i leave okinawa for kyushu to visit snoops & his family later today. i've spent 3 amazing weeks here & i've come closer to "finding myself"... this island is a really special place and i am so grateful that i was able to stay here for awhile. SO much to update - i'm slowly getting there.  

TAKETOMI ISLAND

"A short 10 minute ferry ride from Ishigaki will take you back to the past on Taketomi Island. This island has become one of the most well known among the Yaeyama Islands. This is probably due to its preservation as a historical representation of the Okinawa of the past. People have been living on this island for a long time however its first important recognition came when a native of the island Nishitou Utaki was made governor of Yaeyama in 1524. His government the Kuramoto was set up on the island near Hoshizuna (star sand) Beach, the ruins of the building still exist today.

On each roof you can find two “Shisa” which have been placed there to protect the house. The shisa which has its mouth open is the male which scares away the bad. The shisa with its mouth closed is the female which keeps in the good. Each “shisa” design is distinct therefore you are able to recognize the designer. The shisa can be seen all over Okinawa either on roofs, gateways or the entrance to a house." found here

friday, 06.15.07

:: on the ferry ride over ::

:: ewww..what's in her teeth? (red bean paste) ::

:: going further and further away from ishigaki ::

:: @ Nishi Sanbashi to scope out the view before dinner ::

:: reflection ::

:: we stayed at a minshuku called "izumiya" and had dinner with everyone that stayed there that night.. the couple pictured here came here on their honeymoon 25 years ago and decided to come back to celebrate their 25th.. how sweet is that!? ::

:: after dinner we went back to Nishi Sanbashi to catch the sunset, but it was cloudy so there was none  ::

:: we rented bikes and rode around the island.. there are only a few cars on the island (it's so small you don't need one), but because there are so few cars, there is only 1 gas station and it's only open from 1-1:30pm everyday.. can you believe that? 30 minutes! ::

saturday, 06.16.07 (the day ana leaves)

:: japanese style breakfast @ izumiya ::

:: peek-a-boo ::

:: cool shisa statue (explained in the intro) ::

:: water buffalo ::

:: ana making her way through the water puddles ::

:: zenzaiiiiiii ::

:: taco rice (an okinawan thing) ::

:: cute restaurant called "Cafe Teedwun Shidamee Kan" where we ate the above ::

:: possibly the narrowest tower in the world - "Nagomi no tou" - it was scary up there! ::

:: view from the top - (we found out later that the group of 3 houses on the left belong to rika's friend "masa" that we meet later in naha) :: 

:: my cheer squad ::

:: this cute obasan dressed us up in an okinawan kimono and let us take pictures outside our minshuku ::

:: we then borrowed the hibiscus to put in our hair.. that rock says the name of the minshuku was stayed at ::

KONDOI BEACH

"A beautiful white sandy beach, which showcases various shades of blue water."

:: such a magical place - the tide was low that day so we could walk out into the 'ocean' ::

:: so funny.. ana was actually pointing to show me something..but i happen to capture her hand pointing to rika's bum ::

:: can you believe this water is real? ::

HOSHINOZUNA NO HAMA (Star Sand Beach)

"As the name suggests the sand-like particles are shaped like stars. These particles are actually the skeletons of tiny marine creatures." (cool nonetheless)

:: we sat there searching for a star sand for about 30 minutes - i was so determined to find one.. finally.. after picking up thousands of tiny sand, I FOUND ONE!- it took me forever to take this pic b/c it was so small my camera wouldn't focus on it ::

:: on the way back from star sand beach, we got caught in a serious downpour while we were on our bikes.. i don't think i've ever been THAT drenched from the rain before.. rika & i made the most of it and took pictures - haha ::

:: yummy sugarcane sticks - they only sell this in okinawa! ::

:: ana left to catch her flight back to tokyo shortly before we took this picture - rika & i checked into another minshuku called "Noharasou" (her favorite) and then headed back to Nishi Sanbashi to try to catch the sunset - while we were on the pier, we saw this couple that we had 'met' earlier at the beach.. the guy was the one who took our jumping pic and then i took a pic of them (shown on this page) walking out into the sea - i wanted to get their email so i could send them the pic so i went to ask them.. i was so embarrassed, but i did it - rika ended up taking a pic of me with them - ps. the guy was drunk - haha :: 

:: it was cloudy once again so no sunset for us - it's ok though..the sky was still beautiful ::

:: we went to relax at a cafe called "Garden Asahi" & had goya (bittermelon) chips & goya tea! ::

:: that night everyone at the minshuku went to join aYuntaku at Noharasou (drinking & singing while the man (owner's son) played the Sanshin - an Okinawan instrument)

:: this lil guy was soooo cute! he even let me hold him  ::

sunday, 06.17.07

:: we saw a turtle crossing the street towards these rocks ::

:: our cute lil room ::

:: Taketomi Post Office - the coolest post office I've ever seen - I went to go mail my mom a postcard ::

:: shisa ::

:: we met this really cool guy named masa that was staying next door to us.. we ended up going for a ride around the island with him for a couple hours before it was time for us to catch the ferry - on the bike ride over to the beach - we saw this cute old man and masa went to get a shot.. i laugh when i see this cuz it looks like he's going to get run over (not that getting run over is funny) ::

:: oji even smiled for me! ::

:: we ended up back at Kondoi beach and the tide was high that morning - look how clear the water is! ::

:: omg - i'm in loveeeeeeeee with this place! ::

:: rika, me, & masa after getting caught by the rain again! it rains, it stops, rains, stops, rain, stops x 10 - we had to wait it out before we could jump back on our bikes to head back to our minshuku ::

:: a few of us that were left - right after this rika & i said bye to them ::

:: on the ferry back to ishigaki (so we could catch our flight to naha) - it was raining like craz again so these 4 guys were living it up! ::

taketomi is the most 'culture filled' island i have ever visited.. i learned so much about okinawa and how different the culture is compared to the mainland of japan (aka tokyo) thank you, rika & ana for experiencing this with me and for teaching me all about the unique culture here. i had the absolute BEST time with you girls!

next up: 2 weeks in naha, okinawa

ISHIGAKI

When I first moved to Japan, I made a list of some things/places I had to do/visit before I left - Okinawa was the only thing I had left on the list and now I can cross it out. I am now in the last week of my 3 week Okinawa vacation - I can't believe how fast time has flown by - I have madly, deeply, fallen in LOVE with Okinawa! Rika & Yasuyo always told me wonderful things about this island and they always shared how much they loved it here, but I never knew why.. now I know.. hopefully I'll be able to share why with you through my pics..

ps. notice the progression of my darkness throughout my trip - if you saw me now, you wouldn't even be able to recognize me.

wednesday 06.13.07

:: on the plane - rika had to have her daily dose of coffee & i had my freshly made tonkatsu sandwich for breakfast ::

:: the city behind the clouds ::

:: clear skies - mt. fuji from a distance - i love zoom ::

:: 1st okinawa stop ::

:: us and our cute handy dandy car - goooooo "march"! ::

:: ice cream stand - there is a famous brand here called 'blue seal' & ishigaki is famous for sugarcane so i had sugarcane ice cream - it tasted like butter pecan ice cream w/o the pecans - when the lady gave it to me..there was a big hole in it.. i was a good person and took it anyway..it ended up leaking really bad and got my hands all sticky.. boo ::

:: some mysterious okinawan fruit we saw ::

:: pathway to the ends of the earth ::

TAMATORIZAKI TENBOUDAI (where 2 oceans meet)

:: the vast ocean ::

:: as you can see - it was really windy that day ::

Hirakubozaki

:: the northern most part of ishigaki island - 'the north pole' ::

:: us & the lighthouse ::

:: i can balance - all the yoga has been paying off ::

:: dark clouds appearing out of nowhere ::

:: but we can conquer them ::

:: on the way down from the 'north pole' there was this sign that gave a warning about this rail thing on the ground that you run over.. apparently its called "texas" something.. see the last for blue characters on the first line? it says, "tekesesu" = texas

:: lunch at Shiraho Shokudou - yasai soba (okinawan soba) ::

:: yummy shaved ice - i was in the mood for ice & condensed milk - complicated, i know ::

FUKUDOUGAWA - mangrove trees

:: during this trip - i learned that walking barefoot is ok ::

:: pyramid ::

:: mangrove trees ::

:: the craziest one clawed crab ever! i got stuck in the mud trying to take this pic ::

:: olly is back! ::

:: Ishigaki Kankou Pain-en (Pineapple) stand ::

SUKUJI BEACH

:: a kodak moment ::

:: rika showing ana what she found in the sand ::

:: watching the sunset ::

:: these crazy looking crabs were all over the streets that night! supposedly they cross the street when there's a full moon out... rika had to drive like a mad woman to avoid hitting them :: 

:: that night we had dinner at Izakaya Yukui - pictured above is what you call 'umebudo' it's our friend, ghee's favorite - we ate it for her :: 

:: sashimi in all it's glory ::

:: enjoying delicious okinawan food ::

:: onigiri (rice balls) - this is such a common thing in japan, but i just remembered that it's not in the US - it's so healthy and easy to make (if you want to make them at home) - i'm going to miss being able to get them at the convienent stores (b/c if you've been to japan - you know convienent stores kick a$$ ::

then back to our hotel room at Hotel Peace Land (near the red light district of ishigaki  )

thursday 06.14.07  

CLUB MED

:: i have a boy named kevin & a girl named lisa as my student this year. they are twins. their parents took us out to a fancy dinner awhile back (i think i posted a pic). we found out that they were going to be in ishigaki at the same time as us so she invited us to a nice lunch at the resort (membership only) they were staying at - it was divine! ::

:: wonderful desserts - yes i devoured it ::

:: toshiko, lisa, me. rika, ana, kevin, & their grandma ::

:: right before we took this picture, she was being clingy with her mom and she wouldn't come to me.. then her mom told her that this would be the last picture she can take with me because i'm moving back to america.. and all of a sudden.. she reached out her arms for me to hold her.. it was so sweet.. she understood ::

:: danger! ::

:: not a complete trip without print club (purikura) pics ::

YONEHARA BEACH

we left our flip flops kinda close to the water so when we got back.. they had drifted off into the sea (we never did find them).. it sucked b/c the sand was really rough on our feet and i really had to pee, but i couldn't bare to run through the coral/sand barefooted to get to the toilets so i had to wait until rika came to pick us up so i could borrow her flip flops.. i guess to look on the bright side.. i left a part of me in ishigaki.. haha

:: every time i look at this picture.. i cant help but LOL - just wanted to share it could give you some laughs too.. can't always post good pics, right?  hahaa.. ana is going to kill me ::

:: while we were snorkeling, the guy on the right (Martin) came up to us and realized that we spoke english.. so he started talking to us.. ends up he's from mexico (yay we're neighbors!) well he's really from cancun.. i was so shocked.. i was shocked.. i've never met someone who was actually born and raised in cancun before..  at first we thought he was this sleazy guy trying to pick us up..but it ends up we were totally wrong.. he has been living in ishigaki for the past 4 years.. he teaches snorkeling on the side so he started giving us lessons.. he was so cool.. ana ended up getting a cramp in her toe.. so i had to go by myself to the deeper end of the ocean with him to snorkel.. he held my hand the whole time and made sure i was confident in myself and that i was safe.. he really taught me how to relax and not freak out thinking im going to hit the coral.. he really made me fall in love with snorkeling - what a great guy! ::

:: shisa in the house ::

<3

:: kawaii ::

:: ana was determined to get on this bike ::

:: they have a&w in okinawa! we ended up becoming obsessed with this place (i wouldn't be this way if i was in the US) ::

:: root beer float, baby! ::

:: you bet i rung that bell! ::

:: on our way to look at the stars - we stopped by this cute lil cafe so we stopped by for some coffee & dessert - i love this pic.. rika found something in her bag and got really excited ::

:: the girls ::

:: that night after checking into our hotel.. we went on a star search - we ended up back at the beach we snorkeled at that day - the sky was AMAZING.. the stars were shining so bright and they felt so close to us.. i tried to take a pic, but of course my camera wouldn't focus.. somehow i managed to get this.. and that's it ::

:: so we decided to humor ourselves and make a star with our fingers.. first take - i love how i look like im poking rika's face and she's skurred ::

:: 10 takes later.. we did it! ::

:: our happiness shown here captures how we felt that night ::

:: in our hotel room (we had bunk beds - how cool is that!?) @ Fuuka ::

friday 06.15.07

:: the next morning as we were checking out.. they wanted a pic of us to put on their wall of fame.. we had to think of a name.. so we called ourselves "Sunny Girls" b/c we came to okinawa during rainy season..and though the forecast said it was going to rain all day everyday.. we managed to pull in some sunny days! ::

KABIRA BEACH

:: what a beautiful beautiful beautiful place! ::

:: lunch at koenjaya - located really close to the beach ::

:: the best souki soba ever ::

