In Osaka, and end of Leg 5

We are in Osaka, and at the end of Leg 5! I can hardly believe it! It seems as if this last Leg has gone by so quickly, and we have packed so much into these last 3 months! We left Hiroshima last week and arrived in Osaka on the 11th. We had one day off before our work days began, so Gillian and I went all around town via train and looked for places to buy food for the next leg. It was a bit disappointing, though, as everyone we talked to directed us only to little grocery stores that really didn`t have much, and definitely not in the quantities that we needed! So after a full day of looking around, unsuccessfully, we bought some groceries for dinner and the next day, ordered pizza for our two work days, and took the train back to the boat. Our work days went well, though. They were very busy, and stressful at times, but we got everything done that we needed to get done. A LOT of cleaning, shopping, stowing, re-organizing things, and just getting the boat looking good! It was hard work, and a ton of groceries to stow, but we did it! YAY! Only 1 more time we have to do this (in Hawaii between Legs 6 and 7)!

Karen had her 26th Birthday on the 15th, which was also another trainee`s 24th birthday (Scott), so I made a big breakfast in the morning (cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, with oranges) and then Karen`s requested meal for dinner (spaghetti, meat sauce with pureed tomatoes - not diced tomatoes! - vegetables, and caesar salad). Arwen made a chocolate cake, and Jacob and I made cream cheese icing. Karen really wanted a tomato soup cake for her birthday (apparently really good!), but unfortunately I could not find cans of tomato soup anywhere in the stores, so we had to settle for the next best thing - chocolate (which she likes almost as equally, or more)! We lit the 26 candles on the cake, sang happy birthday, and I gave her my present that I bought for her in Shanghai (a lovely dark navy/black wool coat, with toggles on the front, a hood with checkered lining, and perfect arm lengths for her arms)! She loved it! It fits her like a glove, and she was so completely excited and surprised by the gift. I may have been even more excited and thrilled to give it to her, but she was definitely so happy to receive it! It looks beautiful on her, and I can`t get over how perfectly it fits her - the right length and width and everything. And it suits her just perfectly as well!

For our one day off together, the day after Karen`s birthday, Karen, Sarah, and I spent the whole day at Universal Studios Japan, which is not as great as the original one in L.A., but it does have its own uniqueness, and it was quite fun - it even has a roller coaster, as small and short as it is, you get to pick your own song (out of 5 choices) to listen to as you are on the ride! Fantastic idea! My first time I listened to some Japanese pop song, and the second time I picked Bon Jovi! We are docked right across the street from Universal Studios Japan, so the Universal City train station is quite busy and filled with tourists all staying at the expensive hotels nearby, shopping, and visiting Universal Studios. It turned out to be a wonderfully sunny day. Although it was a Sunday, so it was quite busy, but it was open earlier and closed later, so we had more time to look around and spend in the park. We got there by 8:30am, a half hour before the gates opened, and stayed until 8:30pm after the final show of Peter Pan on the water, with all the big sets out on the water, complete with flying, fireworks, dancing, singing (all in Japanese!) and stunts. It was a wonderful time. We got to go on all the rides, see all the shows (Water World, Wicked, Blues Brothers, Backdraft, Peter Pan), and had a fabulous time together, just the three of us!

The following two days were spent shopping for more groceries, making a birthday dinner for another trainee (Sean, who turned 21 on the 13th - I made nachos for dinner), and then we had our big feast and Leg-End celebration on the 18th. It was a wonderful night spent with everyone for the last night all together, and Karen and Sarah did a fabulous job decorating the Hold and Fo`c`s`le (Re-named the "Hold Me Close Discotheque" and the "Fox Hole Lounge")! We had way too much food, the awards were hilarious, we each got two fortunes, and we ended the night with the slide show for Leg 5. There are many memories from this trip, and it was very emotional, as many people who have been on for so long (2 or more legs) are leaving us here in Japan. Karen was the hardest to have to say good-bye to, of course, and there are many trainees that I will keep in touch with and miss dearly. It was a great Leg, and I enjoyed it so much! Only 2 left, and the shortest 2 as well. We are on our way home now, officially, as we head East to Hawaii, and then Northeast to Beautiful British Columbia! Only 85 days away...

