A rose by any other name....

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose,

By any other name would smell as sweet."

-William Shakespeare

Frankly Mr. Shakespeare, I could not disagree with you more. A rose called a shploppy would not smell as sweet.

Chips and dip

Labels are very important. Children are the masters of labels, You could call it an umbrella .... or you could call it a rain force field. A blanket becomes a protector, a teddy bear becomes a friend. These labels make children happier.

Ben and I have remastered the art of labeling things to make us happier. 

...Party!

Ben and I have very little money, but we have endless amounts of imagination, so are rich.

I was looking back at pictures of our first months here in Japan, we had a cardboard box we called our table. We did upgrade our box, because one of us (Katie) spilled ketchup all over it, which made it really gross. We have a short coffee table, in our house, which aside from our bed is our only furniture. I am glad we have something better to eat on then a cardboard box, but I am also glad we stopped furnishing our apartment after that.

We have so much less stuff in our lives then we did back home, but we do not feel less fulfilled. We've spent most of our money here on experiences, and we've had a remarkable year.

My life tip:
Live below your means when it comes to objects so that you can live above your means in experiences.