I made sure to take a bunch of pictures.

It was David's birthday yesterday! Happy birthday sweetheart! I LOVE YOUUUUUUU! <3

For his birthday we decided to get off the mountain and spend the night in town. Because of that, we had all day to do what we wanted. The castle is about a 3km trek from the station and we had time, so we walked on over. Akiko had told me that the castle would be the best place to view the blossoms. On our way, we stopped for lunch at Denny's. It was nice~ I FINALLY tried omurice. It's an omelet with ketchup rice and other stuff inside. Mine was covered in a type of gravy and has cheese and chicken inside. And when I say ketchup rice, I mean they put a dollop of it with the rice and mixed it together before stuffing it inside. Anywho, it was yummy! I just wish they would cook the eggs a little more, but that's how people like it over here. Oh well. Still good! David got the American Club Sandwich and it was tasty, too. And I got fizzy pink lemonade and David got melon soda. Yumyum~~~

After lunch we continued out walk over. It was really pleasant. The weather was nice and warm with a nice cool breeze. Really a good day for a birthday date. And then we got to the castle. It was AMAZING! The blossoms were so lovely! I was hoping we'd be able to go inside the castle, but it's still closed, sadly. And there's still that icky orange barricading fence around it. Bah. Oh well. I made sure to take a bunch of pictures. And David took a bunch as well. I'll have to get them from him later. There were a few different types of blossoms, too. The white ones, white and red ones and pink ones! And a lightish pink kinda, too!

They were so pretty. ;___; After that, we decided to walk on over to MegaStage and do some purikura. Although, on the way I made David stop and snap a photo of me. Just because the area reminded me of Kingdom Hearts. :D And I also spotted some awesome Engrish.

We both laughed when we saw it, too. My feet were really starting to hurt at this point, since I was wearing sandals and heels for the first time this year for longer than 10 minutes. So, David suggested we go stop at McDonalds and get some ice cream. I was totally feeling up for a small break and ice cream is always welcome, so yeah. :D

As we walked to MegaStage we ran into our friend, Reika, too! It was really nice to see her! She commented on my outfit and said I looked like an actress. Eeeeee~! I thought it was really sweet! And she wished David and happy birthday and we chatted for a few minutes. She was picking her daughter up from school. After a few moments, we said goodbye and kept going. I was so excited that David actually agreed to do purikura! Like, woah. That NEVER happens! But still, yay! We did some later on, too, but I only have one photo, so here's both. And I also got another DragonBall Z pop. I got VEGETA this time!

We didn't really have any other plans after that, and I my feet were singing, so we walked back to out hotel and checked in. I was sooo happy to sit down on the bed and take my shoes off! I grabbed a cloth from the bathroom and soaked it with cold water to put on my feet. David brought his laptop, so we just chilled and watched anime for a bit. I also took a power nap, since I was tired from the walk. At about 6:30, we went downstairs for dinner. One awesome thing about the Toyoko Inn is that they provide dinner and breakfast! So, we had curry for dinner. Yay!

After dinner, I changed into something a bit warmer and we walked over to Aeon. (I wore my flats this time, though!) David wanted cake, so we bought some strawberry shortcake and brought it back to the hotel. We also split a scoop of East Egg Hunt ice cream from Baskin Robbins. It was melon flavoured! Yummmmm!

We walked back to the hotel after and saw some more blossoms in the park by the station. Sadly, the gate was closed so we couldn't go in, but I took a few photos outside. And my camera actually worked with night shots for once! They turned out ok!

Back at the hotel, we ate the cake and settled down to a movie. Watched Summer Wars. It's an anime movie, but it was pretty good. David and Matt both told me I would like it, and I did. But yay cake! It was yummmyyyy! Very light and fluffy! I love strawberry shortcake!

And then it was time for a shower and sleep. My god. I slept like the dead. We had originally intended to get up early, partake in breakfast and checkout by about 9am. Boy, THAT didn't happen! I didn't drag myself out of bed until 9:30! And we barely made the 10am checkout deadline! Oh well. We popped out bags in a locker and walked over to MegaStage for groceries and lunch. We ended up eating at Saizeriya. It's good. I like their pasta and it's cheap, too. I got the lunch set. Salad, spaghetti and drink bar for 600yen! Cheeeap! And David split an order of garlic toast with me. He got the pizza lunch set. Yay pasta! And yes, I broke my caffeine detox today. I got Pepsi with lunch. Oh well. I've been really good, so I thought I'd treat myself. I'll be back on the water wagon tomorrow.

