overdue: day 1

I took my laptop with me to Japan in hopes of posting a blog each day and some pictures if I could. Well, it turns out in Japan there are only the 2 prong plugs and my computer has 3, so my little heavy laptop traveled to Tokyo and back without being turned on. All that to say... I wanted to share parts of my trip, so here's the overdue day-by-day adventures in Tokyo and Tsumagoi! [day 1] flying backwards We headed to the airport at 3:15 a.m. on New Years day. Our plane departed around 6:00 a.m. and the sun rose to greet us as we started our journey to Japan. I am usually really apprehensive and nervous when I fly, but this trip was different. I was calm and actually relaxed on both flights. So thank you for remembering me in your prayers, they were felt from Huntsville to Tokyo.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. .2 Corinthians 1:3-5

The plane ride from Dallas to Tokyo was about 13 hours and I slept maybe 10 minutes. Here are some things I attempted to do to make the time pass swiftly:

• listened to 2 podcasts
• read some letters from friends
• journaled
• watched a couple episodes of The Office
• read a few chapters in Mere Christianity- then they turned the lights off and when I tried to turn my little personal light on it was evident that they had just replaced it with a spotlight because it lit up my entire row which woke people out of their slumber and summoned them to glare at me
• I turned the light off, plugged my headphones back in and listened to some Ray LaMontagne and decided to watch the little animated plane slowly moving west on the screen. The longer we flew the more time we 'gained', then there was this point when we crossed the international date line and flew into the next day- this thought still makes my brain hurt. So just about the time I quit watching the cartoon airplane and attempted to sleep the flight attendant goes on a mission barreling down the aisle to wake up everyone in the cabin with her metal cart full of ice and plastic food trays. And then she slowly made her way back down the aisle to deliver our dinner...

please look closely, notice anything different about Japanese airplane food? If you have yet to find the new addition to the fairly predictable airplane meal: Japan's special touch is in the top left corner. Sushi. That's right, in case you were wondering, the Japanese love sushi so much that they don't fly without it. After 13 hours we made it! I was so thrilled to walk off that plane.

We were finally there, the place that God put on my heart this summer, I was finally there. We landed around 2:00 p.m. on the 2nd and I honestly don't remember much of that night because I was so tired. I think we actually fell asleep around 8:30. Traveling is always an adventure, and the start of the journey to Japan was no exception.