And just in time for the heat wave...

I will no longer be attending Volks events, visiting their stores or buying their products new (once I finish paying off my Yos from Tokyo Dolpa) because I am extremely disappointed in the company's behavior towards me. I'm not going to go into details, but suffice it to say I do have very good reasons and this decision saddens me but I feel like is the only one I could make. I am also extremely disappointed by the other FDQ volunteers. If you are one of them, I think if you examine your decisions you will know why. I'm not going to be saying any more on this subject because I'd like to move past it and I don't wish to discuss it. I feel like I've already spent more energy on it than it deserves.

In happy news, I survived my Japan trip and had a wonderful time! This was a big deal to me because I was very worried about my abilities to actually manage to get around and do things as I've been quite inactive now for months. I did have to change plans a few days (I still get motion sick on the train, so Matsumoto was out and got hit with pouring rain the day I wanted to go to Nara) but overall for me the trip was a huge success. Mostly, I got to see my friends, particularly dilettantka and chocolate_chip who I truly appreciate taking so much time out of their lives and schedules to hang out with me and go to wacky places I wanted to eat. I also loved getting to see hinoai, akaisakura, and jougetsu. I wish I could have see misspaulette and triplepunch but so things goes. I also got see Aya-san! This was really lovely because it made me feel like she wants to see me outside of the whole doujinshika circle milieu. I'm really hoping we can get together when she comes to the US, even if it involves me trying to do things with a newborn, at least the weather will be better!

Among the things I did get to do was karaoke 3x! This was one of the things very high on my list as well, since I know it will be much harder to do in the future if I go back to Japan with a baby. I still can't believe how well my hotel reservations worked out. I paid on average 7000 yen a night for my single hotel rooms in Kyoto and Tokyo. My Kyoto room was the most convenient (aka a 5 minute walk from Kyoto Station, nearly all of it underground so rain could be avoided) My Tokyo rooms were the nicest, a huge nearly queen size bed with lots of pillows, mattress pad, and non-Gundam bathrooms! For about the first week I kept track of how much money I spent in Japan this trip. I have the receipts still but hands down I spent the most on: tea (much of it gifts), transportation, and food. The amount spent on everything else pales in comparison. I did make sure to eat well in Japan and made it to: Loving Hut, Pure Cafe, Eat More Greens, DevaDeva, Chien Fu, Nataraj, Proverbs, and Sunshine Cafe. I feel bad I didn't get to go to anywhere 2x, but still so many favorites and I rarely make it to Chien Fu! I also got Mexican at the Mexican place in Osaka and went to Dean and Deluca. And even more wonderful, other than the plane trip to and from Japan and one morning when my vitamin set me off, no puking!!!!!!!!!!

I had a pregnancy moment, where I was convinced I had left my conditioner in Tokyo and was heartbroken as I did not have it to use in Kyoto when the entire time it was sitting in my bathroom at home.

I am also finally showing! I now look pregnant, which is just so happy. Not only do I look pregnant but my daughter kicks more all the time!

I am glad to be home and I missed my husband terribly., thank goodness for Skype! My only true sadness is CT is actually more hot and humid than Tokyo was o_O; Luckily, I have central air.