A Glimpse of Heaven: What We Learned....

What do you think Heaven is like?  Everyone has a different idea of what Heaven might be like.  As a family, we were surprised to discover that Japan is the very essence of what we think Heaven is. Let me explain:

First, Heaven will be beautiful!  There will be landscaped gardens with flowers, trees, and waterfalls everywhere.

The gardens will be organized meticulously, since God is a God of order.  Maybe the gardens will contain a stone lantern here and there.  When we saw these in Japan, they reminded us of Christ and the scripture: "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

We will be friends with all of the animals and will be able to enjoy their beauty up close.  As it says in Isaiah, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb...and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." 

The glory of God will be present everywhere, shining on everything and everyone.

We can't imagine a Heaven without loved ones near!  Heaven will be a place where we can rest and enjoy the beauty around us with the precious company of our family and friends. Families will be honored and viewed as a sacred entity.  

Many, many times strangers would approach us and call me a "queen" for having so many children.  They would bow to us to show our large family honor.  Families are held in great esteem in Japan and Heaven will be the same way.

The community or society in Heaven will be made up of people who are moral and clean.  The old adage of "speak no evil, hear no evil, and see no evil" will exist in its purest form.  The people who live in Heaven will be honorable, possess integrity, and will be respectful to their fellow men. 
The Japanese people are the most Christlike body of people we have ever witnessed. Courtesy for everyone at all times is paramount.

They are also incredibly honest.  Examples of integrity were displayed everywhere and in everyone we met in Japan.  Not a day went by where we didn't see something such as a glove or a wallet atop a hedge or draped over a railing in the hopes that whoever accidentally dropped it would retrace their steps and find it.

We will have to have homes and buildings of some type.  Because they are in Heaven, the workmanship will be fine and strong.  They will be ornate and very detailed. 

The buildings will be beautiful and will honor God in the way they are built.  Is there work in Heaven?  I think so.  There is a sense of pride and honor in a job well done.  I can't imagine a Heaven where any work is done poorly.

Heaven will be absolutely clean!  After all, the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in an unclean place.  Just as people took off their shoes in the Bible before they entered a holy place, maybe will we do the same whenever we enter a building in Heaven.
In Japan, we saw many people mopping the streets outside their home.  Once, we saw a guy scrapping gum off the street.  We very rarely saw any garbage on the street or in the gutters.

And, of course, the food will have to be completely awesome!

 I think that the arts such as music, dance, and artwork will be plentiful in Heaven.

I think that there will be places of worship everywhere.  Worship will be a way of life, not something that is just done on Sunday. We will visit these sacred places often to pray and express our devotion to God.

When people ask me what Japan is like, I tell them that it's what our family imagines Heaven to be.

Because of this, we didn't want to leave.  Because of this, we are forever changed.  

When we started this journey, I had three goals for our family.  So, how did we do?  Let's look at the three goals again:

1.  I want us to become closer to each other.  We all just left our friends, our home, everything familiar.  We are going to be in a place where we will have to rely on each other in order to be able to take care of ourselves.  I hope that this experience will help us be closer to each other and fight with each other less.
One of the magical aspects of homeschooling is that your children become best friends.  I have witnessed this before, and it happened to my kids again.  They were kinder to each other.  I expected this.
The surprise was how we all understood our dad and husband better.  Japan became a part of Raymond during his time in Japan while serving his LDS mission.  The kids have grown up listening to stories of Japan, but only after living here themselves could they truly and completely understand their dad.
My love for my husband has become deeper during this experience because I had to rely on him to guide me through the culture and the language.  He was often my translator.  I am independent by nature, and for the first time, I was forced to completely trust him and rely on him.  He never let me down, and so my love for him deepened.  From this experience,  I also came to understand a part of his heart that I couldn't understand before our time together in Japan.
Japan was a part of Ray's soul because of his mission.  After this experience, it's now a part of each of our souls.  Our shared fondness for Japan binds us even tighter together as a family.

