Playing in the Snow

We came home, and chatted, and opened Christmas presents and just had a really nice time hanging out at their house. In the morning, we had gotten a little more snow overnight, and a lot more than we had had up north in Auburn. I love going out in the snow attheir house, and since Josh hasn't really played much in the snow, I made him go out with me! I always seem to miss the snow when it happens in Hagi, so I am always happy to see a significant amount of snow. Nara, on the other hand, doesn't seem to get much, so we had to go and take advantage of it! The snow wasn't sticky enough and it wasn't cold enough to build a snowman, but it was very nice and powdery, perfect for throwing around. I took this cool photo of Josh holding some powdery snow, and it looks like he is holding a menorah! Shelby came out and joined us for some time, which was fun, but we all got very cold, so we quickly came inside to have some breakfast before going out and going shopping!

The Black Pearl

After we stopped at Bart and Ruthys, we headed down to Ann Arbor to see Rachel and Ryan. We had already made plans to go and spend New Years with them, so I was glad that we were able to keep those plans, and Josh was able to come to Michigan and meet them. Plus, they are practically family, so it was super important that they meet him. We went to this nice restaurant in town called the Black Pearl. I thought it might be pirate themed, but it was just a nice cocktail bar. Ryan and Josh both had the most amazing ribs I have ever had in the world - I so wish I had ordered them! I was lucky to get just a little bite, because they were gone in no time!

Cutting Wood

Visting my Uncle Bart and Aunt Ruthy is always fun. Uncle Bart likes to teach me really random things. For example, last time I learnt how to use a nail gun and shoot a pistol. This time, I got to learn how to chop wood for the wood burner that they have. Its not using an axe, but instead a giant machine which splits the wood using pressure. It was super fun!

Visiting Ruthy

After a really late night, and then getting up to make gingerbread at 5 in the morning, we packed up our bags and headed to Ann Arbor. On our way, we stopped to visit our cousins and Aunt and Uncle. They were so happy for me, and it was nice to get to share our happy news with some family and friends. My cousin Kate had just gotten married last year! I was in Japan for the wedding so it was nice to hear about it. We spent time with Kyle and Conner, which was so nice as they are my cousins which I spend the most time with. And best of all they got to meet Josh. And everyone loves him. But honestly, who wouldn't?

Gingerbread

That same afternoon, we packed our bags and headed to Tampa Airport. Luckily Josh had managed to secure a seat on the same flight as me,Mao he could come to Michigan and meet my parents. I was nervous, but I knew they would love him! We had a late flight, but everyone met us when we arrived, and Shelby had even made a cute sign for us, with a balloon. I love that we do that in our family! We had dinner, and then I came home and make gingerbread cookies. While I had been away, Shelby had bought me some decorating stuff. I certainly have no future in anything bakery related, but I loved making all the different people in our house out of gingerbread!

A morning at the Beach

My last morning in Florida, we headed down to the beach to meet Josh's friend Ben and his girlfriend. They live in DC and I was really lucky that he was flying in to come home, the day that Josh needed him to film the engagement! We had a great breakfast with eggs, and pancakes and orange juice. And I only spilt one glass! Then Josh and I headed to the beach! We took his mummy's Hanukkah cookies that she had made for us! They were so yummy, and said my name! And we got a strawberry margarita! It was super yummy! We people watched for a while, mainly watching all the crazy Canadians and the little kids who were in the water, which was freezing!

Robinson Preserve

After seeing Snooty, and driving around looking at all the big houses in the area, we ran a few errands, like heading to Publix, the a,axing grocery store, and then visited Josh's family friend. He suggested that we go out to a nearby park. Robinson preserve is some kind of salt flats area, with lots of tracks for cycling,running, and a nice river and lake for fishing and kayaking on. It wasn't terribly hot, but I really enjoyed our walk. The sun was out, and Florida is really really pretty. Josh and I should make an effort to take more walks, walks with no purpose, just for fun! I didn't get to see that much of Florida while I was visiting, to be honest, but it was just nice to be around Josh while he was doing the normal stuff that we do! In the evening we met up with some of his friends and went bowling which was super fun! I guess I had forgotten what being normal in an English speaking country was all about!