2 Miles and 4 Feet from Home: Home Sweet Home!

Finally today is the day we head home. While we still have colds they seem to be getting a little better as of this morning. We set the alarm for 4AM and were already down in the lobby by 4:30 to grab a take away breakfast and grab a cab to the airport. We arrived at the airport at 4:55 and as I should have guessed the lines were already out the door. We were able to make it inside and then Lyn had to pay a travel tax to be able to leave the country and we both had to pay a terminal fee. These were small amounts for sure but it does seem like they always have to get you for something. Once we were done with that we got in the Delta line and made it through in about 20 minutes. Then we had to go through Immigration and then finally through security. We made it to our gate with time to spare so overall it was a good experience. Our first flight was to Tokyo and would be just under 4 hours. As luck would have it Lyn got to sit next to an older lady that spoke Ilokano. (Her native language.) It was nice for them to be able to chat she found out that she would be sitting with us again on the long NYC flight. I noticed that Lyn was helping her with everything. Showing her how to use the video controls making sure she had everything she needed and just talking with her in general. She later told me it felt like her Mom was with her on the flight. God works in mysterious ways, many we may not understand but we will always appreciate them. We arrived in Tokyo on time and had about a 45-minute layover. I enjoy walking in the stores here, as everything is different from home. Our next flight to JFK would be just under 12 hours. This is the one we both dreaded. It is hard to sit in those seats for that long but we were able to get up occasionally and walk around. If money was no object those 1^st class beds sure look good up front. But wait we did get to ride in 1^st class on the bus I guess that will have to do. After watching several movies and having several meals we finally landed at JFK. (One movie was especially good. It was called The Lunchbox. You can check it out here. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2350496/ )

We got off the plane and went through immigration. We both realized that this would be the last time that Lyn would have to do this using a Green Card. The next time we do this she will be a full on U.S. Citizen! The immigration officer was very nice which is not always the case. After we collected our luggage we had to recheck it to our final destination Raleigh, NC. My daughter Chelsea and son-in-law Justin were going to meet us their with our car and Jasper so we could drive straight from there. We had about a 3 hour wait for our plane but finally we boarded the final flight. Surprisingly one of our stewardesses was Filipino. She talked to Lyn in Tagalog and asked me if I knew any. Of course I used my handy dandy phrase “Hindi ko alam!” which means “I do not know.” Ha Ha. I did manage to say “Salamat Po” on my way off the plane, a very fitting way to end the trip. Justin and Chelsea greeted us and after getting our luggage we were actually driving our car on I-40 heading home. It seemed like we were flying going 70 miles per hour. After about an hour and 15 minutes we were home! It felt so good that we just sat there enjoying the moment. We went to bed about 1AM with the windows open and enjoyed the cool 68-degree temperature. It seems like a lifetime ago that we started our summer vacation with my Dad and Joanne. I would never have predicted when we were standing on the snowfields at Glacier Park that a week later I would be riding a trike in Solano Nueva Vizcaya. Life can sure throw you curves and difficult situations but as long as you have friends and family you can make it through just about anything. We were blessed in so many ways on this month long odyssey. So many people went out of their way to help us, gave us encouraging words or put us in their prayers. (Way too many to name here.) But from the bottom of our hearts we thank you all!!!!! Next years vacation?!?!!? Not sure yet but as long as I have Lyn by my side it is guaranteed to be an adventure! See you in the Bye and Bye!