Yesssss Brit Video!

Ummmm yes, I am an unabashed Britney fan. The long awaited new video for Hold it Against Me just came out. I love it. Way to go Brit!

1, 2, 3, GO

Yaaaaaaawn. Ok, almost the weekend.

Isn't Gojou the cutest!?

I currently have a to-do list a mile long, but I feel like Gojou here and really just want to curl up with the book I mentioned in my last post. Maybe another cup of coffee will do the trick...

A Must Read About Japan

For Valentines Day my wonderful sister sent me Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa. I immediately dug into this witty, entertaining travelogue about a woman who spends a year in Japan, trying to find wa - or harmony, and all of her adventures along the way. I haven't finished the book quite yet, but already I know that it is a book I will recommend to anyone curious about this country and it's interesting people. This book sheds light on the Japaneses iron clad morals and values system that guides their day to day behavior and actions. Sometimes living here can make me what to pull my hair out, but reading this book really helps me to understand the deep rooted cultural differences and has made me stop and think about how I act, speak to and interact with my host country. And it has made me really want to buckle down with my Japanese language studying. This book is full of laughs, adventures and culture and I am so so so very glad my sister sent this to me! I recommend it to anyone wanting to know about, interested or even thinking about visiting this modern, but very traditional country.

I Heart U

Happy Valentines Day, sweet loves! If you are or aren't a fan of Valentines Day, I hope this picture brightens your day.

I'm lucky enough to have a some adorable valentines in my life.

Like I mentioned last post, Brad and I celebrated Valentines Day this weekend by going whale watching and generally just enjoying each others company. On Friday night Brad surprised me with beautiful diamond earrings. He likes to surprise me since he says I'll expect it the day of. His present was the Kinect for the xbox. I kinda wanted this too, and I thought it would be a fun thing for us to do together because usually I want nothing to do with video games. We had a total blast playing with the Kinect! My favorite part is how the camera takes pics while you're playing. Hilarious. We had a total ball. Does anyone have other games they like to play on the Kinect? I think I'd like to get some of the fitness and sports games.

And since my honey is gone again for a few days, flying "the ocean in a silver plane."


I hope you enjoy a red heart filled with chocolate, time with family, a hug from a friend or snuggle with your favorite animal. It's always a good idea to be thankful for the love we have in our lives.

Humpback Whales!

To celebrate Valentines Day my hubby had the fabulous idea to go Whale Watching. January - April is whale watching season because the humpback whales come to warm, winter water (like Okinawa) to breed and have babies. Humpback whales, once hunted to almost extinction, have been making a comeback the last 10 years and it is reported that the number of whales coming to the Kerama Islands each year is increasing. Yay!

We got on the boat at a port in Naha and although we were the only non-Japanese speaking people, everything worked out fine. A nice Japanese lady who spoke English translated the rapid fire Japanese instructions at the start of the trip.



Since I did kinda get sea sick the last time I was on a boat I was pretty nervous I'd feel sick again, and once the boat set off and we started to hit some pretty large swells I was really happy that I just happened to have a couple Dramamine pills in my purse. The boat crew were handing out bags to barf in and (as the nice Japanese lady translated for us) we were not allowed to vom in the head because it would clog the pipes. Ick. Throwing up is bad enough, but doing it on a crowded boat with no privacy? I'll pass. Thank goodness for modern medicine. We didn't get sick at all. Score.


So, we made our way through the high seas out to the Karama Islands. Once we got there the humpback whales made their appearance pretty quickly. We saw a crap ton of whales. It was awesome! They were breaching, blowing, flipping their tails in the air and putting on a great show for us. It was beautiful. The whales seemed so friendly, coming right up beside the boat. It was like they were performing for us! When it was time to leave one whale actually swam along side the boat for a few minutes. Totally amazing!







So has anyone seen the Dane Cook skit where he is impersonating Opera? Well, we think it is hilarious, and during the skit he does this bit about humpback whales. So, we amused ourselves the whole day by saying this at random intervals:

Bubbly for a Happy Heart

Yesterday while I was getting a pedicure, looking at the sea and sipping sweet, iced green tea I came across this article in an old, summer issue of Good Housekeeping. Being as it's Valentines weekend, and we hardly need a holiday or reason anyway, I thought I would share this little gem of info with you. Cheers! Happy weekend, people!

Progress?

I've been trying to stick to my riding goal this year and lately Makoto and I have been having some very nice rides. Today, however was not one of them. Don't you just hate days when the progress seems to just pretty much disappear? Nothing motivates me more then getting new gear, weather it be running shoes, a neat water bottle or, in this case, some cool riding stuff. I bought a dressage bridle, white polo wraps and a new saddle pad to help Makoto's transformation into a dressage horse.

I was hoping to get some nice pictures of us riding in his new duds, but cest la vie. I still love him to pieces, and I know we are headed in a very good direction. He is going to be totally amazing. Here is a few from today that I can stand sharing with you: