Cabo Getaway

We have been so blessed to have been able to take so many wonderful vacations this year. Our trips to Japan, Alaska and San Diego were all full of fun, adventure, great friends and family, and we wouldn't have had it any other way! However, for our trip to Cabo we decided we wanted to keep it low key and thats exactly what we did.

Our flight over on Thursday was actually one of the most fun flights we have ever been on. EVERYONE was on vacation and ready to have a good time. You would have even thought the flight attendants were on vacation too! Luckily, we got the GREEN light going through customs so we were able to avoid Mexican authorities from rummaging through our perfectly packed luggage.

We checked into the resort, ate some lunch, changed into our swim suites and headed straight for the pool. Our 5 days were spent lounging by the pool and hanging out at the swim up bar. We left the resort only once our entire trip. We hopped onto the local bus and spent the afternoon in downtown Cabo San Lucas on a mission to accomplish two things: 1) Eat tacos and drink Margarita's at Cabo Wabo and 2) Buy a souvenir for the house. Once both missions were accomplished, we made it back to our poolside chairs.

View of the resort from our room:


Enjoying lunch at Cabo Wabo:


Checking out the Marina:



Chelsea made it the whole vacation without getting sun burnt! Cody on the other hand, left looking like a lobster. In fact, he got burnt on the very first day. He fell asleep lounging by the pool (with no sun screen on) and 3 hours later woke up with a red front side and a white backside!

After a relaxing vacation, what better way to travel home than in first class?! Our unexpected upgrade left us looking completely out of place. When everyone else was wearing business suits and ties, we were wearing shorts and flip flops. Not to mention we were the youngest in first class by 10+ years. When the flight attended came around to take our food and drink orders (which we took full advantage of) she asked if we were Mr. and Mrs. Olson or brother and sister...? Once we assured her we were indeed a married couple and figured out how to get out the hidden beverage trays, we enjoyed the flight home in comfort.

"Rope is for Cowboys, This Here is a Line...."

Last year, our good friends Holly and Sever got married, moved to Sever's hometown of Ketchikan, Alaska and built a house. Home construction was complete in early August and they were more than excited to move in. Three weeks later, we arrived as their first visitors in their new home. This was Cody's second trip to Alaska (He went fishing in Ketchikan for Sever's Bachelor party in June of last year) and it was Chelsea's first. It was clear to everyone that we were not locals when we landed in Ketchikan...For starters, Chelsea was carrying her safari print luggage (which didn't exactly fit in with the statewide Camo theme) and Cody failed to wear xtratuf boots. So yeah, it was pretty obvious we were outsiders!

After a tour of the new home (which is absolutely beautiful!), we settled in at the Paulson's Wednesday night. Thursday morning we got up early to go explore Ketchikan. Holly and Sever both had to work but they gave us a truck and a map so we were set! First we went searching for bears and we spotted three of them! Then we headed to downtown, along with 8,000+ other tourists (4 cruise ships docked Thursday morning). We grabbed breakfast and did a little trinket shopping (Cody's least favorite thing to do but he hung in there until Chelsea pick out a painting for the house). Later we hiked Married Man's Trail, drove up to Ward Lake, and checked out the totem poles.



We got back to the house at just about the time Sever called it a day at work. So, we grabbed pizza and beer, and went out on the boat! The guys had a great time fishing...







The next day, we tried our hand at shrimping for the first time. Cody, Sever and Adam dropped 9 pots ranging in depth between 350ft and 500ft deep.



Saturday morning the four of us (and Moser) got up early, grabbed our backpacking gear, loaded up the boat, and headed to Pleanty Cuttroat Cabin on Orchard Lake. Before we buoyed up the boat in Shrimp Bay, surely we had to throw out some more shimp pots ("you know, there's a reason they call it Shrimp Bay!"). Then we started the hike from hell. The cabin website mislead us by stating it was a 1 mile hike from the Shrimp Bay Trailhead to the cabin. Terrain was listed as: old-growth cedar, Sitka spruce, and western hemlock rain forest trail. Sounds nice and easy, right? We are all in good shape and an easy 1 mile hike is nothing...so we packed WAY TOO MUCH STUFF!!!! This "trail" was hardly a trail! Holly and Chelsea took a wrong turn because it was so hard to tell what was the path and what was forest. We can't count how many times our boots got stuck in mud throughout the journey. Not to mention, the trail was steep and ALL UPHILL, and clearly more than 1 mile in distance!!! So, yeah, it took us 3 hours to pack in 4 backpacks, 2 fishing poles, a cooler, a tub of food and cookware, white gas, diesel, a motor, a lantern and a jug of water. Yes, you can call us amateurs!!!





