Maybe it was the insanely busy week. Maybe it was the comfort one can only experience in a sleep pod. Or maybe it was Maybelline. Whatever it was, I had the best night of sleep in my life while in the sleep pod hotel. I didn't hear a peep from anybody throughout the night. In contrast, the girls would later tell us that they met a Chinese girl, who sounded like she was from California, roaming around Japan for two weeks by herself. She shared my passion for the sleep pod experience as well as my snobbishness towards this particular establishment.
I didn't envy their late night 'Baby-sitters Club' gossiping because I woke up totally refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. That extra energy would come in handy because the previous night we decided to spend this day at DISNEYLAND!!!
I don't know the exact figure on how many times Jonce and/or Katie have been to Disneyland. However, I do know that they are professionals when it comes to indulging in childhood fantasies. I won't detail the day since I already blogged about Disneyland on Reagan's 2nd birthday. I will just hit the highlights. As soon as we walked in the gate we rushed to get our first fast pass (something we failed to do when we came with Matt and Chelsae) and primed the whole day by hoping on the tea cup ride.
Of course, Splash Mountain was at the top of the list of rides to ride. Jonce and Katie both loved the fact that most of the audio is in Japanese, naturally. Since I've never been to an English speaking Disneyland, everyone in our group had to explain the storyline of the ride to me. We also brainstormed our photo pose. As you can see, we went with the stereotypical 'overly-excited Japanese person' approach.
We proceeded to do the 'ride-the-rides' thing until magic hour was upon us. It was then that we took a breather and snapped some classic D-land pics.
If you will kindly direct your attention to the gray sweaters that Jonce and I are wearing in the above photos. The Katies thought it would be hilarious if both Jonce and I wore gray sweaters (that they bought for us) at the same time, thus exponentially increasing our chances of looking like twins. We agreed. We obliged. The hilarity of the matter was confirmed by the countless double takes we noticed throughout the day.
For dinner we ate at the Blue Bayou Cafe which is located inside of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. As we waited in line, I became increasingly concerned that my legs were literally going to fall off in protest to my abuse of them. God himself could not foresee the amount of walking/standing these feeble little legs would endure (Okay, He could, but still...). We did, however, get sit on some benches when we got to the front of the line. As I looked around it seemed like it was only me, Jonce, and a bunch of old ladies sitting in them. Lets forget the implications of that... Anyway, we finally got our seats and had an amazing dinner in which we discussed Katie Jean's business policies.
The next morning I had to go back to wark. I mean werk. Wait....that doesn't sound right..."wirk"...? *WORK!* Oh ya, that's what it is! Between the trip to South Korea, Katie coming back, and everybody visiting, I had almost forgot what work is. Although I was about to get reacquainted with this concept, it would have to wait until after I had breakfast with Kate, Jonce, and Katie Jean at a bakery with the infamous octopus doughnut, or so we thought.
As I mounted my bike for work I gave Jonce and Katie one last hug and said goodbye. It was the weirdest thing saying goodbye to them at somewhere other than the airport. An even more surreal fact was that they would remain in Japan for a couple more days as they visited Katie Jean's cousin. Kate actually joined them that day as they walked around "Fabric Town" in Tokyo.
My short ride to work was a perfect time to reflect on the incredible week I had experienced. It is these moments that should always be remembered, which is why I created this blog in the first place. So I guess what I'm saying is....kudos to me :)
-Seth
*P.S.*
I had to sift through over 650 photos to pick and chose the ones I wanted to include in these recent posts. You can view any/all of these by clicking here.
"This isn't a real sleep pod! You're supposed to enter at the foot of the pod AND be totally enclosed! Sheeeesh."
I didn't envy their late night 'Baby-sitters Club' gossiping because I woke up totally refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. That extra energy would come in handy because the previous night we decided to spend this day at DISNEYLAND!!!
I don't know the exact figure on how many times Jonce and/or Katie have been to Disneyland. However, I do know that they are professionals when it comes to indulging in childhood fantasies. I won't detail the day since I already blogged about Disneyland on Reagan's 2nd birthday. I will just hit the highlights. As soon as we walked in the gate we rushed to get our first fast pass (something we failed to do when we came with Matt and Chelsae) and primed the whole day by hoping on the tea cup ride.
I had never done the tea cups so, in a fit of excitement, I twisted the wheel so hard that Jonce almost barfed (bottom right).
I'm not gonna lie, it was kinda awkward waiting in line behind a bunch of little kids to take this photo.
Of course, Splash Mountain was at the top of the list of rides to ride. Jonce and Katie both loved the fact that most of the audio is in Japanese, naturally. Since I've never been to an English speaking Disneyland, everyone in our group had to explain the storyline of the ride to me. We also brainstormed our photo pose. As you can see, we went with the stereotypical 'overly-excited Japanese person' approach.
My favorite part of this photo is that the people behind us heard us talking, saw us practicing, and decided to do our pose with us.
We proceeded to do the 'ride-the-rides' thing until magic hour was upon us. It was then that we took a breather and snapped some classic D-land pics.
For dinner we ate at the Blue Bayou Cafe which is located inside of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. As we waited in line, I became increasingly concerned that my legs were literally going to fall off in protest to my abuse of them. God himself could not foresee the amount of walking/standing these feeble little legs would endure (Okay, He could, but still...). We did, however, get sit on some benches when we got to the front of the line. As I looked around it seemed like it was only me, Jonce, and a bunch of old ladies sitting in them. Lets forget the implications of that... Anyway, we finally got our seats and had an amazing dinner in which we discussed Katie Jean's business policies.
The relaxing atmosphere was therapeutic as it as in stark contrast to the madness of Disneyland.
The above photo was taken not long before we departed the park. These hats are VERY popular here at Disneyland Tokyo. We, of course, just think they are funny.
Last day with Jonce and Katie Jean
The next morning I had to go back to wark. I mean werk. Wait....that doesn't sound right..."wirk"...? *WORK!* Oh ya, that's what it is! Between the trip to South Korea, Katie coming back, and everybody visiting, I had almost forgot what work is. Although I was about to get reacquainted with this concept, it would have to wait until after I had breakfast with Kate, Jonce, and Katie Jean at a bakery with the infamous octopus doughnut, or so we thought.
This is what we wanted to avoid. The Katies accidentally ordered one of these bad boys while Jonce and I were taking mom and Joe to the airport. My guess is that nobody finished it.
On our way to the bakery we stopped off by a little bamboo forest and played for a little while. To our boyish American brains, bamboo is one of the coolest things ever. When we arrived at the bakery we found it closed, why am I not surprised? Our second choice was old reliable, Anderson's bakery.
As I mounted my bike for work I gave Jonce and Katie one last hug and said goodbye. It was the weirdest thing saying goodbye to them at somewhere other than the airport. An even more surreal fact was that they would remain in Japan for a couple more days as they visited Katie Jean's cousin. Kate actually joined them that day as they walked around "Fabric Town" in Tokyo.
My short ride to work was a perfect time to reflect on the incredible week I had experienced. It is these moments that should always be remembered, which is why I created this blog in the first place. So I guess what I'm saying is....kudos to me :)
-Seth
*P.S.*
I had to sift through over 650 photos to pick and chose the ones I wanted to include in these recent posts. You can view any/all of these by clicking here.
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