New Obsessions and a New Year

I know it's been a while, but I hope everyone has had a Merry Christmas indeed!  And I hope Santa was very kind to everyone!  I know he was to me!  My big gift from a certain loveable Asian boy, was a 3 hour mani/pedi/facial treatment at a local spa.  I also got 4 movies (X-men trilogy and the Hunger Games!), a book I have been waiting FOREVER to come out, and my parents are angels in disguise.  They are buying me and Yuta 1 night in a Toronto hotel when my friend, Francesca, comes to visit in April.  I also got some smaller gifts like winter gloves and other such things.  And as well as Christmas coming and going this holiday season, I have found yet another new obsession.  Pinterest.  At first, I was like, what's all the hype about?  And then I joined.  And it has created a monster.

I joined probably about 2 weeks ago now, and I can say I've been on everyday since!  It's a wonderful site that has everything you could ever want to look up, but it's so organized!  You create theme specific boards under your own profile, like fitness or DIY, and you search things pertaining to those boards.  You from there, re-pin things from other people's boards to your own.  It keeps track of everything you've repinned to yourself, for future or immediate gratification.  What a site for a super dis-organized person like me! (They even have an organization section!)

Something else coming this holiday season is the new year.  2012, you've been kind to me, allowing my love from halfway across the world to be reunited together with me, but 2013, I'm looking even more forward to you.  2013 brings on a new year, a new workout promise (I hope I can keep!), and a new continent hopefully!  Yuta and I will be attempting a Working Holiday in England in the fall of 2013 (I've already been asking friends that live there to give me a few pointers on where the cheaper areas are, and what type of work is available.  You can never start planning to early!).

My new year's resolution is to save money and work out more.  I have joined a gym that's right across the street from where I work and now there is really no excuse not to go.  I've been scheduled a lot more morning shifts, and I find it easier to go after work then before.  So let's shed some pounds and save some dough!

What are your new year's resolutions?

Photo-A-Day December

So earlier this year, I decided to do a photo a day challenge.  It's where you get a set list with a different theme/topic everyday and you take a photo with your interpretation of said theme/topic.  I've decided I will now do another one for December!  So please enjoy the daily updates of photos!

Here's the topic list in case you are feeling a little creative!

Day 1.  8 O'clock

I spent my evening watching a movie with a friend!  Such wonderful times!

Day 2. Peace

An empty house, a childhood favourite, and some eggnog.

Day 3. Something you held

My yummy snack of fruit creme peak freans and egg nogg!

Day 4. Black and White

My beautiful Coach gloves I got from a friend last year!

Day 5. Looking Up

Oh hey there Ella!

Day 6. Something from where you live/your country

Canada Dry Ginger Ale!  Ahhhhh......

Day 7. Stars

The weather has been kind of crappy for astronomy photos, so I made some of my own!

Day 8. Someone you love

And yes everyone, he is all mine!

Day 9. Out and About

Well, I'm ABOUT to go OUT

Day 10. Under

This is under my basement stairs.  Creepy....

Day 11. Sweet

Some Christmas cupcakes I made!

Want more photos?  Check out some of my friends blogs who are also doing this same challenge!

http://missfriendslittlesecrets.blogspot.ca/2012/12/december.html
This is Miss Friend who lives in the UK

http://helenflewaway2nz.blogspot.co.nz/
My other British friend living in New Zealand

You Call That Christmas Spirit?

Is it just me or does it just not feel like Christmas as much as it did as a kid?  The magic of the season is slowly disappearing for me, until actual Christmas day, when presents are ripped open, belts need to be undone from food consumption, and family gathers for the special holiday!  I've been feeling like a real Grinch lately.  Maybe it's because it will be December 1st tomorrow and I still don't have our Christmas tree. We have no decorations up at my house, and worst of all NO SNOW.  Now, I normally am super psyched to have no snow until MUCH closer to Christmas, but there is something about snow that adds that touch of magic.  The first snow fall that actually sticks, I watch as it transforms peoples moods from surly to pleasant.