When we finally got to the cabin, we were soaking wet...not from rain, but from sweat!! EWW...Gross, I know! So, we hung our stinky clothes up to dry.





The girls were so happy to be dry and warm in the cabin, that they decided to stay in and drink a few cocktails, while the guys went fishing. The cabin had a 14 inch skiff which was perfect to take out on the lake. A couple hours later Cody and Sever came back with plenty of fish for dinner.



The next morning, we all got up and did some more fishing. The bite was on and it was a beautiful morning.





Once we got back to the cabin, we made the hike back to the boat in Shrimp Bay to pull up our shrimp pots. (We hiked out with some of our "extra" gear to leave back at the boat in order to make the final hike back a little easier).







After much success with the shrimp pots, we hiked back to the cabin and the guys went out fishing again. They caught more trout but came back wasted..apparently they drank a little too much whisky out on the boat. We are not sure if Sever can handle his alcohol better than Cody or if Cody just maybe drank more than Sever...either way...Cody was a mess :o) Holly, Sever and Chelsea made a great shrimp ramen and lemon pepper trout dinner before calling it a night. Cody...well he skipped out on dinner and was up all night sick.





Cody had a rough night and the morning didn't get any easier for him. In fact, it got worse...we had to pack up and make our final hike back to the boat to head home. Lets just say, that Cody didn't really pull his weight on the hike back. He was too busy getting sick along the trail and wishing a bear would come take him out of his misery. Chelsea calmly reminded him he had a wife to live for :o) Not only did we have a flight to catch, but a storm was suppose to blow in so we needed to make sure we got out of there before we got stranded there! Cody managed to get it together enough to make it back to the boat.

Somewhere in the middle of the ocean during the 2 hour boat ride back to Ketchikan, the boat motor died!!!! Yes, with no warning it completely died. Sever managed to get the back up motor running and had Holly driving the boat at about 4 kph...which would have taken us forever to get home, thats is if we ever got home..considering the storm that was coming in! So, while Holly was Captain, Sever started working on the motor, and Cody and Chelsea sat back thinking...oh no, this has got to be our fault, we are such bad luck! Just about the time another boat started to come in our direction to check on us, the motor started back up. Before we made it safely to shore we watched a half dozen whales bubble netting! It was pretty amazing... but don't worry, we didn't get the boat too close to them...we were done with unexpected adventures!



We can't thank Holly and Sever enough for giving us a true Alaskan adventure! Cody will finally admit now that there is indeed wildlife in Alaska. We saw bears, a beaver, whales, and even a swimming deer (sorry, we were unable to post the video), eagles, etc.

Hood to Coast 2011

Team Wood Rather be Drinking and Sawing Logs, Van 1:

Courtney somehow talked me into running Hood to Coast with her this year. She ran 2 years ago and loved it. She told me it is an experience she feels everyone should experience..and now I am a complete believer! Her co-worker Nicole who is a member of the Timber's Army put together a team this year and was nice enough to let me join them! I loved running in college, but since moving up to Portland 4 years ago, I lost that love and only did it (which was not very often) for the exercise. So, I thought this would be a good way to get back into shape and find that love for running again. With the poor weather we had this spring and early summer, I found it hard to train. As HTC got closer, I started to panic, thinking I am not in good enough shape for this I need to get my butt into gear. So, thats exactly what I started to do and at some point, I started to love to run again.

Courtney and I were both in van 1. Courtney started out the race and the top of Timberline at 4:30 am on Friday morning! On our way up to Timberline, we heard a radio emergency announcement informing us of a major storm heading north in our direction. When we made it to the top, we saw some wild lightening and wondered what the day was going to bring us!

