Packing, Packing, Packing -> Moving, Moving, Moving

Atsuko and I have been semi-busy packing and slowly moving stuff into the rental truck.  Lucky for us we don't have a ton of stuff, but it sure seems like it with all of it strewn about the apartment and boxes everywhere.  We plan on leaving for Seattle Tuesday morning.  We will take 71 from Fayetteville to Kansas City, then 29 up through Omaha to Sioux Falls.  Once we get into South Dakota we will get on I-90 and take that all the way to Washington. The whole trip should take about four or five days depending on how we drive.  There is a Google Latitude location badge after the jump. It will update throughout the day on our trip, but don't expect it to move very fast. It is set up to show what city we are currently in. Our tip begins Tuesday, June 1st.

War Eagle Mill

Wil and I drove to War Eagle Mill this morning. I believe War Eagle Mill is the only working mill of its kind in the United States.  We like to go there for the gorgeous drive and the little shop at the mill. They have jams, baking mixes, and crafts for sale. I usually bring their jams for souvenirs when I visit Japan. When my parents came, they bought a lot of jams for souvenirs as well.

I made lunch and packed it so we can have picnic at the mill, but it was already too hot...we ended up eating it at Wil's parents' house. (BTW, I made Inarizushi for lunch!  They were yummy.)

Tonight, we are planning to go to a Mexican restaurant with friends.  We have few more nights free before we move so this might be the last chance to see them.  Can't wait for the margarita!!

Slowly packing to move

Wil and I are slowly boxing up our stuff in the apartment.  We have to leave our apartment by May 31st, so we got 8 days left. Actually our lease runs until end of July, but since we are moving for a job, we were able to get out of our lease early.

We plan to leave Arkansas on June 1st and drive our way up to Washington State. We rented a 16 foot truck with car carrier. (Yes, we are towing our....) Wil says he won't let me drive because I have no experience driving a big vehicle. That is totally fine with me. I just have to make sure I know where we are going ｓo I can navigate.  Anyhow, we have 5 days to drive to Washington, so that ought be plenty of time.

We will move in to our new apartment on June 6th, and I start my new job on the next day. I know I might be exhausted, but since they waited for me for almost 2 months, I wanted to start as soon as possible.

We will take a lot of pictures during the drive!

My ex-roommate, Minato

I lived with Minato from January 2009 to July 2009.  We were both looking for a roommate back then and I moved in to her apartment.  The apartment was close to school, had a high ceiling, and had a really big living room...it was nice.  I didn't know Minato prior to moving in with her, but I am so glad that my roommate was her.  Minato is few years younger than me, but she is responsible, knowledgeable,  and good cook!!

Few days before the graduation, Wil, I , and Minato had a dinner together.  She is going back to Japan during the summer and we are leaving NWA, so it was a last chance to see her. We had a good time!

Wish you the best Minato... good luck with job searching!　Come visit us!!

Parent's visit 写真つき

My parents were in the US from May 5th to the 10th.  I haven't seen them since New Year, so it has been a while. The main reason of their visit was to attend my graduation, see Wil's parents, and see Fayetteville where I spent the last 4 years.