So in order to cheer myself up, I decided to do a few things this season that I normally wouldn't do.  I have decided that I will watch as many Christmas movies as I can, because they almost always have Happy Endings. I watched Elf the other day and that was such a good life decision.  It made me want to listen to Christmas music and make a snow angel.  I have also decided to do a BUNCH of Christmas baking!  Mostly to eat myself, but also to give away as gifts to people at work.  I also really want a nice Christmas photo of Yuta and I.  In the almost 3 months he has been here, we still have yet to take even 1 photo of us together.  So this Christmas, that's really all I want.

One more thing to get me in the winter spirit is to go snowboarding and sledding.  I finally have my OWN snowboard back from Japan and I can't wait to hit the slopes! My friend also told me about a place just past London that offers winter tubing.  You know those big tubes that you tie to the back of a boat?  Yep, those ones.  Except down a giant hill instead of on a big bed of water.



What do you do to raise your Christmas spirit?

One Of Those Days....

Have you ever had one of those days?  You know the one where everything just goes wrong and you just want it to be over?  It doesn't matter what day of the week it is, you just wish it was friday....or maybe saturday, cause on saturday there is no work (for most people) and you can lay in bed and not move except to eat and go to the bathroom.

I had one of these days yesterday.  It was not pretty.  It started with me having some bad dreams about being late for work, and then when I got to work it was pure chaos.  Me and my team just couldn't get it together.  We were dropping everything, everything out front was running out, and people through drive thru just didn't want to co-operate.  I also had a verbal altercation with a "special" man who usually comes to Tims Hortons.  I just wanted yesterday to be over.  And I'm glad it is now!

I'm a pretty optimistic person, so I'm going to look on the bright side of yesterday.  We were only $1.06 short for the day, I went home to pizza in the fridge and my fiancée on the couch, and the possibility to just go to bed and forget today ever happened.  The bright side of today is that yesterday is over.

So here's hoping all of you have a better day today than yesterday, and a better day tomorrow than today!

Frugal Femme Fatal

So I'm sitting here, drinking my candy cane hot chocolate, thinking, DAMN...I'm really early for work! Today was a day where I decided to be a bit frugal after driving Yuta to work.  He worked at 10 and I worked at 11, so I thought I would look all cool and go sit with my laptop and my drink my faux coffee.  All I needed was a croissant and a tiara, and I would be the modern twist Audrey Hepburn via Breakfast at Tiffany's.  But I'm getting off on quite a tangent! Today, I wanted to talk about Christmas on a budget. I personally don't see the need to spend $700 on Christmas when I can make something that will mean a lot more to someone than something store bought.  Also, if you're like me, and want to feel like a money saving superhero, then listen up!

I've been on a really big "homemade fabulous" kick.  I've been scouring all the websites looking for cheap home/handmade gifts for people that don't necessarily look homemade or that basically don't look cheap or like a cop-out.  I've found a couple of really great things, like an adorable felt key chain, or easy DIY necklaces with some glitter, pendants, and sealant.  the possibilities are seemingly endless for what to make!  Now, a lot of stuff I've seen require at least some knowledge of a sewing machine, of which I have none.  So if you're like me, and want some no-sew ideas, check out Craftgawker.com.  I just did a review of FoodGawker, which has the same idea of shared food-related items vs the homemade universe of craftgawker, which is why this name might sound so familiar to you.

I have found quite a few things that are homemade that could go into an awesome "winter survival kit", since I have feeling with it being so warm now, we are gonna get one hell of a winter. One of the items is a Handmade Hand Warmer, found here at http://www.henryhappened.com/diy-heart-hand-warmers.html#
Another thing is this big chunky scarf, http://blog.bloomspot.com/2012/10/diy-circle-scarves/, cause maybe knitting or crocheting is your thing!  Most of these designs on the site come with a free pattern, so free not if you're artistic ability is minimal.  There is also a recipe for handmande soap!  This site has everything you could possibly want to make someone for Christmas!  So head on over now and look for yourself!

Jingle All The Way

With Halloween officially over, it seems only appropriate to get a jump start on the next holiday that will surely creep up faster than we want it too.  That's right, I'm talking about CHRISTMAS!  A time for spending way to much money on toys for kids, when they are only going to break in an hour. A time of waiting in maddening lines, as long as the north pole itself, and a time for wondering what the hell you are going to get your friend/mother/significant other for that special day.  Yuta and I decided to get a head start on shopping for this wonderful season, since we have to ship some packages to Japan, so we packed up our bags (and our wallets) and hit the nearest Toys R Us and local mall.