First Leg:
Length: 5.67 miles
Difficulty level: Hard
Description: Severe downhill through Government Camp and HWY 26 on paved street and shoulder.
My Experience: 5:15am, thunder, lightening, pouring down rain, pitch dark, cold, wet, pissed off at the semi trucks driving by at 60 miles per hour getting me more wet. The first 3 miles, I was thinking, what the heck did I sign myself up for?! Then the rain turned from a torrential down pour to more of a comfortable sprinkle, the sky lightened up so I was able to enjoy some of the beautiful scenery, I kept a good pace and made it to my first exchange feeling great about the condition I was in!

Running in the dark:


The hand off to Hoss at my first exchange:


1st legs down and soaking wet:



After my run, I was so cold and wet, I failed to stretch out and re-hydrate myself and instead changed my clothes and curled up in the back seat to warm up and rest. Biggest mistake ever!

After the rest of my van finished their first legs and we met up with van 2, we grabbed lunch at a nearby cafe and headed to of our teammates house for showers, rest, and to re-decorate our van (the rain washed off all the writing on our windows). We had about a 6 hours before we had to meet up with van 2 again. Thank you Cord to opening your house up to our team during this break. It really worked out perfect.

Nicole, Courtney and I waiting to meet up with Van 2:


Van 2:


Courtney starting out leg 2 in Portland:



Second Leg:
Length: 6.08 miles
Difficulty level: Moderate
Description: Basically flat terrain along Front Ave / St. Helen Road / Highway 30 on paved shoulder and sidewalks.
My Experience: My second leg was the easiest leg but the one I struggled with the most. My muscles were sore but most of all the afternoon heat just did me in! It was about 87 degree's outside at 5:30 pm, along a busy highway. This time I was thankful when the semi trucks drove by me at 60 miles per hour so I could catch a nice breeze. During this leg I thought, no way am I ever going to be able to finish my 3rd leg! I had to walk a couple times during this leg, give myself a few pep talks before making my next exchange, and was a little disappointed with my speed and performance.

During our second van exchange, we tried to find somewhere to eat in St. Helen's, only problem was that it was 11:45 pm and everything was closed in the small town! Desperate for food, we stopped at an open Muchas Gracias for dinner. I decided to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of consuming Muchas Gracias but the rest of the team ate there. Then we headed to an open field to catch a little sleep. We got a about 2 hours of sleep before we had to get up and meet at the next van exchange. Due to traffic our runner from van 2 was waiting for 30 minutes before we got there.

After 2 hours of sleep in a field, coffee was a must!


Third Leg:
Length: 5.77 miles
Difficulty level: Hard
Description: Beginning with gently rolling hills, long uphill toward the end, finishing downhill for half mile on paved roads.
My Experience: It was 6:15 am, the air was fresh, and I was feeling great! This was by far my favorite run. I saw a deer cross the road, it was light enough to take in the scenery, and the temperature was perfect. I was a little worried about the hills in this leg, but thanks to my training in OC, I did just fine! I finished strong and felt great!

Cord kickin' butt at leg 3:



We met up with Van 2 for our last exchange, ate lunch and headed to the finish line in Seaside! Cody, Kim and Loren met us there to watch our team cross the finish line, we had a few celebratory beers, said our good bye's to the team and hobbled home.

It truely was a great experience! Our team finished the 200 mile race in 36 hours and 11 minutes. Thanks Team Wood Rather Be Drinking and Sawing Logs for letting me join you in this amazing experience. I feel so lucky to have been a part of this team!

Crossing the finish line as a team:



Looking forward to running Hood to Coast again!

-Chelsea

Grant Blume Gets Married!

Yes, that's right...Cody's cousin Grant is a married man! We went up to Seattle last weekend to be a part of his big day.

