Visitors!

Lincoln had two lovely ladies loving on him for he last couple days! We miss Ali and Megan already! They are two of my dear friends from college and flew here from MN and Cali to meet Mr. Lincoln. And see me an Glenn I suppose. It meant so much to us to have them here! They are the first of my college friends to come visit. We ate, chatted and relaxed and enjoyed the 65 degree weather. So relaxing.

Thanks again!

Mom & Dad Visit

Mom and Dad were here this weekend! We didn't do anything too exciting: went to the holiday parade, checked out the local art museum and did some baby shopping. Hard to believe that next time I see them, it will be baby time! Hard to believe and terrifying!
Love you!

Best Friends

My two best friends from high school were in town last weekend! It was so much fun! We relaxed, ate, went shopping and just hung out. We even looked through our old Mayo High School year books. I miss them already! I can't wait to see you in September!

Mom & Dad Visit Norfolk

We've been busy around here! I've got so many things to blog and tell you about. A few little projects, a few big projects and lots of visitors.

Let's back track a bit. For the 4th of July and the weekend after, my parents came to visit. It is there second trip to Virginia, their first being in 2008 when we lived here before. It was there first visit to our new house though. I had to work a few half days while they were here, but Glenn had a 4 1/2 day weekend so he kept them busy entertained!

We spent the actual 4th with our friends, Chris and Gizelle, and her family. We had some some bbq and then headed downtown to watch the fireworks at town point park. There was a breeze by the water so we got a little reprieve from the crazy heatwave we had that weekend. We were having flashback to their trip to Japan last July when it was equally as hot.

We watched a lot of Wimbledon tennis, checked out the zoo (have I mentioned we can hear the elephants from our backyard in the evening and at night? Must be dinner time. The zoo is crazy close to our house.)

We mostly just relaxed and enjoyed each others company. Oh, I suppose I did have one house project on my Daddy-Do list. He and Glenn installed a utility sink in the basement. I can't wait to wash my paint brushes in this guy instead of the kitchen sink!

Thank you for the house-warming present, Mom and Dad! Also, thanks for the plumbing lesson. Glenn is feeling confident to tackle the installation of a double vanity in the master bedroom now! That will be wonderful to have in the future!

It was nice to have them in town for a bit. I can't wait for them to come back in the fall when it won't be so hot and we can see more of the area. Miss you!

Visitors!

Our marathon month of visitors continues! Cheryl, my MIL, left today and my two besties arrive on Thursday! Emily and Laura were my maids of honor and haven't been able to visit me before. I can't wait to see them and catch up and rub on Emily's new baby belly! I can't wait.

Dave & Jen Visit

Family! It was so nice to have Dave & Jen visit. They came all the way to Japan and I am so grateful to have my family come visit. This trip wasn't nearly as exhausting as their trip to Japan though. We took it easy and relaxed and enjoyed eachother's company.

Our first stop was Colonial Williamsburg which I am now an annual member. Woot. Only because they were running a military promotion. I'm not that in to the Colonial Era, but it was pretty cool to see the old buildings and businesses. It didn't hurt that we had a beautiful day.

And the baby lambs. Those didn't hurt either. Sooooo cute.

We saw the Hunger Games movie on Friday which Jen and I are both fans of. Loved it and then saw Wicked on Friday night. Also loved it.

 What's a vacation without an awkward family photo, right?

Thanks for coming to visit. See you in a couple weeks in NC!

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!

Mom & Dad Visit: Day 4

Our first stop on Day 4 was Nijo Castle. Beautiful gardens and architecture. Dad was intrigued by all of the Japanese roofs everywhere we went.

On Day 3 we stuck mostly to the East side of Kyoto so on Day 4 we decided to hit up the West side.

Our second stop was Ginkakuji, the Golden Pavillion. Since it was now the weekend, the place was very crowded. We didn't take our leisurely strolls through the gardens like we did in other places, instead, we got the pictures and got out!

In the afternoon, we grabbed some ekiben (train station lunch boxes) before we caught the shinkansen back east towards Nagoya. Then we grabbed an express train North to Takayama.

The train ride curved through the mountains and along the river and hydro-power plants.  It was a beautiful train ride!

Once we got to our traditional style ryokan in Takayama, the cutest little Japanese girl showed us our room and where everything was. She didn't speak any English so it was a game of charades for part of the time, but we figured it out. We explored the neighborhood a bit and then got cleaned up for dinner.

We were all loving the matching pajamas! Although, this picture looks like we have all been admitted to a padded cell somewhere, I think.

Mom and Dad's first experience with Japanese food was lots of fun.

"What's this?"

"I don't know, but I like it!"

Soup. Pickles. Mystery foods. Repeat.

Mom & Dad Visit: Day 3

We started our morning leisurely since Mom was sleeping past 5 am. Dad started his morning with the sun again. Our first stop after breakfast was the Kyoto Imperial Palace. We had a guided tour in English that answered all of Dad's questions about how those roofs are built. From the palace we moved on to the Philosopher's Path, more temples, more shrines and more walking! The wonderful thing about Kyoto is that there is always something new to see.

The next stop on our temple treck was Kiyomizu-dera. The Clear Water Temple. It is a classic visit in Kyoto and one I've seen many times, but still a must see. The hike up the street street is worth it for the great views of Kyoto!

 

Plus, this time we got an extra bonus! Geisha! I don't think they were true professionals, probably tourists like ourselves, but still fun to see.

After visiting Kiyomizudera, we hopped on the bus back towards the Gion district. We had a few hours before our dinner reservation so we popped in to Yasuka Shrine. We happened to have timed our visit perfectly and the Gion Matsuri festival started that evening. The whole street was just down with vendors, beer stands and people practicing for the parade in a few days. Perfect! We stopped for a beer and attempted to cool down from our miles of walking. We walked down the street for a bit and found a restaurant along the river with outdoor seating. A perfect place for round 2!

We ended Day 3 at Grill Miyata. A few friends from the squadron recommended that we go so I figured it was worth a shot. I wasn't really sure what we were in for, but what we got was a kooky old man and stories upon stories. I can't even begin to describe it, but it was quite entertaining. We rolled out of the restaurant 3 hours later full from an awesome steak, quite intoxicated and our sides hurting from laughing so hard.

Another busy day!

Mom & Dad Visit: Day 2

Mom and Dad had barely been in the country for 24 hours and we had a full day planned for Day #2. We headed south along the coast to Miyajima Island. A famous sightseeing spot for the floating torii gate and beautiful views.

We spent almost the entire day at the island: checking out the torii gate, the shrine, Mount Misen and the torii gate again at low tide. We weren't exactly expecting to hike up an entire mountain, but when we realized the cable car only took you part way, we had to hike a bit further to check out the view.

It was definitely worth it!

Last time that Glenn and I had been at Miyajima, it was high tide and we weren't there long enough to see the tide go out. It really gave a perspective just how BIG the torii gates are! After a long, hot, sweaty day at Miyajima, we headed back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and hopped on the train for our next stop- Kyoto!