Konnichiwa Adventures: September 2013

Note: Rumor on the street is that some (all/most?) people were no longer receiving the e-mail notifications when there was a new blog post. If this is/was happening to you, I'm really sorry - I tried to fix it, and hopefully it's working now.

Ahhh, where to begin?

We took our first "real" trip back to the States during the kids month-long natsuyasumi (summer break) and had a fabulous time. To be honest, I was a little worried about 2 things: 1) we were traveling to many places and seeing many people (6 places in 4 weeks with 2 kids) and I was a little concerned that it would be more tiring than enjoyable, and 2) that the kids wouldn't want to come back to Japan after having so much fun in the US. I was wrong on both counts - and quite happy to be wrong as well!

I did the international flights (in BOTH directions) by myself with the kids - which was actually no problem because the kids are such good travelers (even when I was deathly ill on the flight back to Tokyo and the kids were basically on their own), BUT I still enjoy giving Kevin a hard time about it. Seriously, I'd love to fly with 2 small children for hours and hours and hours in ECONOMY while you enjoy hours and hours and hours of solitude, movies, food, drink, and sleep in BUSINESS class. Of course, that sounds like a great deal to me. Please, please, please let's do it that way.

But alas... Kevin spent almost all of his California days working (we arrived a week before he did), joined us for the Chicago portion of the trip, and then the kids and I headed to the Carolinas while Kevin returned to work in Tokyo. So, it was technically a "work trip" for him and 100% play for me and the boys.

Prepare yourself for a "photo post" rather than any significant insights about our trip "home."

First Stop - California: LA, Tahoe, and Fremont

Highlights of our California Adventures:

Being able to spend some quality time with Mickie - she always takes such good care of us (just as she did for Jas).
Our first LA Galaxy game!!!!
Having Dan join us for our day at Disneyland's California Adventure with our main goal of exploring CarsLand!
After a full month in the US, we asked the kids what their favorite food had been. Their somewhat surprising answer: The Turkey Legs at Disney!
Roadtripping to Tahoe with Uncle Scott

And one of the boys' favorite things to do was to speak Japanese to each other, loudly and animatedly, EVERY SINGLE TIME we were in the hotel elevator and watch the other people's reactions. Seriously, every time, and they cracked up every time, AND truth be told, it really wasn't all that funny... (except to them, of course)

Playing in the woods and river behind our Tahoe house
Spreading Jas' ashes at her favorite river spot in Tahoe
A family BBQ at Dennis, Jo, and Kim's... and fun playdates, too.
Rock climbing with Dan and backyard obstacle courses...
Teaching a Japanese class at the kids' old preschool in Fremont

My heart warmed when the teacher was explaining why we had moved to Japan and Ethan interrupted her to say "because we wanted to have a family adventure." [The brainwashing is working...]

Playdates with Fremont friends (for Mom and kids)
Some quality friend time for me, sans kids - priceless!
Quality time and sleepover with the Spivey Five - and getting to meet little Shemar for the first time...
Lots of time in swimming pools
Driving a car!!! And listening to NPR while driving...

Yayyyy LA Galaxy!

Hanging out in Mickie's pool...

Dan's Famous Ninja Warrior Obstacle Courses... in Mickie's backyard.

Welcome to CarsLand!

Just like in the movie...

Getting on the Radiator Springs Racers ride... he rode it THREE times!

The Turkey Legs!!!

Fun times with fabulous people!!!

Hiking the Rubicon Trail with Uncle Scott...

Exploring the woods...

... and the river...

Jasmine's favorite spot near the river behind our Tahoe house...

The final resting place for Jas' ashes...

Tears were shed and stories were told...

FUN night with our Tahoe neighbors!

Back "home" in Fremont...

The boys always feel at home at Dennis, Jo, Kim, and Dan's

Rock climbing with Dan - Ethan made it all the way to the top!

Park Playdate with our Fremont friends - SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Ethan and Ryan "teaching" Japanese to their old pre-school...

Reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar in Japanese...

Spivey Sleepover!!!!!!!
Love this family - if only we could convince them to move to Japan...

Makes my heart sing to see these boys - and especially their extra-special Mom!

Next Stop - Chicago

A dentist visit for the boys - thank you, Dr. Seidman! We have a dentist in Japan, but it's definitely comforting to get a second opinion in ENGLISH!
Hangout time with fabulous friends from IMSA - thank you for making the time to hang out. I loved every minute!
And a fun-filled night with Laura Lam - the time was far too short but thank you for making the trip and the time!
Quality time with Grandma and Grandpa on an assortment of Ethan and Ryan adventures (while I was feeding my soul with friendship)
Spreading Hibachan's ashes (and Grandpa Fukuyama and Yuki) in Lake Michigan
Fishing with Uncle Kenny in Lake Michigan... easiest fishing EVERRRR...
Kevin joined part of Boys' WEEK - somehow that always seems to work out for him...

