Stop 1: Michigan

Before settling into our new life in the US, we decided to take a couple of weeks to visit family and friends in various states.  Our first stop was near Flint, Michigan to visit our dear friends, Jason, Emily, and their adorable kiddos, Jackson and Grace.  The Scherdens used to live in Okinawa, but just spent their first year living in Germany!  Needless to say, we had a lot to catch up on.

First, Noa and Jason reunited!

At a local park, we listened to some live jazz, had a picnic, and just enjoyed each other's company.  But, boys will be boys and soon Jackson became the human burrito, thanks to Noa's skillful blanket rolling technique.

On another night, we got to go to a Train and John Mayer concert!  Train opened the show with all their greatest hits, including my favorite, "Hey Soul Sister."  The only problem was I was just grabbing a stall in the bathrooms when the opening notes started to play.  Talk about bad timing!

John Mayer's performance followed.  I thought that I didn't really know many John Mayer songs, but surprisingly I did!  He's a fun entertainer and seems to really enjoy being onstage.  Sorry for the crappy picture, but I only had my little point-and-shoot.

The best part of the concert was the picnic part.  The concert venue is right by a ski area, so there's a hill facing the stage.  To watch the concert, you can be up close in the seats or in the back on the hill.  We sat on the hill with a picnic dinner....fine cheeses, crackers, breads, olives, salomi, fresh fruit, spreads, and chocolate were eagerly consumed as we enjoyed the music and each other's company.

Me and Emily

One of our last days in Michigan was spent in Frankenmuth, Michigan, a German-themed town.  We dined in a German-themed restaurant of course (Noa ordered the snitzel), walked the streets to the sounds of Oom-pah tunes, and visited a few of the shops.  Aren't we a happy bunch?! 

There were flowers everywhere!  It was so lovely!  I had to get a Team Juloa pic.

Ha ha - the boys: Noa and Jason

And the girls: Emily and Julie

Me, Noa, and Emily posing by the fountain.  It was a perfect day for sightseeing.

We even went to the world's largest Christmas store, Bronner's Christmas Wonderland.  Look at the excitement!

And we had lots of fun hanging out with the whole fam, including Jason's parents, who so graciously let us stay in their home.  Here's part of the gang shucking some Michigan corn (it was DELICIOUS by the way!).

Enjoying dinner on the porch with Jackson and Gracie.

We got to ride the neighbor's Segways!  Noa tried it out with Jason before I had the guts to jump on and give it a whirl.

Apparently Jason made my first Segway lesson hilarious.  

We enjoyed making and eating lots of smores by the backyard campfire.  The kids were too cute!

Oh, and I loved Murray, the family dog.  Murray has a quirky affinity for two things in life: frisbees and "Papa" (Jason's dad).  He nearly ran away when Papa went on a quick bike ride.  Thankfully the word, "frisbee" brought him right back home.  Isn't he cute??

We had such a fun time with the whole family.  The trip, as most trips are, ended much too soon.  Thank you to the Scherden family for being such wonderful hosts.  Also, thank you to Emily for sharing your beautiful pictures!

Here's the gang: Noa, Julie, Jason, and Emily.