We hit up Toys R Us first, in an attempt to get the shopping for his little brothers out of the way first.  But once we were inside that damned store, the pretty colours and noisy sounds took over our brains, and I think we spent more time looking at all the different things they had, rather than looking for presents for his family.  But once the shiny ball syndrome wound itself down, we were able to focus on finding gifts.  Yuta told me that his brothers really liked some Marvel heroes, like Iron Man and Thor, so we headed for the avengers section!  Holy crap was there a lot of stuff crammed into 1 Avengers aisle!  Is it bad that I wanted to play with half of the stuff more than his little brothers did probably?  The hard part here, is finding something that doesn't have any English words coming from it, but they obviously speak Japanese.  Yuta found some Annoying Orange items that are popular in Japan, as well as an Iron Man light-up-with-sounds helmet for them.  Done and Done.

Next stop, Devonshire Mall for his sister and mother.  His sister, Kaoru, apparently loves Phineas and Ferb, and the show is really popular over there right now.  The last time we were in the mall, we looked in Spencers and saw that they had some Perry the Platypus shirts and a plush backpack, so we headed there first, and bought her stuff quite quickly.  Unfortunately, we didn't find anything for his mother yet.  Hopefully inspiration strikes soon.

With a quick pit stop in HMV, I decided to get another special gift for one of my friends whose main present she already knows about and will be receiving soon, because you can't NOT open a gift on Christmas.

With our purchases in hand, we decided that we had spent enough money and we headed home.  Here's to finishing our shopping early, and being able to enjoy this holiday season in peace and harmony!

Nihongo wo hanasemasu?

Do you speak Japanese? No? Don't worry about it! Neither do I.  But I'm learning.

I was having writers block so I posted on facebook for my friends to offer suggestions.  Responses that came back are: Write about learning a new language, and to do a WHOLE post in Japanese!
While I really don't think that writing a post in Japanese 20 minutes before work starts is such a good idea, I will have to go with writing about learning a new language.  Maybe next time Tim!

So a lot of people are probably wondering why I picked Japanese in the first place.  Well it's simple really.  I've always loved Japan, I lived there for a year and developed an interest in it, and my fiancee and all his family are Japanese, so it's really a tool of convenience.

I've been in a class with a great teacher named Tim for about a year and a half now, and I've learned so much!  We've made it through an entire beginners book and will start on the 2nd book in a few weeks.  I'm not gonna lie when I say that I am terrified and excited all at the same time.  A new books means more knowledge, but it also means more things that I could possibly forget, plus more grammar and vocabulary!  Yikes!

Some are wondering if Japanese is anything like English.  Here's the thing.......yes and no.  It's sometimes similar, and sometimes way off in left field to my brain.  The writing system is one of those way off into left field things.......The Japanese have 3 (yes 3!) different writing systems.  Hiragana is loopy and the writing system learned first (ひらがな), Katakana is used for foreign words and looks a little more harsh (カタカナ), and then there is Kanji (愛), which you can see on the lamp post just above.  It's quite complicated and was adapted from the Chinese characters. These are the hardest for me to learn and it's quite a slow process.  While Yuta says I don't really need them, and can just ask what things say, I personally, still want to learn, so that I can write letters to my friends or whatever, but do it properly.  You can't half ass learn a language.

I've been trying to speak Japanese more with Yuta around, but I still find I am very nervous when I speak it, even with someone I know so well.   I guess this just means that I need to study more and learn more vocabulary!  Anyone wanna give me a few good study tips?

You Lazy Ass!

Working out.  Most people I know DREAD working out, myself included.  But ever since Yuta's arrival, I've noticed the few pounds I had lost before, starting to creep their way back into my life.  I just want to post a big sign that says GO AWAY FAT!  LEAVE ME ALONE!  UNWELCOME! Or, something along those lines.  I guess all those restaurants and eating out in general are starting to catch up with us.  And when you are a woman with the curves I have, I really should be watching what I'm eating...or at least go to the gym and try and burn it off.

