Coming to America

This summer we made a last minute trip back to the good ol' U. S. of A. to recharge and resupply for the next year. We left Hanoi with 4 almost-empty suitcases and came back with 4 full suitcases. It was great seeing our friends in Texas and seeing Jenni's family in New York! Things didn't go too well with my family, but that was to be expected. What can you do?

The whole trip was only 11 days, so we split it in half between Texas and New York.

We flew out of Hanoi to Nagoya, Japan. Vietnam Airlines didn't cooperate with American Airlines, so we had to leave security in Nagoya, get our checked bags, get our boarding passes, go back through security again and make it to our flight just as they were announcing final boarding.... all in 1 hour! That's all we had for the layover. We, yet again, found ourselves running through an airport trying to catch our flight :) At least this time it wasn't our fault.

From Nagoya, we connected in Tokyo for another short layover. It was nice to see a more westernized area again. There were drinking fountains! You aren't supposed to drink the tap water in Hanoi, so we were really excited to see a drinking fountain... sad, but true ;)

We arrived at DFW airport on June 23. Our good friend, Mario, picked us up with open arms. It was great to see him again. He and Nydia let us stay at their house and borrow one of their cars while we stayed in Texas. Plus we had the huge bonus of being able to play with our nephew, Emilio! Here are a few pics...

Little Emilio :)
Oh a side note-I was on a strict hamburger-only diet while in Texas.

We have the same hair cut :)

:)

The jet lag was brutal!

We went to visit my grandparents in Dallas. They were as loving and supportive as one could imagine :) We had a great time telling them about our adventures and showing them pictures of Asia. I can't wait to see them again!

*I've edited the following section about 5 times. This section is the reason why I've waited so long to post this article*

The next day we went to my parents' house. It wasn't the most welcoming experience, so I'll try not to go into too much detail...

*several paragraphs removed. Okay I went into way too much detail the first few times I wrote this. I decided to adopt the, "what's the point?" and "who really cares?" mentalities*

 *edited*

When I got in the car, I looked at Jenni and said, "That might have been the last time I will ever walk in that house." She didn't know what to say. Then I started the car, and we went back to Mario and Nydia's house in Sachse. *Edit: We will see how things go. I haven't decided yet.*

Texas wasn't a total downer, though. Actually, most of it was great! That night we had a blast with Mario, Nydia, Howard, Howard's Dad and Emilio.

When I filmed this, we were talking about how Vietnamese people can squat down really low, and it's comfortable for them (actually we've learned that its very common in several eastern cultures). We talked about how neither of us can do it, and, of course, Howard was adamant that he could do it. Howard is much larger than most (if not all) Vietnamese so it didn't go the way he had hoped....

The next day we went to Cabela's and picked up my early birthday present... a brand new, beautiful Ithaca M37 Defense shotgun! Now both of us have an Ithaca :) It was a total pain getting it too. I had to go to the DMV and get a new license with a new address to get it. But it was worth it! I love it. 

It's nice to be spoiled :)

I love my new toy. I think I hit about 45 out of 50 clay pigeons that day. We went to the range with Howard.

New Boomstick!

Howard...where are you???

 Cutie at the range ;)

Hit!

Hit!

Hit!

This thing holds so many shells, it's ridiculous :-)

I know what you're thinking... what a cute couple ;)

The look of happiness

Hit!

Hit!

Hit!

I'm not sure what day it was, but we had a blast playing Guesstures with Mario and Nydia one night. It's a really fun game when you have a fun group :)

Just don't ask

And the award goes to....

Teamwork = frustration :)

Emilio thought our game was exhausting.

Best performance!

...and nobody will take it from me :)

Running never looked so fun!

This is still "coin"

Apparently this means "coin"

She still doesn't see "coin"

We didn't see it either :)

Best performance!

"Coin," huh?

Yes, this is "coin"

Needed a quick snack?

Ha!!

Success!

We went to my old school, Vista Academy, to visit good friends...

My little buddy, Justin! I've known him and his family since he was in kindergarten :)

My old student, Mr. Clements :)

This is when I told them the story about the terrifying "Monkey Island"

They definitely got a kick out of it ;)

Playing with Vietnam money.

Next summer we'll be able to bring back English pounds, Thai Baht, Euros, and Hong Kong dollars!

Showing me a picture of him pretending to eat a frog.... gross :)

We absolutely love these guys. Next year we need one with Edith in the picture, too.... hint, hint, Edith

We also went to see our good friend Mrs. Peters. She's not my boss anymore, so I get to call her Kay! She was a hoot and a half. We had a blast talking about the last six months, and catching up on everything going on. We both had plenty of craziness to talk about ;)

The first time she met me, she suspected that I might be a serial killer :) Now look at us! I guess I just have that winning personality ;-)

Troublemakers :P

Here are some more random pics from Texas.

I have a bad habit of breaking doors everywhere I go :(
I swear I don't do it on purpose!

We said our goodbyes for 1 year :(

Now we are off to Albany, NY to see Jenni's family.

On the tarmac at Westchester

The gargoyle was waiting for her taxi.

Now waiting for her daddy to pick us up in the middle of the night.

Awww!

The girls loved the pearl necklaces and matching earrings we brought them from Vietnam!Yes, real pearls :)

We all decided to go bowling. It was good family fun!

Karen and Dave

Wayne and Nicole

Pete and Maureen

We went to the Manhattan after a couple of days. On the way, Jenni and I secretly got off at Penn Station to get her favorite treat... S'Mac! 

We stayed at Aunt Sue's for a couple of days and got to see a lot of family... and finish up a lot of shopping. Uncle Jon Myers was generous enough to drive us around Long Island after everyone else was tired of our excessive shopping. In our defense, we were stocking up a year's worth of certain hard-to-find items :)

We also got to see the Walsh family, which was great! Kathy is always welcoming and Elizabeth gave us several great suggestions about our upcoming Europe trip.

A special note to the friends and family: 

Thanks everyone! We really had a blast seeing all of you. 11 days was not enough time, but it was definitely worth it. You made our trip special and memorable. We truly appreciate everything and everyone that helped us, hosted us, met us for lunch, met us at the school, or just had pleasant conversation with us. In Hanoi it usually isn't easy talking to people. Heck, many times it's just frustrating, so this trip was a nice little taste of home that we really needed. Jenni and I still talk about the good times we had this summer in the States, and it's all because of you. Next summer we will stay a lot longer, so we aren't so rushed and can spend more time with you guys. You are our family and we love you. 

-Johnny