We drove up to Seattle Friday afternoon, checked into our hotel and met up with Jeff and Jeana for drinks. Saturday morning, we stopped by the house to visit the rest of the family and we got Cody a much needed haircut. We left the house to go grab some sushi for lunch. The place we wanted to go to was closed so we ended up stumbling across a Japanese Market. We ran in there to purchase our lunch and Cody ask Chelsea if she needed anything else. She jokingly said "Yeah, Chu-hi!". Chu-hi was Chelsea's favorite adult beverage in Japan, but she has been unable to find in back in the states. Well, it was Chelsea's lucky day because this market sold a lemon flavored chu-hi beverage! So, Chelsea bought her chu-hi and Cody bought Asahi, a Japanese beer, and we headed back to our hotel! We later caught a cab to the Wedding.



The Wedding was held in downtown Seattle. The ceremony was beautiful, the reception was a blast and most off all the bride and groom were shinning with happiness. It's truely an amazing feeling when you find your best friend to share your life with.

Olson family photo with the bride and groom:


Cody and Chelsea at the reception:


Kim and Loren:


Courtney and her friend Sarah:


Chelsea's parents drove up to Portland to stay at the house and watched the girls for us. Maxi and Roxy loved spending some time with Grandma and Grandpa Stuebing! So, we were able to enjoy the weekend in Seattle and not worry about anything at home. We knew the hosue and the girls were in good hands.

Congradulations Mr. and Mrs. Blume. We wish you a lifetime of happiness!

4th of July Weekend

For 4th of July weekend, we went camping at Crane Prairie with Cody's parents. Cody got off work at noon so he could pack the car and be ready to leave when Chelsea got off work at 2pm. We kissed Kitty goodbye and hurried to head of of town to make the 4 1/2 hour drive.

When we pulled into the campground, we saw a sign that read "dogs on leash at all times". If Roxy could read, I am sure she would have insisted we turn around and find another campground! Once we got to our site, Cody grabbed Roxy's cable, let her out of the truck, tied the cable to the tree and hooked her up. She broke the leash law for no more than 30 seconds. As Cody was getting Roxy leashed up, the camp host drove up and said, "Hey. Your dog has to be on a leash. This is your 1st warning. Next time I have the call the sheriff." Keep in mind that by the time he said this, Roxy was already on her leash! That put a bad taste in Cody's mouth but he shook it off and we started unpacking. First step: Set up the tent and make our beds. This is when we learned Cody only brought ONE sleeping bad! Oops :o) We were able to scrounge up an extra sleeping bag from Roger (Uncle Neal and Rog changed their plans last minute and decided to camp with us when they got the report that said ocean was suppose to be too rough to take the boat out). Well, we were thankful Roger let us borrow his sleeping bag but we were a little nervous about where this camping trip was headed. 2 strikes in the first 30 minutes was not good odds!

We spent most of the weekend out on the boat. Cody and Loren fished while Chelsea and Kim caught some rays. Unfortunately for Chelsea, she did more sun-burning than sun-tanning! Sabby and Roxy got lots of swimming in and several walks to ease the pain of being leashed up at camp. To Cody's disbelief, Chelsea and Kim even started working on his T-Shirt blanked he has been requesting for 4+ years! Our evenings were spent around the campfire enjoying some of Kim's delicious desserts and discussing some of Cody's childhood. Oh, what a great weekend we ended up having. Too bad we don't have any photos to share...Chelsea forgot the camera!

Annual Camping Trip to Crescent Lake

Each Memorial Day weekend, the Olson and Blume clan get together for the annual Crescent Lake camp out. In the past couple years, we have been pretty lucky with the weather but this year it was one of the coldest years yet. We drove down late Thursday night after work, arriving after dark (thank you Kim and Loren for setting up of tent in advance!). It rained all night the first night but by 3 am the rain turned into snow. Despite the weather, the boys got up Friday and went fishing first thing in the morning. Chelsea on the other hand, didn't leave the fire pit all day...she huddled up where she could keep warm. Good thing Cody brought his chain saw because we needed all the firewood we could get!

On Saturday afternoon, Cody, Chelsea and Jeff went to check out Davis Lake so Cody could do a little fly fishing.

Due to the weather, we mostly did a lot of hanging out at camp. We got in some cowboy golf, board games, ate lots of great food, and sat around the fire talking about how Cody is going to make our future children file a W2 for their allowance(haha..don't ask him about it unless you have about 30 minutes of your time to spare!!)




