America is sparkly!

When our long flight from Yokota to Seattle was almost over, I looked out the window of the airplane and said, "Oh my gosh...look at America! It's sparkly!" I thought it was night time in Seattle because there were so many lights on, but the Customs agent said "good morning" as we walked through his station. It was about 6:00 a.m. in Seattle, 11:00 p.m. in Okinawa, and we'd been on the go for about 17 hours.

Here's the first thing that shocked me about America... they use pennies there! In the past 3 and a half years, I've grown used to paying for something that rings up $3.12 with three dollar bills and a dime. If I paid for something that was $3.13, I'd have to pay with a three dollars, a dime, and a nickel and get no change. The Starbucks guy probably thought I was strange when I said, "Ooooo, pennies!"

When we landed in Chicago, we got to see snow in the grassy areas around the runway! And we could see our breath when we got out of the plane and stepped onto the (?? I'm at a loss for words... the thing that you walk on to get from the plane to the airport).
When I got out of the car at my mom's house, I got to stand in a snow-dusted driveway! It was so exciting! But now, I've seen the snow, touched the snow, and felt the cold...so I'm already ready for it to warm up!