Yesterday was supposed to be Dir en grey day. An 'Evening with Dir en grey at the Showbox at the Market'. BUT due to Kyo's health reasons the show was canceled. We were all really looking forward to it, especially my friend Calah who would be celebrating her birthday at the show but in place of a really great concert I got a really great day with a lot of friends I have been missing a ton.

The day started off with Michi and I driving down to Marysville to pick up our old friend Aya. Five years ago we met Aya through our friend Ryo, an exchange student from Japan. He was attending highschool here in Stanwood while she was attending in Marysville, about fifteen minutes away. We actually met at a party at her host family's house. Much Karaoke Revolution. Since then Ryo has sort of fallen off the face of the earth, but Aya messaged us from her new Facebook profile about a week ago. She said she would be in Marysville for ten days so of course we had to meet up with her! I really wish that Syl could have been here to see her too.

I can't believe it's been five years. o.o

Except for getting lost for twenty minutes in the same row of five streets everything was really great! I forgot how much I loved her and how much fun we had. Even with the occasional language barriers and Michi having to draw mussels on a napkin because both of them forgot their dictionaries we were never at a loss for things to talk about or laugh about. We went out for lunch at Olive Garden and just talked about everything going on in our lives. She told us about how she's almost done with school and how she saw Ryo about a month ago so at least we know he's still alive. She even gave me a print club picture she took with him. He looks pretty much the same. Maybe taller but that could have just been wishful thinking. She'll be starting work in Human Resources as soon as she gets home. Michi told her about how she's going to Japan in May and they started making plans. Going shopping in Shibuya, taking a day trip to Tokyo Disney. I'm so jealous! But I need to save money for school, blah blah blah :P

Michi

Me

Look how cool Michi's drink looks~ Some kind of peach mint tea thing.

Aya~! Look how prettyy~

Aya ordered what I did. :P Chicken scampi. Yum~

Afterwards we spent some time at the Outlet Mall just shopping around and having fun. Michi bought a SUPER cute pair of shoes that I should have probably taken a picture of.

Silly neck thing at Juicy Couture. Actually looks pretty cute. Haha.

Aya bought her mom some really great stuff from L'Occtaine. I'd never been there before. I like it.

God, I'm going to miss her so much. Michi gets to see her again in Japan but I don't. On Sunday we're trying to put together another time to hang out. We're going to go down to the Rock in Lynwood and get as many people as we can. Anyone's invited who has time! More info later~

After dropping off Aya Michi and I lost ten dollars at the casino, then met up with Calah and Savanna and their friend Bryan (who was lovely~) to go out for Calah's birthday dinner! No Dir en grey but TONS of laughs! We were going to go to Toyama in Everett but... they don't have cheese fries. And when the birthday girl wants cheese fries you go to The Outback instead! We sat at our table having a good time until close.

Only one group of people moved away from us. 

Savanna beat Michi at a napkin crane folding race.

So Michi decided to make a balloon instead. Turns out you can't blow up a cloth napkin...

Bryan and the birthday girl, Calah.

Cute face!

Awww~

Where's your cute face, Bryan?

I really do love our crazy concert buddies and I have no idea why we have SO much in common and enjoy each other's company so much and we rarely ever hang out. We always say it needs to change and then we don't do anything but maybe it'll actually happen this time! We need to discuss more Harry Potter and Zelda, and how retail sucks and it's weird that Savanna works with my dad at Boeing. There's just no way around that. Plus, I owe them some fried chicken. 

I hope Calah had an amazingly wonderful birthday even though she had to work and has an even better Seattle weekend~ Hopefully I'll get to see everyone, including Aya at The Rock on Sunday.

Why can't all my days be this good? I miss my friends... I should quit my job... :P

♥ Amanda Leigh

I decided to play around and try and work out a new recipe today. Pilsbury's Facebook page inspired me to try a new idea for leftover pie crust (yes, it is a problem) so I made up some homemade pie crust, cut it long ways and added some filling to make yummy little pie bars. I tried chocolate chips and apple sauce.

The chocolate chip were really good but they need something extra to combat the dryness of the pie crust. The recipe on the site had preserves so I will definitely add that next time.

Apple sauce didn't work at all.

Chocolate chip.

Apple sauce. It looked pretty but just didn't have any flavour at all. Next time I'll just make my own filling.

Not my prettiest of pie creations but anything to practice my crust! 

...I need a new rolling pin.

♥ Amanda Leigh

Soooo.... I haven't posted anything in a million years. I had a whole Valentine's Day post in the works but obviously that... isn't here. So a quick life update it is!

Valentine's Day was a really great day despite the whole being single thing! (I actually really like Valentine's Day so it's not a huge deal either way.)

I started my day off by checking out the school I want to go to in September. The Denton Massage School was my first choice considering it's only about ten minutes away from Stanwood, right on the bus line and looked really small and nice. I was TERRIFIED! After work I changed into real people clothes (Including the sweater Hana bought me for my birthday~~~ Sorry no picture! I was way too preoccupied trying not to run away and not go to the meeting.) and everyone was really nice to me despite my sitting in the lobby and shaking while I waited for Michi to show up with the car. I had never actually done anything like this before. Job interviews are one thing but this was school and something I really, really want to do. For me. I told everyone I knew I was going to screw it up somehow.

Robin told me the owner was going to tell me to go back to the Shire... Frodo.

-_-

But it went SO well! The school IS little but it's so pretty and clean and functioning and the owner must have known how scared I was because she treated me very carefully and kindly. Her name is Mary Rose and she owns the school as well as teaches and has been working in massage for "as long as I have been alive". She showed me around the school, gave me all the paperwork I needed to apply and get a loan and told me that she would send me more information and set me up to come in during a student clinic to check everything out. She even hugged me. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a rediculous bottle of nerves that needs Michi to walk her around and take care of her. Oh well. I can't wait! After going in I know this is where I want to go and I only have a couple things left to do before I can set it in stone.

God I hope this works.

Afterwards we went to the thrift store down the way a bit and Michi found a friend for Sieben... This is Sato M. Teiji. He's a Professor.

We grabbed Adolfo and Ross and ran off to Marysville to see The Woman in Black. It's sort of a Valentine's Day tradition to go see a scary movie and I really wanted to see this one.

Adolfo won what appears to be... purple pollen.

The movie was really great! Damn the ending but it was the right one for the movie so I guess I have to accept it. And as for Dan Radcliffe playing a role that wasn't Harry Potter? I completely forgot about five minutes into the movie. He was really great.

Since Valentine's Day the Dir en grey concert I was excited about has been canceled because of Kyo's health reasons. I've finished the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels (I am OBSESSED!) and Castle in the Air by Diana Wynn Jones (Just as good as Howl's Moving Castle) and finally beat my Pokemon game so maybe I can get back to my real life. Work has been work. Tiring and hard, but good hours as usual.

Lately things have been pretty tame but I am looking forward to things coming up. This month I plan to see a lot of old friends that I miss, work on everything I need to get done to start school and the apartment I'm saving for.

Oh, and just a little tiny thing I found out about yesterday...



MOI DIX MOIS IS GOING TO BE AT SAKURA CON JFKALHGOUAPIO!!!




*DIES*

♥ Amanda Leigh