1st Wedding Anniversary! October 10th - 11th

Last week at a yoga class the teacher was congratulating one of her students on her 15 year wedding anniversary. The teacher herself must be married for at least 9 years, based on the ages of her 2 children, but she was saying how wonderful it is to see a couple together for so many years. She then asked another student how long she's been married, the answer, 30 years! We all ooed and ahhed and I felt that my approaching first year anniversary seemed a little insignificant in comparision. But as soon as I thought that I immediately brushed that though away because anniversaries are special, no matter how long or brief you've been married for.
Thats what I think at least.

Not only is it wondeful to reflect back on the memories we've built up until now, but also a time to express love and appreciation to Motozo for being the wonderful person he is.

Its been an amazing 1 year and like I wrote in a card for Motozo, a lot has happened in just 1 year of marriage and I can't wait to see what this next year will bring. Cliche, yes, but I do mean it.

Some people say not alot changed after getting married, especially if the couple lived together before getting married and thats what I said the first month after getting married. But not long after, it started feeling different....in a very good way. To be refered to as Husband and Wife felt more official and serious then bf/gf. I dont have anything against bf/gf, but I personally feel more as a unit now that we are legally bound together. I like it when someone calls me Ms. Rubenstein, even though I'm still a Hirasawa (until we have kids I'm not going to go through the hassle of changing my name), I like introducing Motozo as my Husband and I feel naked without my wedding band.

Our anniversary was officially last month, but like most couples, we have 2 dates. The day we filled out the paperwork at city hall and the day we had our "ceremony" and party. I don't know about next year, but this year we only celebrated the 2nd date and we decided to go back to Hakone and stay at the beautiful Yamano hotel where we had our wedding at but was too busy to really enjoy the place.

Since Motozo has a knee injury we couldnt run around the lake together as we did for our ceremoney. I ran early one morning and it was absolutely beautiful! I really wished Motozo could join me, but we enjoyed 2 whole days visiting places we've been to many times before, but never seem to dull.

Rode the ropeway to Gora.

Of course, went to Owakudani and smelt the lovely sulfer.

Briefly watched people eat their extreamly stinky black eggs. It seriously smelt worse in this egg area then close to the sulfer rocks.

Had a lovely time!

Went to the Open Air Museum.

Did our best imitation of the scuptures.

But most of all enjoyed each others company.

Happy to say, we managed to do one thing that was both a first for us in Hakone - Pedal our hearts out in the swan boat.

Motozo feels VERY strongly against motor boats. He likes sail boats and hates how motors boats are polluting water. So of course, we had to expend our own energy to get the boat moving.

Visisted the Tori where we had our ceremony.

Pedaling the boat was harder work then we thought, but lots of fun. I think Motozo and I balance each other out in the area of being energy efficent and animal friendly. I get so caught up about animal rights and health benefits of not eating animals and he reminds me that there are also other things we, as people can work on to save the enviroment.


In the evening we Champagne toasted to ourselves and watched bad movies in bed.

This place will always be very special to us!

I love you dearly Motozo and I'm so happy to spend my life with you. Here's to our next year together!

Autumn!!!

Its already a week into October and Autumn has finally decided to come around. Happy happy day! I remember the first day we had an Autumn day. About 2 weeks ago on a Saturday, we woke up to perfectly clear blue skies and the air was cool with a beautiful breeze. On my way to teach yoga that day I definitely noticed everyone walking along the street was enjoying the beautiful perfect weather as well. It was the type of day where just walking outside puts a smile on your face.
Sorry, very cheesy of me, but I have strong feelings for Autumn. Love it dearly!
Of course, because of it being Autumn we also get a lot of rain, but when the rain clears and the blue sky is showing its proud color.....ahhhh, perfect!

Some things I love about Autumn:

• The air is so clear, fresh, and clean. It makes me want to do Sun Salutations in-front of a window so I can inhale the goodness of it all
  

• Perfect temperature! I can wear a t-shirt in the day time and don't have to worry about sweaty underarms, running make-up or an oily forehead.
  

• Perfect temperature! I have a thing for long sleeves shirts, thin jackets and wraps. I love having to put on another layer in the evening.
  

• Perfect temperature for running! I'm finally able to run longer and harder with hardly any effort. During the Summer I felt so out of shape. Come Autumn and I feel like I'm a half decent runner. Delusional, yes, but who cares!
  

