Kobe Sweets Harbor

...aka Heaven on Earth for Ashley. :) Today I went to Kobe to visit my friend Natsuki-san. After a nice Japanese lunch, we went to the Sweets Harbor, a large department store-like place with just about every type of dessert you could want. Casey and I had visited once before, but by some miracle I didn't buy anything. Today, though, I bought one of the cutest desserts I have ever seen... it was a small cheesecake in the shape of a dog.
*See picture of Natsuki with my dessert... isn't it cute? I love how they pay so much attention to detail here!
I really enjoyed my time with Natsuki-san... as I always do. I think we realized today that it is the last time we can really spend time together before I go back home. She is going to Thailand next week and will not be back until the 10th, so she is going to try and meet me at the airport to see me off. We both got a little sad today when we were talking about how nice it was to know each other. She is one of the people I will miss most from Japan. She is already talking about visiting us in the US, though, so I hope that will really happen. We share a common love of sugar and I want to treat her to an Applebee's Blondie... I talked about it in detail today and we both got hungry. :) (I know what I'll be wanting soon after I get back!)
Even though I am going to miss so many of the people I have gotten to know here, it will be fun to have penpals around the world. I am going to make it a point to write them actual mail and not so many e-mails. Snail mail is a lost art, I think. I get so excited to receive "real" mail these days... although personal e-mail is exciting, too, but it's nothing like a card or letter that someone has taken time to write. I tried to send letters from Japan to people whenever I could, but I still wish I could have sent more. Communication has been such a blessing to me/us here... I have enjoyed the many phone calls to and from my parents, and getting updates now and again from the Hetricks. We have gotten quite a few cards and letters from relatives, which has been nice. And then there are the e-mails and comments on this blog that have let me know that people are really out there reading this stuff! I'm glad to hear it... it wouldn't be near as fun just writing this for myself!
I'm not sure what will happen to this when I get back to the US. I was thinking of starting an additional blog about my time at home, that way the people in Kansas (or heck, Japan even!) can read what we are up to. It seems like it reassures many people back home that everything is okay. I also like knowing that they are sometimes entertained by my rambling. ;)
Well, speaking of rambling, I'm going to stop now. I wanted to post one more picture... it's not the greatest, but there are some of the cutest little puppies at the pet store near our apartment, and the other day when I passed by, two of them were curled up together, sleeping. I am going to try and get a picture of their faces before I leave, because besides Charley, they are some of the cutest puppies I have seen! Hope you enjoy it... sorry it's not the best pic.

-Ash