362 Days Later, Part 1

I'm going to be in Lake Champion on July 15th, or else this post would have been written then. But this is one that needs time and adequate background music. Anyway.

On July 15th 2012, I did the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and left Okinawa for most likely forever. 

The pages of my sophomore yearbook were completely filled with signatures letters from friends and favorite teachers, and there was even an extra page stuffed in. I had a huge white poster that was filled with signatures from my Common Ground family. I had a two notebook pages, front and back, filled with a personal letter from my dearest Bailey, which I read on the 9-hour flight from Tokyo to San Francisco... and sobbed all over again. 

But what I didn't have was a clue of how on earth I was going to survive in the one place I'd sworn I'd never move back to, Stafford, and not in the first place I'd actually called home and meant it, Okinawa. 

What had happened was my dad had torn his Achilles tendon, and had to stay behind with my mom for physical therapy. So my brother and I were flying to Tokyo and then to California on our own to meet up with our relatives. Molly, Coree, and Bailey all came to the airport to say goodbye to me. 

I think I would have been okay, but then I hugged Bailey and we both just cried on each other's shoulders. 

The next few hours were some of the worst of my life. Tears were coming down my face as I handed the Japanese airport security my boarding pass. I was sniffling as I took my seat. And when the plane started to take off, I completely broke down. I didn't stop crying until the island had been out of view for a while. I still cried on the next flight. And almost every day in California. And when we got to Stafford. And....

Well, you get it. 

This story isn't over yet though.

[The song I was listening to as the plane took off]