• Hearing the crunch under my feet as I run over the fallen brown leaves.
  

• Did I mention perfect temperature? FINALLY no need for air-conditioner.
  

• Hot coffee never tasted so good.
  

• Apples are slowly getting into season (best in the middle of winter). They taste SO much better now then in Summer. Crisp, juicy and the flavor is far more robust!

• My second favorite fruit (apples are my fav) - American pears are finally being sold in stores!

• みかん or tangerines are in season - YUM.

• Although I don't eat どんぐり (chestnut is it?) they are all over in parks. Good memories come to mind of collecting them as a child. I don't remember what I did with them afterward, but the collecting part was sure fun!

• Autumn fashion - black stockings and ankle boots. Seems to be the same as last year and I'm perfectly happy with that.

• Outdoor dining/drinking is something we seek out now. Luckily, we have a Starbucks near by with outdoor seating.

• People seem to be in better moods, no doubt because of Autumn.

Ahem, I just realized something must have changed on blogger because I can't post photos! I don't know how to any more. Whats going on? What have they done? Help anyone!

Damn, it, I wanted to post photos of Motozo enjoying his coffee outside. Oh, well....until I figure it out this post will have to go without photos. (Ok, apparently Mozilla is having trouble but Internet Explorer is alright for posting photos. I like Mozilla better! Why is it not allowing me to upload photos from there)
Anyway, time to get my run in anyway. Have a lovely Autumn day everyone! And oh, its Friday, YAY!

Revived mint plant!

A few month ago I posted about my mint plant and my aspirations to keep it alive.
Well, it died when we were away on holiday.
Maybe from too much sun? Not enough water? My plant is out on the veranda where it can get rained on, so I thought it would be alright during our time away. But sadly, I came back to a brown stem and no green mint leaves!
Terribly disappointing with myself, I gave it a few days (ok. actually a few weeks) before I threw out the brown stem. And for once, my laziness was a good thing, because I started realizing just a few days ago that some greens started to sprout from the pot of my "dead" or thought to be dead mint plant. The next day the sprout grew considerably and I noticed a few more little sprouts growing. I thought it was just weeds growing, but I appreciated the green so I let the "weeds" grow.
Finally, I realized 2 days ago that its actually MINT thats growing!
LOOK! (Ignore my messy veranda, I plan to do a good clean up today, HONEST!)


I left the old brown remainder of my mint plant in the pot and I'm not sure what I should do with it. Dad or Nina or even Lils, any advice? I don't want to uproot the old plant because obviously the new mint is growing from it or something like that. Maybe I could just cut the brown stem off so it looks more pleasant?
Anyway, every day I noticed a new sprout and the next day that sprout is 2xs its size. What an awesome plant! Nina and Dad were so right, this plant is indestructible! I haven't done a single thing with it except plant it in some soil and its thriving by itself.
Its funny how a plant can give so much joy! Every time I look out onto the veranda and see it, I can't help but smile.

Another thing that made me happy is my first attempt to make raw sushi. Completely vegan and gluten free! Unfortunately, raw nori is impossible to find in Japan, why!? All the nori I've looked at is toasted. I'm going to have to do a more comprehensive search for raw nori for this to be 100% raw, but I'm alright now with it not being 100%.
This meal took a little longer for me to make then usual meals, but it was worth it. Even Motozo enjoyed it and he didn't even miss the rice!
I started with a Not Tuna Pate or rather Nut Pate to use as replacement of rice.
I soaked my nuts for about 4 hours as soaking them makes nuts more easily digestible. The recipie called for Almonds and Pumpkin Seeds

Processed the nuts with fresh minced Parsley, Onion and Celery. A little bit of lemon juice and a dash of salt.

And it turned into a nice delicious pate (no delicious photo to show). Next I chopped up some colorful vegetables.

Laid out the nori.

And started the assembling process. See the greenish Pate in the middle?

I'm certainly am not the best at rolling as they weren't as tight as I would have liked, but the end result wasn't too shammy.


For the dip, I grated some fresh ginger into soy-sauce and it worked out well.
I'm going to enjoy trying out different variations of "sushi" in the future.
Thanks Lils for humoring me on skype as I showed you my food ha.

