too! I need to find a bar around here that is walking distance from my house and everyone I know goes to it all the time. Oh and the bartenders all know my name and drink. Gotta work on that...

I miss you all!!

I could go for some sushi go round...

During my last few days in Japan, Glenn and I went to one of my favorite sushi-go-round restaurants. I miss that yummy fresh sushi at my fingertips!

We haven't ventured to any Japanese restaurants since we've been back. I'm sure we will find something that compares, but it will never quite be the same.

Clearly, our stack of plates shows how much we loved it.

I

I miss you Japan!

1000th Post!

Are any of you still reading my ramblings? The blog I started shortly before we left for Japan, in hopes that we would get to move to Japan, now has 1000 posts. And fitting that today is the day I leave Japan.

I'm flying from Yokota Air Force Base to Seattle to Minneapolis to Norfolk today. Wowzers. It's going to be along day. Days? I don't even know.

I'll spend the night in Norfolk and then make the drive to Cary, NC to see my family and attend the memorial service for my Grandma. I'm leaving Japan a week before Glenn so that I can make it home in time to see my family at her service. It's still strange to think that she's gone. I was looking forward to being only a short drive from her and Grandpa for the next several years. What a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart. I'm grateful that I'll be with my mom and our family this weekend.

I've never had to pack for a funeral, a wedding and 6+ weeks of homelessness before. This will be an interesting trip.

I know my blog won't contain world travels and new and different things for awhile, but I think I'll continue to write and document our lives. For me, if nothing else. There are definitely some new things coming up for us. House hunting! I'm very excited about that but nervous we won't find anything we like. My iPhone 4S and connecting with people again. My love affair with Target. A job for me again. Maybe? I hope. Job hunting will be new as well.

Farewell, Japan. You will always have a place in my heart. A beautiful country with beautiful people. I hope we return again some day. Maybe to visit, maybe to live here again. Only time will tell. For now we are on to new adventures. Ganbatte!

Last Suppers

I may go back to America 15 pounds heavier after my last week in Japan, but it's definitely worth it! I've go so many foods I want to eat and restaurants to go to before I leave and good friends I want to spend time with. On Monday, we headed to Gato's near Fuchinobe station. We had made plans while we were drinking on Saturday, but surprisingly, we still remembered (minus Lauren, she forgot.)

 

I've only got a few nights left in Japan, can you believe it? How has 3 years gone by so quickly?? Everyone's lives have seemed to have changed so much while we're gone so I suppose it's our turn too. Get a job, find a house...readjust to America. I suppose it's time, but I still don't feel ready!

Aya seems to have gone up in flames. :)

Good Friends.

I was telling Glenn last night that this is one of the first times in our 5 moves that I feel sad to leave. Usually we have friends ahead of us already at our new duty station or a new job/apartment/house or something to look forward to. Maybe it's just because we've been here for 3 years and I've really settled it, but I'm going to miss it so much!

Akiyo is like my little Japanese grandma. I love her. We are already skype friends and plan on keeping in touch.

I went out to dinner a few weeks ago with some friends. Adventures in Japan are an everyday occurrence. Our friend, Aya, ordered something new for us to try...

Thanks, Aya!

Typhoon Roke

I'm sitting right in the middle of the orange horizontal band. It's gonna be a rainy, windy day. I wish Glenn were here.

Brunch

Glenn and I are big fans of the TV show How I Met Your Mother. I highly recommend the show if you're not watching it already. The other day we watched the episode where Marshall takes his guy friend to brunch since he and his girlfriend broke up.

"Who doesn't love brunch?"

Everyone is the correct answer.

Coincidentally, we had plans to meet my former Tuesday night class for brunch in Tokyo on Sunday morning. The New Sanno hotel puts together a pretty massive Sunday brunch buffet and I was happy to spend the morning with our Japanese friends.

Sumiyo Snacks: Purple Potatoes

In the bag of potatoes that a friend gave me, there were several mysterious purple potatoes. Interesting... I cut them up, drizzled some olive oil and sprinkled some salt on them to make some wedges. 

They tasted like a not-so-sweet sweet potato. Pretty good! They definitely add a different color to the dinner plate.

Mom & Dad Visit: Day 6 & 7

We didn't take too many pictures on mom and dad's last couple days in Japan, but we definitely crossed a few more items of their list:
- Fuji Sightseeing (at 120 mph, but that's ok)
- 100 yen store visit
- Indian food take out (ok, maybe that was on my list)
- Met my fellow Liberty Belles
- Relax a bit!

Thanks again for making the trip out here. Surprisingly you never felt an earthquake while you were here. We've had several since you left! I can't wait to see you soon!

Mom & Dad Visit: Day 5

Day 5 started out with a "yummy" Japanese breakfast. Is it bad when you are excited about salad the most? We got cleaned up and checked out the morning markets in Takayama.

Takayama is a cute little town. It is famous for it's old style buildings and relaxed atmosphere. We browsed, we ate, we shopped.

After shopping, we found a Humburger shop for lunch. They were pretty quiet, but still delicious.

In the afternoon we took a short bus ride to Hida no Sato or the Hida Folk Village. Gifu prefecture moved about 30 old style homes from all over the prefecture to one village area. It showed the construction and the life style of the era. There was a lot of English signage and it was very interesting. We spent about 3 hours wandering in and out of all of the buildings.

After the village, we headed back to the ryokan for nap time and dinner. We set our alarms for 3:45 am that night to watch the US vs. Japan women's World Cup final. We were also headed home the next day. Only one more night before they leave. Mom and Dad's trip just flew by because we were so busy every day. Lots of public transportation and sightseeing!