springtime in georgiaaaaaa

Let's not even pretend that I update this on an even remotely regular basis, okay? But. I went home for Golden Week and since I moved to Japan in the winter of 2009, I technically haven't seen Georgia springtime in about 4 years.

Took tons of photos this time around, or well. Sorry. I took too many photos and  I had to consolidate so excuse my four-squares.  :DD

 The now huge trees behind my parents house / Flowers in Mom's garden

M&D redid the pool / Texas BBQ @ Moonies

Really enjoyed springtime at my parents' house! It's been so long and I couldn't believe how tall some of the trees had gotten. And my parents redid the pool! Wish it had been warm enough to swim. And what would a trip home be without Georgia Texas BBQ?

Lunch @ CPK / Crop tops

Bargain finds / Victoria's Secret bikini

Went to the mall for CPK and a bit of shopping with my mom. Gained a little weight over the past year and there was no way my bottom or my top was gonna fit in a Japanese swimsuit this summer. PINK line is still ♡

Perfect place for a wedding party / Lookit that Confederate flag

Faux storefont in Madison Country / The Brickyard 

I wanted to show my mom this park that my old roommate Kelly and I had found when we went to UGA. I kept thinking it was a lot closer to Athens than it actually was and mom and I ended up finding this...this well, I don't really know what it was. It almost looked like a faux storefront. I mean, it was real and everything but there wasn't anything in the "stores" and I don't remember seeing it when Kelly and I were skipping class. And by that I mean, going to the park.

Inside the covered bridge / Looking out from one of the windows

View from the hiking trail / Old Powerhouse Ruins

Watson Mill Bridge State Park is in Comer somewhere...Madison County I think? It's pretty far out there and it's the kind of area where everyone drives a pick-up truck and that Southern accent is nice and thick. Regardless it's super pretty around the bridge and if you walk about 5 minutes down the trail you'll find the ruins of an old powerhouse.

View from the top of the foundation / Through the side portal

Old abandoned steel bridge / Completely overgrown

Climbing in is a little scary because you're not quite sure you'll be able to get back out but we tried anyway. We got out. Obviously. Quite a bit farther down the trail is an abandoned steel bridge which I'd never seen before. We both really wanted to see it but ended up getting lost on the way there and stumbling onto the campgrounds. Strangers in RV's make me nervous and as soon as we found out mom's phone had no service it was Hi Bridge! Bye Bridge! and back to the car. Uh-oh feeling to the max.

Transmet looks totally different! / Chicken panini & oven roasted potatoes

A street downtown / Late afternoon 

Being so close to Athens we stopped downtown for dinner at Transmet. They'd completely redone the interior! Chicken panini wasn't nearly as perfect as I remember but those potatoes are the most delicious. Also, dear Athens I am so sorry I couldn't capture your hipster quaintness. You were an awesome college town and I didn't appreciate you nearly enough.

 Twisted Taco / Sam & Deaaaan

Almost Jersey-good pizza / Free cheesecake with Kelly Ann

Went to Twisted Taco with my parents and ended up with a waiter who looked just like Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time. He had a crazy swashbuckler tattoo and oh, apparently he's a metalcore vocalist. Wat. Also got to watch Supernatural on my parents' giant TV. Yes I loved it. Followed that day by Verra-Zanno pizza and some delicious oreo-laden desert masquerading as very mousse-like cheesecake. Imposter cheesecake and coffee were free that day. Kelly and I must have been super charming.

Stuffed french toast / Delicious spinach mushroom omelet

IHOP how I've missed you ♡ / Fish tacos @ Bahama Breeze

IHOP brekkie with Momma and Bahama Breeze with four of my best high school friends. So good to see everyone. :3

Bought myself a Canon! / More bargain shopping

Last day home was super rainy / Sock monkey! 

I've been wanting a "real camera" ever since my brother got one 5+ years ago and I finally, finally had the money to buy it. My last day at home was super rainy and ended on a very sad note--which I may or may not address later. Despite that I'm glad I decided to come home for Golden Week. Granted I'd just seen my family in December but it's 100% different compared to coming home in the dead of winter. Felt so nice to be back and honestly I really miss being stateside sometimes. 

On a different note, this will probably be one of the last posts on this blog. I feel like I started this blog with a different goal and different interests and so many things in my life have changed since then. I still want to blog, and more regularly, so I feel the best decision for me is to start over fresh with a clean slate. 

Hoping some of you will follow me to the new blog, too! ♡

That time in 熱海 ♪

So this definitely happened over a month ago buuuut...I'm posting it now. Predictable.

I haven't been to the beach since Tateyama almost two years ago and really needed the vacation so off to Atami!

Super picture heavy, sorry about that. :X

熱海 Stn.

View from a cliff by our hotel

View from our hotel

Building on the edge of a cliff that should be in Supernatural

We were supposed to go only Saturday but I wanted to do some sightseeing so I went down a day earlier with a friend. It was really nice to just relax and we spent most of the day walking around through town towards the beach.