See Jeff arrive on the morning of the 19th was definitely a highlight! It was just as Karen and I had predicted! I was getting the table set up for breakfast (cereal, cold milk, yogurt, and oranges for the last morning), when I heard Karen yell down that Jeff was on his way! I ran up on deck, in my pajamas, Karen and I both jumped off the boat and ran, barefoot, to meet Jeff on the dock. He was running towards us too, threw his bags down and picked both of us up in his arms and spun us around! It was so amazing! I was crying, and Jeff was laughing. It was such a wonderful reunion! It`s amazing how almost 10 months can go by and when you see someone again it is almost as if you have not been apart at all, and yet it has been such a long time! Jeff looked great, as always; very healthy and fit, and we were all so ecstatic to see one another again! He brought gifts for Karen and I from home (Matt, Mom and Dad, Amy, Jamie and Judy, Erin-Marie, Ashli) but it was just so great to see him again in the flesh, that I was too excited to read all of the letters. Some of the best gifts received were the hairbrush, trail mix, almonds and raisins, lotion, body butter, lip balm, supplements for women, a book, newspaper articles, Matt`s cologne to spray on things, a postcard from Amy in Mexico, sesame seed snaps, two brand new clean t-shirts (one that says "I love Matt" on the front with a picture of the two of us, "And my crew too" on the back with a picture of me and my crew!), and a pillowcase that Matt made for me with a picture of him on the front, "I love you" written in a big red heart, and a picture of the two of us on the day we first met with "Est. 07-05-2005" underneath. So cute! (Thank you Matt, Mom and Dad, Jeff, Amy, Sonya, EM, Ashli, and Jamie&Judy!) The best gift by far was the DVD that Matt made for me for Christmas, which was lost in the mail sometime, somewhere in PNG, but he sent me another copy. It is entitled "The Date", and he recorded a full evening of him going out as if I was on the date with him! I will have to show it to all of you when I get home - it is absolutely amazing! I went on "the date" three times so far, and I will most likely go on more throughout the next 85 days! Karen and Jeff both saw it, as well as some of the crew, and they all really enjoyed it! I laughed, I cried, I smiled through the whole thing! It was the best gift ever!

So, Jeff, Karen and I spent the last 2 days together, morning until night! It was fabulous! We tried to go see a sumo match, but both days were sold out, so we went to downtown Osaka and up the tall tower there, where we had a beautiful 360degree view of the city, went out for Japanese food, went to Kyoto, saw some gorgeous temples and shrines, had a lovely walk outside down the old canal, walked down the busy city street and looked in the stores, went out for sushi, rode on the trains, subways, and buses, took lots of pictures, and just spent as much time together as we could! It was a wonderful 2 days, but they went by so fast! Now they are gone (they left this morning for Tokyo where they fly out of to Vietnam to start their 46-day tour around Southeast Asia). It was very sad to see them go, but I know they will have a fabulous trip together! I will see them again in only a few months, and I can`t wait! I wrote them both letters to read on the plane, so I hope they enjoy those. It will be very different without Karen around, but I think we will managae alright on the boat. We will miss her terribly, but we can support and look after eachother, and look forward to seeing her again! It was awesome to get to see Jeff again and spend time with him. Seeing him again was like getting a piece of home sent out to us; it was so refreshing! I hope they have a great time together on their trip, and I pray for their safety, enjoyment with each other, and safe and healthy travels back home!

Well, now I am all alone (not really, but without a real family member), and I am looking forward to these next two legs, the last 2 of Offshore! I can imagine they will go by quickly, and I am excited to be going back to Hawaii, and then coming back home! WOW! What an amazing year this has been, so far! I miss you all so much, and I am constantly thinking about what it will be like to return home and see everyone again. I hope that you are all doing well, and that school, work, family, friends, trips, and everything is being beneficial in your lives! I love you all, and I am thinking of and praying for you in all of you in the different areas of your lives. Take care, and I look forward to seeing you all in June! HAPPY EASTER! And welcome to Spring!

To My Dear Matt,
I miss you. I Love you SO much! I will be watching the DVD you made for me as much as possible! It is so great! You are an amazing person, and I am so incredibly blessed to have you in my life! You are perfect for me, and I can`t wait until we are together again! It`s going to be so wonderful! I get teary-eyed just thinking about running into your arms again, because you know I`m going to be running! Good luck with your last week of school, and try to not be stressed out over your final exam and writing your IP! You will be just fine; I know you will do great, you always do! I am so proud of you, for all that you do and for all who you are! Have fun playing squash, exercising, and enjoying these last few months without me. It will all be over soon...! I love you, Matt! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX:)

Love always, Sailor "popeye" Katie