Hope's Arrival

So I want to recap the an amazing Thanksgiving week!!! My fiance Hope came out to visit me. We hadn't seen each other in 3 months so it was much anticipated to see her. She left Saturday morning for her and got her Sunday night. The most difficult part of her flight from South Bend to Detroit was security in South Bend.....what?!! Yeah, somehow the security in South Bend took her quite a while to get through because some lady there was trying to make sure there were no terrorists coming out of the South Bend Airport evidently.

Her flight from Detroit to Tokyo was about 14 hours and on this flight there is nothing more important than the seat you are in. Her seat was good, but the people next to her were well ok. She said the one lady to her left was really nice and sweet. Then there was the stereotypical worst guy to sit next to on a plane. He had on a huge coat that took up a seat and a half. It sounded like something an eskimo would wear on an Antarctic excursion. The plane wasn't cold, but he fell asleep with it on and my little 5'3 fiance was feeling crammed in her seat because of this man's coat. This wouldn't be that big of a deal, but on a 14 hour flight the littlest things will bug you to no end and test your patience. I completely understand and feel for her.

Then she had to switch terminals in Tokyo, Japan for her flight from Tokyo to Osaka. She said this was actually the worst flight because the girl next to her fell asleep on her. After traveling for that long that is the last thing anyone wants!!!

She finally got to Osaka and then she had to go through customs again. The problem here is that in Tokyo they made her go through customs and had taken her entry papers. She had to fill them out again and get escorted into an office to talk with someone. The pilot from her flight came up and asked her if everything was ok. She explained and he said well you do look suspicious as sarcastic as possible. She is a beautiful 5'3 cheerleader with a couple of huge bags of surprises for her lonely fiance in Japan (more on that later)

Finally, she made it to her fiance who was waiting outside of the baggage claim for her. Now as for me, I had my own story of events that day to get to that point.

I found out that the closest place she could fly in was the same place I came in - Kansai Airport in Osaka - an hour away from my apartment in Otsu. Our Assistant GM/player personnel coordinator/travel agent/translator/assistant coach...sort of/anything else was going to go with me on the train to pick her up. Well, she was coming in on an off weekend and evidently he had more important people and places to see. He printed out a sheet of train schedules and told me that it was easy. That was comical to me - a guy whose train experiences had not boded well in the past. In Taiwan I rode my first train/subway to go to the Zoo on the only off day that we had there. We went with our translator and at one stop he panicked and said, "get out get out get out!!!" I got out with my catlike quickness (a 14 year old cat that is). Then as soon as the doors were closing my translator Max told me that I should get back on because it was the wrong one. There I was in Taiwan stuck with no idea what to do. I waited and then took the next train that got there - thankfully it worked out and I made it to the zoo. The other train experience I had was in New York City. I was with my friend from Colombia's football team Jon Rocholl. Surprisingly, I didn't get lose this time, but I did hit my head so incredibly hard twice walking down to the subway.

So with just a sheet of directions and most of it in Japanese for the train schedule. I was a little worried, so I went to the Kyoto game the night before to practice. I felt much better then. I got to the train two hours before. I decided since Hope would have to go back on her own on Saturday morning I would take copious notes on each and every detail of the trip. I had my ipod in and was so excited to see my fiance!! I had cleaned the room up the best that I could. I had down laundry and bought some air fresheners to make it not smell like a locker room. I was on the train writing down each stop. I knew where I was supposed to stop and we weren't there yet. A lot of people were getting off in Kyoto. I knew that I was supposed to continue going. People were saying something to me in Japanese as they got off. I just kept on saying Shin-Osaka because that was my stop and I was sure that train had about 40 minutes to still get there. Finally I was the only one on the train car. Someone came back on and said train break. It was not good at all. I got off the train and then waited 30 minutes at customer service. I tried writing down where I was going and tried talking slowly, but it was difficult. Finally I got the station number of another train to Shin-Osaka and took that train to get there. I enjoyed that ride. I noticed a guy that was looking at the train schedule on the wall and he looked American. I asked him if I could help him. He said yes and I helped him the best that a directionally challenged man like myself could. We began to talk and he was from the University of Portland. He was with a program through the University of Virginia called semester at sea. He had been at sea since the beginning of the school year. Japan was his 12th country he had been to. He was meeting up with his cruise ship in Kobe, Japan to head back. He had been so many places it was really cool to talk to him and helped to pass time on the train. It was very refreshing to have an English speaking person here to have a casual conversation with.

Finally I got to Shin-Osaka and then got on another train to go to Kansai. It was about a 45 minute ride and I saved 500 yen (about 5 dollars) by getting unreserved instead of reserved. I didn't pay as much attention as I should have as to which cars were reserved and which were unreserved and after getting on the train I had to move about 4 trains forward. That was interesting, but not traumatic. I sat next to a sweet older lady. Well, she seemed sweet. I never actually talked to her. Then I finally got to the airport and it was about an hour before Hope was supposed to get there. I ate a panini right outside of where Hope was going to come out just in case she got there early. It was a great panini and reminded me of the ones I used to eat at the Barnes and Noble in South Bend.

Finally - Hope got there carrying her two huge carry-ons and two checked bags looking beautiful even after traveling for over 24 hours!! It was so great for her to finally get there! The anticipation and anxiety over missing the one person that I want to spend the rest of my life with was tough, but to see her reminded me very quickly of how worth it she is to be waiting on. I love her so much and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her. She is worth waiting every moment for her. No matter how tough it gets, how lonely I get here, how monotonous life might be here, or how small my apartment feels to me, she is so incredibly worth enduring all of that because I know that spending the rest of my life with her will be to spend my life in pure happiness and joy - no matter what we endure and how tough things get.

The train ride home was much smoother. If she would have take about 30 minutes more it would have gotten interesting once again, but we caught the last train to Kyoto and then switched to the train to Otsu. It was so great to have her here!!! It was an interesting journey here both to Japan and to use being in love and engaged. We know that both were watched over and guided by our Creator and that is the reason that no matter how many bumps and crossroads we meet, we always find the right way and enjoy it together. I love you so much Hope and can't wait til the day we finally get married!! August 14, 2010 can't come soon enough!