We picked up a few groceries and David bought me a new pair of headphones, too. Yay! My old ones were dying. They're old, though, so it's ok. We popped back to the station for the 1pm bus and ran into teacher Sara. Had a nice chat with her and then she metup with Tonya and they went for lunch. David snapped a photo of my outfit for the day. I find that with the nicer weather I wanna dress up more.

And then, just like that, we were home again. It was payday today, so after visiting Kyoko and getting paid I walked over to tearoom. I got Ascot tea and just sat around and read my book. Zoe and Lucy were working, so I chatted with them for a while. Zoe and I are swimming buddies now. Because it's been so foggy, I can't run as much as I'd like. So, I run in the pool instead. We're trying to tone up for World Cosplay Summit. I ordered my cosplays last week. Yay! Can't wait to get them! So, we chatted for a while and then I decided I should go home. But, not before I discovered there were Beatrix Potter books in their little library! I never noticed!

All in all it was an awesome getaway. <3

I hate all of them, just sayin'.

Ahhhh~ Spring is coming~! Time to wrap up winter! <3
Yay for new layouts!

So, a couple days ago, I was invited to a work soiree. We have new staff and the reception and hotel operations departments decided to host a party for them. We all had dinner together at the pub. I was the only gaijin there. It was kinda awkward, but the food was good! And Akiko was sitting with me and she did her best to chat with me and make me feel more welcome. I forgot to take my camera, but it was good! Everyone was getting sooo drunk, though! Like, woah. When Japanese folk drink, their faces go red. Like, lobster red. It's crazy! I did get a picture of what I wore, though. I thought I looked cute. I was sooooo full, though! There was sooo much food!

In other news, there's a wedding fair going on right now at BH. Shige's been holding a LOT of meetings with couples. There's also a display of wedding gowns upstairs. I took some photos. I hate all of them, just sayin'. The groom's outfit looks sooo much better than the bride's! And now, without further ado, I present the wedding gowns.

Yeah.

The yellow one reminds me of a ballroom dancer's gown. It's more of a Belle's gown gold, but my flash was wonky. But yeah, not a fan of any of them, really. Ahahah... I wish we had the gowns the last bride wore. She looked stunning. I wish I had've taken a photo of her. She was lovely. <3

David agree's with my assessment, though. And he agree's that the men's outfits are better.

He's so cute. :3

So, for David's birthday, we're going to spend a night in town and go look at the sakura blossoms! Apparently, the castle has the best viewing area. We're both uber excited! And then on the 26th, Eriko is going to take us to see the oldest and biggest sakura tree in Japan! Eeeeeee! I can assure you that I will have LOTS of photos!

We both got the ハニートーストセット (honey toast set).

So, Angel left today.

It was kinda sad to drive away from BH with her. But, we had a good time in town. To start, David gave me some money to buy us lunch. We were going to go get conveyor belt sushi, but we ended up going to a cute little cafe by the station.

We both got the ハニートーストセット (honey toast set). It was quite tasty! We got about 4 pieces of toast stack together with honey and ice cream and a small salad. We both got it with tea. It was so filling! And it wasn't drenched in honey, which was nice. Just drizzled enough to give it a sweetness and not be overbearing.

After lunch, we wandered over to MegaStage for a purikura marathon. Angel wanted to do every machine in SegaWorld. So, we sure did. It was fun. Although, by the third one I was done. Ahaha.

And then we both did a round of Project Diva. I've never played, but it was awesome! Usually it's packed and you have to wait a long time to get a play, but there was no one there! So, we went over and played. It was awesome! Kinda reminded me of DDR, but not dancing, obviously. Ahahaha. I chose ココロ (Kokoro) as my song. Awesome!

So, after the purikura marathon, we wandered around MegaStage. I bought Angel a DragonBall Z pop from the vending machine and she FINALLY got the Trunks themed can. I got one, too! I'm going to drink it later. 

And then, it was time to go back to the station. Angel bought her shinkansen ticket and I took a few final pictures.

After that, I saw her over to the shinkansen entry area. I couldn't go up, because I didn't have a ticket. But, I stayed there until she was out of my sight. And then, I walked outside and went for a quick walk so I could wave her off. ...BUT, the shinkansen bound for Tokyo was on the the other side of the tracks! T_____T So, she didn't see me wave! GAH.

Oh well. SO, I had about an hour to kill, so I just walked over to the little park area and sat down and had a bit of a cry. Angel started to cry in the station, but I didn't want to set her off worse, so I tried not to cry until she had gone. Same as when she originally left for Japan. But, oh yeah, I cried after. ;___; On a brighter note, there's a few cherry blossoms in town now! They'll be out in full force for David's birthday!

When I got back to BH, I decided that it would be a good day to go to the tea room. So, I packed up my ebook and wandered over. We had a bunch of Mini Cooper owners at BH today! Sooo many cute cars! I'm jealous!

