Last weekend my new supervisor and her husband invited me to join them for an afternoon stroll on Mount Akagi. We had been trying to find a time that would work for all of us for about a month so I was really looking forward to our little outing.

They picked me up at my place around noon and we headed off toward the mountain. Along the way we stopped off at a local organic vegetable market where I picked up some fresh bok choy to go along with dinner that night.

Our next stop was at an organic vegetarian restaurant where they actually grew all of their own food. It was super yummy! For 800 yen each we got a 6 course meal. Now that's value! Even though the food was really good I just couldn't finish it all. I felt really bad when the waitress asked me if I didn't finish because I didn't like it :( Luckily my supervisor was able to explain my wastefulness on my behalf.

We piled ourselves back into their car and continued on to the top of Mt. Akagi. My supervisor had brought 3 big bags of food for the carp so we hunkered down to feed the piggy little beasts. They really are pig-like. If you throw a handful of food into the lake they all swarm and make grunting noises as they try to be first to the little pieces of bread. We decided to just dump the last bag in all at once and the carp just went nuts! It was like a scene from a horror movie. Good times.

Next it was time to go and find some duck families to feed! We walked along a cute little wooden boardwalk in the mist as we searched for the little duckies. Needless to say it proved to be rather difficult! But we persevered and managed to find a couple of families to throw sticky rice at. We also managed to find some ducks :P

It was a really great day and I'm glad we were finally able to make it happen.

Four Years Ago Today

I just want to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to my husband, Jon. It was four years ago today that we said our vows and became husband and wife. I don't know very many people out there who would be as understanding or supportive as he's been in helping me to realise my dreams. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be where I am today. Through all the tedious applications and subsequent rejection letters he encouraged me to keep trying.

This past year has not always been easy on either of us but I feel that it has helped us to see how truly fortunate we are to have each other. All the little things that you tend to take for granted are now precious memories and are the things I most look forward to experiencing with him again.

So thank you Jon for being the wonderful, caring, kind-hearted man I fell in love with all those years ago and continue to fall in love with all over again. It's been a great first four years.