Upstaged by K's first day of school, my wedding anniversary skulked quietly in the background this past Wednesday. M was way more on the ball than I was and presented me with a fragrant bouquet. Realizing my slacker ways, I struck a deal with some friends and scored a sleepover for K so that M and I could have a proper celebration involving a fancy dinner and entertaining movie at the cinema tonight. I often wonder if I would have made my own wedding dress if I'd gotten into sewing ... Read more

My mom left Tuesday, and we've been off kilter  -- it's how we always get after her visits. K's emotions spiral out of control, I get flummoxed with having to cook again (yes, my mom cooks the entire time she visits. It's her thing) and after speaking so much Japanese, I tend to get thrown off for some reason. M laments that we can't have impromptu date nights and is disappointed that I'm back in charge of meals. This visit was slightly different in that we took a number of little trips and ... Read more

July always seems to be the busiest month for us. Some sort of travel is usually involved, and the birthdays! It's one celebration after another and today, it's M's turn to blow out the candles. "Why did you marry Daddy and not someone else?" K asks me a lot. Partly to tease M, but also (I suspect), because she wants to hear about M's best qualities over and over. The first answer that pops out is, "Because he made me laugh more than anyone else." M has a very particular brand of humor and to ... Read more

Ba-chan made it in one piece to Seattle yesterday, and already she and K are thick as thieves. One of the benefits of having a mother who collects everything is that I can ask, "Hey, do you have any vintage-y thread on wooden spools in assorted colors?" And she brings me this: (one errant plastic one snuck in there, I see). I love the faded, peeling, cracked labels, the silk threads with saturated colors. Sometimes, multiple hues are wound onto one spool, and I can envision someone carefully ... Read more