2.  I hope that each of you learn that "things" do not make you happy.  Each of you just packed up and left everything you own.  The only thing you have in your luggage is about a week's worth of clothes, a sleeping bag, your pillow pet, and your homeschooling supplies.  Will you still have fun?  Will you be happy in Japan?  I hope that you all learn that happiness lies within your attitude toward life and not in the things that you have.
The kids didn't have a lot of toys to play with in Japan.  Instead, we filled our days with adventures and experiences.  We were able to spend more time together as a family without the distractions of extracurricular activities, friends, and our possessions.  We learned that we don't NEED everything that we think we need.  Really, all you need is a place to sleep, something to eat, clothes to wear, an opportunity to learn and grow, and to be surrounded by the people you love and who love you.
More importantly, some of us learned that attitude really affects our happiness.  Two people can have the exact same experience, but our attitude towards that experience is everything when it comes to whether we are having a good time or not.  The trick to life is to enjoy the ride, ALL of it.

3.  I hope that each of us can find beauty in things that may not be familiar or "normal" to us.  Without ever even being there, I know that Japan has a lot of beauty.  I hope that we learn to find beauty in even the little things.
Before we went to Japan, the kids were much more picky when it came to food.  They would complain any time I made a new dish for dinner.  In Tayla's words, "Okonomiyaki changed that for me."  The children had a choice when it came to food in Japan: try new and weird looking food or starve.  None of them starved.  And, they are now much more adventurous when it comes to food.  But, there's so much more to our willingness to try new things than just food.  
Japan is SO DIFFERENT from America.  We were forced out of our comfort zone numerous times during our stay there.  We learned that it is o.k. to have fear, but that fear doesn't need to hold us back from living life.
We also learned that there is value in perceptions different from our own.  The people of Japan have such a different character than we do.  Their character comes from their long and rich history and their samurai spirit.  It comes from the mindset that life is to be lived with honor.  I think we discovered that there is beauty to be found when you genuinely try to understand others and respect who they are, regardless of whether or not you have things in common with them.

Here's what the kids have to say about what they learned and how they have changed from this experience:  

Caitlin: 

Before we left, I was really screwed up. That’s the best way to put it. I was self-conscious, angry at everything, irrational, and really depressed. And I had no testimony and felt that the LDS church was all lies and there was no way God was there, because I never felt Him helping me and guiding me. Throughout most of the Japan blog, my comments are very cynical and negative. I’m not there in half of the posts or photos. And that’s because I felt like I hated my family, I hated Japan and I hated myself. “Why should I get out of bed, let alone go explore Japan?” was my mindset. 
And then, I had some experiences that changed me. First, I went with our youth group to a member of the Seventy’s home, and he said some things that got me thinking and wondering whether or not God really was there.  
A month later Elder Ballard came and talked to our ward and he again got me thinking. I didn’t know what I believed, which I found frustrating. 
Two weeks after that, Elder Nelson came and talked to our ward.  Prior to the meeting, I made a list of all the things about God I didn’t feel like I had an answer to.  And it was a long list. And it made me really mad, because I am not the kind of person who is okay with having doubts, let alone a long list of them. So for the first time in months I prayed, and I told God if He was there and if He was listening, I wanted answers, and I wanted them that night, or I was done with anything to do with the church. And then I waited. 
When Elder Nelson got up to speak, he began to talk about one gospel topic for a little while, and then he’d move on to a different one. By the middle of the talk I started crying as I realized he was answering all the questions on my list in the exact order I’d written them down in. And there was no way he could’ve known that he was showing a fourteen year old girl sitting in the congregation, in desperate need of help, that her Father in Heaven was there for her and that He heard her prayer and that He loved her. It was a real miracle. And because of it, I’m a different person than the one who left for Tokyo. 
I really regret not enjoying the experience while I was there (yes, Mom, I said I regret it, you were right, I was wrong, I know), but now I’m really glad we went. Because now I am okay with myself, I’m happier, and most importantly, I know who I am: A daughter of a Heavenly Father who knows me, who is in the details of my life, who loves me. And Japan will always have a special place in my heart, because that’s the place where I came to know myself, and where I came to know God.

