Up, up and away....

for my second trip to Okinawa and more importantly to be with Tosha, Austen, Niki and our newest grandchild Cooper.

It started a little rocky when a light malfunctioned on the plane after we were loaded in LA.  We had to sit at the gate for 2 hours before it was repaired and we were cleared to take off.  That meant I landed in Tokyo 2 hours late which made my connection to my Okinawa flight impossible.  The airline was great and soon as we walked off the plane, they gave me a revised flight which meant I was arriving in Okinawa about 2 1/2 hours later.  Now the only problem was letting Tosha know.  For some reason in the running around the airport in Tokyo, even connected to the airport WiFi, I never was able to find a spot with actual internet so my messages on messenger and emails never got sent. I was reassured because when I got to my gate, it had a big sign advertising on-board internet...but wouldn't you know it---it was down for the entire flight.  Then I realized that I didn't have phone numbers for Tosha or Austen in Okinawa so if they weren't there I had no way to reach them.  That wasn't the most reassuring thought!

In Tokyo

I was so happy when I came into baggage claim and saw Austen and Niki through the glass windows. Tosha saw me first and she looked as relieved as I felt to see me. They had waited in the airport for three hours with two little boys who were very ready to go home.  When I didn't arrive at the expected time, Tosha had called Gary (4 a.m.).  Fortunately the last message that got sent was one I sent to him from the plane saying we were stuck in LA for a repair.  He knew that we were about 1 hour late at that time and so they decided to wait for the next few planes coming in from Tokyo.  It was so great to finally be together and NOT in a plane or an airport.  From boarding the plane in Salt Lake to arriving in Okinawa was about 25 hours this time.  Three thoughts on traveling: 1.  Make a plan to contact if internet fails; 2.  I am getting older and sitting makes me very tired. (It was nice to be able to watch TV shows and movies during the flight.  I watched Moana and Hidden Figures which are two movies I wanted to see but never got around to it.); and 3.  I am amaze to think that I did this with four young children--and no TV and movies to keep them entertained.  I must have been nuts.(ANd my friends who did the back and forth for years, my hat is off to you.)

The ability to fly across the ocean is really quite amazing.  How lucky we are to live in this day!! And how great it was to hug this part of my family after not seeing them in person for over a year.  It was fun to be back in Okinawa.