Snapshots of Tokyo

Who Doesn't Love Weddings?

This wedding video is so fun and upbeat, love it! The song fits perfectly, looks like they had a blast dancing the night away!

Max, Margaux, & The Marvelows from Shark Pig on Vimeo.

via/cupofjo

Meiji-Jingu Gardens

Tokyo is amazing because in the midst of dense metropolis, there are these patches of lush greenery. For example, round a bend from the Harujuku subway station, and you find yourself in a green wooded area, en route to the Meiji Jinju shrine.

Sake barrels that have been brought to the shrine to be blessed.

Pictures from the Daimyo Gardens.

The Kiyomasa well is a warm springs that gushes to the earth without being pumped. The water is sweet to taste and supposedly has healing powers.

So much to see! And we haven't even gotten to the actual Meiji Jingu shrine yet...

Japan: Day 1

Tokyo is busy, bustling, and fast paced. We rose early, seeing as we were not used to being 15 hours ahead. Mistake #1 - stores on average, (aside from the occasional coffee shop) do not open until at least 10:00 AM. We experienced an uncomfortable subway ride (literally smushed up against other people) and got a look firsthand at the morning commuter traffic (typical intersection at 8 AM). See how packed it is?
Having said that, there are no words to explain how polite the Japanese are. If you accidentally bump into someone, they are almost instantaneously apologizing profusely. People make room for you on the subway, people say "thank you," even when the conversation did not merit any thanks on your behalf.

More to come in a bit...

I'm Back!

Hello my blog lovelies, do not worry, I have not abandoned you. It was such a whirlwind getting ready for my trip to Japan, I only now realize I neglected to tell you all I was leaving for Japan! Well, my travels have come and gone, and our 2 weeks there were utterly AMAZING! I will post pictures and updates ASAP once I decompress, catch up to the right time zone, and relax for a bit.

So excited to share my travels with you!

Mid-Week Vacation

The joys of being a teacher is being able to take mid-week mini vacations in the summertime. Wednesday afternoon, my 2nd grade team and I set off to enjoy the sun and surf at Lindsay's cabin in Hood Canal. We went clamming, sunning, swimming in the salt water, made smores by campfire, drank some vino, and had ourselves a fabulous beyond fabulous time. Isn't it gorgeous there?

We returned Friday, just in time for the "real" weekend refreshed, relaxed, and rejuvenated. It was such a fun time, and a last team hurrah before we part our separate ways for teaching next year (sniff, sniff).

Dinner Last Night: Chipotle Bean Burritos

I wasn't feeling like working too hard at dinner last night, so I made these - Chipotle Bean Burritos, a pretty easy recipe and thankfully I had a lot of ingredients already on hand. I made a few substitutions which didn't alter the quality of the meal at all. First, since I didn't have the chipotle chili powder, I just substituted cayenne pepper, and in lieu of lettuce I added fresh avocado. But the kicker was using Trader Joe's smoky peach salsa instead of regular tomato salsa - it added a rich smoky flavor to the beans which in my opinion made the dish.

image/cookinglight

One Week...

...and we'll be on our way to Japan!!

Dinner Last Night: Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken & Cucumbers

I think I must be excited for Japan because I have Japanese food on my mind! I made this dish for dinner - Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken & Cucumbers. I've never made udon noodles before, and have to report it was surprisingly easy. The best part was, it's a cold dish to begin with which translates to a great next-day lunch!

image/myrecipes

Wedding Weekend

This weekend is a busy one, my good friend Vanessa is getting married Saturday and it's going to be a big fat Greek wedding! It's literally an all-weekend bash. We're all going out Friday night pre-wedding for drinks in downtown Seattle, the big day on Saturday, and then a big Greek BBQ on the 4th of July complete with a goat-spit roast! All kinds of fun craziness to be had with the Greeks! Can't wait!

image/maryruffle

Librarians do Gaga

I just read about this - librarians from my alma mater, the University of Washington did a librarian-themed spoof to Lady Gaga's Poker Face. It's apparently been viewed a lot of youtube, pretty funny!

Zoo Day

It's not even July 4th yet and I'm happy to report I've checked one thing off my summer to-do list! Last week, my boyfriend and I spent a sunny afternoon cruising our local Woodland Park Zoo. It was such a fun, relaxing afternoon, we even got to see the new animals - the meerkats, which are hilarious! Yay for zoo days, so much fun!

Travel Reading

We leave for Japan in less than 2 weeks (!!!!) and my friend and I are trying to get organized. We're pooling our books to make sure we have enough reading material for train rides and down time. Here's our list so far, any recommendations for what excellent reads we should add?

1. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
3. The Heart of the Matter

image/wishopeace