Tayla:   After going to Japan, I really want to go on a mission.  I had always considered it an option, but had never really thought about it before.  Before I went to Japan, I was super picky about food, and I'm still picky now, but not as bad as before.  Before, I refused to eat a lot of vegetables that now I really like.  I grew closer to my siblings.  I used to hate playing with them, but I was forced to play with them in Japan, and now I like playing with them.

Christopher:  I loved Japan, I really want to go back.  Before I went to Japan I thought America was the best country in the world.  In Japan, I learned how to act like Christ.  I was showed how to treat others the way we should treat them. While I was there my testimony grew.  Before I went, I did not know if I wanted to keep going to church.  I learned that I was suppose to stay in the church.  I think God sent the two apostles to get me back to the church.  While I listened to their talks the spirit testified to me that the church was true, and that I should stay in it.

Logan: In Japan, my testimony grew.  Before we left, I read the scriptures and said my prayers, but in Japan I did these things more often and made them a habit.  I also grew nicer.  I share more now because the Japanese people are so nice so it encouraged me to be nicer.  I want to go on a mission more now than I did before we went to Japan.  I want to experience more of Japan or of a different country.  I also want to teach the gospel.

Nathan:  I know some Japanese, like Arigatou gozaimas masta.  I like speaking Japanese, I miss it.  I want to go back to Japan.  I'm different because I like okonomiyaki, which is vegetables.  I didn't ever eat hardly any vegetables before.  I want to go to Japan for my mission because I love Japan and I like all of the things that I saw. 

Audra:  I've been in Japan.  Planes are in Japan.  We go on a plane and we get off and we are in Japan.  Japan is beautiful.  There are flowers everywhere.  I love the flowers in Japan.  I got my Hello Kitties there.  In Japan, I liked okonomiyaki, but now I don't.  I like the eggs in Japan.  I went on a train and when it was going, I said "wee!" and everyone was laughing.  I wonder when we are going back to Japan.

Things that we miss!:

apple honey curry * the metro * the shrines and temples * cherry blossoms * the cleanliness * the attention to detail and beauty everywhere you looked * the food * mochi * the gardens * the mountains * Mt. Fuji * listening to the Japanese talk * looking at all the really weird and really beautiful shoes on the women (us girls didn't really love shoes before, but we do now!) * the 100 yen store * rice fields * sleeping on futons * tatami mats * all the gorgeous dishes! * genkans * New Year's wreaths * electric toilets--especially the ones that were heated * being given slippers to wear whenever we went into a hotel or business * eating with chopsticks * bamboo trees * onsens * the Tokyo LDS Temple * deep bathtubs * plum blossoms * festivals * bullet trains * Calpis * oolong tea * miso soup for breakfast * Odaiba Island * seeing Tokyo Tower at night * sushi--cheap sushi * Japanese lanterns * Senso-ji * Lawson's apple juice * the Skytree * torii gates * pagodas * the smell of incense as we passed a cemetery * the tiles in the sidewalk with pictures of trees, cherry blossoms, or other flowers * ramen shops * Kit-Kats in all the fun flavors * yaki imo and the guy who sold them on the shopping street * pretty man hole covers * the candy store * when you buy something at the store, they wrap it up nice and pretty * looking at chopstick holders * the fake food outside of restaurants * kimono alerts! * how the women all dress nice and always look pretty * the 5 p.m. chimes * school kids in their uniforms and randoserus * carp flags and hina dolls * Pretz * kokeshi dolls * laughing at how different the Japanese McDonald's menu was from the American menu * all the cool sports cars * the Japanese work ethic * Japanese society's courtesy and politeness * the cute firemen and police * Japanese Cooking 101 videos * tile roofs * being safe no matter where we went * squattie potties (do we really miss those???)

Thank you, dear God, for this priceless opportunity!  We pray that we can someday return and live in Japan again.  It really is Heaven.  