Bon-chan♡

♡

Spent the rest of the night on the beach until it got dark. Atami is so beautiful at night.

Then some people started shooting fireworks that got a little too close so we headed back to the hotel--which you can't even see along this part of the coast by the way--we were that far. Who knew this part was literally the only beach in this area. *o*

Cloudy day.

sfkldjfaldf *steals*

Nom.

Despite the impending doom of rainfall, I remained stupidly optimistic and met up with more friends the next morning. It then started pouring and since we figured the bikini's wouldn't make their grand entrance that day, decided to eat a huge lunch.

Ballers like, whoa.

We decided to go to the beach anyway and, voila. Here comes the sun. Kind of regretted a huge lunch after that but, Murphy's Child you know. Not long after setting up our beach towels we were ナンパed by that magical person up there. 

"Come on, let's go! Yeaaaah let's go bitch!"

I'm aware you were trying to make a beach/bitch joke but lolwat. Could have been sketchy but honestly wasn't. They were decent guys and took us out for a ride on their jet skis. 

So much fun, OMG. 

Our driver (guy in the last photo, my friend and I) was insane  and drove super fast and in circles and he was just crazy and lulzy and hilarious, tbh. Never been out on a jetski so was a super fun first experience for me. Well, not on the ocean anyway. Lakes in Georgia don't really count. :D

Bugs.

They asked us to go to some tiny island in the distance for some dinner and drinks but it was like, "Thanks but we have plans!" Nice guys and I'm sure it would've been fine but, eh. You never know. Ended the day with more walking and finally found an onsen. Perfeeeeeect.

And now after this I'll have a week's worth of photos of my parents visiting me in Japan to edit. Yaaaaaaaaaaay. :D

お皿★ = OSARABOSHI

Hello and welcome to the most delayed blog ever. :D

Normally I just let things pass as they get too far in the past but I'm waiting for my next episode of Jensen Ackles Swag to load--and by that I mean, Supernatural--and I reaaaaally wanted to post about my darling dish coming to visit Tokyo a few weeks ago! ♡

2012.7.15

This is going to be the name of my band :D

Sarah arrived Sunday night and we promptly headed over to HOOTERS with Jessi. We had wings and diced steak as well but we actually ate it too fast to get a photo, haha.

2012.07.16

Monday was a national holiday which meant no work and the promise of waking up early to meet some of our friends at the beach. Unfortunately I have horrible time management, Sarah's isn't much better and when you put us together it's basically like punching Father Time in the face. :D

So with morning Starbucks and teal nails to match we headed off to Zushi!

I am actually translucent :D

After some mishaps involving wrong trains we made up for it with delicious-but-almost-too-hot-to-eat tacoyaki and finally...

Zushi Beach!

Tiny tiny legs! XDD

I found a Beach Goth! I love that Caroline comes to the beach in full black X3

I love the beach but I'm actually not huge on swimming because I literally always manage to get bit by something when I get in the water. Fish, crab, stung by a stingray? Yeah Murphy's Law, the ocean and I don't get along XD

After a few hours we hurried back to Shibuya to see a show at Milkyway I'd been invited to.

Sarah's dramatic appearance 8D

Unfortunately Milkyway, which is my favorite venue of all time by the way, didn't seem to be using the aircon so we headed next door to Mobo・Moga for dinner.

♡♡♡ doesn't even cover it

Aaand two beers and an entire taco-rice later and I was drunk. Honestly I have no alcohol tolerance whatsoever. Even when eating a plate for two. Whoops.

2010@井の頭公園

2012@渋谷

We've changed so much in two years, clearly.

2012.07.17

Sarah had a show in Yokohama and I had to work so I went headed out to Sakuragi-cho as soon as I got off to meet Caroline for dinner before we met up with Sarah.

桜木町 is actually one of my favorite places ever ♡

Looks disgusting but was actually delicious XD

Does this make you want to eat at Hard Rock? Didn't think so. DD:

I love 桜木町 so much. Even though I haven't lived in Yokohama since the end of the 2010, somehow it still feels really familiar and comfortable. I love the area, the atmosphere and since the three of us have all lived in Yokohama at some point, we're all kind of tied to it somehow ♡

2012.07.18

Aka the day that we slept almost all day and the only successful thing we managed was gyoza and Krispy Kreme. I'm amazed I didn't gain more weight that week. XD

2012.07.19

Sarah's last day! I had to work again so I headed over to meet her and Caroline at Sbarro for dinner before we sent her off to her bus.

Even thought it was only about a month since I'd seen her in Osaka, it was so great to see Sarah in Tokyo again. Hard to believe we've known each other since 2007-2008 and even harder to believe that it's already been two years since we were in Tokyo together back in 2010. Sometimes I feel like we were such different people back then and other times I feel like we haven't changed at all.

Either way I can't wait until I visit Osaka again or she comes back here! ♡