So as many of you know I recently joined the gym across the street from my work.  And while my motivation has been lacking of late, I'm really inspired by my friend Michelle.  She never fails to miss a day at the gym!  Even on the weekends! Now that's dedication!  So I decided to buck up, get off my lazy ass and get to the gym......After my 8 hour shift at work of course!  Go hard or go home right?

I didn't do anything too strenuous because I was already really tired and didn't want to hurt myself, but I attempted.  I did a total of about 25 minutes on the treadmill, going back and forth between running and walking (mostly walking, thanks ankle....), I went over to the sit down bench press and did 3 sets of 10 at 45lbs, and then over to the ab area, as that is where I think I need the MOST work.  I literally have a food baby.  I did the sitting crunch machine, 3 sets of 10 at 50lbs, and man did I feel that area it worked out after the first set!  I then went and did sit ups, 3 sets of 10 again, on the vertical bench.  By this point, I was feeling tired and in all honesty, just wanted to go home.  So I did.  But I still felt a sense of accomplishment.  And now I'm hoping to add going to the gym into my daily, or almost daily, routine.  No more excuses.  Winter is here, soccer is over, and I need to stay active and healthy.  The time is now!

Lauren And Yuta Go On An Adventure!

So yesterday, Yuta and I went on a date.  That's right, a full getting-dressed-up date!  Where we stayed in seperate rooms to get ready and did a big reveal!  Mind you, we stayed a bit casual cause we were doing lunch, shopping, and a movie.  Nothing fancy!  But it was still nice to be under the stigma of the "date" mentality!

We started our date off at Starbucks in the Chapters at Devonshire Mall.  I think every date should start there!  Yuta ordered a Caramal Machiatto, while I ordered a Caramel Apple Spice, since I hate coffee.  He didn't want to go into the book store, so we went into the mall and began our search for a few key items each of us wanted.  We hit up American Eagle, but nothing there suited either of us (I find I love a lot of their items, but it's so damn expensive), so we wandered into a few shoe stores, but still was just window shopping.  Sears was another shop that didn't appeal to us.  We were getting discouraged, but as we passed by Ben Moss, I hit my first success.

The chain on the Inukshuk necklace that I wear daily had broken.  So I put the chain and pendant in my wallet and was on a mission to get a new one.  We stopped in at Ben Moss and found what was essentially the exact same chain, but with a lobster claw type clasp instead of the old one which the sales lady said would be a more durable clasp.  $20?  Done and Done!

La Senza was another disappointment for me.  I went in for some new undergarments during their 7 for $28 sale, but unfortunately found only 1 cute pair in my size.  I wear the biggest size in the store, which is of course the size that sells out first.  Such a disappointment.

We ended up leaving the mall almost empty handed (my chain and Yuta bought The Vow and a CD) and headed over to Wal-Mart.  A much better success rate awaited us at Wal-Mart, but I still didn't find what I expected to.  I ended up buying some new make-up (Almay foundation and a new Lip Butter from Revlon) and some snacks for later, while Yuta got the PJ bottoms he was searching for.  And a big Thank You to miss Jessie N for posting that photo of the new pokemon game, which I will be buying on Wednesday after work.

So after shopping, we ate lunch at the McDonald's in the Wal-Mart and then headed over to the movie theatre to hit up Pitch Perfect.  Holy Hell that movie was funny!  I was expecting it to be a lot like Glee, and while yes it did have the Racheal-Type-A-personality character running the Acapella group, and yes it was still a bit cheesy, I found myself REALLY enjoying it.  Fat Amy (excuse me Fat Patricia) to be so entertaining!  She was blessed to be a character with a lot of sarcasm and witty quips, pulled out at every turn!

We ended off our date at Tim Hortons, where we both just sat and relaxed.  What a perfect day!

The Pros And Cons

Well that time of year is here again.  The leaves start changing and the temperature starts dropping.  The shorts and swimsuits are stashed away, not to be seen until next year or next vacation.  We pull out our comfiest sweaters and cuddle up with a steaming cup of whatever you drink.  That's right everyone, fall, and soon, winter, is here.  A time of bitter winds and wonderful activities. A time for walks under the changing leaves and wearing those cute new fall/winter accessories.   A time of digging out your car from the latest snowstorm, and a time of impromptu snowball fights. 

