Well, we’ve been back from our long trip to Japan for a little over a week now. And that phrase ‘I need a vacation from vacation’is so true. Yes, it was very exciting to be in Japan, but we slept on the floor for three weeks and we were ready to sleep in a bed. And after the looong flight home (which was still rough, but slightly better than the way there), we were hoping Ellie would be excited to sleep in her own crib too.
VACATION WITH A TODDLER?
I ended after a very long, stressful, irritating, exhausting flight asking the question, “Isthis what vacation is like from now on?”
“This” being not really having a moment alone, a moment to relax, a moment to feel rested, a moment that feels like an actual vacation. You know, like you had pre baby. Well, the short answer is, yes. Yes, this is how vacations will be from now on, which sounds awful. But the long answer isn’t a simple yes or no, and it really isn’t as dreadful sounding.
FAMILY, FOOD, & KARAOKE
Every trip to Japan, Aya’s family usually has some sort of reunion. I guess it’s pretty rare for families to stay in touch as much as Aya’s family does, and it’s really cool that they use our “home coming” as an excuse to get together. Since they are all spread out around Japan, the reunion location is usually somewhere in the Tokyo area. Aya has a lot of aunts and uncles, and tons of cousins.  Most of her cousins are now married with kids. They all have a great sense of humor and love to have fun. So combine that with some good food, a few drinks, and one guy who can’t speak Japanese…it makes for a great time.
SUPERMARKET NIGHTS
Aya’s parents literally live right across the street from a pretty big super market. So close her mom calls it her refrigerator. I call it the Kroger, even though it’s more like a two story Meijer. But since we were limited in what we could do this trip, we started ‘hanging out’there after we put Ellie down. At first, it seemed like any other grocery store but once you started roaming the aisles, there were lots of fun things to look at.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Soon after we arrived in Japan, I learned of the Mister Donut point card and the merchandise you could get with with it. And for only 150 points, I could get an official Mister Donut coffee mug. The kind they actually use at the store! I made Aya ask if we could just buy one, but they said no. Politely of course. So, I set out on a mission to eat as many donuts as it took to reach my goal. And eat donuts I did. I love their custard and creme donuts here. But I even tried the soy sauce flavor donut to make me feel like I would actually deserve the mug. I’m happy to say after many donuts and coffee consumed, I did it!