L.A. to Tokyo Flight or 12 Hours with Pingu

The 15 passenger van picked us up right on time at 8:15am for the 40 minute drive to LAX.  We had so much luggage that the van was the only car available that could fit it all.  Joe got most of the items loaded while the girls had breakfast and ran around a bit.

We had the skycap help with the luggage and ended up checking 12 pieces.  Having this much stuff was a big mistake and in hindsight, we should have tried to have only three or four suitcases with us for the trip.  It was really difficult moving around the 600 pounds of junk.  Auntie Julie showed up while checking in all the luggage, which took about 20 minutes.  That was fine by us because checking in next to us was the US Men's Water Polo team, all of whom I found more attractive than my husband.  Julie and I kept trying to make comments that they would over hear about how we were single and just helping out with these kids, but they didn't hear us I guess. (Just kidding, I love Joe.) :)

Just the essentials!  Water Polo backpacks on the right. "Oh hey guys, I'm normally much prettier than this when I have makeup on and my relationship with my husband is purely a business arrangement."

 We hung out with Julie before security for about 20 minutes and said our tearful goodbyes.  It sure was great having Julie to hang out with the last two years and the girls will really miss getting to see her every week.  We can't wait for her first visit!  We cleared security quickly as there was basically no line and then headed to the United lounge for a bit to grab some snacks and some drinks.  It was pretty crowded but we were able to get four seats together.  The selection was pretty weak but the girls had a couple of mini doughnuts and some juice and were happy.

After about 30 minutes we headed for gate 77 in terminal 7.  We gate checked the umbrella stroller we had with us and made our way onto the plane.  We were in Business First, which is United's business class offering on their 777.  It is a 2-4-2 configuration, which is normally not great, but as it turns out, it was just about perfect for our needs.  We had the middle 4 seats and the girls settled right in.  It was nice that the in-flight entertainment was turned on as soon as we boarded and Annie settled in watching Monsters Inc and laughing very loudly for most of it. She definitely does NOT realize how loud her voice is when she has her headphones on and kept yelling questions out to Joe.

Getting ready to takeoff! Please keep the champagne flowing.

Lizzy was a big fan of the warm nuts.

Annie the pro flier explaining to Lizzy how things work

Food was pretty good! I actually liked a lot of it better than Singapore Airlines

Miss Independent

Girls got kids meals. Apple sauce, chicken strips, baked fries

Lying in Lizzy's seat with her

The girls were really good during the flight, and it was definitely the easiest 12 hour flight we have done with them.  That was largely due to the fact that this was the first long trip we have done since Lizzy started watching TV.  They each slept for about an hour at different times and keep themselves busy with the movies, stickers and snacks on the plane.

Lizzy started a meltdown with about 8 minutes left in the flight when she realized Annie had finally fallen asleep on me (great timing, Annie!) and she just HAD to sit with Mommy right NOW. So we had to wake Annie up and move her to her own seat so I could hold Lizzy and calm her down. She did calm down but after we got off the plane she started a meltdown that would last until we were through customs, baggage claim and in our car to our apartment. All in all about an hour and a half but it felt like an eternity. I was feeling pretty mentally drained by that point and was ready to be at our apartment and get some sleep. It was around 4:30 pm Tokyo time when we finally got ALL the bags loaded into the van, which was only a little past midnight LA time but I was exhausted and the girls were DONE. Staying up past midnight with barely any naps.. not a pretty sight. I know people were staring at us in the airport as Lizzy flipped out in the stroller and I just stood there with glassy eyes.

We made it! Playing dress up before bedtime

We finally arrived at our apartment and Mutsuko-san from Joe's office was there to help us get our luggage up to our apartment and get us settled. I think she showed me a few things regarding the hot water and light switches, but I was feeling very much like a zombie and still had to deal with 2 cranky girls so it was kind of a blur.

Since Joe and I couldn't decide on furniture during our pre-move trip, Tokyo Lease just put temporary furniture in, as well as basic kitchen supplies, linens, appliances, etc. We had everything we needed including some food items to get us through our first 24 hours. We all went to bed around 9pm and woke up around 1am the next morning ready to start our first full day in Tokyo!