Simple, Quiet, Relaxing

Eri and I went on an actual date today.

Whenever we have special time like this we often do the same things; run errands, have brunch at Flat White, do a little shopping at Tapio. We always have a great time doing those things, but today Eri suggested we do something different.

Our first stop was the Sendai Agricultural Gardening Center. We'd been there once before. It's kinda like a farmer's market combined with a garden park. It's simple, quiet, and relaxing - a great place to just walk around and smell flowers.

They have a cafe. Eri got a fig parfait. She gave me a couple of bites and man I love Fig Newtons but this was next level figgy goodness. I got a chestnut gelato.

We just walked around smelling flowers.

And taking a few pictures.

The autumn theme they had going on was dinosaurs and other animals fashioned out of dried sheaves from the local rice harvest.

They were pretty fantastic. Eri and I just kept saying how much the boys would love them.

But today was just for us. At least for a few hours.

Auntie Grace babysat today. About once a month she generously comes over and plays with Kenzo and Osamu and they love it. Today she spoiled them with early Lego Christmas presents. Eri and I are spoiled by the time we have to go out and just be a couple.

After enjoying flowers and extinct reptiles made from rice farming detritus, I proposed a yakiniku lunch and Eri was all in. Nothing fancy. Just a lunchtime barbecue place we like on Route 4 which happens to be on the way home. One of those places that you can smell when stopped at a light and wish you were at.

The boys napped and Eri sewed while I went on a good long afternoon walk. Eri gets orders for handmade bags via her growing online business, so she had work to do.

When I got back it was time to do Sunday afternoon playing in the street. There's almost always at least one neighbor kid who joins us. I love that our street is filled with kids about the same age as the boys.

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