I can`t believe 2013 will be over in just 2 more weeks. Is it just me or has this year flown by?
It`s been a pretty good year for me overall.
Here she is in a sling my friend here in Japan made for my sister to use!
The brownish crane in the middle is called a Siberian White Crane and it was the only one of its kind in Izumi this year! When they are young they are brown and when they mature they are almost all white. It was the first Siberian White Crane to migrate to Izumi in 3 or 4 years!
On this trip I bought these glasses with pink flamingos because they reminded me of my Granny Birty who died 18 years ago when I was 15. She loved flamingos and to this day anytime I see them I think of her.
This is Koichi, his mom & dad, and his nephew.
We also celebrated 2 years of marriage in May. I made him one of his favorite meals and a cheesecake on our anniversary and on the weekend after we splurged for an expensive breakfast buffet at a famous hotel here in Kagoshima City. In the bottom left you can see the outline of the volcano across the bay.
That`s the nephew on the right. He`s a tall, skinny young man so he gets lifted up to catch the ball being thrown onto the pitch.
We also went to Kitakyushu to see some of Koichi`s old friends from junior high and high school. We were celebrating one friend getting married and another visiting from the US
We stayed at one of Koichi`s friend`s place and his daughter loved playing with Koichi!
In mid-July one of my best friends ever came all the way to Japan to visit me. We`ve been friends for 20 years and she`s only the second friend that saved up the money and flew over to see me since I moved here 8 years ago! Here are some snaps from her trip.
Our first pic together in Japan!
The view of Tokyo from 350 meters above the city. Tokyo Sky Tree is a digital cable tower that was finished last year and it`s a big tourist spot. The view was amazing!
Sushi for breakfast at Tsukiji Market
Doing fireworks in Kagoshima, we had a great time with the sparklers!
Our final night in Japan. It was an amazing 2 weeks!!
In mid-August is the Obon holiday here in Japan. Families get together to pay their respects to their deceased loved ones. Koichi had some time off work around that time so we went to see his parents again.
His dad grows many different things including this watermelon. It was really tasty!
I was reunited with a friend I hadn`t seen in almost 3 years and got to meet her son for the first time!
We had a summer camp for our English students and I made a solar oven to make s`mores
We had a dinner party in August to watch the annual fireworks show. These are some of my best friends in Japan!
Me, Kazuko, Miki
The fireworks were amazing, as usual!
One of the ashy days.
We went to a bbq and live music show about an hour from the city. The food was good and the view was great!
You can see the ocean in the background.
This ice cream came out and it is DELICIOUS! It`s cookies and cream ice cream wrapped in a thin layer of mochi (a sticky rice cake)
I snapped this awesome panorama shot from my building one evening. I get to see some pretty awesome views from up here.
We had a surprise wedding party for a friend and her husband who have been married for quite a while, but never had a wedding party. Her husband moved back to the States to find a job and she and her kids are planning to move in the spring.
We went to see the cosmos flowers with Miki, Katsushi and May.
May just gets cuter and cuter the bigger she gets!
I spent the last week of October at home in Texas!
5 of my 6 nieces and nephews
The 6th one, it was my first time to meet her!
My sister with her new husband and 3 of the 4 kids
I got to spend the night at my sister`s house one night and take care of the kids for her the next day. She let my niece miss school to hang out with me!
I got to have some quality sister time
And lunch with my beautiful mom when she took me back to the airport.
I attended the live show of this awesome woman. She owns a bar we often go to and sings in an oldies band. They put on a show to celebrate the bar`s anniversary every November.
Very cool rainbow I saw mid-month
Koichi and I went to watch a day of sumo in the November tournament. I love sumo!
One of my favorite action shots
Turkey pot pie
Turkey and dumplings
And this weekend I`m making another turkey for a Christmas dinner with my friends and their families!
I will post at least one more time before the end of the year. I`m thinking about what my goals for 2014 are going to be and how I can make them happen!
It`s been a pretty good year for me overall.
January
I celebrated the New Year in Texas with Koichi at my dad`s house. We went shopping almost all day on the 31st and then fell asleep early that night. On the 1st we visited some friends and my mom before heading to my dad`s house to pack up to leave the following day. On the 2nd we flew to LA to see one of his oldest friends and his family. We spent one night there and then flew back to Japan. While we were on the flight to Tokyo my second niece was born! I now have 4 nephews and 2 nieces :)Here she is in a sling my friend here in Japan made for my sister to use!
February
In February Koichi and I went took a day trip up north to a town called Izumi to see tons of cranes that migrate to Kagoshima every year from Siberia! It was an amazing site.The brownish crane in the middle is called a Siberian White Crane and it was the only one of its kind in Izumi this year! When they are young they are brown and when they mature they are almost all white. It was the first Siberian White Crane to migrate to Izumi in 3 or 4 years!
