My journey home was uneventful, which is certainly a good thing. The flights were easy, and everything was on-time. The flight from Nagoya to Detroit was 11.5 hours. Boy, that's a long time on an airplane. It went by pretty quickly, though. My Mom and Dad were waiting for me when I arrived. I hadn't seen my Dad in nearly a year so it was certainly a joyous moment to be reunited with him. He immediately drove us to Texas Roadhouse because he knew the first thing his daughter would need was a big 'ole serving of red meat. :) It did not disappoint.
After arriving to my parents' house, I was able to meet my sweet and adorable new niece, Jensen. She is such a doll, and I was so grateful that Holli, Jonathan and all four of the kids made the trek down to see me as soon as I got home. It was such a fun and warm welcome back. My grandparents came over shortly after. I am beyond blessed, and I will never forget it.
I spent yesterday attending my childhood church, and I felt like I received a giant bear hug for two hours straight. It felt so nice to be in an American church, and the message was great. We've found a church home in Nagoya, but I still miss church at home so much. It was fun to see so many familiar faces and to see so many faces I have never seen before, too. It seems like everything changes and nothing changes all at the same time.
Yesterday afternoon, I also had lunch with two of my best high school friends, Amanda and Ashley. We stayed at the restaurant for over three hours, and it was so much fun to catch up with each other and to know that no matter where we live or how long it's been since we've gotten together, everything falls right back into place. I am so thankful for their friendship over the years, and we have shared some sweet memories together.
I'm sure you remember me talking about Christy and Tim's new baby, Sawyer. I got to meet him and spend last night cuddling and playing with him. Oh, he's such a doll and such a good baby. I love seeing Christy as a new mom and Tim as a new daddy. I am continually amazed by all things baby, and I can't believe all of the work and care that goes into caring for a new life, but seeing the look in Christy's eyes when she sees her son assures me it's all worth it. She is such an awesome mom and has transitioned into the role perfectly.
Skittle is great. She's fat, but she's happy. We've had a sweet reunion, and it will be so hard to say goodbye to her again. It's comforting to know that my parents love her, too. They have been so gracious to adjust their lives for us. I often give them a hard time because Skittle weighed 9 lbs. when we left and now weighs 12 lbs., but I am so thankful for all that they've done to help us with her. And, Travis' parents have always eagerly watched her for us when my parents travel. So, we're quite fortunate to have such a supportive family.
Travis will be coming home to join the fun next Saturday afternoon. He spent last weekend in Okinawa and ran his third marathon. I've talked to him a little bit via e-mail, and he told me that he finished the marathon in 3 hours, 55 min., and 53 sec. His goal was to finish in under four hours so I am very happy for him! We'll have to celebrate with some Taco Bell. :)
I'm sorry there are no pictures on this post. I left my laptop in Japan with Travis so I haven't had the chance to upload any pictures yet, but I will be sure to do that soon. Well, I should get going. My plan for the day includes a trip to Target with Christy and Sawyer, and I'm hoping to arrange a trip to Panera in there somewhere. May seem mundane to you, but you can't even imagine how much I've missed Target and Panera. I cannot wait!
