Saying Goodbye to 2011

This post may be really boring to those who read it, but I wanted to do a kind of yearly recap. I realize that even when I try to think back about what all has happened this year....bits and pieces are missing....hahaha. So in a few years, we might not remember anything....


So, here is a summary of 2011!!


January
I actually don't remember a whole lot from this month (see what I mean). But, I do remember that we had just moved into our new apartment on Christmas of 2010...and the beginning of January was dedicated to mainly unpacking and organizing our new place. It was so nice to not live within eye sight of our offices. Sleep came much quicker.


February
In February, Ten received a well deserved promotion, so that was really nice. Also, we found out that I was pregnant for the first time. Safe to say that things were starting on a high note.


March
This is where things started to get a tad complicated. Ten got asked around March 10 or so if he would be interested in going to London on a short-term assignment...hmm...something to consider we thought. Then, the earthquake hit on the 11th. Luckily I had just gotten home from immigration, and Ten was safe at work...but with the damage to the nuclear plant and everything else going on...It was safe to say that London became a no brainer. Also, we decided to head down to Fukuoka to stay for two weeks while our visa papers were going through to avoid radiation...and so that we could actually have food and water. Looking back...this was definitely the right choice for us. People went crazy buying up everything, so times were rough in Tokyo.


April
We headed back to Tokyo, and shortly found out that I had had a miscarriage. This required my first hospital stay in Japan...which I can say wasn't a bad experience. The nurses, doctors, and Ten were all so helpful and sweet. A few days after I left the hospital, we were off to London. We settled into a small apartment there, but soon moved out when the neighborhood was a bit to...shall we say...conservative...burkas were the epitome of fashion in this neighborhood....so I or my style didn't quite mesh...haha. Our new home was on Villiers Street...a much more lively area. Thank you Ten for convincing me that this would be a better place for us because indeed it was!!


May/June
This includes most of April too actually. We had such a great time in London. We ate so many roasted chickens, trifles, sweets, and other hearty dishes. We also got to see several musicals, visit botanical gardens and parks, watch the London marathon, watch the Royal wedding from Trafalgar Square, and so much more. We especially enjoyed our days out in Greenwich and Kew Gardens. Madrid and Scotland made great weekend trips, and Cambridge was such a peaceful little town. All in all...we had a great and almost stress free two months.


July
This month was also a ton of fun. We took the first two and a half weeks or so and did a bit of travelling in Europe. We first went to Venice for a few days (where we ate way too much gelato) and spent a lot of time just walking along the canals. Next, we headed to Rome and ate lots of pizza while visiting tons of churches and historical ruins and sites. We flew over to Athens...and absolutely loved this city. We loved the people and loved the food even more. Next, we took a plane to Santorini and literally spent most of our time just staring at the ocean and the views....I don't think we could ever get tired of that! Finally, we made our final stop in Berlin. I have never seen someone eat as many bratwursts, currywursts, etc as Ten...but they were so good. We also did a lot of things related to the Holocaust and the Berlin Wall here....as well as spent a whole lot of time at the spa. We were a bit shocked when we saw that it was divided into men/women and women only sections...very liberal the Germans are in that sense...haha


August
I officially quit my job around July, so in August I commenced full housewife duties. Also, we started trying for another baby this month. The biggest news was probably that Ten got hit by a truck while biking to work...on Aug 1....nice way to start the month.


September -December
In September, we confirmed that I was pregnant again...we work quickly don't we...haha. So, these months were filled with doctor's appointment for both Ten (the truck accident) and myself. Also, my mom officially decided to come to Japan! Never thought that this would happen. And, Ten took a short trip to Hong Kong for work.


Whew! So, really long...but like I said...this is more so I can remember what we did this year rather than anything else. All in all, I think that we had a pretty great year. Things were a bit inconvenient at times, but it could have also been so much worse.


 I can't wait to see what 2012 brings!