T T Q & S: Ma 'n Pa in Okinawa

Well, I think I can finally start to write this post without crying! My mom and dad made the long trip out to Okinawa beginning of January and we had such a great time. Before I start in on all our fun endeavors, I have to say they were A+ travelers. My sister and I were quite worried about mom traveling this far, sitting that long, and not getting normal sleep. Turns out, dad was the one we should have worried about! Although he was fine, but required a long nap the first 3 days he was here, mom didn't even take one! She had NO jet lag whatsoever. I know, I couldn't believe it either. All-star traveler.

I picked them up from the airport on Thursday night Jan 6th. I left the house incredibly early (Tony thought I was nuts) but I was pacing in the house and couldn't stand waiting anymore. I would rather wait at the airport! I didn't sleep the night before in anticipation for their arrival and always wondering where they were on their flight at that moment...so I was a bit tired on Thursday before picking them up, but realized i wasn't the one that should be complaining! They were the 1st ones off the plane and the 1st ones to the door. I forgot that they didn't check any bags coming (highly recommend by the way) so when they poked their heads through the door, I was so shocked! They looked pretty darn good for traveling 26 hours at that point. And we still had 40mns to go for the drive back to my house. Tony was waiting for us back home since Quinn was sleeping and of course we all had to have a drink when we got home at 10:45pm! :)

Can't even explain how happy I was at this moment.

It was pretty tough for both mom and dad to go to bed and not see Quinn! But it sure made for a very special morning when they did see her. Quinn wasn't too sure right away what was going on, but it didn't take long for her to remember Grandma, especially from FaceTime and Grandpa who came to visit just 6 months prior. I'm not sure how to post videos yet, but I have a pretty good one of Quinn's reaction to them coming down the stairs. Here are a few pictures that don't really do it justice, but it was a cool moment for all of us :)

Waiting for them to come downstairs

Still a little unsure/shocked...

We had perfect weather that first weekend, but then it turned gray, cold (relatively speaking), and a little rainy here and there. It didn't stop us from getting outside and seeing all that I wanted them to see! Tony worked the first day they were here, so while Quinn napped, mom and I went out to explore my old neighborhood in Yomitan a little bit. She was happy to see where we lived for the first year and half while in Okinawa- and nice for her to put a picture to all the stories I've told her the last couple of years!

Morning breakfast with Gramps

Cute coffee shop with mom! Love these mugs!

A chapel near our old house. Overlooks the ocean.

Every night after Quinn went to bed, the 4 of us played cards. We had our routine down pretty good! Quinn goes to bed, cards are dealt, snacks and drinks are poured, clean up, go to bed. We were all in bed before 10pm each night which was kind of funny :) Tony and Dad were able to play a lot of tennis while Mom and I did some shopping! We went out to eat a few times which, of course, meant we took them to Minami Sushi. Best sushi on island! My sister and her husband, Chris went with us when they visited December 2013. They loved it, too!

All in all we had a fantastic week and I so enjoyed a break from motherhood. Quinn was all about Grandma and although she loved playing with Grandpa, she didn't necessarily like when he would hold her for too long ;). I am so grateful that they came and will always remember the special week we had! It was pretty tough taking them back to the airport, but knowing we only had 4.5 months left until we were back in the USA for good ... that helped. Here are a few more pictures from our week.

Yup, that's Grandma going down the slide. Probably one of my favorite moments of the week :0)

Quinn clapping for Grandma

My mom had a fun idea to have a beer tasting one night. Wish I could have participated! We drove down to the family mart (convenience store) and bought all sorts of single japanese beers that we had no clue what to expect. It was fun to see all their reactions to the different beers!