The Friendship Doll

Saturday, March 5, 2016--We've been back in the United States for almost a year now.
It was hard to adjust to American life at first.  For the first few weeks, we caught ourselves bowing to the cashiers in check out lines.  We also caught ourselves speaking Japanese to people in stores.
It took me a while to get used to buying food here.  I would go to the grocery store and wander around in disgust looking for the real food.  The grocery stores contain aisle after aisle of processed "food" that comes in boxes and I just couldn't bring myself to buy that stuff for my family.  I would settle on frozen chicken breasts, eggs, rice, seaweed sheets, some fresh vegetables and fruit and then come home.  We had a very hard time adjusting back to the American way of eating.  Even a year later, we eat Japanese food about once a week, sometimes more.   It's healthier for you, tastes better, and doesn't leave us feeling heavy.
We miss Japan terribly.  The country, the culture, and the people became a part of our soul, somehow.  Each of us have a deep and abiding adoration for Japan that hasn't waned as we have immersed ourselves back into our lives here in the states.

A year ago, while we were in Japan, I read a book aloud to the kids.  It was titled The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson.  The kids and I really enjoyed this book!  It was one of those books that made you feel a little devastated when you read the last page.
This fiction book is about a Japanese doll named Miss Kanagawa and her adventures in the U.S.  This book became significant to us because Miss Kanagawa is a real life Japanese doll sent to America, along with 57 of her fellow ambassadors of friendship, in 1927.  We became fascinated with the true story of these dolls.  

In 1926, children in the United States decided to send 13, 000 department store dolls to Japanese elementary school children as a gesture of friendship.  Each doll had a passport, a steam boat ticket, and a handwritten letter.  After numerous farewell parties, the dolls were sent off to their new home in Japan.

The blue-eyed dolls were received in Japan in early 1927 to help celebrate Hina Matsuri on March 3rd.  Elaborate welcome ceremonies took place throughout Japan. Some dolls were cased in glass in elementary schools, others were given to children to take home and cherish.  

The people of Japan decided to return gifts as an expression of their appreciation for the wonderful American dolls.  About 2.6 million Japanese children contributed one sen (about a half penny) each to have some Japanese Friendship Dolls made for American children. The best doll makers were commissioned to make 58 dolls, each one representing a prefecture of Japan.  The dolls were about 3 feet tall, had real human hair, and were dressed in elegant silk kimonos. Oyster shells were crushed and mixed in with the porcelain used to make their bodies.  

Each doll came with her own lacquer chest, tea set, parasol, fan, tatami sandals, two lanterns with silk shades, lacquer vanity set with a comb and mirror, purse, six panel painted screen, steamboat ticket, and even a passport.

The dolls were received with fanfare and toured every state.  They eventually found homes in museums.  Each state received a Japanese doll.  Miss Japan found her home in Washington, D.C. in the Smithsonian.

Sadly, just 14 short years after America received the Japanese Friendship Dolls, Japan and the U.S. were fighting each other in World War II.  During the war, many of the Friendship Dolls were stored away, sold, lost or destroyed. Only one doll remained on display during WWII: Miss Kagawa (in the picture above), at the North Carolina State Museum of Natural History.  She was turned to face the wall during the war. A sign next to the doll read:

WHOM THE GODS WOULD DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD The Japanese made an insane attack upon the American Territory of Hawaii on December 7, 1941. With a grim determination we now are committed to stop for all time Japanese aggression. This has no bloodthirsty implications to destroy peoples as such. We still believe in peace and goodwill to live and let live. Men, women and children of Japan have this goodwill but they have now been dominated by ruthless leaders. Proof of such latent goodwill are the Friendship Doll Exhibits exchanged between children of the United States and Japan during 1926 and 1927 and shown as here in museums in both countries.

In the 1980's, efforts were made to locate all of the Japanese dolls.  To date, 45 of the 58 dolls have been found and restored.  

After we finished reading the book The Friendship Doll, we asked the Awesome Ladies at Work if they knew where we could see any of the American department store dolls.  The ladies knew of the dolls, and some of them remembered seeing a doll in their childhood schools.  However, they had no idea where we might be able to see one.  We continued to watch for them during the remainder of our time in Japan.  We never did come across any of the 1926 American dolls.  

We also researched the Japanese dolls in America.  In 1927, the state of Wyoming was given Miss Yamanashi.  Usually, she is not on display, but in celebration of Wyoming's 125th birthday this year (2016), she can be seen at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne.  We promised ourselves that when we returned to the states we would go and see one of these Japanese dolls.

