Today marks the 11th month since Reiko and I started talking.

This relationship has moved pretty quickly at some points, and a few times I was even wondering whether I was getting in over my head.  As with all relationships, I’ve made my share of mistakes.  The thing I try for the most is to ensure the same mistakes are never repeated.

Reiko and I knew that this long-distance relationship would not be an easy thing to deal with sometimes.  The time differences means that we might not always be able to talk to each other, and the costs to visit from one country to another makes regular visits quite cost prohibitive.  Through all this, she and I have perservered.  Because of our will, we are now planning a marriage.

I feel really lucky to have met someone like Reiko.  I know that sometimes we’ll have different opinions about certain subjects and matters, and this will (hopefully) allow us to find a balance and build a common ground.  One of the things I’m going to work really hard to prevent is a lack of communication because of differing opinions on matters.

Today has been pretty good, for the most part.  For the last several hours, Reiko and I have been at her parents home preparing foods for the New Year celebrations.  Some of the foods remind me of things that I used to eat at family gatherings, and others are quite new to me.  I know it’s been said many times before, but I really enjoy the food in Japan.  It’s even been said that I’ve lost weight in the last few days (w00t!)

Since I currently have some down-time, I think I’ll upload some more pictures to the gallery.  Be sure to check out the “New Years 2006″ album.