Catch up~!

It's been over a few months now that we've been here in Japan, and a lot has occurred in that short amount of time. So much had happened within that time period, that I didn't have much time to post about it all! So here in this post, I will be updating you all on everything (well, at least on all of the biggest highlights, anyways) that had went on so far up to now! ^_^ Brace yourselves, this is probably most likely going to be long! Here we go~!

Oct. 6, 2012 -

This is the day when we first took a trip to Harajuku, Japan's fashion district! I scheduled a much needed hair appointment at Watanabe Hairdressing and had booked with Kenichi. We got lost trying to find the place, and we had to resort to asking people in Japanese if they could speak any English and for directions on how to get there, and thankfully someone had pointed us in the right direction. ^.^ We managed to make it there just in time.

We had to walk through this sea of people to get there. O.O

The entrance to Watanabe! We made it!!!

My experience over at Watanabe was hands down the best experience I have ever had at any hair salon by far! The staff was very kind and attentive. My husband and I were offered tea once we had walked in. The shampoo process was very relaxing, as they massaged my scalp and were very gentle throughout the process. Then, once that was done with, I was escorted to a chair where I received yet another scalp massage, this time with essential oils added to my hair. Following that was a neck, shoulder, and arm massage, and then came time for the haircut! Kenichi was great at listening to what I wanted, and seemed to be very knowledgeable with what would look good with my face shape! Needless to say, once he was finished cutting and styling my hair, it looked fabulous! My hair was so soft and shiny, and even when the wind blew it all over the place once we left, it fell perfectly back into place. I felt like a pampered princess~! I'm definitely going to be a regular customer there as long as I'm here in Japan!

Other than Watanabe, Harajuku has some of the coolest and cutest clothes and accessories I have ever seen! I never thought I would see stores like H.Naoto, Angelic Pretty, Liz Lisa, and so much more with my own eyes! It was so exciting! (Too bad I didn't take pictures of them though... Too many people hustling past us. Hopefully on my next trip, we can get more pictures!) They also had a lot of neat stuff being sold outside of the brand name stores, as well. A lot of the stalls out in the streets had so many things for sale that I wish I could have bought~!

Loooove these shoes! I don't think they'd fit me, though. I don't think they carry 9's... TT_TT

To my surprise, there was also a building dedicated to Tamagotchi!!!! I was so curious as to what was in there, so I begged my husband to go check it out. x3

There wasn't too much inside, but it did have a lot of gashapon machines with Tamagotchi related items in them, a little game center, lots of posters, and a Tamagotchi ID L with items that can be downloaded onto your own tamagotchi that you can't get anywhere else. I thought that was pretty cool, and I regretted not bringing my tamagotchis with me.... TT_TT

Oct. 24, 2012 -

The day of my dear hubby's birthday! We decided to celebrate at home, so while he was away at work, I worked my tail off in the kitchen preparing a surprise! I thought it would be fun to maybe add in a celebratory Japanese dish for the occasion, so I had prepared some osekihan (basically, it's a glutinous rice prepared with adzuki beans and topped with gomashio, which is black sesame seeds mixed with salt). As a bonus, I had also baked a Pikachu cake with pokeball cupcakes. <3 That was probably the most difficult part for me, because cakes aren't my strong point when it comes to baking. In fact, Pikachu's face tore right off when I tried to remove the cake from the pan, but somehow, I managed to salvage it. Once I frosted it, it wasn't even noticeable! See?

