Leaving Japan

After two delays in orders, we finally got the real ones. We were supposed to leave in December 2006. Then that changed to March 07, but that was cancelled, too. I'm kind of glad though, I wasn't quite ready to leave. So, Jacob was able to finish the school year and we were able to play a little with our friends before we left. David went to Australia again for the month of July. We packed our house out on June 5th. Then we got the wonderful Navy loaner furniture. The house was empty, pretty much, and our stuff was on it's way. Then David left, and the kids and I tried to keep busy. They played out in the pool and we went on day outings whenever we could. We finally got David home and got everything done. The dreaded goodbyes came and went and we found ourselves getting on that airplane headed for the good ole USA. It was very bittersweet, all of it. I love our experiences in Japan, but we also missed our families and our country! Two of my good friends came to the bus to see us off on the morning we left. It's never been an easy thing for me to say goodbye to those I love, but this was not fun. I'm glad we drove away and I was in a seat with Jackson, because I put my head into him and cried for a while. It was hard to leave this wonderful country and the people and places we were used to, but even harder to leave those friends we made.

But after 9 hours in the air, we landed in Seattle, Washington. When we came off the plane and walked into the airport, there was a big sign that said, "Welcome to the United States of America." I'm pretty patriotic, but we didn't come back to the states the whole time we were in Japan, so this moment was emotional. For me anyway... :) The kids did great on the trip and there were no meltdowns! We got through the Seattle airport and then caught a connecting flight into Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a short flight and the kids were still doing just great. When we arrived in Salt Lake, David's parents were there to meet us, and they drove down in our new vehicle. It's a dream car, all about "Floyd" in another post!

Our first visit was to Tremonton, Utah. David's hometown. We were welcomed with the whole family! At one point we had over 30 people in the house! Aunts, uncles, and cousins were everywhere and our kids had a fantastic time. We got to go to Logan and show the kids where we were married, (see pictures). It was a great first stop on our new adventure.