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こんにちは
We're heading to Japan!

I seriously can't even begin to tell you how excited I am that we're heading to Japan for three years!! Every opportunity I get I'm searching the web for any information I can find on the country! I'm amazed at what I've found so far and I know I've only scratched the surface! For instance, did you ever wonder exactly how much snow Japan gets? Check this out...

That is the snow corridor in Murodo. CRAZY, right?!? Then I thought, "Hmmm... I wonder what there is for hiking (other than the infamous Mt. Fuji)... WAIT! What's this?!? The Chuo Alps!! Siiiiiick...

Here are the peaks in the winter!

Judging by that image I think it's pretty safe to say that the skiing and riding will be pretty SWEET!! Oh — and ehhh, did I mention that there are AMAZING hot springs EVERYWHERE!!

... and maybe if we're lucky enough, we'll get to share a hot spring with one of these guys...

So yeah, needless to say, I'm pretty stoked about this little adventure! Living in Alabama for a 1+ years is definitely paying off!! And now that I'll be living somewhere that's actually exciting, I'll be updating this blog a lot more, so keep checking back for updates! グッドナイト

Engaged and Married in less than a month!

EXCITING news folks!!! We've set a new world record for the speed at which we went from "engaged" to "married"!! OK, that may be a lie... Either way, in less than a month's time we went from being fiancés to being husband and wife! The Army certainly makes you think about these kinds of life-changing events a little differently than normal "civilian" life would have you think of them. Let me digress though... July 1st Phil, Sarah, Mike and I packed up the cars and headed north for our annual Sand Rock 4th of July Camping Weekend Extravaganza! We stopped at the ONLY Whole Foods in Alabama, picked up some succulent steaks and yummy treats! Mike and I the took the plunge and purchased a new rope and we were good to go! We arrived at Sand Rock sometime in the mid-afternoon and set up camp. After we were finished putting the last stake in the ground, Mike asked if I wanted to get a climb in before dinner, to which I (of course) answered, "Yes!". Sarah and Phil hung out at the campsite and Mike and I headed off to one of our favorite trad routes. Mike lead the route and told me that he'd belay me from the top (nothing out of the ordinary). Right before I tied in he yelled down and asked if I had a camera. I packed my iPhone (camera) and headed up the climb. When I reached the top I turned around to a beautiful view of the surround towns. This is the one place in Alabama where I actually feel like I'm not in Alabama, it's lovely! Mike was sitting at the top of this rock formation we had just scaled and I took a seat in front of him. I snapped a couple of pictures of the landscape and the two of us and then Mike asked if he could use the camera to take some pictures of "the gear and the landscape". I wasn't sure what he was going for, but handed him the camera. He had me look out to the view and behind my back, he whipped out of his chalk bag a box with a ring (a very special ring) in it and took a quick picture of it. He then proceeded to show me the picture (on my iPhone) and ask, "Hey, what's that?", pointing to the ring in the photo. It took me a moment to realize that that wasn't a piece of gear, he was about to ask me a big question!! I turned around so quick that I'm pretty sure I gave myself whiplash and asked, "Really?!?!? REALLY?!?!" I'm pretty sure I said "really" a half a million times and I also vaguely remember thanking him, but I can't be sure because after that moment my mind pretty much turned into mush and the next few minutes were like some sort of blurry fantasy-love-land. Ha ha ha! ;-) After I came to (I'm pretty sure I said "Yes" somewhere in those blurry few minutes), we were actually able to obtain some sort of cellular service and we called our parents and such. After we safely returned to the ground (not metaphorically speaking, physically speaking), we walked back to our campsite where Phil and Sarah greeted us with big smiles, a couple hugs, and drinks! Mike then proceeded to fire off Phil's mini cannon to get the party started! Soon after Phil and Sarah began cooking up an absolutely delicious steak dinner!! The steaks and potatoes were cooked directly on the hot coals and they were AMAZING! Dinner was followed by more drinks and a dessert that was to die for!! Sarah had stirred up a caramel concoction that we dipped green apples and angle food cake in! I'm pretty sure that was one of the best nights of my life (thus far)!