Today was the day that we traveled to Cheyenne and paid a visit to Miss Yamanashi!  Hina Matsuri was 2 days ago, so it is fitting that we visit a Japanese doll today.

 The very first thing we did at the museum was find her.  We were pretty excited to finally get to see one of the dolls that we had spent a lot of time researching.

 Miss Yamanashi did not disappoint!  She is beautiful!

 According to the research we have done on her, she has 21 personal items, but none of it was on display with her except for her fan and purse.  Instead, she was shoved into a glass case with a rustler outlaw's cane, a 1920's letter from a princess detailing how much she loves Wyoming, and information on the Tea Pot Dome scandal.  Tisk, tisk.   At least she's out of storage and on display, though.

In Japan, the age of 88 is very important.  According to an old custom, people are celebrated on their 88th birthday with a simple sleeveless yellow coat and/or a yellow cap.  To celebrate the Japanese dolls' 88th birthday, special yellow "peace caps" were made for all of them.  Miss Yamanashi will wear her yellow cap until the end of the year.  In this picture, you can see her fan sticking out of the top of her obi.  You can also see her purse tucked in the belt holding her obi in place.

 I get a kick out of this picture!  After we looked at Miss Yamanashi, we moved on to the rest of the museum.  But, we kept coming back to inspect this special doll some more.  The kids found a dress up section and were decked out in Wild West costumes, but while they were playing cowboys they went back to say hi to the Japanese doll.  Love it!

 Miss Yamanashi is kneeling on a tatami mat.  Her obi was tied perfectly in a pretty bow in back.

 Before we left the museum, we spent some time sitting quietly with her.  There is a quote in The Friendship Doll that says:  "When the Japanese give a doll in friendship, it is bestowed with great meaning and honor...Even adults speak about dolls as though they were almost human.  A doll is not simply stored in a box.  She sleeps waiting for a child to wake her."  This may sound a little silly, but as we looked into Miss Yamanashi's eyes, we felt a quiet stirring inside of our hearts.  She seemed almost human.  She has an aura to her, a spirit.  She is very special.

As we got ready to leave, Audra waved and said, "Good-bye, konichiwa doll!"
How lucky we are to have been able to see Miss Yamanashi today!  Being able to visit her after reading The Friendship Doll and learning so much about the doll exchange between our two favorite countries was a fun experience!  We hope to be able to see more dolls in other states in years to come.

