Around Stateside, and Back Again

It has been 5 days and we are STILL dealing with a little jet lag.  But, what do you expect with a 3-year old?
Regardless, we have made it back to Japan and we are all in one piece....well, relatively speaking.

As anyone who knows me, or anyone that knows I am here in Japan...knows I have been ready to visit home for, well lets be honest...9 months.  Approximately the duration I have been here.
Not that I think Japan is a bad place to live, but simply put - - -
I miss my other life.

I guess you don't really realize how much you like, or love, something until you set it free - as the old saying goes. Which honestly until now - I thought was a load of hooey!  But I am now a FIRM believer in this little saying.
As from a previous post - you can tell that I was bewildered by all I had forgotten in America.  Everything from fast food (which here has a totally different meaning) to the wonders of a normal grocery store.  I caught myself driving on the wrong side of a parking lot once while in the US too.  Luckily, it was only a parking lot.  Speaking of that - I had forgotten how much SPACE there are in parking lots in America.  I know that sounds like - "Hey Yo, Jessica Simpson - what in the hell are you talking about."  But I am serious.  Parking here in Japan is like the scene from Austin Powers where he is trying to turn the golf cart around in that little hallway...slowly back, turn 1/2 an inch, change gears, forward. STOP! turn 1/2 an inch, change gears, reverse, STOP!  and on and on and on.  Seriously, I was so happy to actually TURN into a parking space, Stop and GET OUT OF THE CAR ON THE FIRST TRY!  When I got out of the car I had to stand back and make sure I wasn't taking up two spaces.

I also cannot express the elation while seeing some of my friends.  There were a few dinners to be remembered, a few cocktails that were LONG overdue and a few old stories that ALWAYS get brought up!  The feeling of warmth that spread over me was glorious.  Like an old T-shirt that you've had for years and every time you put it on...it fits you perfect.  Or maybe the warmth was all the cocktails???  Either way - cheers to all of you who made my trip everything I had hoped it would be!

And as with almost every trip I take, I ended up having to buy a new suitcase.  Usually it is because I buy too many things and they won't all fit into the luggage I brought.  But this time it was a truly warranted purchase...all the zippers on my biggest piece of luggage had somehow all broken.  And I mean BROKEN.  The only way for me to get them open and closed was to use a coat hanger...remember like back in the 80s when you'd wear the skin tight jeans and the only way to get them zipped was to lay on the bed and have your best friend stand at the other side of the bed and pull the zipper closed with a coat hanger???  Yes, the zippers were broken and probably for just that reason - trying to stuff that baby full and then zip it when it was    over capacity at is was!!!  But that led me to shopping, which led me to all the lovely stores I have so adoringly missed.  Which lead me to filling all remaining suitcases to coat hanger zipping capacity AGAIN!...even the broken one.  And yes, I brought it back to Japan because I had too much stuff to fit into the new one!!!
Don't you know my husband loves me for dragging that damn broken suitcase BACK ACROSS THE WORLD!  (love you honey!)

But alas, now I am back in Asia, and everything is exactly how it was when I left.  Which is actually a good thing.  God forbid ANYTHING had changed...then I would have had to start all over and re-learn everything I have already learned!  I think that might have led to a SERIOUS high-speed-come-apart!!!!

My son is happy to be back at school, his friends gave him the welcome of a King back from a long journey! His teacher said they argued over who was going to get to play with him first!!!
Which filled my heart...sad and a little evil, I know.

All in all, even the 24 hour trek to get home, as much as it completely takes its toll, is always going to be worth it.  The memories of watching my son get sick from the turbulence at 35,000 feet, the rude stewardesses (hey lady-not my fault you chose this job!), the crappy wine they serve, the jealousy that I am not the one in 'business class' snoozing away with a sleep mask, and the back and shoulder pains that last WEEKS after the trip...ALL WORTH IT, just to get to see a little bit of home!
Even if this one trip happens to be the only one I get until its actually time to move home - - - it was worth every cramped moment of the trip.

The day before we left my husband asked me if I was actually going to go back with him to Japan...I smiled half-heartedly and said Yes.  I mean what is 18 months to sacrifice for a lifetime of happiness? RIGHT?
(plus he said he would handcuff my son to him and swallow the key - if I didn't agree to come back! - SO...here I am!)

xoxo
Deeds

Rockin' America

I will start this by saying:
I LOVE AMERICA - I LOVE AMERICA - I L-O-V-E  AMERICA!
Now with that said, I continue.

If it is not obvious by the statements above, let me tell you - I have made it back to the States for a much needed visit!
Even though our trip started a little bumpy (Mom was stopped in the Tokyo Airport by security for having not one, but TWO pair of scissors in her carry-on!)  They took her aside and took down her passport number and all her informtaion.  It was a nice way to start a 24 hour journey.
But - we got all of the drama out of the way in the beginning and the rest of the trip was pretty much a breeze.
Well, I take that back - I forgot (conveniently) that I had one of the worst allergy attacks I've had since I was a kid.  That made for a lovely and pleasant trip at 35,000 feet!  But I was willing to endure anything to get home.

Safely at home and spending most of a full week suffering from jet-lag, I happened to be up one morning at 5:30 am and decided to wander into the closest Walgreens... I thought I had died and gone to heaven!
I know I looked like a big ole drugged out dork. Why, you ask?
I had on some crazy version of sweat pants and a T-shirt, hair all pulled up on the top of my head, no make-up and I was on about day 3 of filling myself full of Zyrtec and Benadryl to make the allergies go away.
Plus when I walked in, I got to about the middle of the store and just stopped.  Standing there looking around in COMPLETE awe at all the things that I can't buy in Japan!!!!!!!!

It made me realize how many uneeded and usless things I take for granted:
The 12 pack of utility scissors that you don't need but will buy anyway because it is such a good deal -in the clearance bin, only $5.  The 30 diffferent brands of soft drinks, vitamins that I'll never take but with labels I can actually read, the random isle of junk that lets you know what season we are in, trash mags  for only $3.95 (Japan price - $15), Wet & Wild .99cent trashy make-up in EVERY color and last but not least - - two-ply toilet paper!!!!And the list could go on and on and on.

So I stood there - taking it all in, enjoying the weird smell of cleaner and disenfectant mixed with air freshner someone had probably sprayed trying to figure out if they liked the smell enough to buy it.
But - I loved it!  I loved every weird minute of it.

If there is such a thing as heaven...I would have sworn that morning that I had found it. 
and I won't even tell you what I probably looked like when I walked into the Harris Teeter Grocery Store...


I'm enjoying the scenery,
Deeds