met up with an old friend in NYC

Look who it is:


Charlie, Megan, Kazumi, and I being the tourists that we are, stood in line for over three hours to finally arrive on the top (technically not the top) observatory deck on Empire State Building.

I look forward to the day we Niihamans can reunite under one roof (in Ohio, it's pronounced ruff)!

Thanks Charlie again for driving all the way from the red state to our blue state. ^_^

We got married

TODAY!

We went down to the city hall and got official!

not an actual picture of us: (getting married in Japan is uneventful, I mean at the city hall. no congrats, no "now I pronounce you..." no "kiss the bride." no well wishes, no nothing, serious. but I'm not complaining! all that comes a little later.)

NYC + KW pics

We were down in Key West for four days. It is located at theat the tip of Florida, the southernmost point of continental USA, 90 miles above Cuba, 1000+ miles to the north is New York. My friends and I once did a road trip between NYC and Key West raking up 5000 miles in a single week.


The temperature was perfect right around 70-78F (21-26C). The ocean glittered under the tropic sun. We got a free upgrade from Hawk's Cay where we stayed at. You'd wonder if they ever read your special request and I know for a fact this time they did. We mentioned it was our honeymoon and we got a villa, worth $519 to $1400 per day during high season!
hawkscay.com

Ours is the one to the far left, with the best view!

From here on these are our own pictures:

views from our villa


from the second floor; one of Hemingway's house cats


tropical fruit "horned melon" we'd never had before, tastes sour; boat sailing by our back yard


dolphin experience with a price right at the resort; ordering catch-of-the-day lunch


complementary champagne; master bedroom


sunrise sunset we were too excited to sleep; key west in a dish right inside the villa


a sailboat going to an exclusive island cocktail party I imagine; Hemingway's bed


the resort's lagoon; golf cart the preferred means of transportation


another view; sunrise


From here on are pictures taken in NYC:

cherry blossom in central park; the world's largest blue sapphire: link


the big tree in my sister's yard. it's BIG(!); view from top of Empire State Building; it took THREE(3) hours to get up there, the line was loooooooooong, or was it 4?


Kazumi (the wife) punching a boxing ball in the garage; my old work place


R2D2 post box invding NYC