And...We're Back!

Happy 2009 to you all. Exactly one year after first arriving in Japan, we returned to Japan from our winter holiday back in the USA. There are jet-lagged kids. Asleep. There is a jet-lagged Ilena. Asleep. And then there is Mike, writing this blog entry. (Fighting it off for a little while.)

It was a wonderful two-plus week trip home. As much as we are enjoying our time out here, it is always such a nice feeling to be home. Some brief highlights of our trip --

• We saw lots of family! We stayed with Mike's family, and also spent time in South Jersey with Ilena's family.
• We watched football (live) with friends! Our first Sunday back was spent in Brooklyn with friends and NFL Sunday Ticket. Nirvana!
  
• We shopped. A good amount. Target. (Japan seriously needs a Target!) Costco. Dick's Sporting Goods.
• We ate many (many) meals in Diners. We had no choice. Mike's parents are renovating and they have no kitchen. The Royal Cliffs and Red Oak Diner were our home away from home . . . away from home.
• We visited lots of friends back in Maplewood.
  
• We went to a terrific family Chanukah party.
• We hit the Jewish Christmas tri-fecta by bowling, going to the movies, AND hitting a Chinese restaurant, all on December 25th.
• We didn't eat one grain of rice the whole time!
• We went to a salsa club for Mike's sisters birthday, and attempted the salsa, merengue, and batchata (though we can't do it like this -- yet). Mike, and his brother Dave and sister Lisa also did that dance move that Ben Stiller did in Along Came Polly.
  

• We shoveled snow, roasted marshmallows, raced remote control cars, played Taboo!, went ice skating, pulled each other around in sleds, made an outdoor fire in the fire pit, and cleared an ice rink on the lake at Mike's parents' lake-house in the catskills, where we spent a terrificly relaxing New Year's.
  

Now, back in Japan, its back to work for Mike and back to school next week for the kids. We are refreshed and looking forward to our final six months in Japan.