Roxy had lots of friends including cousin Sabby, and Tylers dogs Orion and Molly to keep her plenty of company. The dogs spend all day playing hard with each other. Roxy played a little too hard and Sabby had too much of what Kim would call "fun". We have the photos for evidence!

This is Sabby having a little taste of "fun"...:

...and this is how the night ended for him:

Roxy played fetch, chase, keep away, went swimming with Aunt Courtney, and on a couple walks. Apparently, she isn't the young pup she used to be, because we found her sitting outside our tent at 7:30pm, wanting to go to bed. We let her in the tent and she tucked herself into bed for the night.


We had such a great time and felt so lucky that many of our friends and family were able to make it! It meant a lot to us both that so many of our friends drove hours to spend the weekend with us. A special thank you to Jeff, Kramer, Rachael, and Tyler for making the long trip to Crescent Lake. Since Cody has been working long hours since we returned home from our Japan trip, it was really good for him to have a chance to kick back and relax with great friends and family.

Japan Favorites

Just a few notes about Japan that may not have been mentioned in our previous post:

1. Chelsea's best investments in preparation for this vacation:
a) New shoes! Cute but comfortable shoes were much needed during our Tokyo adventure! We navigated the streets and trains of Tokyo like no other! Thankfully, we had Brandon and Ashley as personal guides!
b) Travel pillow. This made the long flight much more comfortable. Once in awhile, she would let Cody use it and use his shoulder as a pillow instead :o)

2. Our most favorite thing about Japan is the fact that Mari is there, but beyond that, we also fell in love with the country for additional reason:
a) They have HEATED toilet seats!! Why is this not the norm in America is beyond us (okay, mostly Chelsea!).
b) It's such a clean country, even downtown Tokyo. It's hard to believe that the largest city in the world may be one of the cleanest. You don't see garbage, graffiti, transients, etc.
c) The train system is so efficient! We all know how engineers view the importance of efficiency so Cody was pretty impressed.

3. Chelsea found a new favorite drink...Chu-Hi! She first had it from a can, purchased at the local grocery store, then had it at as a mixed drink at a restaurant (both were excellent!). When Cody saw it being served from a carton at the baseball game and later that night when she tried to order it at an upscale bar in Fukuoka City but couldn't because they didn't carry it...Cody put two and two together...its a poor mans drink! Thats okay though, she still likes it!

4. The level of respect and courtesy people in Japan have for each other is something the rest of the world should note.
a. A perfect example is when we went to Moe's school for her graduation, we were so impressed with the behavior of all the children (5th and 6th graders). They were so mature, there weren't any class clowns or any kids that acted up during graduation. After the graduation ceremony, we followed the students back to their classroom. All the parents stood in the back of the classroom while the teacher had the students full attention for their last lecture. Even with all the excitedment of the day, not a single student looked over their shoulder at the group of parents in the back. Oh, only if American children were that well behaved...
b. The other thing we noticed about Japanese people is how well thay take care of things..it doesn't matter if it's their own or public property. Everything is well kept and cared for, with much respect!

Japan is such a great country...we just can't wait to go back!

P.S. Each time we travel, we purchase a souvenir for our home. On this vacation, we bought a Maneki Neko (literally translated as "Beckoning Cat" but also known as Lucky Cat or Fortune Cat). It's a common Japanese sculpture that is believed to bring good luck and financial prosperity to the owner...right up Cody's alley, eh?! So, lets hope this kitty does good work!

Japan Trip- March 2011

On our last day in Aruba back in August of 2009, We talked about wanting to travel more. We decided we would make an effort to plan a vacation once a year but travel out of the country every other year. Cody asked Chelsea where she would like to travel abroad next time and without even having to think about it she said "JAPAN!". So, that night on the beautiful Aruban beach, we decided to plan a trip to visit Mari in Japan in 2011. For those of you who do not know who Mari is, Chelsea has known her since she was 2 years old. Mari stayed with Chelsea's family as a Japanese exchange student and instantly became part of the family. She comes back to the U.S to visit the Stuebing's ever 4 years or so. She even came back to be a bridesmaid in Cody and Chelsea's Wedding! Months later, we came to find out that our good friends Brandon and Ashley would be in Japan for work from January 2011-May 2011. So, over drinks one night in Eugene, we discussed planning our vacation during their stay in Japan and staying with them for a couple days before heading south to Mari's.

