I didn’t have to go into work today, and since Monday is a holiday, it’s a four day weekend! I’m reveling my extended holiday, since I really needed it! I’ve been particularly exhausted lately and feeling really burnt out at work so this is a very welcome respite. We don’t have any grandiose plans for the weekend — but I’m looking forward to sleeping in every day and getting lots of R&R for two!
This Monday has been traditionally celebrated as Columbus Day, but in recent years, there’s been an effort for a reexamination of the past and the actions of Christopher Columbus. “Indigenous Peoples Day” may seem like a mouthful at first, but it’s worth a moment to Reconsider Columbus Day:
Whatever you decide to call the holiday, hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 🙂
P.S. Thank you to everyone who extended their love and congratulatory wishes to us with our latest news. We have really been overwhelmed, humbled and touched by the inundation of emails, phone calls, text messages, and Facebook comments/messages over the past week from friends and family members! We can only hope that we’ll meet everyone’s expectations and become good parents. 🙂
For Labor Day weekend, Dan and I flew to Gilbert, Arizona to spend a couple days with my cousin Yuko, her husband Devin, and their lovely family!
To be technical, Yuko is not exactly my cousin… she’s actually my grandfather’s uncle’s adopted son’s daughter, or something complicated like that (we always talk about it when we see each other, but we’re never quite sure), so we are not even related by blood! Â Still, she’s the closest in age to me out of all of my relatives in Japan, and we used to always play together when I’d visit Japan as a child, so we always called each other cousins and I feel so much closer to her than any of my real cousins (who are all significantly older than me by at least ten years). It’s funny because people always tell us that we look alike (we’re both pretty dark in complexion), even though we’re supposedly not blood relations! I agree that I look more like her than any of my actual cousins.
Three years older than me, Yuko has always been like the older sister I’ve always wanted. Whenever we’d visit Hiroshima, she would take me around to fun places, show me new things, and tell me such interesting stories. She was the one who taught me how to put on nail polish and shave my legs, and would give me some of the cutest clothes that she’d outgrown. We used to write to each other pretty regularly, even though we only got to see each other every few years.
Imagine my surprise when Yuko married her long-time boyfriend Devin (whom she’d met in Hiroshima) six years ago, and announced that she would be moving from Japan to Arizona! I was so excited to have her in the same country as me, and Dan and I visited her and Devin back in July of 2005, when we went on a road trip. We had a lot of fun with them, and it remains one of my fondest memories! Unfortunately, we didn’t get another chance to visit until this past weekend — I couldn’t believe that I’d let five years go by without seeing my favorite “cousin”! Since we last saw them, Devin and Yuko have had two adorable additions to their family, and I was psyched to finally get to meet their beautiful daughters!
This is adorable Miss Beni, who just turned three in June!
This is Sakura-chan, who is 10 months old. Look at those eyes!
Sakura loves getting lifted high!
Upon arriving in Phoenix, Yuko brought us to her house and served us a delicious homemade Japanese lunch! She then took us to the Arizona Museum for Youth in Mesa, which happened to have a “Jump to Japan!” exhibit going on. We were excited to find that they had Totoro there!
Me with Yuko and Beni.
Dan and I with Totoro, Satsuki, and Mei. This was my favorite childhood movie!
Beni and I posing with Totoro aprons.
猫ãƒã‚¹ï¼ï¼ï¼ They even had the Cat Bus there!
Beni sitting on the Cat Bus's tail.
Afterwards, Yuko took us to Taliesin West in Scottsdale. Taliesin West was architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and school in the desert from 1937 until his death in 1959 at the age of 91. It had a very unique look to it!
With Yuko and her beautiful girls at Taliesin West.
Dan and Beni became fast friends!
Dan and I with Beni at Taliesin West.
In the evening, Beni’s friend was having a birthday party in Scottsdale, so we tagged along and cooled down by the pool.
The next day, Devin was able to join us for the whole day, and we went to the Phoenix Zoo in the morning, hoping to go in the cooler hours to avoid the heat.
The Elliott family at the zoo (with Sakura sleeping in the stroller).
The Phoenix Zoo was unlike any zoo I've been to. Much of it was very open, almost like a safari. It was nicer than the usual caged look of most zoos.
A Komodo Dragon!
Me sitting on a statue of the Komodo Dragon.
Beni getting a kiss!
