American Dreams.

Well hey! To those of you still following, thank you! We've hit the two-year mark now living in Japan and it's an honor to know that you're still cheering us on.

We made it home for a whopping three weeks this summer. It was truly an incredible time; no doubt living abroad has bestowed upon us a deep appreciation for the little slices of America that we had never thought twice about before. (You know, public trash cans, root beer variety, and that sort of thing.) Our time was meaningful and busy with all the right preoccupations. Looking back over our trip, it's unbelievable all the things we managed to squeeze into a few short weeks, and we feel so grateful. Here are just a few:

-Freshly caught crab dinner
-Alpine hiking
-Pike Place Market & downtown Seattle
-Sailing/crabbing
-Zip-lining
-Homemade BBQ
-Rowboat rental
-Margaritas
-Lake-jumping
-Campfires
-Flea markets
-Retro car show
-Motorcycle rides (sorry Mom)
-Go-karting
-Lake Tahoe/Shakespeare

THANK YOU to the friends and family who cleared your schedules and emptied your guest rooms to welcome us. We couldn't have asked for a better reprieve--or for better company--during our summer. Now, how about some pictures?

Ah! A welcome sight.

Yep. This too.

Check!

Hiking Mt. Index in Washington

Stuntman.

Sweet home!

"Supeisunidoru"

Hello Seattle!

DK for Ralph Lauren.

Sailors!

Sparkly Camano Isle.

Enjoying the fruits of our labor (plus fresh-caught crab)!

Seeing these friends is always the BEST. Hello, Emmaus!

"Try to show how big the desert is! I want my students to see!"

We spotted some wild horses outside Carson City. Lucky us!

Our last night in America was spent here. Lake Tahoe=not bad.

Alas, now we're back in Kanazawa and gearing up for Year #3 in This Japanese Life. Plenty more adventures to come! As always, thanks for reading, friends! I'll do another post soon detailing my family's trip to Japan (!)
-Jorden