March
In March I went strawberry picking with Miki & May, Kazuko, Mahiro, & Mayu. Strawberry picking is one of my favorite yearly activities!
April
In April Miki, May, and I went on an overnight shopping trip to Fukuoka. We go to IKEA on our first day and spend a few hours shopping and then eating dinner before heading to the hotel. On the second day we go to Costco and then drive back down to Kagoshima. It`s always a fun time!On this trip I bought these glasses with pink flamingos because they reminded me of my Granny Birty who died 18 years ago when I was 15. She loved flamingos and to this day anytime I see them I think of her.
May
In May we have a week with several holidays in a row and most people get a few days off. It`s called Golden Week. We went to Koichi`s parents` house and his youngest nephew from Nagasaki came as well. His dad was excited to take us to a scarecrow festival one day.This is Koichi, his mom & dad, and his nephew.
We also celebrated 2 years of marriage in May. I made him one of his favorite meals and a cheesecake on our anniversary and on the weekend after we splurged for an expensive breakfast buffet at a famous hotel here in Kagoshima City. In the bottom left you can see the outline of the volcano across the bay.
June
We went on two trips in June. First we went to Nagasaki to watch Koichi`s oldest nephew in his final rugby tournament as a high school student. It was my first time to watch rugby at all and it was awesome!That`s the nephew on the right. He`s a tall, skinny young man so he gets lifted up to catch the ball being thrown onto the pitch.
We also went to Kitakyushu to see some of Koichi`s old friends from junior high and high school. We were celebrating one friend getting married and another visiting from the US
We stayed at one of Koichi`s friend`s place and his daughter loved playing with Koichi!
July
July was a big month! My brother in law`s band released their first single and I bought it on itunes! It was awesome to drive around Japan and hear the voice of someone I know!!In mid-July one of my best friends ever came all the way to Japan to visit me. We`ve been friends for 20 years and she`s only the second friend that saved up the money and flew over to see me since I moved here 8 years ago! Here are some snaps from her trip.
Our first pic together in Japan!
The view of Tokyo from 350 meters above the city. Tokyo Sky Tree is a digital cable tower that was finished last year and it`s a big tourist spot. The view was amazing!
Sushi for breakfast at Tsukiji Market
Doing fireworks in Kagoshima, we had a great time with the sparklers!
Our final night in Japan. It was an amazing 2 weeks!!
August
In mid-August is the Obon holiday here in Japan. Families get together to pay their respects to their deceased loved ones. Koichi had some time off work around that time so we went to see his parents again.
His dad grows many different things including this watermelon. It was really tasty!
I was reunited with a friend I hadn`t seen in almost 3 years and got to meet her son for the first time!
We had a summer camp for our English students and I made a solar oven to make s`mores
We had a dinner party in August to watch the annual fireworks show. These are some of my best friends in Japan!
Me, Kazuko, Miki
The fireworks were amazing, as usual!
September
September was so ashy! From summer until around October the wind blows the ash from the volcano toward the city. Luckily now the wind patterns have changed and it`s going the other direction.One of the ashy days.
We went to a bbq and live music show about an hour from the city. The food was good and the view was great!
You can see the ocean in the background.
October
October was a busy month as I was getting ready for a trip home from the 24th for my baby sister`s wedding.This ice cream came out and it is DELICIOUS! It`s cookies and cream ice cream wrapped in a thin layer of mochi (a sticky rice cake)
I snapped this awesome panorama shot from my building one evening. I get to see some pretty awesome views from up here.
We had a surprise wedding party for a friend and her husband who have been married for quite a while, but never had a wedding party. Her husband moved back to the States to find a job and she and her kids are planning to move in the spring.
We went to see the cosmos flowers with Miki, Katsushi and May.
May just gets cuter and cuter the bigger she gets!
I spent the last week of October at home in Texas!
5 of my 6 nieces and nephews
The 6th one, it was my first time to meet her!
My sister with her new husband and 3 of the 4 kids
November
I was in Texas until November 5. My awesome family agreed to have Thanksgiving dinner almost a month early so that I could be there!I got to spend the night at my sister`s house one night and take care of the kids for her the next day. She let my niece miss school to hang out with me!
I got to have some quality sister time
And lunch with my beautiful mom when she took me back to the airport.
I attended the live show of this awesome woman. She owns a bar we often go to and sings in an oldies band. They put on a show to celebrate the bar`s anniversary every November.
Very cool rainbow I saw mid-month
Koichi and I went to watch a day of sumo in the November tournament. I love sumo!
One of my favorite action shots
December
So far in December, I`ve cooked a lot!Turkey pot pie
Turkey and dumplings
And this weekend I`m making another turkey for a Christmas dinner with my friends and their families!
I will post at least one more time before the end of the year. I`m thinking about what my goals for 2014 are going to be and how I can make them happen!
Comments
Post a Comment