FAM IN JAPAN - PART II - KYOTO

First stop : KYOTO!!!!

This first time I went to Kyoto was when I was in the 6th grade...with my dad and sissy. Weirdly enough, I hadn't been back since then, even though i've lived in Japan for 2 years now! So, having the sibs here in with me was the perfect opportunity to head back to the MAGICAL MAGICAL CITY OF KYOTOOOOOOOO!!

We hopped on the Shinkansen (bullet train) early Sunday morning and Cam was so cute and kept saying "shin-kan-sen" with perfect pronunciation haha!
It's about 2.5 hours to Kyoto from Tokyo and we arrived to beautiful weather and our nice airbnb!

First stop - KAMO RIVER. It was so peaceful here and I immediately realized..."I am not in Tokyo anymore." 

Super yummy Tonaktsu meal at KATSUKURA! 

Delicious Yuzu (citrus) soda and the best part of a tonkatsu place...the goma (sesame) grinder!! 

God is SO GOOD because we happened to be in Kyoto during PEAK sakura bloom...like...couldn't have been better than this!!! The sakura bloomed super early this year so we really just got so blessed with the timing! 

Some family pics by the river walk. My bro Russ, sis-in-law Jen, Hunty and Cam. 

The boys really love their uncle D! 

My sissy Stac, bro-in-law Ant, Lenny (who I call "Noodle), Eden and Tayah who you can barely see in the ergo!! hahaha. 

We cruised down more tiny side streets and saw more incredible Sakura blooms! 

KAMO RIVER....HIGHLY RECOMMENDED SPOT. So dope. 

We headed back to Fushimi-Inari area where we were staying and picked up some icecream on the way.

We hit up a Conbini (convenience store) at least twice a day! haha..love Japan.

The boys and I headed out later at night to see Fushimi-Inari which was just a 10 min walk from where we were staying. I love this pic of my brothers and Hunter.

Then, for dinner we all headed to Kyoto station to eat IPPUDO !!!! Amazing first day in Kyoto with my fam. 

MORE KYOTO COMING UP NEXT!! For now...i'll end with Tayah's cute face :) 

FAM IN JAPAN - PART I

10 days in Japan with my family = a dream come true

On our first full day in Japan, we all woke up early and walked to the 7-11 next to my house. Everyone bundled up since there was still a bit of chill in that morning air and we grabbed some breakfast to go eat by the river. 

This place...this street...this tiny corner of the world has become my home...so having my loved ones here living a simple morning with me was pure magic.

I snapped a few photos and decided they deserved to be in black and white because they are simply - timeless. 

A LOT MORE PHOTOS TO COME! 

QUALITY TIME

My love language is quality time.

Which means, no matter what we do, just being with people makes my heart swell with love and gratitude. I've lived in Japan for 2.5 years now and this past week my siblings and their kiddos finally came to visit me!! I can't fully express what this meant to me. It was my dream to have them here, enjoying the country I now call home and where our ethnic roots originated. It was an epic trip..full of memorable moments, ups and down, tired kids, tired adults, delicious food, tons of walking, a thousand trains, and most importantly...quality time with the people I love most... in the country I love most. 

I took TONS of photos, as you could imagine...and I am sorting through them now. We traveled from Chiba...to Kyoto..to Nara...to Osaka...and ended it all in Tokyo. EPIC. 

So, i'll be posting a lot of pics in the upcoming weeks...but for now, here is one photo we took at Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens. My friend Nathalie is a photographer and we hired her to take some family shots of us.

This will forever be one of my favorite photos of all time. 

Tokyo. 2018.

THEY'RE COMING

it's here people...
the day has arrived...
the moment i've been counting down to for a LONG TIME...

MY FAM IS COMING...TOMORROW!!!!!!

It's gunna be the trip of a lifetime exploring Japan with my siblings and my heart overflows with gratitude for this quality time we get. I'll be taking a little blog break while they're here so that I can fully embrace the chaos that is about to ensue with 6 adults and 5 kids!! BRING. IT. ON!

woohoo!!!

God is good <3

details

Today I had an epiphany: love is in the details.

This moment of realization occurred to me in today's morning meeting. The school year has officially ended today as we had our closing ceremony. Our school principal stood up this morning and gracefully said, "I will be transferring to another school and so will the vice principal." This is a common occurrence in Japan, as principals and VPs have to transfer every 2 years and regular teachers can only stay at a school max 10 years - but it didn't lessen the immediate sadness I felt in having to say bye.

I panicked a bit...oh my goodness! Today is my last day with them! I didn't even prepare a gift or letter! What was I thinking. How will they know I am so thankful?!

And that's when the epiphany hit me. and I sat at my desk and wrote this out in my journal..

So much of our flesh wants to prove our love for others, shout it out to anyone who will listen. We want to prove our affection and ensure our feelings are validated. We want to make a moving declaration and communicate our true emotions- but what i'm realizing is love and appreciation are not in these big acts at the end. Love is not these dramatic showcases, love is not the exits or farewells. True love, true gratitude, true thanks...is daily. In the everyday. The maturity is realizing this. Accepting that love is in the details. In every greeting, every conversation, every action, every encouragement, every thought - that's love.  love was all the days I got to spend with these people and enjoy their presence and that is a beautiful thing.

Love is in the details!