:: there was a picture on that bottle of spicy awarmori vinegar i was 'trying' to drink..it was a picture of the owners (husband & wife) in cartoon form ::

:: we stopped by this souvenir truck.. no one works there..it's just open and each item has a price tag.. if you want it, you stick your money in this box to pay for it.. it's all about honesty.. of course it would work in japan because people are HONEST here.. you know that wouldnt fly for a day in the US.. i get sad thinking about it ::

:: then we decided to drive around on a pineapple farm hunt.. ishigaki is really famous for their pineapples (and i know why..they are freaking fabulous!) we wanted to go pineapple picking.. so we drove all around the island looking for a pineapple farm so we could ask the farmers if we could help them ::

:: we finally found one.. but the obasan & ojisan told us we couldn't help because our arms would get cut up.. it's ok though.. we still felt that our mission was accomplished b/c we found them! ::

:: did you know pineapples grew like this? we didnt. ::

:: after our pineapple hunt.. we went straight to the port to return our rental car "march" and then took a ferry to taketomi island... ::

:: this was taken after taketomi when rika and i came back to ishigaki to take a flight to naha (where i am at as i'm typing this) - we ate at this really yummy souki soba shop ::

:: everyone left a business card with a message on it.. but since i didn't have a business card.. i had to find SOMETHING to leave.. so i ended up finding this calendar in my wallet.. hey - whatever works.. ::

bye bye ishigaki - hope to see you again someday!

next stop - taketomi island

best 5 second video ever.

DRAMATIC CHIPMUNK

has been all kinds of beautiful.

i'm sitting here in the dark in our hotel room in ishigaki (okinawa), japan - rika & ana are sleeping now. it's 2am & i have to wake up in a few hours, but i must update. i'm already extremely behind so i didn't want to make it worse (which reminds me - i still have 2 more china updates left - whoops).. i've been through a whirlwind of emotions as of late, but right now i feel a sense of peace. everything comes and goes - in due time.

WIS end of the year brunch @ walnut in nishi-azabu

:: i tried my darnest not to cry.. but i did - how can i not? i had to say goodbye to the best place to work EVER. as much as i don't like to think this is true.. i know i will never work in a happier environment.. these people always made me feel special.. my family away from home. the staff, the kids, the working conditions.. everything was simply the BEST - i will never ever forget all the people that changed my life here & i will never forget the school that renewed my strength ::

girls end of the year dinner @ saigon near sangenjaya

:: i love these girls - we're the "go girls (5 girls)" - minus ai-chan ::

elizabeth's going away @ seta onsen

elizabeth is the ONLY person that truly went through hell with me at the first school i worked at in japan.. we were co-teachers and dealt with the worse of the worse.. she's the only one that can really truly relate to me.. b/c of that. we will forever be bonded.. although we knew someday we'd have to..it was really sad saying goodbye

:: lilia, elizabeth, chrissy, & me on elizabeth's last night in tokyo.. this was an awesome onsen located in tokyo - a huge pool of hot water outdoors - what more can you ask for? ::

:: afterwards we had dinner together wearing these interesting outfits ::

:: then after about 3 hours at the onsen, we went to outback for dessert (it was elizabeth's idea since she would never go to outback in the states & she knows the dessert is the bomb) ai-chan joined us there ::

:: i just wanted to post this pic b/c of the funny guys in the background ::

sunday after church

:: the girls had coffee with some of the guys at church - ben, toshio, hershell, & karhoong :: 

:: then branda & i spent the night at margs.. she took us to eat at this much talked about 'ganksta' ramen shop near her place ::

:: it was pretty tasty ::

:: and although we had ramen.. we were planning on making tacos for dinner.. so we decided to have it as a 'late night snack' - yummmmmmm ::

:: i had to show marg how to put the taco together.. she was so funny.. she gave up on cutting lettuce and she didn't want to ask me cuz she thought i would get mad at her for not knowing how to cut lettuce! haha ::

girls day out at tokyo dome

originally we had it all planned to take a trip out to go to "fuji-Q" (it has japan's fastest rollercoaster), but we ended up getting there too late and the bus left without us.. we felt so bad b/c rika (aka the organizer) was the only one to make it there on time and she didn't get to go b/c of us slowpokes  we ended up going to breakfast together at 'pronto'..and then decided to spend the day at tokyo dome since we were all looking forward to riding rollercoasters..