Beni and Devin are inseparable! She truly is Daddy's little girl. 🙂
During the weekdays, Yuko runs a preschool called "Ameripan Kids" which teaches children Japanese culture and language. When she calls roll, she sings each child's name, and they answer with "Ha~i!" Sakura already knows how to respond to her own name, raising her hand high! 「ã¯ãƒ¼ã„ï¼ï¼ï¼ã€ It is the cutest thing, I wish I got it on video!
Beni and Sakura in the seashell.
Super cute sisters! It was sweltering hot, but Beni still manages a smile.
Devin and Beni in a turtle shell.
After the zoo, Devin and Yuko treated us to some delicious local Arizona BBQ! In the evening, we went to Devin’s parents’ home and had a great time catching up with them and getting to know them better — we had met them when we visited five years ago, and they are really the most genuine and hospitable people. 🙂 We can’t wait to visit again!
It was delightful seeing Yuko and Devin again, and I loved meeting their little girls! Yuko had a lot of advice and wisdom to share, and I was really grateful for all the time we could spend together catching up and talking about all kinds of things, just like when we were kids. Hopefully we won’t let another five years pass before we see each other again! I miss her and her family already!
Yuko seeing us off at the airport in Phoenix. Thank you for a wonderful weekend! 😀
We went on a three-day, two-night camping trip with the in-laws at Yosemite this past weekend. Saw some gorgeous sights and it was nice immersing ourselves in nature.
Probably would not pick the same weekend ever again to go camping though — some moments were a bit stressful with all the people and cars in the park.
Hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Independence Day!
Memorial Day weekend just flew by! It was so nice to have the three-day weekend to get some relaxation in — we saw some friends we hadn’t seen in a while, watched movies and Japanese dramas, and got a lot of shopping done in preparation for Hawaii. I love shopping for summer clothes! (Except that it never gets quite hot enough to wear them around here.)
Here are some photos from Sunday, when we went to a BBQ hosted by Dan’s coworker and friend Kane, and his wife Cristina. Dan loves lizards, so he had fun with their pet bearded dragons….
Dan and Cristina at the BBQ
Cristina with Petra... Cristina's due in a month! Can't wait to meet their baby! 🙂
Hello there, little fellow.
Mouth wide open.
Our gracious host Kane in the background.
Earlier in the weekend, I went on the hill in El Cerrito with my friends Yumi and Mark, and discovered this fun swing atop the hill. It’s just a board hung on a single thick rope from a tall branch, but you can get a lot of air with it. The hill is the prominent one you can see from the highway (the 80), and the view from there is pretty neat! One one side, you can see all the East Bay hills, and if you turn around, you’re greeted with a sweeping view of the whole bay and San Francisco, even the Golden Gate Bridge! I took Dan back to the hill after the BBQ so he could check it out too.
Me on the swing atop the hill in El Cerrito.
Perhaps having a little too much fun.
Dan's turn on the swing. The branch is pretty high!
It’s back to work tomorrow, but I’m grateful that we were able to have a relaxing, productive weekend. 🙂 I can’t believe it’s already June!!! Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend as well!
Our family drove up to New York City this weekend and spent a short but fun two days in Manhattan. We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rockefeller Center, the Manhattan Center, Times Square, met up with family friends, ate a whole lot of good food… and more! I was born in Queens, and although we moved to the DC area soon after, there’s something about New York City that resonates with me. It’s too busy and fast-paced for my taste and I could probably never live there, but it’s still part of my roots. I spent most of my childhood and adolescent years in Northern Virginia, but we used to take annual trips up to New York City during the holidays as a family so it was really nostalgic to be up there with the family for the first time in almost a decade. Here are some photos from our short trip:
Eating ramen lunch at Sapporo in Manhattan
Sapporo Special
the parents
New York subway
Brother harassing the hubby.
The clusterfuck that was the Met that day.
Entering the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
samurai exhibit at the Met.
Sculpture garden at the Met.
Renoir painting.
We stayed at the Skyline Hotel.
sushi rolls for takeout.
Rockefeller Center and its huge Christmas tree.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
The ginormous New York Macy's.
Madison Square Garden
Empire State Building
So sunny compared to the previous day's torrential rain.
sweet treats at a Chinese bakery
First time seeing Sylvia in years! So good catching up!
Miwa, Mari and I at Tick Tock Diner. I've missed you Mari!
