Guess who's back?

After a five year hiatus, our blog is (temporarily) back. Enjoy!

Last month, I graduated from nursing school with the 2017 cohort of the SCSU ACE Program. It was an incredibly crazy, but wonderful year. I was chosen by my classmates to give a graduation speech at the pinning ceremony.

Next, Chris was the Best Man in Hunter & Corinne's wedding. Here's the toast.

Last week, I passed the NCLEX and we moved to Kyoto, Japan for the semester. Bit of a week, eh?

Our initial flight departed JFK at 1:45am, so that was a bit of an adventure with three kids. But, we made it to our layover in Shanghai more or less in one piece. Then, after a few hours of "patiently waiting", we headed for Osaka.  The kids were really excited about the flights since they were the first that Vanessa and Zoe had ever been on. Xavier had only flown once previously when he was a baby, so he was as excited as his sisters. They did great.

Now, we are in our apartment in Kyoto slowly recovering from jetlag. It's great to be back in Japan!

 

Awesome Itinerary

Tomorrow is the big day! We are leaving Japan and returning to the United States. I still can't believe it.

We're really sad about leaving Japan, but we have a lot to look forward to as well. For example, it's so much easier to visit friends and family by taking a drive or hopping on a train than it is to fly across continents and oceans. And, it is much easier to call people who live in nearby timezones. So, that's exciting. :)

Chris's ticket was purchased by the Japanese government. They attempted to get him as short and direct a flight as possible. So, his itinerary is simply: KIX - DET - PIT. He will leave Osaka on Wednesday and arrive in Pittsburgh later that same day.

I've already unveiled my exciting return itinerary to several of you, but I'm still so tickled by its sheer awesomeness, that I must share it further. Since my ticket purchase was coming straight from our wallets, I aimed to get the cheapest and most fun alternative available, and I think I succeeded. I will be taking the following route: KIX - PEK - LAX - Costa Mesa - San Diego - SAN - SFO - PIT.

I will get to spend five hours in the Beijing Airport, which is exciting because it will be only two days before the Olympics begins. I hope I get to see some athletes while I am there. But, the absolute best part is that I will get the chance to see and stay with friends of mine in Costa Mesa and San Diego while still paying less for the trip. I'm lucky to know such cool folks in such convenient locations. :) Can't wait to get my travel on!

(Update: I did see some Olympic athletes in Beijing. Sweet! Also, I missed my connecting flight in SFO and had the opportunity to wait nine additional hours before catching a red-eye flight to Pittsburgh. This little switch resulted in my leaving Osaka on Wednesday morning, but not arriving into Pittsburgh until Saturday morning. How awesome is that?!)