In No Particular Order

Things I missed about the States:
1. Family and friends
2. The yah sure you betchas
3. Minnesota nice
4. Wide open roads
5. Rolling hills between Minnesota and Iowa
6. Snow (but in May? What a surprise!)

Things I longed for back in Japan (i.e. didn’t miss about the States)
1. ANA or JAL (Japanese airlines) customer service
2. Checking in for a flight takes 15 minutes, tops (United took us over an hour to check in after directing us all over O’Hare)
3. Mothers don’t get the “bonus” search from TSA when travelling
4. My bed
5. Sushi
6. Warm weather

Things I’m grateful for, but not limited to:
1. Great wife
2. Great family, including the in-laws and outlaws
3. Great conversations
4. DVR – thanks Patti and Bob
5. Great Grandma Lydia’s surprise appearance
6. Great seats at Target Field
7. Grandma’s triple berry pie
8. Grandma’s rhubarb crisp
9. Aunt Jane’s caramel apple pie
10. Uncle Jon’s pizza
11. Uncle Bob’s halibut and sweet potato fries
12. Microbrews
13. Great hosts that let us crash in their guest rooms
14. Great hosts Heather, Glenn, Evan and Quinn that put up with Olivia crying in the middle of the night because she thought it was time to start her day and she had a fever.
15. Waking up on our own without the O-alarm (because Grandma already got up and changed, fed, and was playing with Olivia)
16. The annual “try to get all the Volkmann grandkids in one picture” event, including watching all the grandkids swarm around in one room for 17 seconds, then disburse throughout the house like spontaneous combustion
17. Seeing the Twins play baseball outdoors
18. Cheese curds at Target Stadium
19. Walgreen’s children’s motrin – without it there was no way we could treat O’s teething fever for the flight back.
20. The man who woke us up at the gate in Osaka because Michelle, Olivia, and I had fallen asleep and almost missed our connection to Okinawa after our 4 hour layover.
21. Awesome co-pilot (same as number 1)