Travel Update: Something New, Something Old

4 months is a long time and a lot of money. So we had to decide between some countries and cities. One country definately never on the list of maybe was JAPAN! But when you decide to travel to one of the most expensive cities/countries in the world, the second most expensive city/country has to wait for another time. So it will be a little something new (Tokyo) and a little something old (Kyoto) and a little Osaka thrown in for good measure. Rooms are booked - let's just hope there's plenty in the budget now for lots of sushi!

Street Fairs

Any place where you can walk around outside with food in your hand and food every few feet AND interesting things to look at - we're there! A couple of weekends ago we rode-on-down to the Mississippi Street Fair and there was everything a good street fair should have.

Interesting food

Lots of great people watching

Lots of good things to buy or just look at, in our case

Of course the Mississippi Street Fair had its Northwest twists

Activities for the kids, Portland-style

Public Art/Protest People really got into the Starbucks bashing, even though it was obviously fake. Check out the hand-made logo and Granding Opening signage - funny stuff But we did discover a cute little Filipino food stand right in our neighborhood!!

Serendipity

I have purchased my first bento box!!! YAY!!! After viewing this fantastic slideshow, I knew my lunches would never be the same.

Introducing my first bento box, complete with travel size salsa bottle -

My first bento lunch, comprised of leftovers from a gluttonous bbq dinner and a home-made mexican feast

Healthy, economical AND the rectangular size is the perfect shape for my bag! And then I read what the lid said...

Oh little fishies - it was meant to be

A to the Z

We had friends and family come visit us and to escape the Arizona heat, so it became our summer vacation too!

Here are some highlights...

The coast

The coast the next week

Seattle

The Gorge

Drinking LOTS of beers

Eating LOTS of great food

Getting re-acquainted

and making new friends

now back to that business plan...

Bacon Mints

Huh...Savory Bacon Mints?



















What's in them?
















I'll have to try one.















Wow, they taste like bacon & mint!
How'd they do that?
....and why?

Kitty Saviors

Cleo is my cat, a cat I've loved for 14 years now and I was very concerned with what I would do with her while we are gone.

Enter in our Kitty Saviors:



My dear friends have accepted taking her in while we are gone - depending on their cat's final approval.

Gilliam is about the same age as Cleo, so I think it's going to be a love affair for the history books -


Much like theirs.....

Little People - Big Decision

What to do - when time is bearing down on you and you still have so much to do? What to do - when you find a job unlike any other AND you really like it? What to do - when there is so much hype about oil driving up the price of everything? You throw a dart on the calendar and you buy that airline ticket! We bought our plane tickets today...wow. We fly into Tokyo and have 4 months to figure out how to get to Sydney to fly home. I don't think it has really hit me, not even after seeing that charge on my account.

Say cheeeeeezzz

After too many blurry pictures with an orange-yellow hue we decided to purchase a new camera. Just when we were ready to plunk down the cash for a new Nikon SLR, we came across the Nikon CoolPix P80.

It had everything we wanted:

Telefoto


Wide-angle


Macro




Compact, 10.1 Megapixels, vibration control lens, video with audio

AND CONTINUOUS SHOT!!!







Even though we still dream of having a true SLR camera. This is perfect for novices like us.

Isn't she a beauty - can't wait to she what she captures on our travels.

School Daze

Ok, so we're supposed to be further along on the business plan than we actually are. Same goes with saving for the trip - so it seems about right. Every time I start to think about working on the business plan I get the dreaded feeling I used to get in college: "there is something more important I should be doing." The feeling of something looming over me. And just like when I was in school - I'd rather be daydreaming than focusing. I don't care what people say about being motivated by your dreams, I still need motivation somedays.

ASIA - Here We Come!!!