Me?  Winter is kind of bitter-sweet for me.  I personally hate being cold.  I would rather be in 150º heat than be in any type of cold!  So here's my list of pros and cons for winter.

Cons:
The Length~ Winter seems to last forever doesn't it?
The Weather~ Unpredictability at its finest.  Not to mention those fierce winds!
The Warm up~ Having to go outside to start your car and let it warm up....And for those of you with car starters, consider yourself LUCKY.
The Shovelling~ I HATE shovelling snow!
The Roads~ They can put a man on the moon, but can't keep snow off the roads

Pros:
The Sports~ Snowboarding, tobogganing, snowball fights
The Magic~ That first snowfall has a way of making everything feel like a fairytale
The Snow~ You know the one, where it falls in giant chunks, with no wind.  Beautiful
The Warmth~ Curling up with a book and a hot chocolate on a day off! 
The Shopping~ Ok, Winter accessories are cute!

So, I guess Winter isn't all bad.  But I still prefer summer to winter.  Who knows, maybe this one will be different now that I have somebody to keep warm with.

The Lost Art

Today I want to talk about something that I am very sad to see disappearing from our world and culture.  The lost art of letter writing.  Everything, by today's standard, is done quickly, to coincide with our busy lifestyles.  But to me it all just feels so impersonal.  Cold.  Uncaring.  Don't get me wrong, I love Facebook.  It's one of the easiest ways for me to keep in touch with my friends from all over the world and Canada.  But there is nothing like opening the mailbox to find something other than a bill!  I love how personal writing a letter is.  I really feel like I can tell the person I am writing to, anything that's going on in my life.  I feel like letter writing, has a certain "care factor" that emails just don't.

I really came into letter writing when I was living in Japan.  A lot of the students that visited wrote letters to me while I was still there, explaining what a good time they had.  I often wrote back to them, and still keep in contact with a lot of them.

This is a letter from my friend Helen, who is currently living in New Zealand.  Also, I've got a package to send to my friend in Cork, Ireland, another letter for a friend in Japan, and a package for my friend in England.  Me and all of my letter writing friends have been sending back and forth for 1-2 years now.

Since I have amassed a FABULOUS collection of adorable letter sets, I have a need to go through them all so I can buy more!  And I urge you to take time out of your busy schedule to sit down and write to somebody.  It could even be me!

In For A World Of Hurt...

Last Monday, I decided I was going to join a gym and hopefully stick to it.  I was really excited about this decision, because it is right across the street from where I work, and a lot of people from my work, go there as well.  So, my friend convinced me to join and go to a cardio dance class with her, her sister and mother, and another one of our friends from work.

I went in to the gym, and went through all the bells and whistles with a wonderful girl named Carly.  She was excellent.  Because I was a new member, I got to spin the wheel of fortune that they have, and the friend that I referred got to spin as well.  I ended up spinning an extra free month....I hope someone else can use that for when I leave! My friend spun a personal training session.....that sounds much better!

Another girl, a friend I've known since JK, showed me and Yuta (he was on a 1 day free pass) around the gym and explained different areas and busy times and so forth.  I'd forgotten how much I loved being in a gym atmosphere.  Seeing other people push themselves, makes me want to do the same!

Our class started at 6:30 pm, and I'd heard nothing but good things about it!  Yuta didn't join, but went off into the main area and did his own thing.  I was surprised to learn that it was a male teacher.  I think his name was Roger?  I dunno, but he was cute!  The nerves and excitement were starting to kick in as he started some music, and I thought how awesome this was gonna be!  Our first move was a jumping jack and crossing our legs when our hands were at our sides.  Awesome so far.  The next move we tried was high knees.  My left leg went up and down, followed by my right, but I landed on the side of my foot, rather than the flat, and BOOM! down I went.  I heard a snap so loud I thought I had broken my ankle.  Everyone thought I had just fallen at first, until I didn't get up.  I stayed down and held my ankle, and then everyone was like, oh crap she's really hurt!

Roger, our instructor, came over and checked out my ankle.  Oh yea, I sprained it.  Almost as bad as I did in grade 10, where I would have been better off to break it.  He ran to get me some ice for it and I laid  on the floor, with my foot on a giant exercise ball.  And didn't move for the rest of the class.  Damn the ice was cold and my ankle hurt like a mother!

