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Annual Vaction to Negril, Jamaica - November 2007
It was just what we needed! The weather was just perfect - not too hot or humid - and the water was crystal clear! We stayed at one of the All-Inclusive resorts, the Couples Resort, for 7 days. The food was good overall. Tomoko really enjoyed fruit and a drink called Papalicious! (Jamaica Pictures)
Expecting Our First Baby! - Fall 2007
Tomoko is now 28 1/2-weeks pregnant (as of November 26). We don't know the gender of the baby yet but will know at the next appointment with our doctor. Tomoko's belly is getting bigger and she walks like a pregnant woman! We are very excited about this big change and an additional family member to come in February!
Update: In the last appointment, we found out we are having a girl!
We Are New Home-Owners - April 5, 2007
It took us a long time to finally find a place and go through the whole ordeal involving a purchase of a co-op. We have become new home-owners! The place needed some work and it was very frustrating to time just right with our move-in date and Tomoko's mom's arrival, but all and all things worked out fine.
The Second Wedding Anniversary Trip to Acapulco - November 2006
The trip turned out to be just as we had imagined! The beautiful bay, warm weather, a lot of water activities and a nice hotel/resort! We had so much fun that we didn't want to come back to our "real" life in the city. The pictures will hopefully give you some ideas of our trip!
Tomoko Gives Her Annual Concert in Fukuoka - November 1st
| She just returned from Fukuoka. The concert went well, and the audience was very enthusiastic to hear her play again this year. Playing with the clarinetist who she had never met before turned out to be nothing to worry about, but it was so much fun! Although Greg couldn't make it to Japan, he got his special private pre-concert before she left.
(more pictures from this trip to come!)
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Pumpkin Event - October 21st
We went out to PA with our friends Mark and Carlye to pick pumpkins to carve for Halloween.
Greg Goes to Wiggins MS - September 1st to 4th
Back out to the farm with Marc and Ron in Wiggins, MS for the Labor Day weekend. It was good to spend some time with Marc and Ron and catch up on the happenings. The Gulf area still looks like a war zone a year after Katrina. The farm survived mostly intact althrough there was some roof and barn damage.
We did a little mowing around the cabin, jumped in the swimmin' hole (once we found the trail again, and then put up some new signs to mark it), relaxed, and did a bit gambling in Biloxi - Craps was our game and it treated us all well this time around.
Tomoko Flies out to Tucson - August 28th to September 1st
She went back to Tucson to work on her paper with her major professor. She was nervous about it (since she didn't spend much time on it while in Aspen, oops) but it turned out to be a fruitful trip! She was in the library for many hours, but she also got to hang out with her parents-in-law which was great.
Greg Goes to Aspen - July 14th to 18th
We had a great few days together in Aspen. Tomoko did minimum work so that we could spend as much time together outdoors! We went on a mountain bike tour and took a rafting trip which we haven't done in two previous summers that Tomoko was here. We splurged some money on fine dining, too. Matsuhisa - one of Nobu restaurants - was utterly amazing! (picture above is at the beginning of the bike ride)
Tomoko Goes back to Aspen - Summer 2006
She went back to Aspen Summer Festival this summer as staff pianist. She was there from June 19th to August 22nd. She enjoyed spending a couple of months working with string players and hanging out with her friends. It was also be the first time she stayed in Snowmass village, which was a pain in the butt, but the condo was so great that she didn't mind it after all.
Greg's BD in Niagara Falls, Canada - June 17 2006
We went to Niagara Falls for the weekend! Greg has never been there before, so Tomoko decided to take him there for his birthday. We flew from NYC to Toronto and then took a drive out to the great falls. It was amazing to see the falls with our own eyes! Besides the usual sightseeing of the falls, we drove around and did some wine tasting. Greg even won some money at the new casino! It was a lot of fun! (more pictures to come!)
Wedding Rush - May 28th and June 3rd, 2006
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Two of Tomoko's friends who were at our wedding had their weddings a weekend apart. Carl and In Young got married on May 28th, and Candice and Vincent (left) on June 3rd. Both weddings were around the Philadelphia vicinity, so one time we took a bus and the other time we rented a car to get out there. We had a great time, celebrating their special day and hanging out with our friends!
(Vincent was the one who caught the wedding garter that Greg threw at our wedding! A year and half later he is a happily married man!)
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Tomoko Visits Her Parents in Fukuoka - March 9th to 16th, 2006
Well, she decided to go back just to visit her family and have a meeting for her next concert at the end of the year. It was very short as always, but she had a quality time with her parents and some of her friends. Miho, who lives in NYC, happened to be visiting her Grandparents nearby, so they got to hang out one night.
A Lot of Fun in AZ - February 15th to 20th, 2006
It was a lot of fun visiting our family members and friends. Since we missed hanging out with them over the holidays, it was great to be out there. One afternoon, parents took us the land that they had bought and that was really cool. We also drove out to Cottonwood to see Grandma, Greg's cousins, their fun kids, aunt and uncle. (Spring 2006 Pictures)
Happy New Year - January 1st, 2006
Our New Year was rather quiet. Instead of partying, we just baked, cooked and watched movies at home (and yet, we still managed to have a lot of drinks!). It was fun and also relaxing. We should have made more cookies to share with everybody but regretably didn't get to do that. In Japan, people celebrate the Western New Year and not the Chinese New Year. However, they still refer to the Chinese Zodiac, and everybody knows which year he or she was born. FYI, 2006 is a year of the Dog. Somehow, it just makes Tomoko wish to have a puppy even more...