In January 2011, with much excitement, we bought our plane tickets to Japan. Knowing Japan is located in one of the most seismic active zones in the world, we joked about experiencing an earthquake or Chelsea's greatest fear, a tsunami, while on vacation. We all remember Cody, Chelsea and the Draper's experience with Hurricane Hanna while visiting the Young's in North Carolina in 2008...we somehow tend to attract natural disasters!

Well, our bags were packed and we were ready to go when March 10th rolled around. Our first hiccup at the PDX Airport was Cody's check in bag was 17 lbs overweight! From Portland, we flew down to San Francisco first and then boarded a Japan Airline Flight to Tokyo, Japan! On the long flight, we ate dinner, watched 2 movies, read, did crossword puzzles, ate breakfast and then got the news 20 minutes before landing. First in Japanese, then in broken English, the pilot announced there was an earthquake in Japan and public transportation was not running. At this point we weren't too worried because not a single person on the flight reacted to the announcement. Chelsea flagged down a flight attendant that spoke pretty good English and the flight attendent told us that there was a MAJOR earthquake at 2pm (Japan time), the largest Japan had ever had before, and that the airport was shut down for several hours but is up and running now. Then she told us that the trains were not operating and traffic was "not so good" so cabs are not available. Once we made it through customs and into the main airport at 10pm, we realized how bad things were. We saw thousands of people sitting, laying down, sleeping, etc all over the airport. At that point we realized we weren't going anywhere but just didn't know how long we would be stranded.

The pictures below were taken at 3:30 am. People were laying on newspapers, cardboard boxes, blankets, anything they could find. There was no carpet in the airport, just cold tile floors:


This is where we "set up shop" for the night in Haneda Airport in Tokyo:


With nothing translated into English, the phone lines all jammed up, we didn't really know what was going on. We saw images of the tsunami but didn't know when/where it was and felt several aftershocks (and continued to for the following days in Tokyo). So, along with eveyone else, we just patiently waited. The next morning, trains were up and running again! Originally, Brandon was going to meet us at the airport but since the trains were not running he was not able to meet up with us. So, we hopped on the first train we could squeeze our way on and headed towards his apartment. Long story short: We got off at the wrong stop, got lost and our phone was not working, all while Brandon was waiting patiently for us at the correct train stop! A 45 min commute ended up taking 3.5 hours but we finally made it to The Draper's apartment by cab.

We spent 3 days in Tokyo and Yokosuka (Yokosuka is just south of Yokohama if you are referring to the map above). Brandon and Ashley were so nice to show us around. Unfortunately, a lot of things were closed due to the earthquake (ie: the big buddha, the imperial gardens, the observatory, and the Sumo Wrestling Museum were sadly all closed). We did get to eat some great food, visit well known shopping areas, temples, shrines, parks and the fish market, stay one night at the Navy Hotel and of course spend time with our wonderful friends.

Visiting our first Temple:

One large tuna at the Fish Market:

Ashley and Chelsea's breakfast at the fish market....eel, miso soup and egg sushi rolls:

Brandon and Cody's breakfast...lots of sushi:


Even though the earthquake and tsunami in Sendai (North of Tokyo) didn't really effect the Tokyo are, the crash of the nuclear power plant did. The rolling blackouts and the trains not running were our biggest challenge. We almost didn't make it out of Tokyo on Monday evening. By chance, we caught the last train running south but it stopped running 10 miles north of Yokosuka. So, we started walking, the boys carrying our overnight luggage. After a 6 mile walk, traffic started to lighten up, so a desperate Ashley flagged down a cab who drove us the rest of the way. I think Ashley was pretty happy to get home to Andrew and Ava! The next morning we needed to catch the train back to Tokyo for our flight to Fukuoka. The only problem was, we didn't know when or if the trains would be running. Since nothing regarding the blackouts and the trains were translated to English, we had to email Mari for help. Not sure what we would have done without her! The next morning, we had no power and the trains in Yokosuka were not operating. So, we took an expensive cab ride to the nearest operating train and made it back to the airport! We were so happy to be getting out of Tokyo and far away from all the problems.