I stayed there for the rest of class, just resting it, and attempted to hobble out when it ended.  Thank God I had Yuta there that night, cause I dunno if I would have been able to make to my car even!  He played such a supporting role that night and the following day.  I'm really lucky to have him.

So, it has been over a week and a half and I am starting to feel better and stronger everyday, while trying not to push it, or over exert myself.  But, I think it's OK to start going back to the gym for some soft core exercises!  Here's to strength and leaving the world of hurt behind!

In Other News...

In other news, a lot has happened in the past 2 weeks!  Yuta has officially been registered with the government to work (in the for of a SIN number), he has gotten a cell phone, found a job, and is really coming into his own in Canada!

We went to apply for a bank account a couple of weeks back, but they said he needed a sin number and some Canadian ID.  So off to city hall in downtown Windsor we went!  Getting the SIN number was a snap! Literally took us 10 minutes to complete all the paperwork, and he received it in the mail today!  We also decided not to switch over his driver's licence just yet, but instead went with a new standard photo ID card, which also came in the mail today!  After we applied for all of these things, about a week later we went back to the bank and tried to reapply for the account.  Which he now has.  Hooray for money in the bank!

The cell phone was a bit more difficult. Since at the time he didn't have a bank account, he's under my account.  But him having a cell phone has been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.  I don't have to worry about him as much because I can always call him.

The job hunt was really easy actually.  We made him a resumè, and mom helped make him a cover letter, and away we went!  We handed resumès out at Kelsey's, Swiss Chalet, Starlight Diner in Belle River, and Mongolian Grill.  Our lucky break actually came at Mongolian.  He asked for a manager, introduced himself, handed her his resumè, and she took him for an interview right away.  He was gone for about 20 minutes.  When they came back, the manager, Jodi, asked if I was with him and told me that he would be starting off in the back kitchen, with opportunities, once he gains more confidence in his English, to bump out to the grill area and after that to waiting or bartending!

He's only on his second day of work now, but I can really see that he is happy to be working again.  He's no longer stuck within these 4 walls, watching tv or movies all day.  He can now go to work, meet some new friends, and talk with people who aren't me.  I'm so thankful to the manager there for giving him a chance!
Here's to a whole new future!

Mother Knows Best...

I've been really lucky in my life.  No, I've never won the lottery, my parents aren't swimming in money, and my car is pretty much on its last leg.  But I have some of the greatest parents in the world.  And that makes me luckier than most.

All through my life, I have made more than my fair share of mistakes and trouble making, but I knew that at the end of the day, I still had my parents support.  Like the time of my car accident.  They came practically running when I called each of them, and really just tried to reassure me that even though it was my fault, everyone involved was OK and that something a lot worse could have happened.

My dad is one of my greatest hero's. He can (most of the time) fix a car like nobody's business.  He has a real knack for handy work, and whenever I have a problem with our house or my car, he's the first one I call.  He's somebody that I have always looked up to, mostly because he is quite a tall man! While we are not very close in nature, I know that the father-daughter bond we have will always be there and I will always be his little girl.  I know he's gonna miss me when I move away again, but I really can't wait for him to come visit and show him all the reasons why I love being abroad. Even if he will never understands why, I know he will always support me in whatever way he can.

My mom on the other hand is just my best friend in the entire world.  I got REALLY lucky in the mom department.  She's one of those mom's who was always a little more lenient, but put her foot down when the time came.  She was the one that struck fear into our hearts as children, probably because she was more prone to yelling and spanking! Haha! At my house, it was never "wait until your father gets home!", it was always "wait until your mother gets home!"

But my mom has been great, especially over the last couple of years.  When I went away to Japan and came home engaged, she was a little shell shocked, but I remember her telling me that long distance relationships aren't easy, and that I had better be prepared for the work that went into one.  She has always been really good at giving advice, even if I didn't always follow it.  She knows that sometimes, I have to make my own mistakes.

I still to this day to go her for advice on things like work, my relationship, and even fashion advice, because I know she will tell me straight like it is.  After all, Mother Knows Best.

Who Knew?

So as you know, Yuta and I have been living together for 2 weeks now.  It's been quite an experience so far! Although I do feel quite bad that I couldn't get more time off of work to spend with him in his first few days, the bills don't pay themselves.

