Cherry Blossom Adventures

• I did make a couple of resolutions & I wrote them up all nice & pretty  in my new journal for 2009 along with some inspirational quotes. I wouldn`t usually start a new diary for the new year but my moleskine was a couple pages away from finished so I saw the chance to start using my fab new diary which has a black & red pattern with babushka dolls on it. Yes I am a nerd. Anyway I am already going off track, my resolutions were to lose at least another 5 kilos by eating healthier, more regular exercise (ie, more than twice a month which is the standard I do at the moment I think) including regular walking (with Abbey) and hopefully some hooping & aqua arobics. I want to have lost the weight by the wedding and gotten into a routine by then that can follow on when we return to Japan (so walking & hooping mainly!). My next resolution was to be more responsible with money by combining our accounts and saving a little bit each month…for me not spending money willy nilly is something I really need to work on especially since there is only so much tupperware & books I can send back to Japan. Next resolution is a secret but one that will come about eventually. The last two were to learn to use photoshop (as it is on my 101 things list and something I have wanted to learn how to use for a long time) and find an apartment in Chiba/Tokyo within three months of returning to Japan and make a home for us that we will both love. What are you resolutions? And did you keep the ones you made last year?
• I have met up with T from TJKR several times over the last couple of weeks. At the park, at her place, at my place and it has been so nice getting to know her (and her hub & bub)- it is so random that her parents house is just around the corner from my dad`s place and we went to the same highschool (although we were not there at the same time). Shun has loved interacting with their daughter K as well- he is so good with kids although kids are usually scared of him at first (as K was- I think it is all his hair!!!!) I have loved playing with K also, she is such a little darling and I can not beleive how well she can talk for 20 months old! Amazing! I will miss them when they go back to Japan on Sunday but luckily where we live in Japan is not so far from each other, only about an hour by train.
• Shun & I sat down and had a big chat about money the other day, wrote up a budget and how much we want to (and need to) save before leaving Australia. Some of that savings will go towards my plane ticket back to Japan, and some of the wedding expenses like honeymoon (We might be bypassing a honeymoon), suits & part of the reception. The rest (and we hope there will be some extra left over) will go towards finding an apartment back in Japan as many of you know getting set up in an apartment is ridiculously expensive with all the agent fees, key money & bond you must pay. Not to mention movers (we have stuff in storage at his parents place & all of our big white goods are with my friend Cat). The aim is for Shun to return to his job on 1 July as planned (although due to the recent economic crisis he is a bit worried his job won`t be there for him to go back to but I am positive it will be okay), earlier if he can since we will be back in Japan from end of May & I will look for a part-time job or full-time job (with 25 hours or more) probably in a preschool or kindergarten. Hopefully I won`t have too many issues finding a job but we will have to wait & see. There are not as many international schools in Chiba though so might have to rethink this. We also talked about how much we will want to try and save once we return to Japan and move into an apartment and also what we would be willing to spend on rent. It was so good to discuss it all, make plans and see where we are at in time for the new year.
• Today was a bit of a tough day- we started by taking dad to the hospital for his treatment. He had said all day yesterday and this morning that he didn`t want to go and wasn`t going and that he was quitting. But this morning he got in the car and we took him to the hospital. He doesn`t like us to come in & I usually just drop him off but usually go in when I go to pick him up. Shun and I had some wedding related errands to run, our last week day before we go back to work on Monday (see next dot point). When we got home about 1pm Dad was watching TV. Turns out he had gone into the hospital for about half an hour, was still waiting, and so he left and caught the train home. He didn`t ring & ask me to pick him up, he didn`t answer the couple of times I called before lunch time & there he was at home when we got home. Apparently a nurse, his trial nurse & his doctor had all called him but he had decided not to go back. They have given him a chance to come in tomorrow however if he doesn`t go he will not be able to return to the trial as it is an important part of it that he has treatment EVERY Friday. At this stage he says he is going but I am not sure- I got a call from his trial nurse and she asked me if he was coming (It took them 5 hours to track down my number)tomorrow. I told her I would try….Today has been exhausting- At this stage not sure what the outcome will be.
• As for good news- we found suits for Shun, the groomsmen & my dad. Also went to the invitation place and choose what we wanted so just waiting for a quote and to confirm if we send them that they can input Japanese text if we send it through to them in a word file (copy & paste)-
• As it is new years we have had several phone calls with Shun`s parents & family. Yesterday we called them to say the ritual “akemashite omedetou gozaimasu” & as I write this Shun is on the phone with them again because today his grandmother, brother & sister-in-law are also there. I have just finished another round of “akemashite omedetou gozaimasu” & now Shun is talking to his dad`s about whales & wombats- two things he wants to see in the four days they are in Australia in May (one the day they arrive, one the wedding, the day after the wedding & then they leave the next morning- it will be a busy couple of days- I guess we better start planning.)

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