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WE MADE IT, not without trails and troubles, but none the less we made it home and spent the first day sitting on our couch, looking for something to watch on TV. For those of you who are in Japan and think you have nothing to watch on TV, we have a 100 channels of nothing to watch on TV.....Never complain, at least you have a couple decent movie channels.

SOOOOO, we get to the airport on Tuesday night, thanks to Bev and Berry who graciously took us up there and delivered us at the airport hotel. It was a very luxorious hotel and worth every penny to stay there and not have to take a 0430 train that might or might not get us on time to the airport. BUT we went down to dinner and they had a western side and a Japanese side and as Western on our last night in Japan was unconcievable, we went to on the japanese side. Well, the waitress must not have had foreigners in there before as they were so gracious and helpful ( and didn't understand a word) but we ordered the Special Set thinking it would be cheaper than the regular menu. WRONG answer. First of all the set came with raw fish. (I see your nose Sallie) but while I was perfectly willing to eat Roys, he did manage to eat it. There was the obligatory rice, cut in the shape of a star, there was an egg drop like soup which was very pretty but tasteless. There was also this snotball, tinted orange, the was perfectly discusting, which I had to try, and there was about a half dozen other tidbits. Our bill though, almost made me faint 6832 yen. OMG Then we went upstairs to bed and it was like sleeping on rocks, hard wasn't exactly the word, hard and lumpy. Neither of us got much sleep.

The next morning we were on the first shuttle to the airport and the gal at the ticket counter looks at me, my passport expired in July. My stomach suddenly was naucious and racing, trying to decide what to do. I pulled out a copy of my orders and military ID which expired today and hoped that that would work. She faxed the copies to someone in Tokyo and told me to check in with the ticket agent when I got there.
So I stayed in panic mode until I got to Tokyo and tried to see the ticket agent. They don't open until 1130 and its like 0930. More panic. I'm thinking I can probably go to the Embassy in Tokyo and get it there for lots of money.

Finally 1130 comes around and the ticket agent shakes his head at me, and calls the State Department and because I am on military orders and a US citizen, he or she said to let me on the plane and that was the last time anyone noticed that I had an expired passport. Even the immigration office at SeaTac didn't look at it.

The plane ride was smooth and because of the lumpy hard bed in Japan I slept thru most of it. The food was nasty but you knew that. We made it thru customs in about a blink and then after a short wait, got the shuttle and then got home.

There was a little mouse sitting on the livingroom rug waiting for us.

So, we get home and the phone that I have given everyone the numberto, is disconnected. The kid that stayed here probably didn't want to pay for both lines so now I don't have a phone. I am hoping that we can get it reconnected. (Turned out to be a broke line with Roy repaired in a flash.
Also, to Roys massive frustration, the kids girlfriend gave him a computer keyboard and moved the letters around to spell I LOVE YOU JR, so Roy can't use the computer because he looks when he types. LOL serves him right.