a little place in japan: the one year post

It's so hard to realize we have been here, in Japan, for a year now. Does anyone else out there think this year went by so incredibly fast? It wasn't long ago we were hugging our family good-bye and walking our 4 suitcases up the ramp to airport security. We were so uncertain about what we were doing but excited at the prospect of redirecting our lives - to the other side of the world.

It wasn't long before our possessions began to grow and we began to assimilate into Japanese culture. We accepted the fact that we were going walk everywhere and that we couldn't get dark chocolate as easily as we could back home. We began to enjoy buying groceries in small amounts knowing they were coming fresh daily from the farms in town. We learned to squeeze into a twin size bed and love the firmness of a futon mat on wood. Brandon learned how to cook with no counter and two burners. Actually, we are still perfecting that one. We learned how to fit everything we wanted into a tiny fridge. Then there was learning how to not bump into people while making no eye-contact and knowing when to avoid the grocery store so you didn't get run over by a sweet little old Japanese lady - who is not so sweet when she is trying to get to the last bell pepper.

We have made some wonderful friends, many of whom we have discussed on this blog. This year would not have worked out well with out the new friendships and new traditions built with them.

Lastly, the most important thing that came from this year of new discoveries is our baby. She is six weeks away from her day of birth and we are so excited. It's is so amazing knowing that we are bringing a little person into this big world - and that she will actually know how big that world really is.

Thank you all for stopping by from time to time. It feels so amazing to know there are friends and family who have been able to experience some of this crazy adventure with us. We hope you're ready to see what this next year has to bring! We sure are.

Here are some of our favorite moments from over the past year.