Ryoko vs Some Old Scientist Guy

         I have been brought to task for not including Ryoko enough in this blog.  I had assumed that people were following my beautiful bride on Facebook, so I put my attention on the Lad and other issues around Japan.  I am sorry and hope that this post makes up for the oversight.  If you could stop texting me hourly, I would appreciate it, the lack of sleep is starting to make me hallucinate.  I just had an interesting exchange with Sir Isaac Newton, and though that may be cool, I just didn't enjoy arguing over the duality of light and quantum mechanics.  Apparently he has not kept up with his field. . .
I started off by asking Ryoko to tell me about her impressions of the trip so far, here is what she said:

-"This is the best decision we have made!"
-"It's not easy!'
-"I am happy that we are able to make ends meet here in Japan."
-"Was that Sir Isaac Newton or the mailman?"

So I think it is safe to say that Ryoko is satisfied here with Mom and home.
From my perspective, I would mirror those comments and add that this has been an excellent chance for me to learn more Japanese.  I certainly could not have even considered doing this without Ryoko.  She is an extremely reliable source of support, inspiration, and love for me and Yuta, even when she is mad at me (which happens far less than it should).  Each morning Ryoko gets up before anyone else and starts opening up the house.  This means that she has to go to the kitchen and start the kerosene heater, plug in the electric carpet, start the water to boil, make the tea, and get breakfast started.  We usually wake to find a warm, and inviting room to start our day in, all because she was willing to endure the coldest part of the day for us.
One of my favorite events this year was when Ryoko took us to Moriya to learn how to harvest rice.  We spent the day working in the fields, enjoying a festival, and eating well.  That night we went to a very nice bath (onsen) and slept in a mansion.  The next day was similar to the first with work harvesting rice and hanging it to dry.  It was during these two days that I learned how to make Nawa, increasing my manliness to unprecedented levels.  Thank you wife.  I have also seen Ryoko support Yuta and his enjoyment of Yu-Gi-Oh cards.  It was her idea to go with Yuta to Konami and see what he can learn there.  Yuta had a wonderful day and we even went back a month later for more games.  Thank you Mom.  Each night my bride makes sure that I have a dinner that I can eat, even if everyone else is getting something different ("You can be such a pain sometimes!" -Sir Isaac).  Thank you Ryoko.
So the purpose of this post is to acknowledge several facts.  The first is that Ryoko makes me very happy.  I only hope I do the same for her.  The second is that Yuta and I are very lucky to have her on our cases, the work is substantial, but so is the worker.  The final fact is that I do not deserve such a great wife.  Thank you Universe!