It's Official :)

Yes, it is official. I (Emily) have decided on the University of Oregon, and I'm thrilled about my decision. Narrowing my decision from about eighty to three graduate schools was an agonizing and painfully long process, but I was shocked (pleasantly!) at how easy it was to narrow my decision from three to one. When I told my nine-year-old sister Anna about my decision, she said, "How can you be so excited about going to school?!" Apparently in third grade, the two don't go together. I really couldn't be happier though, and feel so blessed to be this excited about our next step in life.


Well, this week was busy, busy, busy and full of fun. The event that James and I have been looking forward to for months finally came to pass this week...SPRING CLEANING! Our favorite time of year! Mostly because it means that the sun is starting to come out again and the snow is gone...for the most part. We scrubbed our tiny apartment from top to bottom and dejunked (which we both absolutely love). Eight hours, about six garbage bags, and two sore backs later, we still didn't get through the kitchen area of our house, but we stopped and treated ourselves to our favorite katsudon restaurant. Oh, heavenly food. I'll get to the kitchen sometime later this week before we go on our trip...and then possibly treat myself to more katsudon.

Here are some before and after pictures. Actually, that's a lie. This is really a mid-cleaning photo. But like my momma always says, "It gotsta get dirtier before it gets cleaner!"

And the after picture. I took this picture strategically so you couldn't see the huge give-away pile and trash bags hiding in the corner. The garbage man is not going to be happy with us this week.

Can I just say how pleased I am to have a table and chairs again?! We have been eating on the ground with a kotatsu for the last six months or so, and though I love that hideous beast for keeping me thawed through the winter, my knees were not sad to see it go back into storage.

We are planning a few trips in the next few weeks. This week, we are going to Fukuoka. The next weekend, we are going to Aomori, and we are considering another trip the weekend after. Be excited for pictures in the next month or so :)


This afternoon, we were able to start volunteering with an orphanage for babies under two. I don't think I have laughed so hard and had so much fun in a long time. Those kids were hilarious, and everyone (including us) was surprised at how quickly they warmed up to us. We can't take pictures because of privacy issues, but I hope we will always be able to remember these volunteer experiences. Some of the most memorable and rewarding experiences from the past eight months have come from volunteering, and I hope it's something we continue through our life together.

We had our friend Tomomi over for dinner this week. She taught me how to make nabe, a Japanese soup, and we made this yummy blueberry dessert together.

And this is my baby. Yes, they are green onions. I'm so proud of them. The dark part at the top is how much they have grown in the last week or so. I'm so excited for our first harvest :) Stay tuned for my tomato and basil growing adventures. I love spring!!!

Hope you all have a fantastic week!