Sunday, July 26, 2009

誕生日おめでとう

i just turned 24! this year my birthday fell on a wednesday--in the middle of an especially busy work week. so, i didn't plan a party or a special dinner. but, my amazing friends threw me a surprise party! on saturday night, my friend missy, invited me to dinner at an amazing french restaurant. we had a 4 course meal, with the best food ever! after dinner, the entire restaurant sang me happy birthday & gave me a beautiful dessert.







<------we ate sea urchin in a shell... it was incredible!
-------------------->







my salad.
my entree.
missy's dessert.

after that, missy & i went to our favorite bar for a few drinks. little did i know--all my friends were at the bar, waiting to surprise me! i've never been so surprised, or so excited that everyone was there, celebrating together! it was such a memorable day...
i was so happy!



Wednesday, July 8, 2009

linda georgina

kamakura.
imperial palace, tokyo.

amazing friends are hard to come by. i am so, very fortunate to have the greatest friends in the whole wide world. my friends can make me laugh so hard, my stomach hurts. my friends can be wild & crazy with me, always ready for a wild & crazy adventure. my friends listen to me, regardless or how bizarre my thoughts might be (i...am...me!?). my friends stay awake with me all night, talking & giving twinkles. my friends know my troubles & weaknesses & love me so much more because of them. my friends love me & i love them. i miss them... terribly.

one of my favorite friends (& people) on this earth decided to visit me in japan last week. linda georgina. a gorgeous & hilarious individual that i absolutely adore & can never get enough of. i can't even begin to describe how heart warming, fun & wild our time was together. although she was only here for 10 days, we packed each day with much insanity, excursion & travel as one could possibly imagine.

when she was here, i felt complete. i felt myself. i felt at home. now that she's gone it feels as if a huge hole has replaced a large portion of my heart. my apartment looks empty, my life seems bland & i am sad! i often have this lonely, uncomfortable feeling in my soul after a friend & i depart from one another. i loathe people leaving me. why does it always happen? my entire life is this constant pattern: meet great people, find true friends, move away, miss them constantly.

must i always say more "goodbye's" than "hello's"?

although i feel this way, i am forcing myself to remember the remarkable times linda & i spent in japan. i am also reminding myself to be thankful for friends. the ones i met years ago as well as the ones i met here in japan. friendship is a true blessing! so: to all my friends in chattanooga, baton rouge, new orleans, philadelphia, houston, flensburg, boston & japan: thank you for bringing joy to my heart.
...i love you DEARLY.

dinner in numazu.
we climbed mt. fuji!
linda...you are my love. thank you for coming to japan!!!! xx for LIFE.