Mari picked us up at the Fukuoka Airport on Tuesday. We were so happy to see her!!!! The first night in Fukuoka, we met Mari's family (her father, mother, sister, niece and nephew) and her Mother made a wonderful dinner!

Wednesday morning, we got up early and headed to Kumamoto where we visited a famous castle. Mari hired a guide that spoke English to show us around. The 400 year old Castle was very impressive!




Then we headed to what may have been our favorite part of our vacation...A Japanese Hot Spring Resort! At Kiyashiki Onsen, we changed into our yukata, ate a traditional Japanese dinner, took 2 baths in the Hot Spring and relaxed for the evening. The following morning, they fed us a traditional breakfast, we took a morning bath and headed off to Mt. Aso.

In our room before changing into our yukata's:


Wearing our traditional japanese yukatas. We wore the yukata's the whole time we were at the onsen...to dinner, breakfast, to the baths, and even to bed:



Enjoying Dinner:



After a quick, cold and windy visit to Mt. Aso(an active volcano), we made the 3 hour drive back to Fukuoka. Mt Aso sure was quite a view though!



On Friday, we attended Mari's niece, Moe's graduation. She graduated from 6th grade and will be entering Jr. High School next year. This was on of those experience we felt very lucky to be apart of.

Mari, Mari's sister Yoshko, Moe, and Moe's best friend, Ryoko:


Later that day, we visited the largest reclining buddha in the world and went to dinner with the whole family to celebrate Moe's graduation and her 12th birthday!



We even took Nanna to the big buddha! Nanna's Best Biscotti is Chelsea's co-worker's company that she started in November 2010. For some of the BEST BISCOTTI out there, and for only $6/bag, contact Joanne at nbbiscotti@aol.com. Nanna has traveled all over the world and Cody and Chelsea were happy to take her to Japan:



We had a busy day on Saturday! It included riding the bullet train, going to a Fukuoka Hawks baseball game, shopping (including an underground shopping center) and dinner at a food stall downtown!

The bullet train:

At the Fukuoka Dome for the baseball game:



Dinner at the Food Stalls downtown:


On Sunday after breakfast, Mrs. Katagami decided to play dress up with Chelsea and dress her in a kimono. It was so beautiful and we had lots of fun with it!





We later, visited a nearby Shrine with Mari and Moe, had lunch and did a little souvenir shopping. They happened to be having some kind of festival for Men turning 40 years old. So, there were many drunk men passing out mochi (pounded rice cakes) and sake. We took home lots of mochi and Cody had a cup of sake. This was the first day it rained on our whole vacation, but we had a great time despite the wet weather.

Cody drinking Sake:


For our last dinner in Japan, Mari and her family took us to a Sushi Train restaurant. We ate many new things, including raw horse meat!!! We also got to meet Mari's cousin, Chika at dinner as well.

Chika, Chelsea and Cody at dinner:

Chelsea, Cody and Mari:

We tried different sushi from squid, octopus, tuna, eel, and many more but the most wild one we tried was the horse meat:

Like any sushi train restaurant, you choose your sushi off the train, but special orders came via bullet train to your table:


After dinner, we went to karaoke. Cody was really excited to go out to karaoke. Instead of sigining infront of the whole bar, you rent a room and sing just for your group. You order your drinks from your room phone and they bring them up to you. Kids are allowed too. After Karaoke, we went back to the house. Mari put on a home video Chelsea's parents sent her back in 1990 while Chika, a nail technician, did Chelsea's nails. Cody really enjoyed the home video. It was the first one he had ever seen of Chelsea growing up.

Cody taking a break from singing to have a drink:

Mari, Moe, Yoshko, and Mrs. Katagami:

Chelsea's nails:


Monday morning brough tears to our eyes when it was time to leave. We had such an amazing experience in Japan and are so thankful for everyone who helped make it such a great vacation. Thank you to Brandon and Ashley Draper for the great memories and showing us around Tokyo and Thank you to Mari and her family for welcoming us into their home and being so kind to us.

Our Japanese Family:


One last good-bye at the airport: