December was a whirlwind of action with 3 wonderful visitors, a trip to the beautiful beaches of Thailand, and then back to cold, snowy Japan for some skiing. My brother was the first visitor, and unfortunately I had to work a lot during the time that he was here. We managed to go to Sendai and we both saw Matsushima for our first time. Erin came next and we went to Sendai and also spent 9 wonderful fun-filled days in the Krabi/Railay area of Thailand. It was a fantastic trip, and felt great to once again be in the sun and surrounded by smiley, open people. The food was an explosion of flavor and freshness in my mouth- and although I do love Japanese food, it was a nice change. Upon our arrival in Japan we were met by my good buddy, Alan, a friend from the water polo team back in college. I had seen him only one time in the past 10 years and it was great to spend 12 days with him and catch up. Enjoy some of these photos and captions…


Here's my bro on his way to Japan, looking fresh as the morning sky! Ahhh what a refreshing plane ride!