Adventures in Wellonsland: Everyone looks forward to June

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how much I LOVE JUNE!! The kids (of course) are super excited for the end of school - can't say that I blame them for that. I too look forward to summer "vacation."

Of course end of school means PCS season is now in full swing. All the kids will of course have some friends move so the first part of June is full of "last" moments. Lucy decided to ease the pain by having her friends at the house for pretty much every waking second until the day before we left. Thankfully the kids are all super nice and with the exception of one ill-advised incident involving the making of caramel in my kitchen after 11:30pm - a good time was had by all.

One of Ben’s best friends is moving this summer. This one is really going to leave a mark. We had many many epic ski trips with this family. Fingers crossed we can do it again when we are back in the states next year!

Bye Blake! We are going to miss team Nestor!

Of course Lilly's goodbye might be the most tearful since her boyfriend graduated and she left for the summer a few days later. By the time we get back to Yokota, he will already be in the states gearing up to go to college. Soo Sad!

On June 9th, the kids and I started our trek to the States. Jim saw us off at the airport shuttle on base along with a few friends that will have moved before we get back. I had been working so hard these last few weeks to avoid confronting the sad reality of all these people moving and the impact it would have on us. Today it hit home, and I was a mess for most of the ride to the airport.

We arrived at the airport with SEVERAL hours to spare before our first flight. Our itinerary was kind of painful in that we had two layovers in Canada, the first in Vancouver and the second in Toronto. But first we had to get through security with Ben. He is pretty much 0 for 6 in clearing security in Japan the first time. Many, many, many times he has forgotten he had packed scissors, pocket knives, etc. in his pack. Today he was full of confidence, it was misplaced. He got flagged for liquids in his toilet kit. Not sure why he felt the need to bring a full size bottle of mouthwash with him at all, much less in his carry on. That being said, he should be good to go with the rest of the trip.

A few days before we left, Lilly sprained her ankle and we were worried that her slow gait would be a problem at the airport. We decided to borrow a wheelchair. WOW! Game Changer!! We were immediately given red carpet treatment. The kids have decided that someone has to be in a wheelchair every time we travel from now on.

The first flight from Tokyo to Vancouver went smoothly enough, although the plane was almost totally full! The last two years we have been spoiled - the planes have been nearly empty, plenty of room to spread out. With Japan slowly opening up for tourists, those days are over.

Our next flight was to Toronto and that is where the wheels fell off. Our original itinerary had us with a short layover and then arriving in Dulles by 11pm. However, after we cleared immigration (again?) in Toronto we discovered Lilly's suitcase didn't get loaded onto our flight. By the time we got that all sorted out our connecting flight had been canceled and then our rebooked flight to DCA was cancelled and so we were stuck in Toronto for the night. If that wasn't bad enough, all the hotels were booked and so we were forced to spend the night in the airport. Trust me when I say that I am simplifying this PAINFUL process for you, lots of hours-long waits in slow moving lines with a bunch of mad travelers. We tried to make the best of it, but were happy to be booked on the first flight out in the morning to Dulles.

The next morning after having yet ANOTHER discussion about the status of Lilly's bag (still not in Toronto even though we had be assured it would be), we set about finding some breakfast and decided that the Toronto airport had to be one of the worst run airports in the WORLD! One good thing happed while there, I got my 600 day streak on Duolingo! Sadly, after 600 days, my Japanese is still quite rudimentary 😞 although I am able to pick out a few words/letters here and there.

Finally time to get on the plane! This time not an AirCanada flight! Lilly was promised that her bag would be waiting for her at the baggage carousel in Dulles, but since we are no longer on an AirCanada flight (now United) I have serious doubts about this. We now have two lost baggage claims in the system, one from AirCanada and one from United. She may never see her bag again.

Canada wasn't a total bust. Lucy did get this cool sweatshirt but we weren't really feeling the love. I think she was just happy to get a doughnut from Tim Horton's.

As predicted Lilly's bag WAS NOT waiting for us in Dulles. UGH! United has no idea where it is, but AirCanada tells me it will be delivered on Monday in Swansboro 😐. Despite that hiccup, we pressed on to pick up the rental car and head to Deltaville to visit with Jim's sister and parents after a quick stop by Target to pick up some "essentials" for Lilly.

Jim's sister Lindley is always so generous and we really appreciated her hosting us for two days while we adjusted our clocks to East Coast time. Time on the river is always great!

We made it to Swansboro a few days later and then immediately drove up to Chapel Hill for a college tour. We luckily got a tour guide who was from China and quickly bonded with the girls over a shared love of overseas convenience stores (7/11's)! It was a quick trip (up and back) but Chapel Hill made a good impression on both of them which was my selfish wish. I would love for either of them to apply!

Baby Duck Whisperer

First thing the kids wanted to do when we got to Swansboro was to hit the beach! Lucky for us the day we picked was PERFECT!! Crystal waters with waves just right for riding. We spent several hours relaxing and of course getting more sun than we should have.

The next day we decided to do our annual trip to Onslow Beach to find shark's teeth with my sister. Onslow Beach is known for having GIANT shark's teeth, sadly we have never found one there and this year was no exception. We, of course, did find teeth and some shells to add to our collection.

The college tours continue! The kids and I drove up to Williamsburg to check out William and Mary. Pretty much everyone in Jim's immediate family (except Jim and MC) attended. Fun Fact - William and Mary is the second oldest institution of higher education in the US and the 9th oldest in the English speaking world!!! I knew it had historical significance, but was totally blown away. Our tour guide did a really great job of relaying all the history but was able to tie it into how William and Mary will contribute to our future as well.

After the tour, we got to have a bonus tour headed by Gaga and Mamama! They showed us all the things that the "official" tour left off! And of course no trip to Williamsburg is complete without a visit to the Cheese Shop!

While the kids and I were living it up in NC, Jim was holding down the fort at home in Fussa. Since I was gone, he had to step up his commitment to take Wesley for runs. Several times they went down to the Tama River to take in the sights (and maybe chase a few stray cats 😬 much to the local's chagrin).

Yoshi has been getting plenty of love too. Don't worry. Although, while I am gone, Jim allows Wesley to sleep in the bed with him. Yoshi has to find alternate accommodations. Don't worry Yoshi. When I return all slights will be rectified.

Jim has been keeping busy - never fear. He will tell you he misses us, but we aren't convinced. He recently purchased a new road bike and has taken the opportunity to get some miles in.

He is also doing some traveling! One such trip took him back down to Okinawa. So don't feel too sorry for him. He was able to visit our old haunts and even ran the Stairway to Heaven a few times while he was there!