One Year Anniversary.

On May 25, 2008 we became a family. This year has gone by fast and it's hard to believe we've been married for a year. During our anniversary weekend we spent a lot of time reminiscing, laughing, and talking about our engagement and, what is now, our first year of marriage.

We honestly don't know how we made it through our engagement. Between graduating, moving, the play, the commencement speech, finishing up senior projects/papers, working, preparing to move to Japan, other weekly commitments, and of coarse, planning the wedding in less than four months, life was a little crazy. The pressure was intense at times, but thanks to all of our wonderful friends and family we made it out alive. We want to take this moment and thank everyone that helped us out during that insane time. And, we apologize for any weird behavior during those few months. Normal eating and sleeping habits went out the window sometime around March and with them went normal social interaction. We're better now.

Our first year of marriage has been many things. It has been challenging, adventurous, romantic, surprising, and at times, absolutely hilarious. Really, we couldn't ask for anything better. We feel thankful for the last 12 months and are looking forward to the next 12.

Golden Week.

It's been a while and we apologize. We've been in desperate need of sunshine and warm weather. Now that it's arrived we have a refreshed outlook on life and we're ready to blog again.

Today is the last day of Golden Week. A string of national holidays creating a five day weekend. Constitutional Memorial Day, Green Day, Children's Day, and Substitute Holiday are celebrated Sunday through Wednesday. For Joe and I, Golden Week meant Spring Cleaning Day, Cherry Blossom Day, and Sushi Lesson Day. Not to mention sleeping in, watching movies, enjoying the sun, and studying for the G.R.E.

On Saturday, we took a long walk to pick up some supplies for our Spring cleaning and on the way explored a bit more of our extended neighborhood. We woke up early on Sunday to get a good start on exfoliating our home and finished off the day with trip to Costco. The next day, we made it out to Maruyama park for a BBQ with some co-workers and friends. Eventually, we wondered up toward the field of cherry blossoms trees while we enjoyed a chocolate covered banana and the sunset. Tuesday brought hours of studying for Joe as well as our first sushi lesson. My co-worker and friend, Natsuko, came over and brought a friend of her's named Kiyomi. Natsuko walked us through the different steps of making sushi rolls. After dinner Joe left to meet one of his co-workers for drinks while Natsuko, Kiyomi, and myself watched Mama Mia. Finally, Wednesday was a day to relaxe and enjoy the remains of Golden Week.





A golden week indeed!