Awwww... the boys and the Chicago skyline...

What a smile for Dr. Seidman!

Adventures with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunty Susan

Who can resist an Al's Beef - dipped, with peppers, and fries? Ethan ate a WHOLE Beef!!!

In Lake Michigan - spreading Hibachan's ashes, along with Grandpa Fukuyama and Yuki...

FISH ON - Ethan's first catch...

Kevin's pride and joy...

This fish was almost bigger than Ryan, but he reeled it in like a pro!

Our catch! We took some home and had a scrumptious fish dinner!

Uncle Kenny, showing off his Captain skills!

Last Stop - The Carolinas

The Cabin - Saluda, North Carolina

A GREAT time with Little Cousin Leah and Annie... and celebrating Annie's birthday with a wildflower cake...
So much food that I can't even begin to list it all - but milk toast was a highlight...
Lots of ping pong
A lucky chance to visit with LibraryAnn (and eat BBQ)
One of my favorite experiences - getting up at 4 AM (thanks for the wake-up call, Dad) to lie on sleeping bags on the deck and watch the shooting star show with Ethan, Ryan, Papa and Rosie. And the Deep Thoughts from 5 and 7 year olds, inspired by such an event...
Playing in the creek... several times

Several months prior, Ryan had seen a short article about a salamander in a wildlife magazine, and insisted that he wanted to catch one. Having ZERO idea where to catch a wild salamander in the urban jungle of Tokyo, I convinced him that we would do that at the cabin in Saluda. I wasn't convinced myself, but it bought me some time and I figured we could at least get an A for effort on trying to catch a salamander.
Let me just say, within 5 minutes of being at the creek, Ryan had not only found a salamander in the water, he had also caught it by himself with a butterfly net. I swear this child is the nature-whisperer... He was thrilled and the salamander led a captive life for about half a day until Ryan decided to let him go home to his salamander family...

Hiking to Big Bradley...
Strolling through downtown Saluda, eating at Wildflour Bakery...
Ziplining through the Green River Gorge with my Dad- the fastest zip in the US. This was waaaaaay better than my previous ziplining experience in Dominican Republic. Both peaceful and exhilarating. I'd highly recommend it.

The serenity of storytime in Saluda...

Annie's wildflower cake

Little Cousin Leah is a crack-up - we had such a fun weekend catching up with her...

Spreading the last of Jas' ashes at the Family Dog Tree at the cabin...

Hana-chan, or as Leah nicknamed her, Flower Power.

I don't even LIKE cats and this one, I adored - how cute is she?

Big Bradley...

The overlook at Big Bradley Falls

Awwwww... so cute...

Not quite so cute... but still pretty funny.

Not cute at all - but oh-so-funny!
(Sorry Mom, I couldn't resist)

Playtime in the creek - Ethan spent the whole
time throwing rocks at the waterfall and Ryan spent the whole time
searching for critters...

Preparing to zipline the Green River Gorge in Saluda

My dad all harnessed up for the zipline adventure...

Lookin' good, Dad! Was a grand time - thanks for suggesting we do it!

South Carolina:

Lots of quality family time, pool time, and FOOD!
Some good sibling time with Mike and Brad...
We met our 10 month old niece / cousin, Lucy Kate, for the first time - what a cutie!
Lots of time with Papa and Rosie's little kitten, rescued from the woods. The boys named her Hana-chan.
Seeing the movie, Planes, IN ENGLISH!!
A beach day - with dolphins swimming about 30 feet from us...
An eco boat tour through the intra-coastal waterway where we saw dolphins, crabs, and such...
Cruising in the cool cars - my dad's '65 mustang convertible and Uncle Brad's orange '72 Cutlass, the "muscle car" used in his feature length film, Warrior Road (http://www.ridewarriorroad.com/). Check out Brad's film - his talent is amazing!

Ryan's constant refrain during these 2 drives - "This is AWESOME!"

Cousin time - a chance for some serious cousin bonding since we hadn't seem them for 2 years
The Cousin Birthday Party! It was no one's birthday. so we pretended it was every one's birthday - complete with bouncehouse, BBQ, balloons, cupcakes, and presents... not bad considering it wasn't actually anyone's birthday.