Today was the final work day of 2011. It was a fairy busy day, considering that many of the lucky coworkers have already gone on vacation days ago. I thought about taking some time off during the holidays myself but I figured I would save it for later in 2012.

I am looking forward to the relaxing next few days celebrating the new year with the family (as it is a big deal in a Japanese culture) and try not to think about the busy work month that awaits me in January.

Breakfast / Lunch (11:45 a.m.): I really need to get in the habit of eating breakfast earlier in the day.  I had a smoked salmon sandwich (same as last night) on sourdough baguette.  The sandwich is especially delicious dipped in balsamic vinegar. I also had a cup of freshly brewed coffee, served in my favorite mug cup. It’s from a store called The Universe Knows, and all their merchandises (t-shirt, mug cups, etc.) have wonderful quotes on them. This one says “cherish the journey,” and I have a few more with quotes like: “believe in yourself” and “be in gratitude.” Along with Life is Good cups, they bring such joy into my life every day.

Snack (4:30 p.m.): Made a steamed sweet potato for a pre-workout carb load. Although sweet potatoes are already sweet on their own, I like to drizzle a little bit of maple syrup on them. This reminds me of ishi yakiimo, stone-baked sweet potatoes, that I loved eating in Japan.  I like sweet potatoes so much better than yams.

Dinner (9:30 p.m.): After an intense workout with my sister, we opened a bottle of Cotes Du Rhone to celebrate the last workout of 2011! I made an udon dish with sliced yamaimo, okra, and green onion, with gomadare and ponzu. I just can’t get enough of the slimy goodness of all those food. I ate some kimchi with the noodle.

Addition:  My sister and I ended up staying up until 2:30 a.m. to watch the movie, Space Battleship Yamato.  Why not — it’s Friday night afterall, and it’s a friggin’ AMAZING movie.  We ate several onigiri (rice balls) at midnight and opened another bottle of wine — this time a bottle of nicely chilled Robert Mondavi Riesling.  I know I shouldn’t have but I simply couldn’t resist.

The wedding invitation cards and envelopes arrived this week from LCI Paper. I found this place while searching for good paper source online, and was impressed with all the helpful video tutorials they have posted on its Website. We are striving for a DIY wedding so we’ll be designing and printing our own cards.

The reality is finally setting in, that we’re getting married soon. I’m not even worried about the actual wedding but the preparation part makes me nervous a little since neither of us have done this in the past. I have to remember the quote from the mug – cherish the journey – and try to enjoy the process.