I ended up ordering Ascot Tea today. It comes with a scone, a piece of quiche and tea. I got the Honey Strawberry tea. It's sooo yummy! It's not too strong, but it's really nice. And David was working, so I convinced him to take a photo avec moi.

Oh! I'm getting back into my running, too! I ran laps in the pool today for about half an hour. And then I went for a run outside for the same length of time! It was fabulous! I feel so good. And I'm using that new Zombies, Run! app for David's iPod. It's amazing! I totally recommend it!

It's all delicious and not stomach churning.

Maki-san gave me a half day today! Yay! So, a bunch of us went to town today. We only went for a few hours, but it was ok. Angel and I did purikura at MegaStage and I won myself a cute little cat plushie charm thing.

And there was a really cute poster in the train station advertising an onsen resort, I think. It has an onsen fairy on it! I wish all places actually had an onsen fairy. That would be crazy cute!

We were gonna get parfaits for a snack, but they were really expensive! And we were hungry for more than a parfait, so we got KFC instead. Ahahaha. I still say that the KFC over here is MUCH better than in Canada. Like, soooo much better! It's all delicious and not stomach churning. I got a Wa-Fu Cutlet sandwhich. I think that just means sweet barbeque sauce sandwhich. It was so freaking good!

After lunch, we did some more purikura avec Liam and Zoe. It was hilarious. Angel and I decorated them, but Angel has them and I haven't gotten mine from the sheet yet. I'll post a picture of that, later. It was fun, though. And town was sooo warm today! Like 17°C~! It was glorious! And sunny! And windy... So, I had a LOT of Marilyn moments, sadly. Ahaha...


After we got home, I asked Maki-san to take a few photos for us. We were all jazzed up, anyway. I like this outfit. I may wear it more often. :3

No idea what it's from, but it was cute!

Oh hey y'all~ I forgot I had a blog. AHAHAHAHA.

...Sorry.

Anywho~ The past couple weeks have had field trips! Last week the reception staff went to town for Angel's leaving dinner and then yesterday I went to town avec David and George. Good times were had!

So, for Angel's dinner, she decided she wanted okonomiyaki. So, we hitched a ride with Megumi and off we went. It was fun! Maki-san had never had okomiyaki before, though! So, she had no idea what to order and how to make it! Angel taught her and everyone laughed since it was weird for a gaijin to teach her how. Ahahaha. But, it was good! I like okonomiyaki, but in small doses. Maybe twice a year. I've had it 3 times in less than 3 weeks, so I think I'm good. Lol. But yeah, good dinner! I only have one photo and it's of Maki-san!

So, after dinner we drove over to SegaWorld because Angel wanted Team Reception purikura. And she wanted to do two! There were a lot of girls at the purikura booths when we got there. So, we had to wait out turn. But then, it was out turn and we did one. Maki-san had no idea what to do, so we just told her to mimic the example photos. And she got really into it! Lol. And then we all did and there was a lot of shuffling to move about the booth! It was hilarious! We did another one after and we all decorated them. It was awesome! And there was a new booth there. It had some cute English on the side!

And then it was home time. We got a ride back with Haruka, because Megumi can't drive well in the dark. Megumi followed us in her car. It started to snow very heavily when we left Shirakawa! Like, white out conditions! It was horrible! And poor Haruka, she was in her sister's car, so she wasn't used to it! When you get close to BH, there's some really steep hills you have to drive up. And the car just couldn't do it! The car actually stalled! So, we had to drive back down and park in a rest stop area, then Megumi picked us up and drove all of us home. Ahahaha. It was really funny, though!

And then yesterday I went to town with George and David. And they wanted okonmomiyaki for lunch. Go figure. So, they ordered that and I got gyoza. Yum~ George also doesn't usually do pictures, but I coaxed one out of him.

After lunch we wandered about and did some shopping. It was just a nice trip to town. David won a prize for me from SegaWorld. No idea what it's from, but it was cute!

And then it was time for dinner. And for dinner we got SUSHI! Conveyor belt sushi! Yay! It was yummy. I love it. And our special sushi came out on a rocket ship this time! It was so yummy. I ate like 6 plates. Ahahaha. That's a lot. But, at 105yen per plate it's super cheap!

I also took a video to demonstrate the amazingness of conveyor belt sushi. BEHOLD!

Yes. It is just TOO AMAZING. Just sayin~

Anywho, that's it for now.

Oh! I didn't die in that freaking typhoon! It was crazy intense, though! Like, woah! I couldn't believe the winds! I think if I had an umbrella I would've been Mary Poppins!