In other news, I finally got a much needed haircut. The last time I went to the hair salon must have been 7 months ago and my ends desperately needed a trim. I told the hair stylish to cut however much is damaged and try to make my hair look a little more "heavy" since I've got very thin hair. She also gave me a bit of bangs in the front and I'm quite happy with the results. My hair is shorter then it's been in a LONG time, but it feels (and looks?) healthier.
Face on shots never look good, but oh well. It was raining yesterday so my hair is already going haywire on me in this shot, but you get the idea of the length at least.

And the side bangs. Maybe I can't really call it bangs. Well, its shorter in front anyway.


And thats it for me today. Time to go out for my morning run and clean my messy house for the weekend!

Green smoothies and raw cookies.

I've become a little obsessed with raw food lately.
Its funny because I never thought about it much before. I just though....eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit. I ate a lot of salads, but I usually had a cooked meal in the evening.
Doing my own research on raw foods has introduced me to an abundance of amazing foods that I never knew were out there. Although I'm totally not a 100% raw (I enjoy cooked food periodically and don't think its bad to continue eating it in small amounts) I've noticed my diet has changed for the better. I'm eating a more variety of fruits and vegetables and cravings for anything processed or even sugar is gone! If I do feel like eating something sweet, a date, or another dried fruit does the trick and I'm happy and satisfied.
Not to mention my coffee mug has gone down a size. SEEE!!!



I feel damn proud of myself and the wonderful thing about it is that I didn't even have to try hard to reduce my coffee consumption. My body just doesn't need that much any more. I had 2 visits to Starbucks last week and I was ordering herb teas!

Anyway, I'm having lots of great results such as, an increase of energy, and weight loss, but I don't want to jink that so.....I'm just going to keep going how I'm going because obviously something is working.

I've been using my blender and food processor on almost a daily bases now to make green smoothies and other yummies.
My goal for this week is to have a green smoothie every day for breakfast or another meal/snack. I'm absolutely loving the green smoothies and they are so filling!
My smoothie this morning.
Spinach, banana, pear, Maca, Spirulina. DELISH!



Yesterday a fellow yogi, vegan, and raw foodie friend came over to study with me and we made a Strawberry Arugula smoothie and some raw cookies for us to munch on. They were so filling and satisfying that 2 cookies was just enough for me.

With the cookies only requiring 3 ingredients: ground flaxseed, cocoa, maple syrup(not 100%raw), it was the fastest thing ever to make and did I mention they tasted GOOOOOOD! They had a nutty texture and very dark chocolate flavor.
My friend is a kind enthusiastic soul who said they were the best raw cookies she's ever had. :)


Anyway, feeling really motivated and interested in prepare raw meals that I've even considered making myself a food blog...but naw..I'll just keep posting here, I hope you (my small group of readers) don't mind.

Happy Birthday Motozo and Jason!

Happy Birthday Motozo!
Although he insisted that we didn't need to do anything special, I wanted to do something for him. Last year, we didn't do much because we were so busy planning our wedding, so this year I made sure we celebrated properly!



Lots of Motozo's friends and mine showed up for the birthday party I threw for him. Good food, good enviroment, but best of all, good company.



We stayed out drinking and having a blast until around 2:30 we finally made it home. The next morning was like x-mas for Motozo as he opened up all his presents and I was just as excited to see what he got.



I love you to bits Motozo and like fine wine you're aging well!

Jason's birthday falls on the same day as Motozo as well September 24th! The little bugger is already 2 years old! Unbelievable! Cha did an excellent job making him a train cake and it seems he had a blast on his special day!
Its amazing how time flies!

Next up on our celebration is our 1st year wedding anniversary in 2 weeks. Its already been a year!

32hr Fast!

For a while now Motozo and I have contemplating doing a fast for detox reasons.
So finally we set a date and since we had a 3 day weekend we decided to fast on Monday, yesterday. I'm happy to say, we made it!

Motozo was a lot more hard core then me and didn't want to drink anything but water. He eventually cracked and had some lemon water that I choose to drink all day long instead of just plain water.
I also had about 4 glasses throughout the day of the
Master Cleanse Lemonade which consist of Lemons, Maple Syrup and Cayenne Pepper. The real Master Cleanse is minimum of 10 days and you need proper Grade B Maple Syrup along with taking a daily laxative tea and/or Celtic sea salt flush to help with elimination. Whats a detox without proper elimination yeah? Since I only planned to fast for one day I didn't really make sure my maple syrup was grade B (its organic is all I know) or take any laxatives since I'm pretty regular in the morning.

