Oh my.... That didn't take very well did it? :)

So looking back it seems that my last post was in MARCH!!! (So bad) And after a mere 2 posts, I seemed to have been kind of, ok PRETTY, unsuccessful at the blog thing. But I am a dedicated lady and so this is take two. Let's hope it sticks this time :) So it's the first week of December 2009 already and where has this year gone!?! I guess one my new years goal will be get better at updating the Blog so as to keep better in touch with the fam and friends.

So what have we been up to since last March? Well we went on some AMAZING vacations and weekend trips while we lived in Tokyo. Met Matthews Japanese relatives and saw where his grandma grew up in Kobe. (I will try to create some posts to show some snapshots from those adventures soon, there is a link that has a couple of photos Matty put up quickly to his Picasa album.)

Then while we were on vacation in the Yaeyama Islands (Okinawan Prefecture) in Japan for our last vacay week chillin' on deserted beaches on Ishigaki and doing some jungle exploration and hiking through mangrove forests on Iriomote, we found out that Goog offered Matty another manager position in Dublin, Ireland and that we would be moving! :) I still remember when Matty got the call that he was going to Tokyo. We were on a walk in Berchtesgaden, Germany visiting with my Oma and Grandad the fall before and Matty got a call from his boss on his blackberry. So many adventures and amazing memories with my wonderful partner. Love that guy! :)

Well so long story short, in 3 VERY fast action packed weeks we packed up our apartment in Tokyo, flew back to San Francisco where Matty feverishly wrapped up his work projects for San Fran and Tokyo and I feverishly packed up and cleaned our apartment we'd kept there. Then we also tried to fit in friends, restaurants, and favorite places from over the past 10 plus years of living there. So after 3 all nighters of deliriously last-minute packing, sorting, culling, and cleaning, we started our drive up to Alaska stopping briefly along the way to visit friends in Seattle and Portland before riding the ferry 4 days up to Haines, Alaska to then drive another 2 days on to Anchorage, all the while camping on the ferry deck and along the way to Anchorage. Whew! So from SF to Anchorage, 6 long but amazing days. :) Nothing like being in the middle of no where Alaska/Canada with just my boo, our ipod, and GORGEOUS scenery and random moose/animals to keep you company. Bliss really and we loved every minute of it. I would recommend that drive to anyone. Alaska is such an amazingly stunning place.

So then once we got to Anchorage we got matters in order to leave the country again and left our car and our sweet Mr. Amos there, miss him SO much! :( , and flew to our new home in Dublin, Ireland to find an apartment and settle into our new "home". So in 3 weeks, we'd moved essentially 3 times across 3 countries and spent time in 4 countries. Pretty exhausting but an adventure I will never forget with so many wonderful memories. :)

So that puts us to here. Since we have been in Ireland we have been doing a lot of traveling of course and it's so fun to live in Europe again. And this time it's great to have Matty here full time too unlike last time where Matty was working in India and I was working in Milan and he would stop over on his way back from India for 3 weeks and stay with me in my apartment there and work out of the Milan office for a week and then we could travel for 2 weeks together. Also fun, but MUCH more enjoyable for us to be living in the same place together yay!! And we are taking advantage of the travel opportunities for sure since in an hour or two you can be just about anywhere in Euroepe and for les than what it cost me to fly from San Fran to Portland to visit my sis! (Will work on catching up on some more posts for that too :)

Ok, well that pretty much over simplifies what has been going on since my last post in March but you get the gist. :) My goal is now to get caught up and start to post some pictures and things from our past travels since I don't think my fam has even seen any Japan, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, China, Tibet, etc.etc. and for SURE not seen any from Ireland or our recent travels to Belgium or Switzerland so I am going to try to get on it! :) Wish me luck and I will leave you with a couple random pics from Ireland, with more to follow of course. :)