it's not life that matters but the journey...

Hi and welcome to my newest friends! I must do a Friendzy of my own one of these days - I just love adding new friends:) but in the meantime, I look forward to getting to know my friends better. and I'll start with posting some pictures today.

Our weather was really yucky for about a week, with non-stop rain and clouds and cold. But yesterday it was gloriously sunny - though still chilly - so we decided to go out and see a little bit of our beautiful Olympic Peninsula, which is so close but which we hardly ever take advantage of. My mom and her friend Harry had gone out on Friday afternoon to the Lyre River, which is about 20 miles west of where we live, out in the direction of Neah Bay and the coast. Along that west-bound Highway 112, there are endless parks, with campsites, picnic grounds, overlooks to the Juan de Fuca Strait, and of course trees and rivers and views of the beautiful Olympic Mountains. So yesterday after lunch, Masahiko and I went out to see the Lyre River for ourselves. And it was just beautiful. The majestic old trees are all covered in moss, and the river was sparkling in the late-afternoon sun.

Here are some pictures I took of the trees, the river, and also of the mountains on our drive back home. As always, I put pictures in clickable thumbnails to save your pages, and under a cut:

( Lyre River, Clallam Co, Washington )

Also, I thought I'd share with you some pictures of the beautiful land surrounding my mom's friend Harry's house. He lives out on Freshwater Bay, only about 10 miles west of here. He has a house nestled amongst trees, overlooking the Strait. And there is a path, which if followed carefully, goes all the way down to the water. About a month ago, Masahiko and I took that path down as far as we could go (the tide was out), and I took a few pictures. It's just breathtaking:

( Harry's Place )

It's late Sunday morning and I'm approaching the end of my freedom. Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m., I will begin my first day of online and on-the-phone training with my new job! I got my equipment last week and got it all set up downstairs in my new "office" (which also doubles as our bedroom, though we've been sleeping upstairs in the guest room to stay warm). I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I hope I can stay focused and make lots of money!

I hope you enjoyed my pictures. Have a wonderful Sunday - it's sunny here again, with the threat of more rainy days ahead, so I Plan to out out and enjoy the day!

Hello! Yes, I'm still alive, and I am still in Washington state. I can't believe that I've actually been here for over a week already - time has flown. It's been a bit of a strange trip so far, but mostly it's been great just to be back in the U.S., and back with my family again.

Let's see if I can sum up what's happened so far:
( a week in review )

Of course I have taken some pictures since I got here, mostly of my niece and nephew and on our boat tour of the strait and the island - but since I didn't bring my laptop, they won't be posted until I get back to Japan on the 26th. Sadly we've decided against visiting my family in Sacramento, California. I just realized how fast time is flying, and how little time I would really have to spend with family and friends if I went down there. Also, since we have to fly stand-by with my brother-in-law's Alaska Airlines benefits, I am afraid that I might have trouble getting on a flight back to Seattle in the peak summer traveling season - and if I can't get back to Seattle, then I'd miss my flight back to Japan. So instead of going to California, I'm going to spend lots of time here in PA with my mom, and also have additional time with my aunt and uncle here, and my cousin Lynn. My sister is also planning to come back next weekend and stay a couple days, then drive me back to Seattle to catch my flight. I haven't seen much of my brother on this trip - he's been keeping to himself. And additionally I'm having a bit of drama with my husband, who is wondering if he should come back here before the end of the month to get a re-entry permit so that he doesn't lose his green card. He is now considering moving back to the U.S. again.... It's a long story and one for another day!

So good night. I hope everyone is doing good, and I hope to catch up on your lives soon! I'll be back in a few days with more news and updates.