Discovering Bali (Part 1).

For our last vacation while living in Japan we decided to make the trek to Bali, Indonesia.  We wanted one last irresponsible getaway where we would spend our money on fruity cocktails and cabanas, rather than saving it for the two cars, cell phones, and the house we would inevitably have to purchase upon our return to the states.  That was future Casey and Matt problems, for now we just wanted our fun.  (I am writing this now dealing with future Casey and Matt problems and I would much rather be on a beach chair in Bali!)

Unfortunately our carefree vacation took a slight turn when we both fell ill (me right before we left and Matt while we were in Bali).  However, if you are going to be sick anywhere, Bali might just be the best place around.  We didn’t have the energy for too many adventures, but were able to fit in a few.  Here is the first part of our trip to the beautiful island.

Uluwatu

This dude really wanted a crucial selfie.

Odds and Ends.

I’m just going to pretend that it hasn’t been four months since I last updated this blog.  I’m also going to pretend like I didn’t just leave out that fact that we left Japan two months ago (tear, tear) and moved to Florida (yay!)  Instead I’m just going to show you what our last couple of weeks in Japan looked like and then I’m going to continue updating this blog like I never stopped.  Sound like a plan?!

Most of the time was just spent loving this puppy - I mean what is not to love ;)

Getting ready for Christmas (can't believe it is almost May and I'm just posting this...)

Pounding mochi.  This is a Japanese holiday tradition where you pound rice and make mochi.
The Japanese military hosted us and showed us how it was done.
Something tells me they won't be calling us for next year's pounding and it has nothing to do with the fact that one of us hit the bucket rather than the rice.

Enjoying a Kentucky Christmas.
I don't really know the history behind this, but lucky for you the Smithsonian has already done the research for me.

Lots of game nights and festive drinks with friends.
This is also how we rang in the new year.

We also celebrated a traditional New Year with some of our closest Japanese friends.
There was lots of sushi, tempura, and karaoke.

We even had a snow day before we left.
Matt took this of the fields behind our house.

Something tells me that this is the last snow we will see for awhile...

Vacationing in Bali.
More on that to follow.

Enjoying our last meals in Japan.
Mmmmm gyoza from Mankin!

I'll be back soon to share updates about leaving Japan and moving back to America!