Slap in the Face

Waiting at Shinagawa Station for the train that would take us to Narita Airport

 Tuesday, May 12th,--Today is the day.  The day some of us have been looking forward to, and the day that some of us have been dreading.  It was time to go back to America.  Back home.  Only, for most of us, we have never felt more at home than we do in Japan.  Japan has become our home in every sense of the word.  The place where we feel accepted.  The society that matches our own philosophies for life.
We spent the morning finishing up the packing, bathing everyone, and getting the apartment completely empty.  The utilities were shut off one by one.  Instead of shutting off the utilities and sending you a bill later on like is done in the U.S., a representative comes on the day appointed to terminate the service.  He shuts the utility off and you pay him in full at that time and your account is closed.  It's a very slick process.  So, because of this, we had men coming to our apartment all morning to shut off our electricity, gas, water, and internet service and get the final payment for our accounts.
We also had to tie things up with our bank account.  Getting a bank account was kind of a big deal here.  Not everyone can get one.  Ray had to dress in a suit and tie when he went to apply for it.  The banks deny applications for accounts all the time.  We needed one because Ray was paid by direct deposit for his internship.  We wanted to close our account, but we couldn't because the owner of the building we live in needed to put our deposit back into our Tokyo bank account.  So, we had to leave the country with our bank account still open.
A man came to shut off the water and then knocked on the door asking for payment.  He didn't speak English and I don't know Japanese, but I knew what he needed.  He showed me the final bill amount, but I couldn't pay him because Ray had gone to the bank to get things taken care of there and he had all of our yen.  I tried to ask him to wait for a few minutes until my husband came back, but he didn't understand and thought I was trying to get out of paying him.  He became very irate and called our realtor, Okubo san, and was screaming at her over the phone.  He handed the phone to me and I explained the situation to her.  She told me that Americans are known for trying to get out of paying their bills and he that's what he thought I was doing.  I gave the phone back to him and Obuko san explained to him that Ray had our money and would be back soon, if he could just wait.  Within a couple of minutes, Raymond showed up and paid the irritated man.  I was embarrassed by the reputation of my country and how I was treated when he thought I was trying to blow him off and not pay our bill.
By lunch time, we were ready to go.  Okubo san came to get the keys and inspect the apartment.  Since it's being torn down we didn't deep clean it, but we did wipe things down and sweep.  She hugged us and bade us good-bye.  We knelt down in our empty front room and said a family prayer.  We thanked God for this incredible experience and asked for a safe return to America.  Then, we all loaded up with our carry-on bags and began walking to Ebisu Station.  (Our large luggage was picked up on Sunday by a delivery service and was waiting for us at the airport.)
We made it down to Lawson's and crossed the street.  Because we had spent so much time with Okubo san, we were a couple of minutes behind schedule and we were trying to hurry the kids along with their carry-ons and bags.  We HAD to get to Shinagawa Station by a certain time or else we would miss our train and then miss our flight.  We had to take the metro from Ebisu to Shinagawa, and if we had to wait for a train it would take even more time.  Ray just decided that it was too much for the kids to handle, so he hailed two taxis so that we could make up the time.  The taxis drove us right to Shinagawa and we were able to walk through the station instead of running and maybe even missing our train.
The train drove through Tokyo as it took us to Narita Airport.  We all didn't say much as we watched the city pass by us followed by the rice fields.
As we left the terminal and entered the jet bridge, three beautiful Japanese flight attendants bowed to us and wished us a safe journey.  We bowed back and fought back the tears, knowing that this was probably the last time we would bow to someone in greeting.
We got settled in our seats on the plane and took off into the blue sky, heading east toward America.  We should have been excited to go home, but instead we felt like we were leaving home.
The flight attendants were Japanese.  Their hair was up in a french twist.  Their make-up was perfect.  They were dressed in blazers, skirts and heels.  All of them wore pearl necklaces.  They looked professional, fresh, and refined.  Flawless.  They bowed as they served us dinner, and bowed again whenever they came by to see if we were comfortable.
One by one, everyone started to fall asleep.  I had a window seat, and Tayla was sitting right in front of me.  As I was looking out the window and crying, I realized that Tayla was still awake and was also crying.  I reached up and held her hand.  We sat like that for hours, both of us looking out our windows, holding hands, and crying our eyes out.
Tayla eventually drifted off to sleep and I was left alone.  I was too upset to sleep, so I just continued to look out the window.  As I did this, I witnessed a truly majestic sight.  As the plane sped east, the dark night slowly began to turn into dawn.  At one point, to the right was complete darkness full of stars and to the left I could see the sun peeking over the earth as dawn approached.  It was a truly heavenly experience.  I tried to wake the family up to witness such splendor with me, but everyone was dead to the world.
We landed in San Francisco with the sun fully overhead and shining down on California's green hills and beautiful beaches.
We got off the plane and into line for customs.  We had a lot of carry-ons and bags and a lot of kids, but we moved our way up the line just fine.  By now, our kids are experts at getting along with a lot of bags.  Within minutes of standing in line, we were shocked by the things that were being said to us.  Perfect strangers were yelling at us to get out of line.  We had too many kids and it would take too long for our passports to get stamped.  I heard several people ask what kind of idiots have that many kids?  We were stunned.  It was a huge slap in the face.  We hadn't slowed anyone down, what was everyone's problem?