Engaged for two weeks, married by three! That's how we roll (in the Army)!! OK, so it was more like two and a half weeks that we were engaged for, but who's counting? July 20th was a hot, Wednesday morning and after a quick phone call to the Coffee County Courthouse (to make sure the person who needed to be there was actually there), we found ourselves dawning some presentable clothes, a little hair and makeup (for me), and we were off to say "I do"! Phil and Sarah were kind enough to join us for our little ceremony. Phil agreed to man the digital camera and Sarah, the video camera. They both watched (and took photos and movies) as Mike and I went in, signed some papers, attended a ceremony (that was under three minutes) and in a total of about 20 minutes, we went from Mr. and Miss to Mr. and Mrs.! Even though it was rather comical, I must admit, it was pretty exciting and I'm VERY happy to now call Mike my husband! We are certainly looking forward to having a celebration with our family and friends back in MA when time allows! :-) We've now been married for a little over two weeks and I can't say anything (other than my last name and being "husband" and "wife") has changed! At the core of everything, we're best friends and that's what we'll always be! :-D

Yeah, it's summer and I'm talkin' about Christmas...

OK, so it's pretty obvious how AWESOME I am at keeping my blog up-to-date, right? Yeah... Here it is, August 6th and I'm about to bring you back, waaaayyyy back (OK, maybe not that far back...) to Christmas break, 2010. It was the first time in my life that I ever had to travel to get back home for the holidays... Let me just say this, that is not fun. It's totally worth it to spend time with your family and such, but that still doesn't make it fun. Anyway, Mike and I had a solid two weeks to spend back in MA with our families and boy did we enjoy ourselves. One of the highlights of the trip was an overnight hike with Mark. The three of us hiked Mt. Lafayette in New Hampshire and MAN was I not ready for that!! OK... first off, I live in a state where stinky chicken coops far out number mountain peaks... a state who's highest elevation stands at a whooping 2,307 feet and who's average temperature in the winter months stands somewhere in the mid-50's... Let's compare shall we? Mt. Cheaha, 2,307... Mt. Lafayette, 5,260... Enterprise in the winter, 55˚F... The summit of Lafayette in the winter, -15˚F (with the wind chill)... Let's just say I was a little unprepared... Ha ha ha! You know what though, I still had FUN and I'd do it all over again and again and again! I'm not sure that Mark or Mike would want to do it all over again and again and again with me, though... I'm quite certain that Mark was freezing his jingle bells off hiking up at my sloth-pace (sorry Mark). ;-) Mike was my saving grace on that hike! He put on my snowshoes in blistering cold temperatures so that I didn't have to take my hands out of my gloves (he's the best guy ever!!). It was an amazing trip and I hope we can do something similar this Christmas! I'll just have to plan some training a few months beforehand! Ha ha ha! ;-)

Christmas Eve at the Fiat's was AWESOME, per usual! Mike was able to stop in for a little bit and take part in some of the craziness. Every year I look forward to that evening with my family, drinking, eating and laughing my ass off! I really don't think it gets much better than that!

A few days after Christmas my Mom and I drove up to my Aunt and Uncle's in Nashua, spent the night and the four of us got some skiing/snowboarding in at Mt. Sunapee! I love, LOVE, LOOOVEEE snowboarding/skiing and I was STOKED that I was able to fit that into my schedule! Not only was it great to spend some extra time with my Mom, AuntieJo, and Uncle Jim, but it was a great day to hit the slopes!

Amazingly enough, I was able to fit some work into my busy schedule and I was therefore able to visit all the people at work who I miss dearly! I was also able to see some great friends too! :-) And on top of all that, we got hammered with snow (my Christmas wish came true!!)! All and all it was an excellent trip and definitely worth the frustration of traveling that time of the year!!