We said "I DO" a year ago?!? Anniversary #1

Wow...where did the last year go? Oh, I know...we got married in October...Keenan left for a couple weeks of training...we went on a honeymoon to Costa Rica the end of November...there were a couple holidays...February 1st we found out we were moving to Misawa...begin whirlwind move preparation and moving...June we got to Japan and the rest has been quite the adventure (and is documented on this blog!). And that's how we got here to our 1st Anniversary.

Here's a quick look back and then on to our day of celebration!

We started off the day by exchanging a couple gifts...we decided that we could either do the "traditional" gift of paper or the "modern" gift of time...I got Keenan a watch, not that creative, I know, but his old one was old. He was very creative with my gift and even when I think about it now I'm still kinda surprised he was able to come up with it by himself (sorry honey, but you know that's true). I got an origami bouquet of flowers and framed Japanese calligraphy! Love it!

When you open the back of the frame this is inside.

Here's how we spent our day. We drove around Lake Towada, passing through the Oriase Gorge on the way there. It was a beautiful day and the leaves were really starting to change! Many of the places will look familiar if you've seen previous posts about Lake Towada or the Oriase Gorge, hopefully you'll enjoy seeing them again in autumn.

Shimokita Peninsula adventure (again)...this time with a logging road

Happy Columbus Day! We celebrated by exploring a couple new places and revisiting a couple places we'd been to previously. Not sure this was Keenan's idea of a great way to spend a day off, but we didn't really go anywhere over the weekend so I convinced him to do this.

About 260km (162miles) round trip.
I think we left a little before 10:00am
and were home by about 3:45pm

Had noticed this sign several times and was finally prepared to take a picture. Turn right to get to "1th Anchorage".

First stop was a scenic overlook of Lake Usori where Osorezan (Gates of Hell) are located.

Komaki Park and a few randoms...

This post covers a few random things and then a visit to Komaki Park here in Misawa. First up is a little lunch visit to Kaminarido or Thunder Ramen. I think I've mentioned this place before but this was another trip there and while Keenan stuck with one he knew he liked (hot and sour ramen + extra pork) I tried something new. I got the spicy sesame soup ramen...this was a good choice for me because the cold noodles come on the side and then you dip them in the hot soup before eating them...which means that I have a lower chance of burning my mouth...

In October Misawa hosted a Special Olympics for people with disabilities living in Northern Japan. We volunteered for the event and had a great time! These next 2 pictures make me laugh everytime I look at them. We happened to see a couple firetrucks drive by and the little one was probably smaller than a car! None of the pictures I took at the Special Olympics event turned out :(

Exploring the Hakkoda Mountains

Went for a drive today, if you hadn't noticed the pattern yet that's our usual weekend routine. Today's drive was through the Hakkoda Mountains, they are just a little way west of Misawa. I was hoping to see some great autumn colors, it was a little to early at the lower elevations, but what we found higher up was gorgeous! 

This drive was about 176km (109miles) round trip.
Got to the first stop about 10:30am and back to Misawa about 5:30pm

Stop 1 was a scenic little area along the Tsuta River.

D-Wall Drink Bar

Here's a post about a night out in Misawa. Lots of bars in Japan are "all you can drink for x minutes" for a set price. This is an example of one of those bars. At D-Wall there is a bar set up and you are able to mix your own drinks. There was liquor with all sorts of mixers, beer, wine, sake, sochu (Japanese/Korean liquor), etc. D-Wall is a few blocks walk from the Main Gate of base.

Price menu:
60 minutes 2,000 yen ($20) for men 1,500 yen for women
90 minutes 2.500 yen for men 2.000 yen for women
120 minutes 2,700 yen for men 2,200 yen for women

It's a very chill place with couches and relaxing music.
Got a few snacks with our drinks.