Almost 4 years.

I have a very dear friend whom I met in college.  Fumie Kishiwada Nesbit (before she was married I loved just saying her first and last name all together because it was fun).  Fumie is native Japanese and one of the sweetest people you will ever meet.  I honestly don't think there is a mean bone in her body.  When we graduated she only had a few days left in the states before her and her hubs moved back to Japan.  To say I was sad would be an understatement.  I swore to her that Josh & I would make it to Japan to visit her before she & the hubs tried to come back to the states.  Well, it happened! In May of 2008 Josh and I packed our bags and settled in for a 17 hour flight to Narita airport, Japan.  The experience was a whirlwind because we forgot to take into account the amount of travel time and so it left us with only 4 1/2 days of visit time & only 3 days with Fumie.  I had my first taste of "real" sushi in a sushi bar an hour after we got off the airplane (NOT a good idea) and was sick well into the next morning.  The coca-cola over there is amazing and I craved it when I was pregnant...there was just something different about it.  Real sugar maybe?  We tried authentic Japanese cuisine, Brazilian food (her mom is an amazing cook), Brazilian BBQ (can we say HEAVEN? Josh and I still talk about that BBQ) and our first taste of Thai food.  We went to a karaoke bar and had our own room.  I got chased by a KILLER HORNET while waiting on our Thai food.  The trip was full of all sorts of little adventures.  The people were very friendly and orderly and I never once felt unsafe even among the LARGE crowds of Tokyo.  Everything was beautiful.  Even the buildings that towered downtown Tokyo were lovely to look at.  It's an experience we will never forget (even if I get the names mixed up or mispronounce them from time to time) and hope to share with Teagan (and the EVENTUAL next baby) whent they get old enough. 
Then, the quake hit and the tsunami followed.  My heart broke and I was filled with heart wrenching worry for my dear friend and her family.  I knew they were south of what happened but the fear of not hearing from her was something I don't even think I can put into words.  I was glued to 4 live feeds of what was going on.  I cried tears of relief and joy when I heard from Fumie's husband telling me she and her family were okay.  And then when I heard from her in true Fumie fashion all she complained about was having to walk 5 hours to her grandparents in heels.  I laughed and cried at the same time. 
I thought I would share some pictures from our visit over there with you.  Just remember the people of Japan in your thoughts and prayers.  The devestation is great and it will be for a very long time.  Even if you can't donate money please keep them in your prayers because prayers are powerful things.