Trip to Calgary and a visit from the Daveys!

October has definitely been an action packed month for the Kroekers! We got back from our Tokyo trip on Tuesday the 7th, Brian's parents went home on Wednesday and then on Friday, we got on a plane and went to Calgary for Canadian Thanksgiving. Also, Andy and Kristy came into town on Thursday, so that evening we had dinner together with Philip and Yelena so we could see them at least briefly before we left on our trip. Glad we got to say hello, and we did see them more after we got back:-).

Our trip to Calgary was really good! We were so happy to see Lynsey again, so nice to have the whole family back together. It was a busy weekend with lots of family time, as Steve and Andrea were there as well. Nathan would have liked more time alone with Lynsey, but that just wasn't going to happen this time - she is coming home for reading week soon so we will have more time for just our family then. I took Lynsey and Nathan shopping on Monday before bringing Lynsey to the airport to catch her bus, the mall was a bit crazy but we were able to find her a good winter coat at the very last minute - was about to give up and then Sport Chek came through! We flew home Monday night, good to be home after so much time away in the past three weeks. We had a nice time hanging out with the Daveys while they were here, they came to stay with us on Wednesday (although they were gone for the weekend, trip to Yosemite with their daughter Elli). We got to go for walks and go to the gym and go for dinner, fun things we used to do when they lived here. Sounds like Kristy might come again in April which would be lovely! 

Brian had hernia surgery on Wednesday (the same day the Daveys left) so life just keeps going! He is recovering pretty well, although he is sore (to be expected). I had club volleyball tryouts this past weekend on both Saturday and Sunday, was leading the tryouts for the first time ever which I think went okay. It was pretty overwhelming, I was a bit unsure of myself but I did the best I could. I find it so hard to know who is going to be a good fit on a team, it's such an imperfect science. I'm sure there are players that are being overlooked that shouldn't be. Now the offers are out and we just have to hope they get accepted!

We also went to the Kraken/Oilers game on Saturday night, two losses in a row for our in person games:-/. Watching the Oilers in October is painful - hopefully they get their act together by the time our November game rolls around! Sheesh. It was still fun.

Japan Trip Day 11, Tuesday October 7th: Back to Tsukiji Fish Market, Plane Ride Home

Last morning in Tokyo! In Japan! We didn't have breakfast included with this hotel, and I was looking forward to checking out 7-11 for breakfast. The 7-11s in Japan are incredible, way better than any I've seen in North America. So many good food options (seeing a theme about good food available everywhere??). We got some food and headed back to our hotel and ate our breakfast in the room. Did not disappoint!

We checked out and left our bags at the hotel so we could make one last trip to the Fish Market for some more Wagyu and fatty tuna. We were not disappointed! Both just as good as we remembered them! Glad we got to have them one more time. We made our way back to the hotel to collect our bags and got to the train station to catch the 2pm Narita Express back to the airport. Check in was smooth and we got to the lounge with lots of time to kill. I think I already mentioned this, but I was once again struck by how polite and unassuming Japanese people are. You don't get harassed at markets, they just leave you be, and even the TSA agents at the airport were kind and apologetic! It was such a contrast to the experience you usually have at American airports.

We hung out in the lounge and then went to try and find ways to spend the balance on our Suica cards (we each had 980 yen left that was going to expire in a few days, so we thought we might as well spend it!). We got some candy and then it was time to board the plane for home. The flight was smooth and uneventful, although as usual I didn't sleep very well. I also thought I lost the case for my ear buds in the seat but I ended up finding it in my bag when I got home, oops! Mark and Frances picked us up at the airport and around 12:30pm we were on our way home! What a fantastic trip!

Things went pretty smoothly at home with the boys. Adam had his moments, but he has been having moments with us, too. He's just been a bit stressed to start the school year so we expected it might not be perfect while we were gone. It didn't sound like anything too crazy, and Mark and Frances handled everything really well. They stayed until Wednesday and we got them off to the airport, the last few days have been about laundry, organizing pictures and trying to get this blog post done, and try not to go crazy from the jet lag:-/. I had a nap this afternoon which was much needed! Hopefully I sleep well tonight!

Tomorrow we are off to Calgary, so we will be seeing the airport again soon! Just can't stay away apparently:-D.

 

Japan Trip Day 10, Monday October 6th: Back to Tokyo, dinner at Tempura Iyasaka

Monday was another light day, another checkout day. We went a did a little workout again after breakfast, I liked doing this because it helped me feel normal (and I knew I would be glad I did it once I got home and got back to the grind!). We took a little walk around the river after checking out (saw the one and only palm tree we encountered on this trip!), and made our way to the mall for some lunch. I had heard that mall and train station basements have lots of food and this was so true - so many options! We ended up at another pasta place that was really delicious! Did not taste like mall food court pasta at all, it wasn't a food court but it wasn't like a nice restaurant either. Really happy with our choice, and it was so affordable, too.

We collected our bags from the hotel and got a cab to the train station to take the Shinkansen to Tokyo. We were there a bit early and had some time to kill, got some ice cream from the vending machine (the vending machines were crazy - so many of them everywhere and they had so much in them!). The train ride was smooth again and we got to our hotel just after 4:30pm. This hotel was not as nice as the ones we had stayed in up until this point, but it was cheaper and it was just fine. We relaxed and then made our way to Tempura Iyasaka for our last dinner in Tokyo. Brian had found this place the first time we were in Tokyo but they had no space left so he made a reservation for our last night then. It had a Michelin star so he really wanted to try it. It was really good, and not that expensive - I always thought Michelin star restaurants had to be really expensive but I guess not! It was another set course so they just kept bringing us more dishes. Great meal to end our time in Tokyo!

 

Japan Trip Day 9, Sunday October 5th: Osaka Castle, Dotonbori

Sunday morning we made our way to Osaka Castle after breakfast, that place was insanely busy! We walked through all the floors of exhibits but it was crazy crowded, I would hate to be there trying to see it in high season, yikes. The history was interesting, and the views from the top were really lovely. 

We made our way to a shopping center after a bit of down time in the room and got some lunch at this rice bowl place. Really good, as per usual. We did some shopping, went back to the room. At this stage in the vacation we were both feeling like we needed a bit of a lighter day so it was nice to be able to recharge in the room a few times. 

In the evening, we went to Dotonbori, which is quite a spectacle. So much going on there! The pictures will tell you how overwhelming that place is, but it was really fun too! We stopped along the river and had a drink and some Wagyu, then walked to a different place and had these octopus ball things that Osaka is known for (technical term is Takoyaki). They were pretty good but we didn't feel the need to have them more than once. We wandered around the streets there for a while longer and went back to the hotel. Really cool place but certainly a lot for the senses to take in! This night the castle was lit up pink which was cool, we were wondering what color it would be the next night but we of course would not find out as it was our last night. Monday we would head back to Tokyo on the Shinkansen. Really happy we made this stop in Osaka, it's a lovely city!