The cake, sekihan, and a Sena Kashiwazaki figure (a gift I bought for my husband)

It turned out pretty well, but the frosting was a little hard to work with, since it kept crusting over and it came from a tube.... I couldn't find any food coloring at our commissary, so that was my only option. ^^;  Still, I need to work on improving my cake baking and decorating skills! I don't work on it nearly enough. :P The important part of it all though was that my husband was ecstatic when he came home from work and saw everything! All that hard work paid off in the end. ^.^


Nov. 28, 2012 -

We FINALLY got our beloved kitties back to us! We drove 2 hours one way to get to Narita Airport, but of course it was well worth it. We were just so happy to have them back with us after months of not being with them. It honestly felt like forever! To think that we could have possibly had to go even longer without them is just crazy! We really wouldn't have been able to get them back when we did without the help of our friends and family members. They contributed so much, so I'm really grateful! ^_^ We really missed Blair and Sundae so much, and now everything feels so complete again now that they're here. I'm also so happy that they remembered us still despite having been away from us for quite some time. :)



Dec. 14th, 2012 -

It was back to the airport yet again, only this time, it was to pick up my mother-in-law! xD She was (and currently still is) visiting us for the holidays. She was sick with bronchitis for the first couple of days she was here, but thankfully she's a lot better now. We've been showing her around base and off base, taking her to our favorite restaurants and hang out places. She seems to be enjoying herself, but she's also still in shock by how different everything is out here compared to the US. She's so used to just striking up conversations with random people, but she finds that to be rather difficult over here for the most part. ^^; We've also been teaching her some simple but useful Japanese phrases to kind of help her along and to get by, and she's been doing pretty well considering she didn't know anything about Japan before she came out here. :) She's gotten used to thanking people, greeting them, and responding  with "hai!". Lols! She also fell in love with Purikura booths out here (which I totally understand, since I've fallen in love with them, too! They pretty much guarantee that you'll look flawless). She even managed to drag my hubby in the booth with us to take a picture today!

My mother-in-law's first purikura pic! (Taken a couple of days ago)

Me, my husband, and my mother-in-law (Taken today!)

Dec. 22, 2012 -

Today, we picked up an assortment of Christmas cakes from Cozy Corner at Seiyu! They just looked so sweet and delectable, we couldn't help but get them and dig into them right away, even though Christmas is still a few days away. xD They were too irresistible! 

So that's what I've been up to as of late. Looking at it now, it doesn't really seem like I did much, but it felt like of done a lot this entire time. O.O Funny how that turned out.... ^^; Anyways, I should be posting more tomorrow, since we'll be taking a trip to Caretta Shiodome for the Shiodome Illumination! So I'm looking forward to that and sharing pictures of it here for everyone to see!

Shopping and Exploring!

Last night, my husband and I decided to explore more off base~! It was the first time that it was just him and I went out on our own just for the mere enjoyment of it. ^_^ We first stopped off at a place called Co Co for dinner, which was recommended to us by a nice man who had overheard us talking about possible places to eat while my husband was purchasing a new phone (that means we were finally able to take pictures again!). He said it was really good over there, so we decided to go there and check it out for ourselves!

 It's a restaurant that serves nothing but curry, and it was conveniently located right outside of the train station! :D As I looked through their menu, I was so amazed by how many different ways you could prepare curry! I never thought to put things such as tonkatsu or shrimp or a chicken cutlet in it. There was even natto curry! I also thought it was pretty cool how they allow you to customize your own curry and add whatever it is you'd like to it. You're also allowed to select the level of spiciness and the amount of rice you'd like. I landed up ordering the cream croquette curry, which also had crab in it (and I went with absolutely no spice! I can't handle spicy foods very well....). Needless to say, it was just as delicious as it looked!

After we had finished eating, we hopped on the train over to Hamura and just explored some shops. We mainly bought a lot of food and snacks, since we kind of needed to stock up on some (we had almost nothing in our fridge and cabinets! TT_TT). I landed up picking up some melon pan (melon bread) out of curiosity on what it was like, since it's so often seen in anime. xD It tastes absolutely nothing like melon, but it's still sweet and the crust is sort of cookie-like. :) We also bought some onigiri among other things.