:: on the way out of the station.. we saw this - an umbrella vending machine! ::

:: girls day out - rika, ghee, ana, margaret, me, & branda ::

:: on our first rollercoaster - omg..it was the SCARIEST rollercoaster i have ever been on in my life.. i'm usually never scared b/c i love rollercoasters, but this one left me with goosebumps ::

:: i sat in the worst possible seat.. rika and i sat in the very front row so we could see everything clearly. and i sat on the right side & the rollercoaster kept dropping off to the right side so i felt as though i was going to fly out of my seat.. fyi - that's really us on that rollercoaster you see.. ana didn't ride it so she took a picture for us ::

:: the girls enjoying the view ::

:: of course we had to take sticker pictures ::

:: then we had lunch at 'news cafe' - funny engrish - i was laughing like a mad woman (b/c i'm really not mad)::

:: lunch time ::

:: us in front of the tokyo dome ::

:: cool goodluck locks ::

:: branda, rika, ana, & i went on a speedy coaster while marg & ghee opted for the slower one ::

:: yay for rollercoasters! ::

dinner at 'sungary' russian restaurant

just a couple weeks ago, we found out that one of the moms in our class owns a russian restaurant in tokyo (it was passed down from her grandma b/c she used to live in this country near russia (it's a part of china) that was once owned by japan... since we have never eaten russian before.. we decided to treat ourselves to something new & nice - it was such a neat experience

:: we learned that in russia, they add jam to their tea! what a cool concept - we're going to start doing that from now on ::

:: assorted appetizers ::

:: mushroom soup - marg put a lot of pressure on me to take good food photos ::

:: the main meal - veal ::

:: us with akiko (the owner & yuka's mom) she was so nice to come out and join us just for a few minutes ::

the day before i left for okinawa

:: lunch with chieko in korea town at 'haruban' in shin-okubo ::

:: we met up my boss for a small farewell dinner at a restaurant in roppongi called 'vietnamese cyclo'- it was such an awesome dinner - she is the coolest boss ever ::

that night ana & i spent the night at rika's place so we could take a cab to the airport together to catch our super early flight.. we've only been here for 2 days now, but we've done soooooooo much. i can't wait to show you all pics of how wonderful this island is..

how can i write down into words exactly what i'm feeling right now?

today was the last day of school - not only did i have to say goodbye to my precious students and their wonderful parents, but i had to say goodbye to a team that has brought me a friendship so grand and laughter daily... and tomorrow i also have to say goodbye to the best co-workers a girl could ask for & a school that has renewed my faith in teaching.

i NEVER dreaded going to work, in fact i woke up every morning excited to go.. i can't believe it's all ending..

where will i go next? you know as much as i do.. i'm lost.. maybe one of these days i'll find myself.. am i really giving this all up? i have been living the life, yet i'm letting it slip by...

i hate goodbyes.

:: one of my students asked to see a picture of my mom b/c his mom told him that i am moving back to america to be with my mommy ::

:: i asked them if they could tell me who the people in the picture was.. when i asked them if they could guess which one was my mom.. they pointed to my sister. hahaa.. then marin gets it right.. "that's miss jeannie's mommy! her name is judy" ::

:: we have been working 12-14 hour days working on these albums for each child.. we wanted them to have a special memory of our time together.. so as hard as we worked.. and as little as we slept.. it was all worth it. someday they'll look back and be reminded of the time we were their teachers - i hope i see them again someday so i can tell them all about how they were when they were little.. how beautiful would that be? ::

:: then they super duper SURPRISED me with a birthday card (since my bday is in the summer).. they hid and came out singing "happy birthday" - i was so touched. ::

:: when they gave it to me.. it was upside down - how cute ::

:: my MWF class - i had to say goodbye to them yesterday ::

:: my T/TH class - i said  goodbye today ::

:: liam presented us with flowers to say thank you ::

:: and then i gave each one of them one of these - while trying to hold back the tears ::

Dear Yuki Class,

Thank you for teaching me about the simple things in life. You don't know how much it has meant for me to watch you grow.. some of you for the past year.. some for the past year & 1/2 that i was lucky enough to be your teacher. When you learned new words..songs or skills.. the way you were always so proud to show us with that sparkle in your eye.. how you yearned for our praise and how you smiled so brightly after you got it..  how sometimes you wouldn't listen.. and you knew that made me sad.. you'd come give me a hug and say "i'm so sorry, miss jeannie" and you know i'd forgive you.. all the madness that we went through together was well worth it.. i couldn't have asked for a better class.. thank you for teaching me to appreciate the little things in life and for making me truly happy.. i will miss you all so much. i have hope that we will all meet again someday..

