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My Birthday is actually in November.
I did pull a little bit of a Sam Quinn, as I thought, "don't tell a soul it is my Birthday" this year.
I kept it low- key here in J-town.

But Cara, Molly, and Emily remembered my special day all the way from North Carolina ...only a little late.

I want to give Cara and Molly a big kiss:
My car and I are both looking super fly.
My car supporting WQFS everyday.
And me thinking about Ed McKay's in my night dreams.

And my dear heady friend Emily Mayer really showing off some friendship dedication as she included some things she picked out for me at a yard sale THIS SUMMER:

yea! She got super creative with this one.

Everyone deserves these kind of packages on their birthday.

As that Caitlin/Molly birthday time concludes the Christmas/ winter vacation time rapidly approaches.
People all the way in Japan are programmed to NEED a break from work and life this time of year.

This week, I was about to drop my M&M's at any moment. Like Freshman year at Guilford when we decided that we were all 7 years old, walking around with a handful of M&M's and the second we stumbled and they all fell out of our hands, we were going to lose it.

Currently referred to as "one-year weeks." In other words, I would only want to stay in this country for one year.

Dragging loads of Christmas gear to elementary schools. And listening to Winter Wonderland over and over at the Jr. High.
I feel exhausted.

I cannot say I am a teacher deep down but Japanese elementary kids do the same thing for me that dogs do for people with social anxiety.

These are some of the 6th grade ladies I teach on Tuesday afternoons.
After class they like to walk up to the desk, where I have all my things spread out. They pick up and touch everything and ask me where I live and what my apartment is like.

The four boys in the class could care less, they head out the balcony connected to their classroom immediately after I thank them for the class.

Again, everything coming back to all things Kawaii.

I am counting down the days till I get to drive out of Ikeda to return again with Cara and Rory accompanying me in my car.

And I daydream about free refills on coffee as this cold weather makes me perpetually sleepy.

Until then, "I hope all my friends are together getting wasted and are staying glued together." -The National Boxer