Everything we bought spread out on the table

On our way back to base, we ended up stopping at a store called Seiyu (which I now refer to as Junes. Persona 4, anyone?). If I had to relate it to something, I would say that it's similar to a Walmart, except with more interesting stuff (or maybe I just think that because everything was so foreign to me?). Either way, we somehow eventually landed up wandering into the toy/electronics section, where I found the latest Tamagotchi ID L Princess Spacy! I just had to pick it up! x3 (it was actually a lot cheaper than when I had bought my older Tamagotchi ID L! It's so expensive ordering the ID L online!).

Princess Spacy ID L

My Tamagotchi ID L and Princess Spacy ID L side by side

And that concluded our mini-trip! Expect more pictures and posts to come!

A Nice Night Out :)

My husband and I had just come back from a party with his soldiers (their family members and spouses tagged along, too) It was at this really good Mexican restaurant called Lopez (our favorite place to go for Mexican food! Their burritos and fried ice cream are to die for!). We had a pretty big table to ourselves, and it was wonderful because everyone seemed to be in such high spirits and were talking and laughing while munching on tortilla chips and sipping our drinks. It seems every time I see them, they're always so happy and seem to be so friendly and warm! :3 They're all really great people, and amazingly, I don't ever feel uncomfortable around them. Even though I have never spent nearly as much time around them as my husband had, I have to say that I'm going to miss them once we leave.

Oh! Also, there was this one little boy there that was extremely adorable! He was so sweet and funny! He went up to me and said "Can I ask you something? You're pretty!". It was so cute and I couldn't help but smile and laugh a bit. xD Normally, I'm not so good with children and usually am shocked by how most kids today lack discipline, but I was truly amazed by how well-behaved, social, and nice this little boy was. It was nice having him there with us. His parents are such good people, and it definitely shows that they're great parents, too, judging by how their son is. I hope he doesn't change! Lols! ^.^

*Sighs happily* There's really nothing better than good food and good company. To me, those things are the  best part of life! No doubt about it! :) There's no way anyone can possibly feel bad when surrounded by close friends and eating and sharing a delicious meal with them. Now, to finish off the night, it's time to get a little R&R. Good night everyone, and have a lovely weekend!

Hello Kitty Strawberry Marshmallows!!!

Just a couple of hours ago, I went out to dinner with my husband. After we had finished eating, we decided to stop by this sushi place/market nearby to grab some pocky, and lo and behold, I spotted a package with a picture of Hello Kitty on it! Of course, with my sick obsession of all things Hello Kitty, I had to find out what it was, and it turned out to be a package of strawberry marshmallows with strawberry jelly filling! We landed up grabbing a pack, and the clerk had told us that these marshmallows were so good and so addicting, that she landed up eating two packs of them at once. xD I've never really been a huge fan of marshmallows (I only like them in cocoa and s'mores), but I figured I'd try them out and see if I liked them or not. Anyways, if I happened to hate them, I could always just give them to my husband, who will eat almost anything. 

So! Once we arrived back at home, I opened the package right away and examined them. They were actually really cute and round in shape, and quite small, too~! <3 I popped one in my mouth, and I was pleasantly surprised by how sweet these little marshmallows were and how much softer and fluffier they were compared to Jet-Puffed marshmallows. The strawberry filling had a nice flavor. I was expecting it to have a grossly artificial taste to it, but it actually tasted very much like normal strawberry jelly. Now I'm hooked on these sweet little heavenly puffs! I just can't stop eating them! x3 Lols! It has easily become one of my favorite snacks. I feel like rushing out and getting more! I can definitely see why that clerk ate so many. ^^;

They're almost gone..... :(

My 4th of July!

WARNING:  This post will contain an overload of pictures!

My husband and I had spent a lovely 4th of July with my mother and her boyfriend this year! ^_^ We actually had went over to their place on the 3rd and stayed over, since we also wanted to celebrate my mother's birthday (which was really on the 1st). It was so nice being able to spend more time with her, and also... I got to see my little monster, Lady! Seeing her just makes me miss having a dog so badly! 

Isn't she just so cute?!