During these past 2 weeks, we've been rediscovering everything about each other.  From the fact that Yuta is a LOT neater than I am and probably all around better person, to the fact that I love having him here. I thought that living together would be such a difficult thing! And while I understand that we are still in the "Love Bubble", I honestly can't see it changing that much in the future!  I'm trying to remember to do things that will make him happy (such as picking up after my lazy ass more), and I know he's doing the same.

Another tidbit is that he has been offered a job by my dad's friend, Hank, cutting grass a couple of days a week, hopefully starting soon.  This job is only temporary until we can find him something a little less seasonal, but it's money in the bank and that is all that matters right now.  Money doesn't grow on trees, and it's so easy to spend! We are now in for a couple of nights at home, making meals, taking walks, and watching movies that I already own.  Payday for me seems so far away! Sad face.......Money goes through your fingers even faster when paying for 2 people......Who knew?

Welcome to the real world

This has been one eventful week I say! So let's start at the beginning....
It all began 3 years ago, when I went to Japan for a 1 year working Holiday.  While I was there, I happened to meet someone who is just amazing.  I fell in Love with him in no time at all.  Love is blind, and I was doing really well without that sense!  He ended up proposing before I left, and we are still together today!

Over the next 2 years, we did the long-distance relationship, and let me tell you, it was hard.  The not seeing each other for more than 2 weeks at a time (and months in between), the miscommunication that led to misunderstandings, which led to a whole whack load of fighting, and so many more things that happened that I just don't have time to tell everyone......But we made the time for each other and always worked out whatever problem we were having.  As clichè as it is, communication really is the key.  And that is what has saved our relationship.

Last year, he decided he was going to come to Canada to work on his English and be with me.  I was so thrilled! It's been a long time coming and he finally made it here on Tuesday, September 4th 2012.

I went to the airport to pick him up, with a whole herd of butterflies in my stomach.  What if he missed his flight?  What if he doesn't have all the proper paperwork with him for getting his visa?  What if, What if, What if.....Until I saw him come through the arrival gate.  The butterflies were still there, but the what if's vanished into thin air.  All I could think was "Finally".  He said he had no troubles going through immigration, and that they just asked a bunch of questions.  Relief flooded through my veins, warming my whole body.

These last few days have been....a nice surprise and a small adventure all wrapped into one.  He's slowly adjusting to the time difference, and I'm slowly adjusting to sharing my living space with the one I love again.

But after these last few days, I feel more reassured that I have picked the right man for me.  Someone who is kind, caring, funny, sarcastic, and a little bit crazy.  And his name is Yuta. I can't wait to grow old and disgusting with him. I've never imagined more than I have these past days about our future, and what I think our life will be like once married and with some kids...He's going to be a great dad while I hope to compare even slightly to my own mother.  We will raise beautiful children, and maybe even start a buisness together.....

And while I know all my hopes and dreams might not come true, I still cling to them and the person I share them with.  The real world can go suck a rainbow.

Time to pull up your big girl panties.....

Some people say that days drag on, and whatever they are anticipating can't come fast enough.  But for me, it's actually quite the opposite.  Where has the time gone?  I left Japan nearly 2 years ago, brokenhearted over 2 things.  The actual leaving of Japan, a country I came to love so very much, and the leaving of my fiancèe, Yuta.  Over the past couple of years, we have visited each other on and off, taking turns going to the other's country of residence (Canada and Japan).

But now the time has come for us to be reunited (hopefully forever!).  He will be moving here on a 1 year Working Holiday Visa, and our life together will be beginning again, as we get to know each other all over, and on a whole new level.  Being apart for such a long period of time, and only having short visits of 2 weeks or less, has always put us on our best behaviour when seeing each other.  Now that we will be living together, I feel like this new experience for us will really open our eyes to each other.  We will get to see how it REALLY is to live with somebody who is a polar opposite of you (I'm really messy, while Yuta is kind of a neat freak).

I can't say I'm not scared that living together might make or break us.  It's one of the scariest things I've ever done.  But I do feel like, with enough communication, we might actually be able to pull this off!  

So here's to a year (and possibly lifetime) of fighting, making up, traveling, new experiences, and love.

がんばります！

Love Always,
Lauren