On Our Way...

We began our journey with a tearful goodbye to our families. I didn't think I would get so choked up when saying goodbye, but when I hugged my brothers for the last time, I realized how much I'd be missing while I'm gone. The next time I see Josh, he'll most likely be taller than me! He'll begin his middle school years without me. We started school at the same time- his going into kindergarten and my going into the 8th grade. We always joked that maybe he'd have me as a teacher when he got into the 8th grade, and now, that will never be.

But as Mike and I made our way through the frenzy of security checkpoints and found our gate, my sense of loss was slowly replaced with a sense of excitement. We were actually on our way! Months and months of anticipation and preparation and here we were, awaiting the plane to begin our adventure. Included in our trip was a one night layover in Seattle. We decided to make the most of it and stayed at the Hilton with dinner at the Space Needle--very nice, very pricey, but very worth it. The restaurant was at the top of the Space Needle and slowly revolved to give you a 360 degree panoramic view of Seattle. We even got free dessert because our waitress thought we waited too long before she took our order!

The next morning, we were at the airport by 3:30am, but didn't actually board the plane until several hours later. Why we were required to be there so early, I'll never know, but it was interesting to see how so many people can just pick a spot on the floor and sleep in a public place. The plane ride wasn't bad at all. I slept most of the way, waking up every once in a while when the meals came around. Mike kept busy with his brand new PSP. I had doubted the practicality of getting such a thing, but in the end, it turned out to be a lifesaver for him.

We landed at Yokota Air Force Base fourteen hours later. From there, a bus took us to the Navy Lodge in Yokosuka, our home for the next few weeks. The trip took a couple of hours. Once we were checked into our room, we crashed for the next few hours. Even though our room had a teeny-tiny kitchenette, our dinner that night was pizza delivery. Although we were in a cramped and impersonal Navy Lodge room, it felt good to finally be in Japan. It can only get better from here...