Lake Towada and Oirase Gorge

This weekend we decided to go out for a drive and headed over to Lake Towada (about an hour and a half's drive to the west). That place is gorgeous, and we had such a fantastic morning walking/driving around, taking in all the scenery. Here are some pictures we took:

How pretty is that?! Weather permitting (cross your fingers), we're planning to go back in 2 weeks and do a full long hike through the gorge, whereas this weekend we just drove through and got out to walk around every now and then.

We're loving Japan more and more every day!

Fall Happiness!

Woops, I've been a sucky blogger lately. Sorry about that. Corey got home a couple of weeks ago and we've been catching up on our hanging out/husband&wife time and getting back into the swing of our "normal" lives (I use quotes because I still can't believe this is our normal life- isn't "normal" supposed to be less fun and exciting??). In any case, hopefully I'll get back to more regular updates from now on.

Rice field behind our house

The seasons have definitely shifted and we're in solid fall now. I'm LOVING it! Much less rain than in the summer, cool and crisp air without being too cold, no snow yet (I'm shuddering at the thought), and beautiful colors all around! The weather has sparked major happy feelings, and we've been having so much fun walking/running around town and getting out of the house and taking advantage of the niceness while it lasts.

The backside of our house (ours is the farthest orange one) and the big squash fields that look like they belong on Farmville. :)

I think I've mentioned this before (and I'm totally re-exposing my nerd-ness here), but I find it extremely interesting watching the seasons change and seeing the agricultural cycles in action. Living my whole life in CA, I had never seen real seasons before this, and obviously I've never lived in such a rural environment where there is so much farming going on. It's fascinating to watch the world change from dead nothingness in the middle of winter, to fresh, unbelievably green foliage in spring, and see crops, flowers and trees blossom and wilt over and over with new colors for each season. Too cool!

The new bright flower colors popping up all over the place (pardon the picture quality- I just snapped this from the car as we were driving by)

What most of the countryside looks like right now

I hope everyone else is having a great fall too! And I promise, more posts soon to come.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday!! Happy day!! She's celebrating in Korea this year (she just arrived a few days ago for her year-long stay. If you want to read about her adventures there, visit Korea According to Margaret). Mom, I hope you have a great day today and get to do something fun to celebrate! I love you!

The holy grail of desserts:

I've just been alerted to the fact that The Cheesecake Factory now has a Red Velvet Cheesecake- and I left the country without trying it. You have no idea how much I'm kicking myself right now. Seriously- think about it. Red Velvet cake. Cheesecake. Cream cheese frosting. All in one. Are you running to the Cheesecake Factory to try this bad boy yet? You really should be. And tell me how it is; I'll live vicariously through your delectable description.

In other news, this is our lovely laptop post-United flight from Baltimore to Tokyo:

Unfortunately, that is not a cool abstract desktop image. It is a smashed-in screen. Thank you United flight attendants for forcing me to check my carry-on bag at the gate because you ran out of room for luggage on the plane, and a big thank you as well to the always delicate baggage handlers for treating my belongings with such love and care. Hey, it's not like they RUINED it- the top left-hand corner of the computer is still completely functional. Who needs the rest of the screen anyway?

If only I had a piece of red velvet cheesecake to drown my sorrows in...

Misawa Sunrise

I snapped this photo right outside our house this morning as the sun was rising. I must say, living here is not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

Anniversary Gift!

Isn't it beautiful?? I'm so in love!!! With the bag, and my husband. :) Thank you thank you thank you Corey!! It's absolutely UNREAL that we've been married for a whole year already. This has been a seriously amazing 365 days, and I couldn't have dreamed in my wildest imagination for a more happy and complete first year as husband and wife. And to think, it's only the beginning...

Home Again

Well I'm back from my trip to the states. I got home around midnight yesterday after 28 long hours of travel (very, very long hours). Luckily everything went smoothly, and I must say it feels really nice to be back home (it would be nicer if my husband had come back with me, but I guueeesss I can wait another 2 weeks until he gets here). 

I had a great time on both coasts! It was so good to see all my friends and family in CA that I've been missing like crazy. I got to spend tons of time with my sister even though she was crazy busy getting ready for her first year teaching:

I had sleepovers, bike rides, many meals and fun times with my best buddy Stanley:I got to spend time with my parents AND my cousins for two weeks, which was awesome. I got to see my baby cousin start walking by herself for the first time and took in a looooot of cuteness while I was there!I got to enjoy a meal and margaritas with some of the best ladies in NorCal: And tons of other fun stuff. It was a great two weeks in California!

My time on the east coast was short, but great! Corey and I had a couple of days to ourselves in Maryland before heading up to Massachusetts to visit his family over Labor Day weekend. It was a great visit and I'm really glad we got the opportunity to see all of them, even if it was short. It's been way too long! I didn't remember to take many pictures, but here's Corey and his sister: 

While in Mass., Corey and I spent our first anniversary together at the wedding of a childhood friend of Corey's, and we had a really good time! The couple made a special announcement congratulating us on our anniversary and presented us with a rose, and we got to dance the night away and bring back all the memories of OUR wedding. It was great! 

Now after all that, I'm back in Japan feeling refreshed and happy to be back (although I miss everyone already of course). Can't wait for the next trip!