Christmas - December, 2005
Although we wanted to travel back to AZ for the holidays, unfortunately we didn't get to do that. It would've been very nice to be out there, but not enough time for busy Greg to be traveling in short weekends. So, we just stayed home, went out with friends and had a gathering at our place on the Christmas Eve. (pictures)
First Anniversary Trip - October 15th to 18th 2005
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We took a quick trip down to
London for
our first wedding anniversary. We all know that
UK
is infamous for their heavy precipitation, so we naturally brought our umbrellas with us, but amazingly, they were no use while we were there! We walked a lot around the city for three days.
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New Photos Uploaded - August 16th 2005
Tomoko made some time to scan in some photos from our trip to Fukuoka, Japan as well as upload some pictires from her stay in Wolfeboro, NH this summer. Although she is excited to be back in the city, the weather, outdoor activities, and new friends will be missed.
Tomoko to summer in New Hampshire - Summer 2005
Tomoko will take a break after two consecutive summers in Aspen, CO and instead head to New Hampshire for the Heifetz International Music Institute. The program will provide a change of pace, and the 6 week program (Aspen is 9 weeks) will allow her more time to work on her favorite project: writing a dissertation.
Tomoko headed back to Japan for Concert - May 2005
Tomoko's piano friend Migiwa and she gave a duo concert in Fukuoka, Japan. As a duo, they played Rachmaninoff Suite No.2, Corigliano Gazebo Dances and some Brahms Hungarian Dances. Tomoko played some solo works such as Haydn Sonata, Chopin Berceuse and Scriabin Pieces for Left Hand.
Headed to Japan in March 2005
We'll be traveling March 5th through the 13th. We had all but abandoned the idea of heading to Japan this spring, thinking that an early summer trip may be better. However, we came back to March as the time to go, but with a scaled down plan of events. There are a lot of family members yet to meet (Tomoko's brothers included) and with only a week to visit, it is sure to be an overwhelming introduction to Japan.
I have purchased some Japanese language books and CDs (thanks to Tom and Laurie for the amazon.com gift certificate) to help me with the basics, but it will be little more than a cramming session of phrases and vocabulary. Hopefully I will be more comfortable with the language the next time I visit.
To buy or not to buy - February 21, 2005
Lately we've been plagued with the idea of buying a home. Originally we thought we would give the current apartment one more year at which time we would be in a better position to buy a home, both financially and in terms of knowing where we might want to move. News of a rent hike for the coming year made the urge to have a new place that much stronger. Tomoko has been scouring the real estate websites for possible locations and we have taken some tours of different neighborhoods to get a feel for them. Alas, I'm afraid it breaks down to too little time, too little money to be moved into a place by April 30th - or moreso, knowing whether or not to sign the lease renewal by the end of March. The prospective apartments, condos, co-ops, and homes is rather discouraging as well - at least at a reasonable price.
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The Gates in Central Park - February 12-27, 2005
You may have heard about this project by Christo and Jeanne-Claude to place 7500 saffron colored gates along the pathways of Central Park. If not, take a look at the sites in the links section to the right. I walked through the park on a couple different days and took a few pictures.
We Got Married! - October 17th 2004
The wedding was the perfect culmination of all the planning and preparation. More news including the Honeymoon on the Wedding page.
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Tomoko Returns from Aspen - August 19th 2004
Back to the hustle and bustle, not to mention humidity, for Tomoko. She's returned with all sorts of errands to do, people to meet, places to go. Finalizing wedding plans ranks at the top of the list.
Greg Returns from Aspen - July 19th 2004
Aspen was great. It was good to get out of the city, get some fresh air and of course, see Tomoko.
Getting in and out of Manhattan with bags gave me a renewed feeling of just how much fun that can be. For those of you coming to New York for our wedding, my first advice is to skip the subway while you have your bags. This is not the best time to be introduced to this aspect of New York life. Just consider how comfortable you are carrying your bags up and down a few flights of stairs as you get on and off the subway. Better to get to Manhattan via bus and then take a taxi to the hotel. Or perhaps take a taxi straight from the airport (easiest but not the cheapest way).
Greg visits Aspen - July 15th 2004
I'm getting to take a long weekend to visit Tomoko in Aspen. It's an early call tomorrow but the plane lands in Aspen around noon so I'll still have most of the day left. If I ever get the photos organized you may see some from this trip. Granted, the ones from last year still aren't up.
Tomoko is in Aspen, CO - June - August 2004
Once again she has ventured west for the Aspen Music Festival. Her program is a bit less stressful this year allowing her to better enjoy the beautiful scenery, cool temperatures, and dry climate. I look forward to visiting July 16-19.
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Wedding - October 17th 2004
Our wedding will be at the Alger House in Greenwich Village at 4pm. We have more details about the event on our page at The Knot. The password for the page is 'alger'. The ceremony will be followed by an open bar and dinner catered by Alger House staff.
We've yet to decide on cake flavors, but the samples from Cakeline were able to quell any doubts that a good-looking cake can taste good too. Anyone wanting photos can contact us and we'll be sure to order additional prints from our photographer, Kellie Walsh.
Site Inception - July 4th 2004
I thought it was about time to update the original site that I started when I moved to New York. I never really added all the information to that site that I had planned - I hope this one will be different. One main reason for the new site is that Tomoko and I are engaged. The site should serve the purpose of getting updated information about us to our friends and family as well as specifics for our wedding guests making the trip to New York.
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Engagement - February 11th, 2004
Tomoko and I were engaged on February 11th, 2004 at Belvedere Castle in Central Park. I enlisted the help of some of Tomoko's friends to pull off the surprise. We have a few pictures to document the occasion.
I am hoping to get some details of the event, and captions for the photos, on the website.
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