Another great thing about staying with my mom is the food! I swear, if anyone out there is a better cook than me (my cooking is the one thing I'm cocky about! xD), it's her. She prepared a huge, juicy steak with a baked potato and some asparagus cooked with onions on the side (I absolutely hate asparagus and I usually just feed it to the puppy in the picture above, but the way my mom had prepared them was delicious!). I couldn't even eat everything because the steak itself took up nearly the entire plate and the potato was pretty big, too!

Following dinner, was shortcake for dessert!

Afterward, my mom decided to open her birthday present that we had bought her!

As you can see, we picked out a very pretty glass teapot along with a canister of a variety of blooming teas for her, and she loved it! As soon as she saw it, she wanted to use it right away! Lols! It was funny too, because all of us were just sitting there around the teapot with our gazes fixed on it as we waited for the flower to bloom. xD Oh! On a slightly random note, I had also learned that giving away a teapot as a gift brings good luck to the person receiving it! Isn't that interesting? :D I hadn't any idea of that before my mother had told me so.

The next day (the 4th), we had to get up early to catch the 4th of July parade! For a small town, I thought the parade was very well put together! Some of the floats were outstanding! I had so much fun watching it!

Amazingly, the parade lasted for 2 hours! I never expected it to be so long! Lols! Still, it didn't really bother me so much, the only thing I regret is that I didn't put on sunblock... TT_TT Now my shoulders and the upper part of my chest are sunburned.... 

I was pretty hungry after the parade was over, and I decided that it's not really the 4th of July if we didn't eat hot dogs, so we spent quite awhile walking around trying to find a place that sold some. My mother and Rick said that there was one place in the area where the farmer's market is held all the time, but that it was always closed every time they passed by it. We figured we'd go to see if it was open or not, and by some miracle, it was open for business! :D Lucky, right?!

I thought the sign was adorable... ^^;

Once it was finished, we went to the car show where we were able to see some of the cars that were in the parade!

Unfortunately, the phone died and we weren't able to take more pictures.... :( There were so many cool, old cars! 

The day was finished off with a movie (we went to see the new Spider-Man movie in 3D! I was pleasantly surprised with how good it turned out to be! Definitely worth the watch!) followed by fireworks. ^_^ I have to say, I think that this was one of the best 4th of July celebrations I've ever had. :3 

Doughnut Obsession~!

I have a new food obsession! xD This time around it's doughnuts. ^.^ It's crazy, because I had three yesterday (splurge day), and I'm still left wanting more! :O I am really amazed that the Savemart near my house has a great variety of doughnuts for sale, and I'm even more amazed that they're actually good! I used to be so against getting doughnuts from grocery stores, since a lot of the ones I had before weren't so tasty, too! Plus, buying them from Savemart is also a lot cheaper than buying from an actual doughnut shop.

Some of the ones I love that they carry are the ones with the M&M's on them, as well as the ones with the pastel colored frosting and coconut (which has become one of my favorites). :3 They also have a really fun one with crushed Oreo cookies on it with a gummy worm in the center! xD Doughnuts sure seem to be getting fancy these days! There's so many different kinds and flavors available everywhere, and I want to try them all~! *drools* I heard that some places have red velvet cake doughnuts and ones sprinkled with bacon! (They seem to put bacon on everything these days, too... I don't really like bacon, but I am kind of interested in seeing what it tastes like on a doughnut). I still really like the simple doughnuts too, though, especially apple fritters and maple bars! ^_^ I used to get those all the time when I was little! Every time my family picked up doughnuts, I always chose the same thing over and over again, and I never got tired of them.

Speaking about when I was little, I used to eat doughnuts very strangely... I used to scrape off the frosting of the maple bars and just leave the bread part alone. It was similar with the case of the apple fritter, too. I'd only pick at the outer part of it where it was covered in glaze, and once I did that, I was finished. It was really a horrible waste... ;_; Those weren't the only things I ate weirdly, either. I also ate corn dogs and ice cream bars in an odd manner. For corn dogs, I ate the breading off of it first and then I moved on to the hot dog, and for ice cream bars, I started by chipping away at the chocolate shell and then saved the ice cream part for last. My family used to tease me all the time about the way I ate things. Lols! I was always an oddball, even back then......

