Kuma's baby girl

 Few months ago, Kuma had a playdate with our neighbor's pomeranian, Tippy. Not very long after that, Tippy conceived their first baby and named her Darcy. We were expecting to get more puppies but she ended up having just one. It was probably best that we didn't have a new puppy since we're expecting our own very soon. Darcy is very cute and we think she has Kuma's eyes. We plan to have them breed again in several months. Hopefully, the next one will also be as cute as Darcy:)

Summer and Friends

   Our summer has been great so far. When I was in Chicago before Chris joined me, I had to chance to see one of my good friend, Trina. She lives in Wicker Park in downtown Chicago with her couple of other roommates. Wicker park is such a fun little area with cute shops and cafes. We had lunch at a vegan cafe which is a first time for myself. I ordered a "Italian beef seitan" which is something I haven't really heard of. I asked the waitor and he simply explained it as a chewy chicken. He was totally right.

Trina and I had talked about our recent loses in our lives. She had lost a brother that she loves so dearly and I lost my father about two years after that. It's difficult talking about losing someone you really love, but it can be relieving if you can talk to someone about it who can relate. When my dad died, I avoided having that conversation with someone as much as I can. I am so glad Trina was there to listen. There was so many things I didn't know about my dad and I regret not making the effort to get answers. I see him in my dreams, but that was never enough.

We didn't just talk about the sad stuff, we also talked about planning trips in the near future. It's funny, every time we see each other, we have this sparkle in our eyes, whenever we talk about going on a trip to Hawaii or Japan. We plan so many things but never really tried to execute it. Oh well, at least it's fun to dream about it:)

A couple of days ago, I got in touch with an old friend, Marina. She came from Brazil with her adorable 7 month old baby, Davi (rhymes with "savvy").We drove to Carmel in Monterrey bay where she was staying and we had dinner. It's been years since we last saw her. She is also the reason how I met Chris and I am so thankful for that . It was surprising how good of a mom she has become. I remember her for being this tomboy-surfer chic that makes cool surfing videos and all over charismatic person. Now, she's a mommy and surprisingly, she very good at it.

I love how summer brings people together. Seeing our friends and family that we usually don't get to see makes us feel good and gives us a fresh start when fall begins. I just wish we get to do this every summer:)

Vacation Time!

Chris and I had a great time with the family in Lake Michigan. It's been a while since Chris had a real vacation. He's been working 6 to 7 days a week, at least 10 hours a day. I admire how hardworking he is and how patient he is with everything.. He would always come home with a smile on his face, despite of a crappy day at work. All I know is that he truly deserves a nice vacation like this. As for myself, I don't work anymore and I've already been in vacation mode for about a month and a half.

We stayed at a nice and cozy beach house in Michiana beach near Michigan city. The beach is about a block away from the house so everyday was a beach day. The beach is very relaxing. It's not too crowded and the water feels nice, even though it's freezing. We had so much fun seeing our little nephews and niece. We can't believe how big they are since we last saw them. They are so much fun and we missed them. We went berry picking and that was my first time. It was a bit hot for me but it was all worth it. That night, Lindsay, Chris' older sister made an amazing raspberry/blueberry pie. I can't believe how she pulled it off with wal-mart pie crusts! As in the words of Chris, it was "oishious". I live Modesto, where they have fruit picking all year and it's unfortunate how we haven't taken advantage of it. Fruit picking is definitely going to be on our to-do list this year.


It was so nice to just relax, play games and catch up with the family. It makes me realize how blessed and lucky I am to have such wonderful in-laws. I do miss my own family in Japan, though. I can't wait to see everyone again! Hopefully, by then, our little angel would have arrived:)