We got through customs and went to the baggage claim.  We got 5 luggage carts and loaded them to the hilt.  Thank goodness for these luggage carts!  We had to get these carts through security before we could board our next flight for Salt Lake City.
At security, we parked our carts in a corner against the wall and had all of the kids stand right next to them so as not to be in the way.  As we were getting organized, a lady came up and ran right into Audra and Nathan with her luggage, knocking them down.  She swore at us and yelled at us to get out of her way.  I was so shocked and upset.  The two kids were right against our luggage which was right against the wall.  There was a large, wide open space for her to take her luggage through and she had to go out of her way to hit the kids.
What is matter with everyone!??  Is this America!?
I cried as we made it through security.  These were not the sorrowful tears that I shed on the plane.  These were tears of anger.  Yes, I had been up all night and traveled halfway around the world.  But, that is not why I was upset.  I was upset at the fact that Americans are rude, crude, and selfish.  Disgusting.  For the first time, we were seeing Americans through the lens of a foreigner.  It was not something to be proud of.  We were all ashamed to be American.
By the time we found the gate for our flight, every single one of us was very ready to be getting back on a plane.  A plane right back to Japan, where people are civil and polite.  We boarded a plane, but the pilot took us further east and dropped us off at the Salt Lake City Airport.
Even the flight attendants on this last flight were a shock for us.  They wore sneakers, slacks, and a button down shirt.  Their hair was up in a messy pony tail that had been caught up in whatever was holding their hair up.  No make-up.  No jewelry.  They looked sloppy.  No grace, no polish.  We had grown accustomed to the refinement and beauty of Japanese women.  Seeing sloppiness on a woman was a little bit of shock.
We didn't really have a culture shock when we went to Japan.  We were very surprised to find that we were going to have a tremendous culture shock coming back to America.

Thankfully, all of our luggage made it.  We gathered it all up and waited outside the airport while Dad went and got our Excursion.  Both of our cars have been parked at Grandma Maughan's in Layton while we have been in Japan.  My Uncle Eric drove the Excursion down to the airport and parked it for us.  We were grateful to him.

We were all in a stunned state, as well as physically and emotionally spent.  As we waited for Dad and watched people go by, we were surprised at how fat and sloppy everyone looked.  That's mean to say, but it was something that we couldn't help but notice.  It was almost an out of body experience.  We all just sat next to our luggage in a stupor....except for Kirstin.  She was SO HAPPY to be out of planes and confined spaces and was ready to run!

After what seemed like a long time, we spotted the Excursion in the distance.  YAY!!  OUR CAR!!!

Oh, it's a beautiful sight!

It seemed like our vehicle was glowing!  Angels were singing!  Oh, how we have missed having a car to get around in!  Makes life so much easier.  It took some doing to get all of the luggage and kids loaded up, but we made it.

This picture is of Topher in December as we were getting ready to leave her in the care of G. and G. Boyer.  She knew we were leaving her and she was sad.  She loves the kids....I think she sees them as her own babies.
It was wonderful to see Grandma Maughan again, talk to Grandma Ann on the phone, and see Grandma and Grandpa Boyer.  We were also so happy to see our dog, Topher.  She wasn't doing well and was diagnosed with diabetes shortly after we left the states.  We had been worried about her and praying that she would still be alive when we got back.  Grandpa Boyer made it his mission to make sure she was still here when we got back, and he was successful.  They took amazing care of her!  The kids were so happy to see her!
Grandma Boyer asked the kids what they had missed the most while we were in Japan, and they told her that they couldn't wait to eat pizza and ice cream again.  She had plenty of both at her house when we got there, but she wanted to serve us a nice dinner to welcome us back.  She made ham, funeral potatoes, rolls and green beans.  What a lovely meal, but our systems were not used to this kind of food and even though we were careful not to eat too much, we all had upset stomachs from it.

After spending two nights at G. and G. Boyer's, we got into the Excursion and drove to Wyoming.  We were exhausted and jet lagged, but we had very exciting events to attend.  Mom graduated in Casper with her BS in Elementary Education (5/15) and the next day Dad graduated in Laramie with his law degree (5/16).  Grandma and Grandpa Hansen attended both graduations, so we were able to reunite with them then.
Our family has been working and sacrificing toward these graduations for a long time, and that's what got us on the plane in Tokyo.  If it hadn't been for these graduations, I'm not sure we would have even come back to America.  Instead, we might have been in the immigration office seeing what we could do to stay in Japan indefinitely.