Weekend Date~!

The weather out here this weekend was so gorgeous, and I've been enjoying every moment of it! It's usually so cold where we live, so warm days are somewhat of a rarity, and so I thought it would be the perfect for my husband and I to take a trip to the beach! Needless to say, so many other people had the same idea, and it took us awhile to find a parking spot, but in the end, it was all worth it!

Just look at that view! It was so pretty, I practically begged my husband to snap a picture of it just so I could post it here! Lols! I really enjoyed my time there. The whole time we were there, I was busy splashing around in the water (which was pretty cold, but I was able to adjust to the temperature quickly) and  running around having fun like a kid! It was a refreshing change of pace when most of the time I'm just at home cleaning and doing chores. Also, so many dogs ran up to me while I was there. xD It seems like no matter where I go, dogs just make a beeline for me. I really have no idea why, but I really love it! Every time it happens, it just makes me want pet dogs even more!

After the beach, we headed to Taco Bell for some Doritos Locos tacos (which are SO amazing!). We were starving, and it hit the spot just right. ^.^ Then after we finished our meal, I spotted a crepe place called the Monterey Crepe Company, which was right next to Taco Bell. It's funny, the whole time we've lived here and despite how many times we've been down that very street, I've never once noticed it before until then. We decided to take a look inside and it was kind of small, with not very many tables or people inside, but their menu was huge and had quite a selection of sweet and savory crepes(they also had muffins, cookies, sandwiches, coffee, and other beverages for sale). Given my huge sweet tooth, I of course chose something off the "sweet" menu.  I chose one called "Papa Johnny", which contained Nutella, bananas, coconut, and almonds and was topped off with whipped cream and confectioners sugar. I wasn't too sure how those ingredients would taste blended together at first, but once I had my first bite, I definitely did not regret my decision!

Doesn't it look delicious? Looking at it makes me want another one~! Too bad I have to be good until next weekend! Lols!

It really is a shame that the weekend is now coming to an end. It just seems like it passed by so quickly, but I suppose that's what happens when you're having fun with the one you love. :3

Hello!

Hi, everyone! This is my very first post here. I've never really blogged about anything before, and I had no idea what to blog about, but I thought I would try it out and just write about anything and everything that came to my mind! ^_^

Lately, I've been thinking about and craving two things: pie and pancakes. I don't know if it's just me, but I get random cravings at least once a week, and they only go away once the craving has been satisfied, but then it is soon replaced by a new craving. I've been going crazy for a few days now for pie and pancakes. I have no idea why, but I simply must have both together! All flavors sound amazing to me as of right now... This is truly troublesome, especially since I've been on a diet in this past month of eating nothing but healthy foods such as baby carrots, oranges, grapes, baked chicken, fish.... I'm sure you get the idea. I've even replaced my wonderful 2% milk with almond milk. Almond milk is delicious, but sometimes I just miss regular milk with all of it's fattening goodness. I can't complain too much though, as I've been losing weight (yay!) and making a lot of progress. I've been ecstatic over that since my weight just wouldn't budge for the longest time. @_@

Anyways, I allow myself to splurge a bit over the weekend, so maybe I'll just have to head over to Coco's and end my craving once and for all, especially since it's so bad, that I've resorted to googling PICTURES of pie and pancakes! Isn't that sad...?  But you have to admit, these look soooo good!

Mmm~! Pecan pie! One of my favorites!

Hello Kitty! I had no idea that pancakes could be that cute! 

This looks like a sugar overload! :O

Alright, I'll stop there with the pictures. I bet those of you who are reading this are probably hungry by now. I know I am!