Two Weeks Left

Two weeks. Less, actually. That's all my family and I have left before we head back home to the States. I've said goodbye to three other friends that I met out here. One is home for the summer and I'll be gone before she gets back and the other two are back home for good, just a few weeks before me.

I've kind of been a mess. You meet some great people and you have some amazing experiences and then they're gone and you're gone and it's all over. It'll never be the same again. How precious each day is and the memories we accumulate with the ones we love.

So it's bittersweet. As it should be. The first six months were pretty rough but I got out of my box and met some great friends and did and saw and experienced some amazing things. Gabe had a great experience at school. He learned so much. It was all-day kindergarten so he really jumped in. He can read and write so much better...well, read period. He met some great friends. And he got an international experience. One we'd only hope to be able to let him experience again. Nowhere else at home will he be able to meet such a diverse group of kids.

Great food. Beautiful and exquisite nature. Japan will be missed. So without further adieu, I'll just share some photos of our travels and experiences this last week or so.

The ladies I'm going to miss :(

Gabe's last day of school :(

Blue tailed skink

Gorgeous sunset I encountered

I may have a few more posts up before I leave. But who knows. Lots of cleaning and getting rid of stuff this week. Then next week they pack us up and we run around in a hotel and getting deregistered at residents, turn in car, hand over apartment keys, etc. Then we fly back to the States. So if I have time, I'll try and get in one or two. But it's been sparse for a bit and it will probably be sparse until I can get back into my groove...like end of August when Gabe heads back to school.

Cat Thursday 49

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! Hosted by Michelle of The True Book Addict.

Image Source

Cats are always so unimpressed by us mere mortals!

And here are a couple of pics of some kitties we've met this past week. The black kitty was a mountain kitty. Super sweet and let us come right up and pet it. The next two cats were pottery shop kitties. I think every shop owner should have a couple of cats ;) We bought stuff there and Gabe couldn't get enough of them.

Living and Reading in Japan (10)

This weekly meme has been inspired by Michelle at The True Book Addict and Lisa at Lit and Life--Life: It Goes On...but I wanted to tweak it a bit for myself since I am living in Japan for the next year (2014-2015).

I didn't get too many of these out my year here but with crummy internet and my time pulled elsewhere I just haven't gotten around to it. I only have a few weeks left in Japan. It's bittersweet. I'm excited to get back home but there are so many things I'll miss about Japan.

Source

Reading:

• Colonel Brandon's Diary by Amanda Grange
• The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
• The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

Finished:

• Where the Flame Trees Bloom by Alma Flor Ada
• Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier by Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Wild: Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Looking Forward To:

My last few weeks in Japan. We're traveling up to Kyoto this weekend. Then it's an onsen and microbrewery the week after that. We're trying to take it all in while we can with our few weeks left!

Making:

Not much. I made my old standbys here in Japan last week for Gabe's Sports' Day...Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. So yummy. I'm trying to get my food supplies down with only a few weeks left...It's usually quesadillas, sandwiches, stir fry, or yakisoba during the week. Weekends we head out for the local cuisine of okinomiyaki, ramen, sushi, and curries ;)

Listening To:

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History--Armageddon. It's all about the first world war.

Mistakes made and how it changed modern warfare. Fascinating and tragic.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I think this is the only way to read such a long book. The narration really brings me into this fascinating fantasy. Because I really don't know if I'd be able to actually read through this one on my own.

Watching:

Aquarius. The storytelling gets a bit sloggy when it comes to Charles Manson. I enjoy David Duchovny's character the most along with his interaction with the female street cop who has to deal with all the misogyny.

The Honourable Woman. Watch this now on Netflix if you haven't already. It's just such a smart and well-acted TV series. Go. Go watch it!

Things I Did This Week:

Fukuyama was the week before and this week was a little town called Hagi. Both incredible. Fukuyama has a little town where a few scenes of Wolverine were filmed a few years ago. We met one of the extras at a museum and he told us about his 3 seconds of fame in the movie. So of course we had to watch the movie that night and find him!

In Hagi we picked up some beautiful pottery and had some amazing views of both mountains and the ocean.

The Japanese yukata festival was this last weekend too. I went out with friends in my yukata. It's the summer version of the kimono. It's simpler and cooler with the hot weather. They're beautiful!