This Presidents Day I took the day off to thrift and sip with you at the local Goodwill, my free Amazon Welcome Baby Box (6:08) came in so my husband does an unboxing - and I sort new laundry sharing recent Goodwill, Poshmark and Aden + Anais baby items, while chatting about the pregnancy so far (7:38).
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Our last day in Tokyo, we wanted to check out DisneySea, which is more geared for adults and more unique in ride offerings than Tokyo Disney nearby. It's also the cheapest Disney out there. We had an amazing time!
Unusual Breakfast at Comfort Suites (00:59), LOVED the Shinjuku National Gardens (02:22), Tokyo Metro Government Building view of the city (06:41), Harry Hedgehog Cafe (08:59), Meiji Temple (11:01), Harajuku (11:38), Shibuya Crossing (11:49) Golden Gai for ramen (12:12), we did Karaoke but there's no evidence, Robot Restaurant (13:35) for a memorable performance. Got these kimonos at APA Hotel; had to channel Bill Murray.
November 13th, Mark and I traveled to Narita Airport Japan to start our honeymoon! The most useful things we packed were a Brita water bottle, emergen-c packets, and snacks/ meals to eat on the go. These all came in super helpful, so I'm glad we thought about them beforehand.
Also, we each only packed a personal item (backpack for him, beachbag for me), and rolling carry-on, because we were about to take 8 flights and didnt want to deal with checking or losing our luggage on one and be screwed out of having clothes for part of our trip. It made things super simple to just have it all within eyesight on the plane and forced us to stay in the moment. Yes, we did laundry a few times. But it kept us feeling free and when we did pick up things we needed it was truly part of the experience and from where we were in the world at that time.
It was snowing in Baltimore and 60 degrees Fahrenheit in Japan. We had a layover in Chicago, and got to hang out in the United lounge with some snacks and drinks before boarding out flight. Our flight to Japan was around 13 hours, and included a cute honeymoon dish from the attendants, on the biggest plane we've ever been on.
Our first meal super late was at a Denny's, where Mark got some sizzling Chicken and I got Pasta with Meat Sauce. And the next day is the next video: https://youtu.be/HjyBzzuPqi8
I have to say we really needed this break, right after the wedding and opening my store in Baltimore, Maryland a week after. We had a drink on the beach at South Point the night before and ironed out some of the last details. Some of the planning involved trying to go somewhere close enough to drive together (we love road trips) and bring back some good memories. Last year when we drove all the way down the East Coast, one of our favorite cities was Charleston South Carolina. We always wanted to spend more time together there and had a great mini honeymoon there!
So we got a good deal on a rental car (Ford Flex), and started the drive! We crossed through D.C. on the way and stopped at this greasy spoon 'Silver Diner' that we used to go to when he picked me up from the bus station on my trips down to see him when we were dating long distance. In those days he was in College Park Maryland and I was in Manhattan, four hours away. I used to love coming to this restaurant and playing on the little booth jukebox. What a nice throwback. 'Hey Jude' by the Beatles was my favorite. I had some chicken soup, and he had a burger.
A little further, we found ourselves in the Outer Banks of North Carolina along the beaches. There was a rest stop Mark looked up, where we could sleep under the stars in the back of the car. When we woke up, we got to sit and see the sunrise along the beach together. It was like we were the only people in the world.
One fast food joint I'd never tried before is Bojangles, but the crisp on everything was amazing! I'm so glad we stopped here for breakfast to try the cajun chicken filet biscuits! Most giant hash browns ever, as well. The ride was sweetened by some Seagrams pre-made cocktails from one of the many gas stations and stops we stopped at for snacks and the restroom.
The first place we stopped in Charleston was the Angel Oak Tree, oldest living organism on the East Coast and maybe the largest? It was so beautiful and grand.
The Vendue Hotel was really nice and gave us a happy honeymoon card, snacks and bottle of champagne. The concierge was really helpful and nice. Dropped off our rental car and started to explore the city. There were a lot of memories from our original trip that made us want to retrace our steps. Pineapple Fountain, a local boutique called Indigo, and walking by the water were first.
We ate all the food. Low country boil at an out of the way spot on the water. Incredible Fried Chicken at Magnolia's Restaurant, Callie's Hot Little Biscuit & a tea, drinks at SNOB - 'Front Porch Thyme' is really good, and gelato at Carmella's.
The trip back was enjoyable and relaxing on the Amtrak Sleeper commuter train car. It was another throwback nostalgic activity and a bucket list item for sure. Though small, we were comfortable in the twin bed compartment, and had a great breakfast for free in the dining car that morning.
I found this after literally googling fall movies on Netflix in October and reading here that this would be the best movie you haven't seen on Netflix.
I'm a sucker for the types of movies where a young girl is going into another new unexpected but hopefully good stage in her life. I was set up to like it- the director did Fish Tank- and Shia LaBoeuf I consider an incredible actor even back in his Even Stevens days on Disney.
The air of desperation loomed all 3 hours- the stakes for just staying alive were so high that you can't help but keep watching to see if this young Star will be okay.
She starts the film in a dumpster, rooting around for food with two half-siblings. I was less compelled by this or the plot device that makes her escape from home possible- for me what stuck in my mind was the love story. I remember her seeing Shia in K-mart- one of the most romantic sexy meet-cutes despite the fluorescent lighting and various other younger kids they're both handling at the moment. Being pulled by Jake into this adventure across the country- where a part of her knows she might not be special (he literally says 'everybody loves me' when pitching their connection and why she should get into an unmarked van with him)- but she isn't just another runaway girl. She's a grounding agent for the others in her old life, taking care of others and being a survivor no matter what the circumstance. She might be the only person who doesn't lie. Jake is an aging older runaway who won't be able to use his 'buy these magazines so I can go to college' sales pitch forever- I think Jake (Shia) realizes this could be firmer ground than the cycle of exploitation he's been depending on. Later on he finally shows everyone how crazy he is over her- their boss says 'you think you're special?' But to have to say that- it's clear- she is. I love their love story. I think at the end they purposely don't have them say it into the camera that the expiration date to this adventure is coming- but there's no other reason for Jake to come back (he's been saving up enough to leave for a while) except to be with Star.