I think this detox was perfectly what we needed after a long holiday and drinking on a daily basis. Also, ever since being back my sleeping schedule has been totally screwed. Jet lag has given me a bad sleeping schedule and I'm waking up pass 10AM and still feeling tired. Some nights I can't fall asleep until 5-6AM and the cycle continues of sleeping in late and falling asleep WAY too late.
The good thing about fasting is that I could allow myself to be as lethargic as I wanted to, well..I still wanted to go for a walk to get some fresh air, but after 30mins or so I was just too fatigued and both Motozo and I took a nap for a couple of hours when we got back.
The desire for food hit pretty strongly around 5PM and didn't have much energy but to lie on the couch and watch TV. I really dislike feeling so fatigued, so a couple of times I told Motozo I'm going to eat, but I managed to stay strong! We both went to bed early and I finally had the BEST sleep I had since coming back from France which was 2 weeks ago. I got up a couple of times to use the wash room since I drank probably 1 gallon of water throughout the day. And at one point, I was still half sleeping as I was making my way to the bathroom and WHAM! I walked right into the wall and I now I have lovely bump on my forehead.

But despite the fatigue and swollen forehead, I'm really glad I did it. I have to say I was VERY impressed with Motozo, who has a great appetite and is accustomed to eating large meals. The interesting thing is, we both woke up not very hungry so portion control was very easy for our first meal.
Infact I ate less then I usually eat for breakfast and felt completely satisfied.

I'm now very interested in doing the Master Cleanse PROPERLY for a full 10 days. Apparently, a lot of people who do it still have energy to go to work and exercise because its recommended to drink a minimum of 6-12 glasses a day of the lemonade which roughly gives you 1200 calories. Of course, everyone's body is different and some have rougher symptoms then others, but I want to try this cleanse somewhere around New Years or at the end of the year. Cleanse my body for 2011!

Here's to health!

France, a bit of Luxembourg and Germany.

Were back! And what a glorious 2 weeks we had. To sum it up, we drove lots, slept in a different hotel almost every night, did lots of sight seeing and drank lots of champagne and wine. I found a new appreciation for red wine or rather have developed a liking to it and preferred it over white wine.
The weather was perfect with it sliding into Autumn beautifully! The leaves were changing colors and I took full advantage of it by running almost every other day. France is such a beautiful country and I totally fell in love with it! Paris was by far the best of all the "big" cities we went to, but we enjoyed ourselves just as much in the small little towns with their big characters.
We rented a car and covered quite a bit of ground. Paris, Champagne, Luxembourg, Germany, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Brittany and then back to Paris.
If we could do it again we would probably have stayed longer in Champagne, Epernay and Luxembourg. It was a shame we had to pack up after only 1 night at each place.
We didn't expect those places to be as nice as they were, but at least we did get a feel for the place and we have great memories now.


One of the great things about France and Luxembourg are there great bike paths in certain cites. How genius to have a car lane, bike lane and pedestrian lane! Motozo wished he had his bike with him a few times as we enviously saw many many cyclist peddling through beautiful vineyards and towns.
We also got the feeling that French (Or maybe its a European thing) are much more eco friendly and energy saving over Japanese. You hardly see anyone carrying plastic bags when grocery shopping since everyone brings their own shopping bags when they shop. And in alot of hotels you have to manually switch on the lights in the hallways and a timer will switch them off.
At one hotel we were at, the bathroom had a roof window which minimized the need to use the light in the bathroom all day.
Another great thing is their daylight saving! We still had daylight at 9PM!
This was especially wonderful when we were driving for 5 hours on some days, but still managed to do sight seeing in the evening when we finally arrived at our destination. Dammit Japan, you seriously need to start daylight saving!

Of course, we had a few frustrating moments when some people gave us some very rude looks because our French wasn't perfect and at some restaurants the service was SO slow we ended up walking out to find another place. But for the most part people were nice and very helpful and we managed to communicate what we wanted.
Anyway, I'll let the photos do the talking now.












More photos HERE
A lot are same with my facebook so sorry if you already saw them there. I think it'll be mainly Lilia who haven't seen them.