Onsen Amy and Onsen Bobby

Bobby and I have given each other a whole new name to describe the relaxed state we're in after a dip in the "onsen" (or Japanese hot spring bath). I got to see lots of "Onsen Bobby" during his 10-day visit in March. We had a blast, just hanging out not doing much in Tokyo since he's already been here and done all the touristy stuff. We went to a Maid Cafe in Akihabara. These are places for comic book fanatics at which the waitresses wear French maid costumes. Bobby thought it was totally bizarre....It was a fantastic visit, as always. And most importantly, we got to spend our anniversary together. I can't believe it's been over a year since I spotted him across the room in a crowded Irish pub! We took a little weekend excursion to Hakone, a mountain town about an hour from Tokyo with tons of hot springs. Our hotel was right on a river and amazing. We were both so relaxed it was like we were on some kind of drug...Then for our anniversary, we had dinner at the New York Grill at the top of the Park Hyatt, one of the best restaurants in Tokyo. It was as if we were eating while looking down on the stars, that's how beautiful the evening was. I broke down again when I had to take him to the airport. That's a terrible feeling that I really don't know if I'll be able to handle much more. Next time we have to say goodbye, one of us is bound to run past security and get arrested. I just feel physically ill when we have to say goodbye...But now the countdown has begun again. I'll see him 4 weeks from today in NYC!!! Can't wait....I was thinking about it, and everyone here always says how hard a long-distance relationship must be. And sure, it's hard. I miss him all the time, but it would be so much harder not having each other. I think people my age are a little lazy about relationships. Bobby's grandma went away to be a nurse during WWII for something like three years and his grandpa in Ireland wrote her letters every day and waited for her and when she got back they were married and together until they day they died, just months apart. To think of Bobby flying around the world twice, to see me, harks back to some Humphry Bogart movie...with frequent flier miles.