I'll love you forever.

love,

your Miss Jeannie

i am quite open and honest about my feelings.

                                          & this is why it always gets used against me and i get hurt.

sometimes i just don't anymore 'friends'

leaving to 'the island' (okinawa) next week to find myself.

i'm a loner.

june 3, 2007 @ the marriot in ginza

 my friend from work, kazumi & her husband joe - got married in hawaii at the end of march, but since none of us could attend, she had a celebration for her friends here in tokyo.

:: the stars of the night - joe & kazumi ::

:: the beautiful bride ::

:: my girls ana, ghee, and rika with the couple ::

:: me trying to 'down' (as you can see i struggled) a strong grapefruit campari ::

:: this guy (thomas) always makes me laugh - im going to miss him ::

:: we split up into teams and played some games ::

:: one of the games required us to draw a pic of the couple - since joe is from hawaii & kazumi is moving there, tak (the groom from last week) drew this.. kawaii desho? :: 

:: me, ana, & tomoko (she just got engaged to a guy from TEXAS - well except he's really from the boondocks) ::

:: the willowbrook (my school) crew w/the bride & groom ::

:: the lovely bride, kaz & i ::

nakatsu river (atsugi, japan)

TROUT FISHING

:: the ramos family - ghee, michi, & baby zean ::

:: one of my cutie patootie students, marin & her mama, yuko ::

:: trout fishing area ::

:: marin's papa (tomoji) trying to rescue my fishing rod - it got stuck on the rocks ::

:: good times fishing - i was determined to catch one.. and i stayed there for hours & no luck  ::

:: rika trying to decorate a cake we got for ghee w/baby zean zonked out ::

:: happy birthday again, ghee! we celebrated her birthday on tuesday night, but i can't seem to find the pics!  ::

:: i love this photo - they were having so much fun ::

:: precious marin - my bff thinks she's the cutest ::

:: there were 6 adults and we only caught 3 among us.. so sad.  (but hey that made the fish that much tastier ::

:: sitting on the path to get to the other side ::

:: marin & her daddy ::

:: a super fun fishing day with tomoji, marin, yuko, rika, ghee, zean, michi, & me ::

:: on the way home we saw these pretty flowers - they make me happy ::

:: then as i got home, they had this set up (just like last year when i posted this) - i spent awhile outside taking pics of this b/c i don't know when i'll ever be able to say that there's a festival going on right outside my door again ::

:: i'm going to miss being woken up at 6am by the beat of the drum and chanting going on outside - i love my neighborhood - i can't believe i'll have to leave it soon ::

JENNIFER & TAK - MARRIED MAY 26, 2007

my first wedding shoot (also my first wedding in japan & the most unique one i've ever been to) ended up being really fun, but tiring since i had to run around making sure i did the best job at catching as many candids as possible. it was so nice because everyone was so thankful and kept telling me all day how they appreciated my hard work - when people are thankful - it makes you want to work that much harder.. i'm happy with the results (being it my first time), but i haven't showed the bride & groom yet so we'll see.. obviously in the pics below - if im in them, i didnt take them.. everyone kept offering to take pictures for me b/c they felt bad that i couldnt be in them.. but it's ok.. that's the price you pay as the photographer.. anyway.. after yesterday.. as much as i love photography.. i dont think i ever want to do it professionally.. it's hard work! props to those of you who do.

:: the wedding party arriving ::

:: the bride, my friend jennifer, being walked down by one of her students ::

:: two of the coolest ladies i knew married them! they are both teachers at my school & my role models ::

:: saying their vows - so cute! tak was cheesin & jenn was so nervous she was doing so breathing exercises to calm down ::

:: ring exchange ::

:: she was glowing! they are SO in love and SO super happy ::

:: i love jennifer's facial expression.. hahaa ::

:: my super chic BOSS lady ::

:: and the most wonderful & supportive co-workers a girl could ask for ::

:: my girls - rika, ai, & ghee ::

:: they are going to have such a fun marriage ::

:: the bride & i ::

:: super cool chicks - shelley & moko ::

:: the beautiful couple rolling up to the reception in style ;:

:: afterwards makiko, ana, & i went to have girl talk - someday it will be our turn to experience a love like this  ::